The Marvel Cinematic Universe made superheroes the biggest thing in pop culture. The key to this is the concept of the shared superhero universe, something Marvel revolutionized in the 1960s. Marvel became the standard-bearer for superhero movies, creating a plot formula that fans loved. A big part of that formula is the humor; right from the beginning with 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel gave fans action comedies that changed superhero movies forever. Fans were so used to their superhero films being funny that when the DCEU didn’t follow suit right away, they were doomed in the eyes of many superhero fans.
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The DCEU fell apart and is being replaced by the DCU, with DC Studios under the aegis of writer/director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran. The DCU has all of the momentum in the world right now, with its first project, Creature Commandos, building anticipation for Superman (2025). Gunn is an alumni of the MCU, and easily one of the best to work at Marvel Studios, but that has awakened certain fears in many fans. See, the MCU’s reliance on humor has become a lodestone for many reasons and many don’t want to see the DCU go down the same path.
The MCU’s Humor Destroys Tone and the DCU Has To Be Careful About That
Iron Man was a great movie, but not because the story was revolutionary or anything like that. What made the movie work so well was a confluence of two factors — Robert Downey Jr.’s charm and a script that allowed that charm to shine through. The quippy style of humor that typified Iron Man became a huge part of the MCU afterward. While not every movie was a laugh-out-loud action-comedy, most of the MCU used the quips to humanize the characters. Superheroes have always been funny, so for a while, this was fine. Better than fine, actually — Guardians of the Galaxy, written and directed by James Gunn, used the MCU style of humorous superheroes to great effect, and many MCU fans loved Ant-Man and its comedic stylings. Contrary to that, movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier were serious films, ones that knew when to joke and when to take things in the other direction.
Phases One and Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe saw Marvel Studios try different things with superhero stories, and in the end, they decided that more humor was better than less humor. This led to a problem that even the biggest MCU fans won’t deny — inconsistent tone. Humor in action movies has often been used to bring the tension of a scene down; it’s a pretty standard part of screenwriting, so for the MCU to use it made sense. However, they took it much too far and that became a problem. The best example of this is Captain America: Civil War. The airport fight scene is easily one of the coolest superhero fights ever put to film… yet there are so many jokes and (for lack of a better term) “bits” that there’s exactly no tension in the vast majority of the fight. Doctor Strange uses Dormammu killing Doctor Strange immediately in a much funnier way than it should have. Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming have solid backbones of humor that can often hurt taking the films seriously.
The MCU has overdosed on humor in too many movies, which is actually kind of ironic when one looks at the reaction to the DCEU and films like Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. One of the biggest problems with fans and critics alike when it came to the DCEU was the often dour and overly serious tone of those movies. The most successful DCEU films, like Aquaman and Shazam!, all used humor in the MCU style and got praised for it. Conversely, Batman V. Superman is considered by many to be one of the worst superhero movies of the 2010s.
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James Gunn coming to DC was a turning point in the game of blockbuster superhero films. Gunn is one of the few MCU filmmakers who was able to mix humor and tone well. The three Guardians of the Galaxy movies are among the funniest in the MCU, but they are also one of the more poignant series, with a strong emotional core. This is the perfect balance for a superhero film series: able to use humor in a way that the rest of MCU doesn’t. Having Gunn, who is responsible for brilliant DC projects like The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos, in charge of the DCU has assuaged some of the worries of the DCU overusing humor to the extent that the MCU does.
Gunn still hasn’t revealed what is coming next to the DCU, but one thing is certain — he isn’t going to be able to direct every single movie. While Gunn can definitely balance tone and humor, the MCU has shown that not everyone can. In fact, one of the biggest problems with superhero movies in general, since the 2020s began, is that there are few who can still make properly-balanced superhero movies. Either the movies are much too dark and the humor is lacking, or there’s too much humor and the movie’s stakes never feel grave. The MCU has proven that fans want some humor in their movies and Gunn’s own films have shown how well he can use humor, but James Gunn has proven to be unique in the world of superhero movie directors.
The DCU Needs To Find the Balance & Nail It
DC has been on a winning streak for the last few years, but all of that will be for naught if the DCU fails. It’s plain to see that the DCU is going to “borrow” some ideas from the MCU — after the way the MCU trounced the DCEU, they certainly should — but they need to sidestep the tone problem that has become such an albatross around the MCU’s neck. Superheroes and comedy go together, sure, but so do superheroes and tense final battles. There’s a reason the final battle of movies like Avengers: Endgame are so memorable — because the stakes are always there. Compare that fight to many of the final battles we’ve gotten since through Phases Three, Four, and Five; too many of them have completely undercut any tension because humor has become the main character trait of every MCU character.
The DCU can’t fall into this trap. If it can’t find a way to use humor effectively in every movie, there’s no hope for the DCU. Fans don’t want the overly serious superheroes of Zack Snyder, but they also don’t want the overly funny superheroes of Ant-Man: Quantumania or Thor: Love and Thunder. If the DCU can’t find the balance, then the game is already lost.
Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters; Superman will be released in theaters on July 11th.
