I Know Why DC’s TV Shows Are "Better" Than Marvel’s (And It’s Not What You Think)

While most comic book and superhero fans are fans of pretty much fans of characters and stories from both DC and Marvel in general, everyone has their preferences. Some folks would rather enjoy a Batman adventure rather than an Avengers battle and vice versa when they head to their comic shop each week for their pull. The same holds true for live-action entertainment as well. Some people would swear that Marvel’s MCU movies are vastly superior to anything DC has done in recent years, while some television fans would argue right back that DC television leaves Marvel in the dust. You could say it’s a matter of taste.

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But while preference has a lot to do with what we consider “better” or “good”, there is actually a little truth to the claims that Marvel is great at movies while DC is better on the small screen. After all, Marvel seems to be winding down its television presence — the upcoming VisionQuest is the only major release coming up for a bit and it was announced that Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again will be its last — while DC is seemingly just getting started with the critically acclaimed Lanterns and upcoming series like The People v Gorilla Grodd. This split is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about over the years while Marvel dominates movie and DC thrives on television trying to figure this out and I think I’ve finally settled on a why DC TV is better than Marvel — but it might not be the thing you think.

The DC/Marvel Television Divide Comes Down to Story Scope

Now, before I dive into this too far I just want to make one thing very clear: I am a fan of both DC and Marvel television. I’ve been covering both for more than a decade and I think that they both absolutely have great elements and they both absolutely have weaknesses. The same is true for the movies. This is by no means anyone pointing a figure and trying to choose one franchise fully over the other. But when you take a step back, there are some big differences between how DC and Marvel tell stories on the small screen and why the DC shows tend to be better received by both fans and critics and it all comes down to scope, specifically a difference between character stories and larger team or universe narratives.

Marvel’s television series are all pieces of a larger whole and it’s something that factored very much into how the stories are told. Think about it: WandaVision spins directly out of Avengers: Endgame and leads directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness while also having impact on other films and series. It’s Wanda’s story, yes, but that story is as much a direct frame for other stories. You don’t get a story that works entirely on its own and it’s not a story that doesn’t work without the larger, interconnected universe around it. The references to other MCU properties and events aren’t just nods. They are key pieces of the story, so much so that many fans have talked about the “homework” they need to do to make sure they’ve seen all of the relevant shows and movies ahead of whatever new thing is coming out. These things build on one another.

DC’s television offerings, on the other hand, approach things differently. While shows like Peacemaker, The Penguin, and Lanterns all do contain ties and elements to DC movies, you don’t necessarily need to connect the shows to other projects. Peacemaker might have been spun out of The Suicide Squad, but even if you never saw that movie you could easily follow Chris Smith’s story. The same goes for Lanterns. Even as the most recent episode acknowledged events that happened in the overall DCU, you don’t need to have seen Superman or The Suicide Squad to have any knowledge about this series. It is, at its core, simply about John Stewart and Hal Jordan and what’s going on in Rushville. To put it more simply, these are character stories. Their larger setting and the events of the world they exist in matter, yes, but these stories function entirely independently — no homework required. It also means that you will likely be able to watch future films without issue if you’ve never seen Lanterns or Peacemaker.

“Better” Is Subjective — But DC Does Have Higher Rated Shows

It’s also worth at least noting that when it comes to critical ratings, DC television also outperforms Marvel. While DC’s lineup of live action is notably smaller — we’re looking at Peacemaker, The Penguin, and Lanterns here and not so much looking at shows like the Arrowverse as they’re an entirely different entity or animation — but the Rotten Tomatoes scores are interesting. In terms of the DCU proper, both Peacemaker and Lanterns sit at 93%. For The Penguin, that number is 95%. The highest rated MCU tv live-action show is Ms. Marvel at 98%, but the closest one behind that is WandaVision at 92% — and most land in the high 80s — including Loki, which some people feel is the best of MCU series.

Ultimately, the idea of “better” is subjective. What audiences feel is good or what they like over something else truly does come down to personal preference. That said, even if you strip away a value judgement, DC’s storytelling approach and its focus on characters rather than teams and interconnected narrative makes a difference. You get a very different experience with DC television than you do with Marvel and it’s one that might just be more enjoyable, if you’re looking for smaller stories with big impact. And, at the end of the day, it’s the difference between Marvel and DC and their approach to their stories and worlds that are good for fans no matter which “side” you’re on. That’s the great thing about superhero stories: there’s something for everyone.