A Lesson In History

[Flaming_Telepath]

The question has been raised as to why Marvel continues to trounce DC in the cinematic universe and the answers lie back over fifty years ago.

 

For many years, DC held a virtual monopoly over the comic book world, but in 1961, the new kids on the block started to put together a contiguous universe, a place where actions led to reactions, where characters interacted and accumulated baggage that didn't go away, that lived lives that were full of drama, tragedy and humour...just like everyone who was reading their stories.

 

They used real place, real events and they made their characters fallible and conflicted.

 

Meanwhile, over in DCU, we were still reading 'what if' and Elsewhere stories where the powers were everything and the characters were secondary, never really moving on or growing.

 

This is exactly where we are now with the screen versions of these characters.

 

DC has absolutely no long-term game plan, other than the rushed one they cobbled together in the face of Marvel's cohesive, conjoined universe. They took ludicrous decisions like deeming their TV universe separate from their celluloid universe, ignoring the audience confusion that would engender and the cross-market interest they could exploit. They had to reboot and reimagine, thus painting themselves into a future universe box that has limited room for growth; Batman is now 20 years into his crime-fighting career and is world-worn and jaded.

 

DC retain the greatest icons of the comic book world in Superman and Batman whilst Marvel have given away all of theirs...but they have still made it work better by going back to what they did in the 60s, by joining up all the dots, by creating a universe that hangs together (in more ways than one) and allowing things to develop organically.

 

Marvel have worked harder at this, have developed a long-term plan, and have stuck to it...and that's why they are producing the quality that they are.

 

No bias, no studio manipulation...just simply good, cohesive, epic story-telling.

[Buzzetta]

yup

[zosocane]

and I would add one more element present in MCU movies -- they inject FUN in their movies while targeting a broad audience, not just the male fanboy crowd.

[october]

and I would add one more element present in MCU movies -- they inject FUN in their movies while targeting a broad audience, not just the male fanboy crowd.

 

I don't know. Pretty sure I read on here that fun = juvenile.

 

I am an adult, so I am legally required to only appreciate movies that feature murder, dystopian futures, gritty dourness, dour grittiness, and also some more murder.

[Buzzetta]

and I would add one more element present in MCU movies -- they inject FUN in their movies while targeting a broad audience, not just the male fanboy crowd.

 

I don't know. Pretty sure I read on here that fun = juvenile.

 

I am an adult, so I am legally required to only appreciate movies that feature murder, dystopian futures, gritty dourness, dour grittiness, and also some more murder.

 

Don't forget the murder