Not just a childhood-to-adulthood debate, the fierce battle deciding whether Marvel or DC is better has transformed into a war. Disagreements in bars and social media quickly turn into endless bickering and unkind film reviews.
In retrospect, both companies have been a glorious success which has influenced many forms of entertainment from movies to series, video games, board games and even casino slot games. The latter may be news, but you can find the best online slot casinos at CompareCasino.com. It is only when the two industries are pitted against each other that people become critical.
So, where did the competition come from? How did it develop, and what does it mean for both enterprises?
Where Did the Rivalry Begin?
The rivalry between Marvel Comics and DC Comics originated as small arguments between the respective writers, making claims that their counterparts were stealing characters and ideas from one another.
To be factually correct, DC has been credited with inventing superheroes when they introduced the world to Superman almost a century ago. It was around three decades later that DC answered the appearance of Superman with their superhero, Human Torch.
These were the early signs of a rivalry bubbling up, and around the same time, that competition was confirmed. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came up with the Fantastic Four to compete with DC’s growing success with their Justice League.
An Expanding Battle Ground
The origins of the competition predominantly surrounded the development of characters, but that soon developed into narratives and many other aspects of their work once the niche expanded into movies and TV series.
It could be argued that DC finally overtook the work of Marvel at this point through their releases of the Superman series and Batman by Richard Donner and Tim Burton, respectively. Although Marvel, fought back from the dead in superhero style when they released Spider-Man at the turn of the century, which became a massive box office seller.
Yet, DC threw their punches with the Batman Trilogy by Christopher Nolan. This also earned the late Heath Ledger an Oscar for his performances as The Joker. Marvel then returning the serve with a standout showing of The Avengers.
Overall, both companies broke free from the arguments in comic book shops and started battling on the red carpet and still today on streaming services. By entering more entertainment formats, just like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this post, the debate on whether DC or Marvel is better continues among more demographics than ever before.
Always Good for Business…
The competition is healthy because it pushes each team to come up with better products every time, something that all fans will agree has been achieved. It is also beneficial for the industry as a whole because more people are talking about this unique and exciting genre.