By MATT GILBERT
The summer blockbuster season, once defined by action movies like “Die Hard” and buddy comedies like “Turner & Hooch” has for the past seven years been noticeably dominated by big budget superhero adventures. It is now common household knowledge that all of Marvel and DC Comic’s respective studios’ pictures are tiny cogs inside of an enormous working mechanism of individual character features bound together by thin but tangible threads to build what has come to be known as an “expanded universe” that will only get bigger for the foreseeable future.
Whether you love superhero blockbusters or hate ’em, no one can ignore them any longer. Gone are the days when costumed heroes were designated a “niche audience,” because as more of these films are produced, more non-comic readers of all ages get enraptured in the dazzling displays of famous actors and special effects. Marvel and DC films are now virtually guaranteed to be some of the most successful films of the year, so as the studios keep making piles of cash, they’re only going to make more.
The Contenders
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has successfully been building itself for nearly a decade with an impressive 11 features spotlighting four primary and two secondary heroes of the Avengers team as well as the five separately present characters making up the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel releases anywhere from one to three films a year and every one of them is certain to be a box office smash. The MCU’s most recent installment, “Guardians of the Galaxy” grossed over $770 million worldwide despite comprising itself of characters no one but the comic book publisher’s most dedicated and loyal fans had heard of.
Marvel’s hugely successful “Avengers: Age of Ultron” crushed box office records weeks before its initial release and is already lined up to be the biggest movie of the summer season. AMC Theatre manager Dominick Zarillo says, “‘Avengers’ is definitely the biggest movie release we’re anticipating right now this year. ‘Guardians [of the Galaxy]’ broke records for Marvel movies and that was with characters no one knew. We’re expecting sizable crowds for movies like ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘Terminator,’ but nothing comes close to the rush for a Marvel movie.”
Looking ahead, Marvel has announced its plans through 2019. Having established its core Avengers team members, the studio is starting to incorporate larger ideas and plot lines from the comics. Next year Marvel has confirmed the release of “Captain America: Civil War,” an adaptation of one of its most popular storylines. Following that, individual features are planned for the characters Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain Marvel, as well as sequels for Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, respectively. Finally, Marvel has a two-part Avengers sequel planned for their highly anticipated “Infinity War” for 2018 and 2019, as well as the introduction of the lesser-known group known as the Inhumans.
On the other end of the spectrum is DC Comics. Following the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s widely successful “Dark Knight” trilogy in 2012, DC is now launching its own expanded film universe for the Justice League starting with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” next year. Because it’s only gotten into the game very recently, DC has been having a much harder time getting its superhero franchises to take flight. 2011’s “Green Lantern” flopped infamously hard, and opinions on 2013’s Superman origin “Man of Steel” are polarized, at best. And beginning the DCCU only after Marvel has released not one but two major motion picture “Avengers” movies as well as a Netflix original TV series has only given the comic book giant more of an uphill battle than before.
DC also has their own release schedule planned. Following the nearly completed “Dawn of Justice,” the studio already has a Suicide Squad movie currently in production. They are also following that up with movies for founding members of the Justice League, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, Shazam, Cyborg and Green Lantern, as well as a two-part Justice League installment in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Breaking Down the Components
Despite a similar appearance in releases, the two universes couldn’t be more different, and one man thinks he has the answer. Comic analyst Matthew Trejos says, “It’s fascinating how these two similar projects distinguish themselves from each other. They’re operating on two separate wavelengths making very different kinds of movies.” When asked which studio he thinks is making a better franchise, Trejos explained, “Right now Marvel is obviously dominating the critics and box office like a well-oiled machine churning out one hit after another. But once DC gets their universe underway and learns from their mistakes, this could be a much closer race.”
The interest for DC hero movies is certainly present. The comic developer owns the rights to many of the most iconic characters in all of comics, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and more. Despite a weak critical reception, “Man of Steel” grossed over $660 million worldwide, only about $100 million less than the most recent Marvel picture. So given a series of well-made character blockbusters, DC could eventually start producing some Avengers-like numbers.
The difference in the two universes is the approach the creators take with them. Trejos explains, “Marvel doesn’t attempt to make their films anything more than what they are. They’re simple, whimsical, fun action movies. That simplicity is what allows their characters to come together in movies like ‘The Avengers’ or ‘The Winter Soldier.’ They keep it lighthearted, colorful and fun. You can see the plot take the front seat over depth or imagery to try and make it accessible to all ages and keep everyone coming back.
“DC goes the opposite route. ‘The Dark Knight’ series and ‘Man of Steel’ make themselves character-driven films, focusing on the hero’s emotional development. You don’t see that with Marvel.” This does seem to be the case, as Marvel’s films rarely attempt to give their characters any kind of impactful, lasting development, with the exception of 2013’s “Iron Man 3,” which focused on Tony Stark’s grappling with inadequacy and post-traumatic stress following the events of “The Avengers.” DC makes character studies out of their films, as well as good vs. evil plots. Both Batman in “The Dark Knight” and Superman in “Man of Steel” undergo some form of self-discovery and catharsis in their quests to save thousands of innocent people from maniacal forces of evil and destruction.
When asked which cinematic universe he prefers, Trejos’ answer may actually surprise. “I have more respect for the DC universe because they actually attempt to be about something,” he said. “The source material and character dynamics of the comics are great jumping-off points for crafting powerful and thought-provoking narratives that [writers like] David Goyer seizes. The emotional plots of DC heroes and villains actually ask something from their actors and give the films the right to be looked at as great films in their own right. Henry Cavill puts a real emotional conflict into the role of Clark Kent. He has every reason to both stand with humanity or against them with Zod and it’s fascinating to see him grapple with the decision.
“DC also clearly puts much more of an attempt into also having cinematography, editing, soundtrack and actors that work in his favor. Marvel’s movies put the emphasis on following their proven formula in the story. They’re not bad, they just don’t take any chances.”
Public Opinion
Of course, the real value of the cinematic universes is in the perspective of the people. Cinema audiences have their own opinions on who’s winning the war between the two giants. Zachary Northrup, 20, of Middletown said “I mean, the numbers kinda speak for themselves. Marvel’s a billion-dollar franchise and darn near every one of their movies has been amazing. I think DC’s going to fail spectacularly at attempting to imitate what Marvel took years to build.” When asked if he would go and see “Batman v Superman,” Northrup said, “Well of course. I don’t think the movie looks good but I’m not gonna pass up the opportunity to see a genuine Batman vs Superman fight. I’ll give DC movies a chance, but I just don’t have much faith in the writers.”
Edward Guillen, 21, also shared his opinions on DC’s struggling films.
Looking Forward
Time will tell who will turn out on top once DC gets its universe off the ground, but as more movies come out and audiences are given options on which heroes they want to see. 2017 is poised to be one of the most superhero-packed years ever with a whopping nine films to be released over nine months, including three MCU movies and DC’s long-awaited Wonder Woman standalone feature and the first on-screen appearance of the Justice League. By then we should have an accurate partial representation of what to expect from the DC lineup. The world certainly has a lot of costumed justice to look forward to over the coming years, and love it or hate it, they’ll keep coming as long as there are people in the seats. The conversation is ongoing, and will continue on July 17 with Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man.”