Marvel and DC have launched over 40 movies since 1977. Some of us are strictly fans of Marvel or DC while others are fans of both.
So the big question is who makes the better movies? (Live Action Films)
My criteria being used for who is the better movie maker comes down to 4 major items.
1. Fan reaction and reception (based on critic and fan ratings)
2. Awards (based on major awards)
3. Money made (based on gross profit)
4. My personal opinion because its my article
First looking at fan reaction and reception the best DC and Marvel movies that stand out are the following in no particular order.
DC
- Superman 1 and 2
- Batman 1 and 2 (Original)
- Batman Begins
- The Dark Knight
Marvel
- Spider-man 1 and 2
- X-Men 1 and 2
- Iron Man 1 and 2
All of these movies rated well with critics and fans alike. It also looks like the leading comic book characters (ie Spider-man/batman) of each universe did well compared to lesser known character (ie Daredevil/Jonah Hex) movies. Its hard to say which universe did better as both seem to have a strong fan base for the above films. However, it looks as though Marvel has come out with more flops than DC as the below movies are ones that were not received so well by critics and fans.
DC
- Superman 3 and 4
- Batman 3 and 4 (i wish i could have never seen these)
- Catwoman
- Jonah Hex
- Steel (any movie that has Shaq in it definitely sucks)
Marvel
- Fantastic Four 1 and 2
- Ghost Rider (Nic Cage please stop making movies)
- Elektra
- Spider Man 3 (that dance scene was absolutely horrible)
- The Punisher
- Punisher War Zone
- Blade 3
- Daredevil (Ben affleck should stick to directing)
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- X-Men 3
The first set of criteria seems to favor DC as both universes had around the same amount of high-rated films but Marvel came out with a lot more junk. 1 point to DC.
Moving on to awards 3 DC films have received major awards while others have been nominated. Awarding winning movies were Superman, Batman, and the Dark Knight. Currently there are 0 Marvel films that have won or been nominated. No one will forget Heath Ledgers performance in the Dark Knight. No such performance has come from a marvel movie as of yet. DC comics have also won awards and been nominated for sound, art and assorted production. None to marvel. 1 more point to DC.
The last major criteria was money made by films. The Dark Knight is obviously the second highest grossing film of all time but Marvel has had its share of blockbusters such as all 3 spiderman films. DC comes in a distant second with $2.5 billion gross revenue while Marvel has a monster $3.5 billion gross. 1 point to Marvel.
After all of that it seems that DC wins by a score of 2 to 1. My personal opinion is that i grew up a marvel fan and loved X-Men and Spidy. However, after watching the films by DC its clear they have made superior films over the past 30 years. Maybe a part of me enjoys the darker, more realistic and grittier backgrounds and themes of the DC films but thats how i feel.
Can't wait to read how many of you are going to disagree with me....
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