(Warning contains spoilers)
With Captain Marvel’s continued holding strong at the box office, according to EW, DC movie makers must be questioning themselves on what they are doing wrong?
While DC gave Aquaman a new look with sex appeal, Marvel repeatedly offers the same heroes with an undeniable stability. Marvel’s Black Panther snagged three Oscar awards, nominated for seven Academies and I can only imagine DC scratching their heads and shuffling uncomfortably in a conference room. Maybe they are relying on April fifth DC release of Shazam!? I’m not sure this movie is going to shine when the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame is coming to theaters twenty-one days later…
Is this article being written by a bias Marvel fan? Unfortunately, not, with the exception of growing up engrossed in X-men comics.
This article is coming from an early childhood Batman fan, who still blinks blankly at the casting of Ben Affleck. I was once a little girl jumping around in my Wonder Woman Underoos and fashioning gold bands and a lasso for Barbie (who then still hadn’t become an astronaut or doctor). The younger me felt Poison Ivy’s sorrow as her beloved trees were being stripped from the jungle, to the point of portraying the flaming red head for Halloween.
So why am I having trouble in the DC film world?
I was ecstatic about the Wonder Woman movie, even after her debut in the Batman and Superman movie that made me roll my eyes at the duo bonding over the Martha name… Could my beloved DC really not find another reason this duo should work together?
What about Wonder Woman’s movie?
When I saw the Wonder Woman movie, there was no doubt she could kick butt… however, I didn’t leave the theater feeling satisfied. I wondered why a Goddess, recruited to stop War, appears to have been MIA to World War II (which also means she didn’t stop the end to all wars as the assignment called for)? There are too many blanks left after destroying the God of War, Ares during World Ward I when you don’t have to be a historian to know another war is brewing not too far behind…
And here is an official true story…
Once Upon A Time: I had little idea what was going on in the world of Marvel (only able to engorge myself in the X-men entourage…) and now I find myself waking early on a Sunday, instead of relaxing on the couch and sipping on a hot cup of brew, and rushing out the door to meet my girlfriends for the weekend opening of Captain Marvel (A character I knew little about almost a year ago).
How has DC lost me in the movies… while Marvel incites me at every turn?
Here are five theories:
Theory One: Women.
While men continue to share their love for Super Heroes with new generations, it is undeniable that Marvel has discovered a key success to their movies... Women.
Females are in the fan club too and we want to see other women dominating amongst the high testosterone of male heroes. Women can no longer be ignored as actively involved in the comic world and Marvel has mastered highlighting this.
Women Marvel Examples…(To name a few):
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Black Panther was a story based on a male super hero, but I left the theater feeling more woman empowerment than any other Marvel flick at the time. Why? The Black Panther was backed up by a very powerful team of women. His mom, his sister, his loyal friend... without these women he would’ve met his demise.
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Now Captain Marvel, is set up to save the world from the powerful Thanos… (the villain that has already destroyed some of our favorite heroes in Avengers: Infinity War) Carol Danvers doesn’t need backup in co-star Nick Furry during her personal movie debut… in fact she comes to his rescue more than once. Her best friend helps her discover the past along with her daughter, both women raising their female mentor onto a pedestal.
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Black Widow holds her own against a team based mostly compiled of men with a witty and facetious sense of humor. Scarlet Witch’s character developed carefully through the Avenger plots, learning to rely on herself more than others. Scarlet Witch is forced to cope with her brother’s death (not a comic book following) and while she develops a love story with Vision, him coming to her rescue in Avengers Age of Ultron, she returns the favor two-fold in Avengers: Infinity War encouraging his survival against Thanos.
Theory Two: Investment.
(I’m not talking about money)
There have been so many movies released in the Marvel world and there is one thing all these movies have in common, they eventually cross paths. Marvel’s character consistency emotionally invests their fans in the story lines. It no longer becomes IF we see what happens next... but WHEN.
Even with a redo of Spider-Man, with hesitance after the Toby Maguire releases, the “new” Spider-Man joining Avengers Civil War gave us a preview of the new Peter Parker,leaving the viewers desiring the background introduction, making these new movies a must see.
What if DC took its beloved TV series characters, so many fans are already invested in, and brought them to life in Justice League? Wouldn’t that be exciting?
Theory Three: Lightness.
While we walk away from Avengers: Infinity War with a heavy heart, witnessing our favorite heroes becoming dust, literally… we can dry our eyes and know there is a reasonable solution to save them all (we just aren’t exactly sure what that is yet). Then our favorite Marvel credit tease happens… introducing… Captain Marvel.
The Wait.
The anticipation.
Let’s interrupt the theory of lightness, measured by the amount of emotional tension, in a movie and take another approach on this word, brightness.
Have you ever noticed fight scenes are easier on the eyes with the lighting used in Marvel flicks than DC?
Let’s address this from a marketing standpoint.
Psychologically proven, as sourced on NeilPatel.com, blue is the number one-color men favor. And guess what? It is also the number one preferred color among women.
Now think about Marvel movies…
Marvel has a lot of friendly blue floating around - in the skies, on costuming. Even Black Panther dressed in, one of the least favorite color among men and women, is brightened by the beautiful blue skies of Wakanda.
What is the possibility that Marvel is making viewing more delightful for its fans on a level we aren’t consciously aware of?
DC is mostly shot with darker, shadowing and filtered lightening while also Superman and Wonder Woman, wearing blue, have dark tones that appear almost a wash out gray in many scenes. (However, if you look at the advertising posters, of Wonder Woman many have her skirt as a bright royal, blue… marketing team is on it there, aren’t they?)
While dark scenes are appreciated, too many can draw a depressing feel and make the movie vibe “family unfriendly”. This causes DC movie ratings shorter than its competitor in the long run. Often parents want to feel good about taking their kids and the brighter element of Marvel just might make us subconsciously agree it feels a little…well… “brighter.”
Theory Four: Girl Power.
You might feel like I’m taking a couple steps back to theory one, so for argument sake, I’m going to openly say I don’t believe “Women” is the same as “Girl Power.”
Oddly, DC TV shows is where DC seems to get it, something is right...
Arrow = Oliver Queen needs Felicity, she is the brain behind the operations
Flash = Barry Allen needs Caitlin Snow (AKA: Killer Frost), not only is she a big part of the brains of the operations, but her story unfolds challenging Barry (Flash) in numerous of scenarios.
Gotham = Bruce needs Selena…I can’t count the number of times he has called Selena for help. This show also has a numerous of villainous women in the series, reminding us women aren’t so fragile.
As wonderful as I think these shows are, (comic book lover, married, mother of a son… who watches these shows alone at night…) many of my girlfriends don’t fancy these DC TV shows... WHY?
TV shows like Marvel’s Agent Carter and Jessica Jones didn’t survive renewals and I thought they were damn good tv shows too...
So, Marvel’s TV Shows are struggling? Yet, DC seems to flourish in this category…
Why are Marvel’s girl powered shows falling off the Tv Guide?
DC’s Super Girl, has proved opposite to Marvel’s women, and here is why Super Girl is being renewed for a fifth season. Many women (also moms) rave how much they enjoy watching the girl power in this show, especially mother with their daughter(s). Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) even mentions this in her TVInsider.com interviewer. (You’ll always have those parents who disagree, on both DC and Marvel fronts)
Mom’s want their younger girls, and as blogger Joanna Schroeder writes her sons, to know ‘girl power.’ TV shows that provide this family viewing, like ‘ole days Wonder Woman, starring Linda Carter, are few and far between.
Applying all these theories to the box office?
It’s no secret that DC’s Wonder Woman ‘kicks butt’ in her jam-packed female flick…BUT… there are bumps. First, as I mentioned earlier, World War I, a skewed war, causes confusion in generation gaps, again to highlight: Was she REALLY successful in her mission? It’s much easier to pin a fight against World War II, when everyone knows the Nazis are the bad guys (like in Captain America). Diana’s main go to is Steve, who ultimately helps strengthen her soul through the confusion she faces…
However, ...
Marvel’s Captain Marvel takes a different approach, the first to be seen, male confidant is the traitor, the war is in a galaxy where plot twist are constant. It is Carol Danvor’s female, best friend, helping her to uncover the past, along with a diverse alien cast... the movie is easily family friendly with witty humor, and an amazing soundtrack (closing fight scene with “I’m just a Girl” by No Doubt) wreaking of girl power that society craves.
Theory Five: Diversity.
Marvel has discovered something quickly with the release of Black Panther: “Diversity matters.”
DC has introduced the diversity card much more over the last few years in its TV Shows, but its movies are still lacking.
Everyone of sorts wants to be a super hero: white, black, green, blue, (raccoon, tree...) and so on… The fact is Marvel continues to prove it doesn’t discriminate.
Everyone wants to feel included on adventures, and the more diversity offered on the screen the more diversity filling your seats at the theater.
This rule should be plain and simple in any genre.
So, what happens next?
DC is going to try to woo ladies again in 2020 with the release of a dominated female crew in Birds of Prey.
Harley Quinn leaves the Joker to join with the Huntress and Black Canary to save a young girl from an evil crime lord (IMDb); But will Harley Quinn’s familiarity be enough to introduce the other two women, a stranger to many, bringing success to a female hit for DC?
Would DC be better off taking the “Marvel approach” and creating a movie for Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress before Birds of Prey… then we can understand the origin more effectively? Invest ourselves in these women emotionally?
Meanwhile in “Marvel-Ville”:
A female oriented release is set for Dark Phoenix (X-men), when Jean Grey spirals out of control after a space mission... a continued X-men story, with familiar characters, that the audience is already invested in.
Disney, now a driving force behind Marvel, has already proven in a new numerous of features that the power of women, unity, diversity, family, and friends matter to their audience… to the fans…
Now DC needs to come up with some of their own magic to give their movies the independent edge Marvel has already found.