- DC versus Marvel, regardless of which side you're on
in this age old battle, you can't deny
that these two have been the undisputed giants
of the comic book universe for as long
as most of us can remember.
Unless you're like a hundred and remember the 1930s,
when DC was Detective Comics and Marvel was Timely Comics.
I could go into the ins and outs
of the golden age of comics and the rise of superheroes
in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But in the context of Marvel versus DC,
all you need to know is that DC came first
and had dominated the superhero genre.
That entire time, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman,
the Justice League, DC was unstoppable.
While America was fighting overseas,
during world war two, most superheros were also fighting
the Nazis and the Japanese in the comics.
So when the war ended in 1945,
these super-villain foes were vanquished as well.
In 1960, Atlas was renamed Marvel,
as they decided to take one more shot
at the superhero genre.
That's when Stan Lee arrived in 1961,
to literally create the Marvel universe,
as we know it today.
This changed everything.
Up until then, superheros were known
for being practically perfect, in all ways.
They had a flawless sense of integrity and ethics,
always knew right from wrong
and everything they did was to fight evil
and protect the good.
Stan Lee flipped that script.
Enter The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,
suddenly Marvel superheroes were flawed, like humans.
They were relatable,
they were no longer these godly beings,
who represented everything we knew we should be.
They were just like us, except they had superpowers.
Which spoke directly to a baby boomer generation,
already disillusioned to the American ideals,
that most DC superheroes embodied.
Marvel was the liberal side of the superhero market
and DC was the conservative side.
Marvel had cultural and sexual diversity,
while DC was still stuck in the past.
Enter The Incredible Hulk, Dr. Strange,
Thor, Daredevil, the X-Men and the Amazing Spider-Man.
The end of the 60s, mark the end of the civil age of comics,
as well as the end of DC's dominance.
Marvel was back on top and DC was scrambling.
The Bronze Age began with DC
taking a page out of Marvel's book.
They made their superheroes more relatable
and focused on social political issues.
It worked briefly to close the sales gap
but Marvel was still on top.
This led to a successful collaboration
between DC and Marvel in 1976,
that had rival ending implications.
The product of this collaboration,
Superman versus the Amazing Spider-Man,
finally two giants working together
to benefit the comic book industry as a whole,
a hundred page special edition, that was a best seller.
However, with the departure of DC's editorial director,
Carmine Infantino, they never made it to a sequel.
Both DC and were on their own again.
This led to another devastating implosion
for comics in the late 1970s,
that was saved only by the rise of movies,
TV shows, and toy sales.
In 1978, DC Superman, the movie starring Christopher Reeves,
kick-started the superhero movie boom,
that became the foundation of the current popularity
of superheroes.
After four Superman films in the 70s and 80s,
two Superman TV shows in the 90s and four Batman movies.
DC had taken over dominance in the superhero market.
DC had also delved into more serious
and complex storytelling, targeting an older audience
with edgy narratives, such as Alan Moore's Watchmen.
On the other hand, Marvel was going through a slump.
They filed for bankruptcy
and didn't have a production company until 1996.
In 2000, Marvel exploded onto the scene
with the first X-Men movie.
X-Men established a financial and tonal foundation
for Marvel's brand that extends to this day.
DC clapped back in 2005,
with Christopher Nolan's, Batman Begins.
Which brought the darkness and grittiness
back to superhero movies that audiences desperately craved.
So much so, that the success of the new Batman series,
overshadowed that of Marvel's Spider-Man, Iron Man,
Hulk, Captain America and Fantastic Four films.
But DC would ultimately prove to be no match
for the Marvel universe.
Sure, in recent years, DC has continued to find some success
with its old faithfuls Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman
and Aquaman.
But the movies have been very hit or miss.
Marvel on the other hand has had consistent successes
with multiple X-Men and Avengers movies
over the last two decades.
Not to mention the spin-offs and origin stories
branching off of both of those series.
So in the age old DC Marvel rivalry,
Marvel seems to be safely seated
at the top of the superhero game.
Marvel is going to be tough to the dethrone.
However, as history has certainly shown,
it only takes one hit,
to swing the pendulum back in DC's direction.