TGLComics: Marvel vs DC, who rules the big screen?

As far back as the dawn of comic books themselves, we've had comic book movies and TV shows. Even before Adam West donned the cowl, one could watch the Dark Knight's adventures portrayed by Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowrey in the 1940's. Before Chris Evans even knew what a shield was, Dick Purcell had already battled evil as Captain America in 1944. And before Samuel L. Jackson had even been considered to play the famed director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the role had already been tackled in 1998 by David Hasselhoff in....you know what, let's actually forget I mentioned that last one.

Marvel and DC have both seen vast success in the realms of movies and television, but there's definitely a pattern of success that both companies should note: Marvel has claimed a clear victory at the movies, but DC has an undeniable lead on television. 

The Avengers (2012)

How Marvel conquered the Big Screen:

Comic book movies have been around for decades, but in 2008, Marvel changed the game. They finally stopped licensing their characters, and took a crack at making movies themselves. Iron Man blasted into theaters, and saw a good amount of box office success while he was at it. The movie was good, but it was what came after the movie that changed comic book cinema as we know it. A figure enshrouded by shadows emerged towards Tony Stark and spoke those wonderful words: "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative." Comic book fans were stunned. Marvel was taking things in a whole new direction, and the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" was born. Marvel had it's best foot forward and later that year saw the release of The Incredible Hulk, and another saliva-inducing after credits teaser. Two years later, Iron Man 2. The next year, Thor and Captain America. And finally, the shining jewel that is The Avengers. We're a little over halfway through Marvel's "Phase 2" of movies, and as it stands, Marvel Studio's Kevin Feige admitted earlier this year that Marvel has movies planned as far ahead as 2028. If that isn't overkill, I don't know what is, but still, they know what they're doing. Even with different directors, writers, etc. there is obvious consistency throughout their movies. The various directors and writers work together to guarantee continuity, with Joss Whedon confidently (and rightfully) ruling the Marvel movie throne. Marvel did it right in that they chose a fantastic set of directors, locked them in the world's most comfortable prison, and catered to their every whim until they walked out with pure solid gold, as opposed to rushing them all for a quick buck. My former mistrust that comic book movies should still even continue being made has been quelled after Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Cap 2's shining examples that skillful repetition is actually possible.

Plus y'know, Disney can give them more money than God to make their movies...so there's that.

Avengers: Disk Wars...*sigh*

How Marvel botched the small screen:

Imagine if tomorrow MGM announced a weekly James Bond television show, but it didn't follow 007, instead it followed Moneypenny. Sure, people would watch because they know that Bond is going to show up for an episode or two, but after a few weeks when 007 doesn't show up, you're just stuck with the receptionist. This is the problem with Marvel's biggest TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Casual viewers assumed they'd be seeing Thor, Cap, Iron Man, at the very least Hawkeye or Black Widow once every few episodes but all they got for the entire season was the back-ups, with a thirty second cameo by Nick Fury. There's only so many times the viewer can say "Oh! They mentioned (insert character)! Cool!" without actually seeing anyone, before it gets old. This was painfully obvious, as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ratings plummeted, losing one third of its viewership in one week. You'd think that this would be a strong indicator that they need more big names, but we'll have to wait and see with season two.

I've always felt that comic books are best represented on TV in the form of cartoons, which Marvel hasn't been terribly successful with either. In 2010, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes premiered on the Disney channel, sporting two seasons based heavily on existing comic book plots, including "Secret Invasion." But the animation was lackluster, and the tone couldn't decide whether it was a kids show, or aimed more at a young adult audience. Then in 2013, it was replaced by Avengers Assemble! which, while still running today, has met with worse reviews, and fans wishing the previous show would return. Marvel's small screen failings seem to come from their lack of dedication. Spider-Man alone has had no less than 8 different television shows of his own, the X-Men have had at least 4, and the Avengers at least 3. Unfortunately, now that Disney has it's cold clammy hands on Marvel's rights, we can expect to see plenty of cash-in ideas. One such idea is Japanese Pokemon/Digimon ripoff, Avengers: Disk Wars in which kids collect disks infused with the powers of members of Marvel comics, and summon them a la Pokemon. There really are no words for that one...

How DC's movies have gone wrong:

Now please do not misunderstand. Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy was phenomenal, and the box office numbers will attest to that. But since the release of Batman Begins, there was never any lasting hope for a Justice League movie, or even any tie-ins at all with other DC properties throughout the trilogy.

Fast forward to 2013, which saw the release of Man of Steel, and at Comic Con 2013, DC blew the roof off when the Batman/Superman logos appeared together on screen. Finally in April 2014, Justice League was confirmed as a movie with a 2016 release date. But is it too little too late? Marvel did something fantastic with it's movies: It told individual stories in such a way that even non-comic readers were able to learn about the characters, and a universe was established over five years. On the opposite end, let's take a look at the confirmed character roster for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, Lex Luthor, Aquaman, Green Lantern, along with rumors of Martian Manhunter, Doomsday, Joker, Catwoman, Green Arrow, Amanda Woller, and on and on... It's pretty obvious that if you want to break records in the box office, you'll need more than just comic book readers to come to your movies, so for a 2 to 2.5 hour long movie, isn't this a bit of information and character overload?! DC is jumping into a race that Marvel won six years ago.

In this case, Marvel is Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps: we all know that whatever they do will be successful, and make us proud to be fans, whereas DC is a fresh high school grad who chugged one too many energy drinks and suddenly thinks he can swim the English channel just to get our attention.

The Flash (premiering this fall on CW)

How DC has dominated television:

DC has ruled over television for well over a decade. In 2001, the live action adaptation of Superman demolished ratings with Smallville. Meanwhile that same year, the Justice League cartoon was scoring big on Cartoon Network, with a clear political/super hero tone that knew it's intended young adult audience and struck big, along with fantastic animation, and engaging plots. Both of these ran their time with huge success, but it seemed like DC started to slip. That is until 2012 saw the release of Arrow, a show not about a grunt, or a c-list character, but a card carrying comic book Justice League member. Between the first two seasons, ratings have gone nowhere but up. Clearly aware of the success, DC is taking full advantage and rolling out three more live action TV shows with a similar action/drama/peppered with comedy tone. This fall will see the rise of The Flash, Gotham, and Constantine. With this, it seems that DC has the chance to sweep Marvel's momentum right out from under them. They have the chance to build and sustain a cinematic universe on a weekly basis, whereas Marvel's movies can take years to make, market, and release, television shows work at a quicker pace, and keep viewers engaged for longer. If DC played their cards right, they could build a Justice League TV series that crushes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the dirt.

What happens next:

Due to the entertainment industry as a whole becoming a cash-in, money making machine, what I'm about to suggest will probably never come anywhere near happening, but I can dream. That said, here is my recipe for success for both of these companies: 

Marvel, stop making TV shows. That ship is sinking. Actually, it has never really been afloat. On the other hand, your movie yacht is cruising just fine. Focus solely on movies, and not only could you make more faster, but with better quality. Oh and by the way, whose idea was it that the Punisher would transfer well into anime?!

DC, you lost in the movies. Trying to amass every character you can into one or two behemoth movies could backfire in one of a thousand different ways. That said, you clearly have some aptitude with television shows, so take a page from Marvel's playbook and build a consistent universe on TV, but you need to walk away from movies. You are years too late.