Is Marvel Better Than DC? – Flashback Comics & Games

whether you’re a fan of Marvel movies or Marvel characters, or a lover of DC comics and DC characters, the debate of which is better, Marvel or DC (Detective Comics), has never been more apparent for any comic book fan.

With comic books, movies and video games, it will be difficult to decide which is the true winner.

Introduction to Comic Books

Comic books have been around for decades, becoming one of the most popular forms of entertainment. While there are many different publishers, Marvel and DC are by far the biggest, showcasing the most well known comic book characters. both have a huge following, and their comics often sell out within minutes of hitting shelves.

With new series being released every year, such as Zero War, Marvel’s crossover with Fortnite, its unsurprising the two publishers continue to lead the way in comic book publishing.

Comic book sales

Marvel Comics is the largest comic book publisher in the world and is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, LLC. It is based in New York City and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Marvel Comics has been publishing since 1961, when Stan Lee was given the freedom to turn the comic publisher into what it is today.

Today, Marvel Entertainment’s estimated annual revenue is currently over $360 million per year. Without the likes Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko alongside Lee, Marvel Comics would be nowhere near the powerhouse it is today.

DC is the second largest comic book company in the United States. It is headquartered in Burbank, California, and is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment. DC Comics’ annual revenue has been estimated to be $300 million per year, showing they are not far behind Marvel in the race for the top comic publisher in the world.

Although it has been claimed comic sales have declined in recent years, both Marvel and DC Comics have grown. Globally, the comic industry is worth $7 billion with Marvel and DC Comics maintaining their places as the top two biggest players in the market.

This is unsurprising, as both companies continue to adapt to current trends, portraying this through comics. For example, the release of Miles Morales in 2011 highlights this fantastically.

With that said, we must also consider the sale of popular and key back issues, such as;

Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Amazing Spider-Man
Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman
Hulk #181, the first appearance of Wolverine

Comic collectors spend thousands annually to grow their collection with key issues, highlighting the love for reading and collecting comics continues to thrive.

What makes the Marvel Universe unique?

Originally founded in 1939 as Timely comics by Martin Goodman, Marvel Comics was born in 1961 by the fantastic Stan Lee, and has continuously shown its ability and willingness to take risk, making it probably the most unique comic universe in the world.

Marvel is the only comic publisher that has its own movie studio, allowing its cinematic universe to consistently grow under the leadership of Kevin Feige. This gives Marvel a lot of control over its characters and allows it to make movies that are faithful to the comics.

Marvel is also willing to kill off its characters, even its superheroes, which is something that DC is not willing to do.

Some people claim this makes Marvel a lot more unpredictable and exciting than DC, which is why most people prefer Marvel movies and comics, as they can more easily emotionally connect with the Marvel characters.

Avengers: Endgame': Iron Man's Death

most well-known characters in the Marvel Universe

Spider-Man – Lee’s favourite Web Head has been at the forefront of the Marvel Comic Universe since his first appearance in Amazing fantasy #15 in 1962
Thor – Based on the Norse God, Thor is one of the most powerful heroes marvel possesses, and this is portrayed very well in his film appearances
Iron Man – The character that kickstarted the MCU back in 2008, and ended the MCU’s Phase 3 in Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark is one of the most cherished characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Captain America – Our star spangled hero has been on shelves since 1941, inspiring comic readers for over 80 years both in comics and on screen
Wolverine – Arguably one of the most unique heroes Marvel has created, Wolverine, aka Logan, has excited comic readers and movie fans every-time he has made an appearance, Mainly in X-Men issues
Captain Marvel – aka Carol Danvers, currently played by Brie Larson, continues to inspire women and girls that they too can be powerful super heroes
Mr Fantastic – Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, is one of Marvel’s super intelligent superhero characters

Another reason Marvel is vastly popular is because of the films they produce, based on its Marvel superheroes. Through the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), they also give platforms to a lot of newer, up-and-coming actors which is good for Hollywood as well as Marvel’s bottom line since these people are new to the industry with less chance of being involved in scandals.

Marvel is only going to get more popular as time goes on because more and more people will discover the brand with each new film that is made. Along with that, Marvel will no likely introduce more of their characters into the MCU, expanding their ever-growing list of marvel heroes with multiple likely to be seriously underrated.

The beauty of this is also being realised as Marvel continues to expand the Marvel Multiverse, both through comic production and films released in the MCU.

The first glimpse we got to see of the multiverse was through the Loki series. We Finally got to fully realise its potential in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returned as their respective Peter Parkers to help Tom Holland’s Peter Parker fight Doc Ock, Electro, Sandman, Lizard and menacing Green Goblin played by Willem Dafoe!

How is DC different?

DC is unique because it is willing to focus on its characters, predominantly its superheroes, in the well-known DC universe. Unlike Marvel DC is not willing to kill off its characters. This makes DC more predictable and safe than Marvel, much to the dismay of DC fans.

DC is also popular as it is the home of Batman and Superman, among other popular DC characters. These are two of the most popular superheroes in the world, and people who are not interested in comics often still enjoy following the DC Universe just for these two characters.

On top of the vast array of DC heroes, DC also has a lot of iconic villains, such as The Joker, Lex Luthor, and The Riddler. These villains are often just as popular as the heroes, and some people even prefer them over the heroes.

most well-known DC characters

Batman
Superman
The Joker
Lex Luthor
Riddler

In terms of films, DC movies have not been doing as well as Marvel. While they have produced some good films, they often get criticized for not being faithful to the source material or having too many characters in one film. For example, the DC universe has an array of well known DC heroes that could be used, but they seem to stick always using the same characters, such as Wonder Woman and Superman.

a lack of diversity

However, not all is rosy for Marvel. Even though it is a big proponent of diversity and is willing to put characters of different races and genders in its movies, the comic books themselves are not as diverse.

Their biggest selling comics seem to be predominantly male and white with a fair amount of sexism. DC is also not as good at diversity as it is sometimes given credit for, but is arguably more willing to embrace diversity than is Marvel.

Film Reviews

When it comes to Superhero Movies, Marvel Studios is arguably the more prominent force, as its films are generally well-received by fans and critics alike. Many Marvel movies have been nominated for or won Academy Awards, with most being hugely successful at the box office, making it the preferred of the two.

With that said, some of the best comic book movies of the 21st Century have been based on DC Heroes. the Dark Night trilogy includes three of the best DC Movies produced to date, with Christian Bale playing the role of Batman fantastically.

most successful DC Comics films:

The Dark Knight – arguably the best Batman film to date, as Heath Ledger’s Joker took on Christian Bale’s batman with as much crazy as we all hoped for
The Dark Knight Rises
Man of Steel
Suicide Squad
Justice League: Snyder Cut – DC’s fanbase were overjoyed at the release of the Snyder Cut, and it’s not difficult to see why. Super-Man in a black suit, Steppenwolf looked as menacing as he should have, and overall a fantastic film
Wonder Woman
Aquaman – We finally got to see Aquaman’s comic accurate suit, and it was awesome!

Video Games

When it comes to video games, I think most people would agree that DC have probably been the leader of this for multiple years. Releasing numerous Batman titles for console gamers, it is no surprise that this is the case. However, Marvel do seem to be picking up their game, with Spider-Man 2 soon to be released, featuring Peter Parker and Miles Morales facing off against the terrifying venom.

Marvel or DC?

Ultimately, there is no easy answer to this question, as both Marvel and DC are extremely popular. Although it is clear Marvel dominates in the area of film, DC’s originality will always play a huge part in its popularity. even when you start to consider the comics both companies produce, some people swear by Marvel while others prefer DC, purely based on their writing styles and artwork.

ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. There are some definite differences between the two companies that might make one side more appealing than the other, but if we look at gross annual revenue, then Marvel is the clear winner, so maybe that is the best answer we can offer right now!