By Amber Justice

There are plenty of rivalries in the market, from fast food to entertainment, to what kind of car you drive, companies are always out for your business.

Businesses need loyal customers to keep coming back to them. Strategies are developed and deployed to keep consumers from trying another brand and sticking to what is best.

Top Dog/Underdog in Marvel versus DC Comics

You may be familiar with the litany of Marvel movies and Television shows that are being produced right now. Even if you’ve never picked up a comic before to read about Peter Parker’s teen adventures as spider-man, you can still enjoy the cinematic masterpiece of the movies. From Spiderman with Toby Maguire to The Amazing Spiderman with Andrew Garfield, to Tom Holland’s Spiderman.

What Makes Marvel stand out?

Marvel has been making comics since 1939 which began with Marvel Comics #1 and featured different superheroes. Dc Comics, which started out as National Allied Publications, also started publishing their New Fun comic the same year.

From the beginning, these two companies were destined to square off. Marvel has X-men, Spiderman, Hulk, and great female superheroes like Jean Gray, She-Hulk, Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch. Dc has notable superheroes like Superman, Batman, Green Lanturn, and Wonderwoman. These companies have been mimicking each other’s characters for years, such as Dc releasing Harley Quinn in 1993’s Batman: The Animated Series versus Marvled’s Deadpool whose first appearance was in 1991.

While Both companies have comics with dark backstoreis featured around the death of parents or guardians, evil villains, and more commonly violence, there are notable differences in what these companies are trying to do to gain fans. Marvel, even with adult themes, still mostly tries to keep its stories more lighthearted, keeping fans rooting for their superheroes and doling out good old ‘good always triumphs over evil’ kind of thing. DC however has only progressively gone darker and more adult, launching their own Black Label brand which has more adult content and not recommended for those under the age of 18.

When it comes to movies, much of the same thing can be said about how each company tends to operate. Spiderman (Disney) has you hanging by the edge of your seat as you hope that your favorite loveable Peter Parker makes it home to live another day, while DC (Warner Brothers) Batman is dark, gloomy, and has you trying to think three steps ahead of psychotic villains. While Marvel never takes itself too seriously, they put a lot of love and time into making a long lasting character that is close to their originals. DC is never afraid to push boundaries and revamp old characters to try and see what the public thinks.

Pushing Boundraires

Its no secret that DC Movies have’t been fareing well for years. While Disney and Marvel have been raking in the cash, Warner brothers and DC have been cutting projects, firing and hiring Directors, and Ultimately scratching their heads on how to make a sucssessful movie. How can DC do better? What is Marvel’s secret?

1. Continuity errors: Marvel has had some continuity errors, sure, but nothing quite as bad as the DC Unvierser. On screen and off screen, there has been many issues with it over the years. Its how we’ve gained new characters, its how we’ve gained different universes and Earth’s. However a lot of what Dc Throws out there has to be ignor3ed by their fans who love the stories and artwork enough to overlook some glaring errors. Marvel has whole teams devoted to making sure that everything is accounted for and remains within the timelines.
2. Too Adult?
   Lets face it, Comics are read by children. It hurts me in the heart to say that, but a good number of sales come from little kids who want to read about their favorite superhero fighting the bad guys. Dc is pushing their boundaries by including more and more adult content in their books. Marvel pushes this limit too, but not in the way DC is. Marvel is also pushing their limits with being more inclusive with multi-racial characters and more female superhero, while DC is still keeping with 1950’s America and is afraid to treat their female characters like the strong capable women they are. Take DC’s WonderWoman 1984 Movie, while there are plenty of people out there that thoroughly enjoyed the movie, for most, it was mostly a joke that is ongoing from WonderWomans creation. From a subpar Villian, to cheesy sequences, to downright ridiculousness, it was less than stellar than DC tried to Hype it. DC took a magical mov ie opportunity and did very little with it.
3. Partnering up
   Ultimately it’s hard to compete with an industry Giant like Disney, who has the unlimited resources to make it happen. DC however is overlooking what a good story can do for a crowd. DC is focusing too much on their special effects, getting (the wrong) actors to play longtime fan-favorite characters, and not pushing enough with their scripts, while pushing too much with their costume designs (looking at you Suicide Squad). DC needs to focus more on where it matters and less on the technical portion of their films.

Overall I think consumers prefer Marvel because while they stray true to their characters, they are pushing themselves, in the correct way, into the future. They don’t mind having bloeved characters change genders or races or even be gay. Thjey aren’t afraid to try new things, but they make sure to try them in the correct way. DC is always pushing things in a strange way. TAke for Instance, Juaquine Phoenix’s portrayal of the Joker, most fans loved it. DC has decided to do a sequel but is thinking of making it into a musical. These are not sound decisions guraenteed to generate long-term consumers of your label, and is even offbeat enough to lose long-term fans. DC is by far the Underdog of the Story here, but despite all this I love them. I love their dark Gloomy Stories. I love their psychological aspects. I love the different artists that they use. One day they will be better, it just isn’t this year, or even, probably, the next.