For almost two decades, Marvel Studios has consistently captivated a wide movie-going audience, while DC Studios struggled to keep up. A rivalry between these comic companies has existed for an approaching century. DC was in ‘the lead’ for years, with countless iconic comic book characters gracing the big screen. Eventually Marvel tilted the pop-culture scales in 2008 with the “Iron Man” movie.
This launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), an over $30 billion franchise. DC made a seven-billion-dollar franchise and tried to establish their own filmmaking tone with a grittier style in many of their 2010s films. When trying to keep up with the MCU’s profits, they made attempts to copy Marvel’s comedy and even changed their logo to also be a montage of characters.
There has been a noticeable decline in MCU content since the release of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, a movie considered to be the cap on the storyline known as “The Infinity Saga,” followed with an epilogue in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Since 2008, Marvel released two movies on average per year. Since Endgame, there has been a severe decline in big screen films, most likely because of the 14 projects released only to Disney+, which ate up resources. As Dhruv Govil, a former VFX employee for Marvel, reported on X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, Marvel is “a horrible client, and I’ve seen way too many colleagues break down after being overworked, while Marvel tightens the purse strings.”
These tight deadlines on “The Multiverse Saga” forced people to rush through the movie making process, leading to poorer visual effects and stories. Critics agree with the outcry of disappointment for these new projects. On Rotten Tomatoes, the 30 projects in “The Infinity Saga” accrued a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 81% in the “The Multiverse Saga,” which only has 25 projects. IMDB agrees with Rotten Tomatoes, as during “The Infinity Saga” films average at 7.7 out of 10, while later projects sit at 6.6. There is some hope for the “Fantastic Four” movie releasing this year, but the downward trend is undeniable.
DC falls behind Marvel in releases, with the DC extended universe (DCEU) only releasing 17 projects in the past 12 years. The DCEU got its start in 2013 with “Man of Steel,” and Rotten Tomatoes critics average to give the franchise a 61% and a reflective 6.1 on IMDB. There is a clear disparity between the studios, but where Marvel failed and DC thrived is in television shows. Since 2008, DC made a total of 37 shows (not all of whihc are a part of the DCEU), most lasting many seasons compared to Marvel’s 26, many of which were mini-series lasting less than a season.
Since DC Studios was struggling with their extended universe, they chose to restart it with the help of James Gunn. If his name sounds familiar, that’s because he is responsible for directing the four successful “Guardians of the Galaxy” projects with Marvel. He is heading the popular “Creature Commandoes” show that started in December 2024. The numbers speak to the show’s success, with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.8 on IMDB. Gunn is also directing the new Superman movie releasing this year. Many DC fans are looking forward to the more light-hearted design and feel of the film, encapsulated by the new, bright, colorful Superman costume that is reminiscent of the Christopher Reeve era Superman, as well as the comics.
The success and hope for these new DC projects bode well for the future of the franchise. After years of ruling over the comic industry, DC may finally reign dominant in the superhero film industry as well.
