The DC Extended Universe has been a case of extreme polarization in the Comic book community. Some say it is too real too and dark, unlike superhero movies. Some say it is the inherent darkness and embedded symbolism that has made each movie a masterpiece. The fanbase stays divided and at each other’s throats. But we may have some news that will let a lot of the anti-DCEU party down. MCU at this point in time where DCEU currently is… was much less successful than the latter. In short, DCEU as a whole fares better right now compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Want Proof? We will give it to ya!!
The DC Extended Universe has, with the latest box of figures rolling in, has made more than 1.6 billion USD as of this writing. The MCU after 5 such movies released, was only 1.3 billion USD richer. That is a difference of 300 Million USD. Let us look at the points with which the topic of discussion can be seconded.
Money Matters, but is not the only thing that does
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a hell of a head start. From the very beginning, Marvel Studios have used each movie’s subsequent blockbuster status as a stepping stone to an eventual ‘World’s most profitable movie franchise” status.
Marvel has shown that individual movies leading to collective narrative and connections to other movies in a shred universe leading to one big event is something that is not just doable on paper. The theoretical has been shown to be practical enough for the MCU. No one knew it was possible to do this. Marvel was the first but not certainly the only one.
It took half a decade for DC comics to realize a shared universe makes more sense. Man of Steel which was released in 2013 was a hit more or less. DCEU then released 5 more movies out of which only Wonder Woman was universally acclaimed.
But it would be unfair to say the DCEU rode on MCU’s experiments to create the franchise from WB. They certainly replicated the idea but they added their own spin on that take.
The result – the franchise was strong enough to stay afloat at the Box office where many other giants like Universal’s Dark Universe failed before. DCEU is not beyond saving coz they may just have found their golden goose to save themselves – Creativity.
Universal copied the DCEU and failed. DCEU copied MCU but created their own version of it and thus succeeded.
The DCEU has access to all the DC Flagship characters
When Marvel was stuck with B list and even C list superheroes, everyone thought the MCU was going to be a failure. It was a literal leap of faith when Iron Man came in 2007. The movie succeeded and pushed Iron Man to legendary status but the gamble wouldn’t have been necessary altogether.
If Marvel wouldn’t have sold the rights to their Flagship characters i.e., The Fantastic Four, X-Men and Spiderman, which they sold to the other studios. If Marvel would have possessed the rights, the MCU would have been much more grandiose.
DC Comics has no such issue. They have access to all their superheroes and no production house owns rights to their poster children. They can make any movie on any character they want without fearing legal retributions. Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad and Justice League have featured DC’s flagship superheroes from the Justice League. If only the MCU could do the same.
The DCEU has one weapon that Marvel doesn’t possess yet
The DCEU has struggled critically and financially but there is one area where they have excelled and outright left the MCU far behind – A Female-Centric movie. Say what you will but I say it was DCEU’s success with Wonder Woman that pushed the MCU to play catch up by launching their plans for their own female lead movies.
Think about it. The MCU has been around long before the DCEU was. They had ample opportunity to explore a female superhero. Black Widow has been in the MCU since Iron Man 2. She is even a member of the Avengers for crying out loud.
Would it be too presumptuous of me if I say the MCU thought it was not profitable enough for a female-led movie until Wonder Woman changed their views? I think the answer is yes. If WW would have bombed, MCU would have surely sidetracked the Black Widow movie and the Captain Marvel movie they announced later on. The Amazon Princess has won the hearts of not only the fans but also of the naysayers who thought otherwise.
Whatever the case may be, the DCEU and the MCU should be thanked for bringing every comic book fan’s wet dream to reality. It is the era of superheroes, people. Appreciate it. Do not get into petty fights and make it personal. Play the game and enjoy it. Be grateful for both and don’t be a spoilsport. Cheerio!
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