One debate that will never end is the one between Marvel and DC fans. Ever since their conceptualization, fans from both ends have never failed to defend their respective universe. Marvel vs. DC is a fight that will go on for a very long time and possibly with no definite result. However, today, we’ll talk about how the MCU and DCEU actually share an uncanny resemblance. So, here’s a list of the 10 biggest similarities between DCEU and MCU.
1. Chaos Between The Main Superheroes
Marvel and DC both have a duo of a clean-cut hero and one who just doesn’t play by the rules. The MCU has Ton Stark who even though redeemed himself by the end, never failed to live up to the bad-boy image. He had his own set of rules and always found himself in conflict with the ever so righteous Steve Rogers. Honestly, Captain America will call you out for using bad language.
On the other hand, DC has the duo of Superman and Batman. Both the heroes have a serious difference in their ideologies. Just like Tony and Steve, Clark and Bruce have also fought each other. This allows for the universe to have a sort of tension between the superheroes themselves. But this also makes up for a heartwarming moment that adds to the dynamic of the universe.
2. A War Movie With Time Jump
Perhaps one of the biggest similarities between the MCU and DCEU is a war movie that ends with a time jump. As seen in Wonder Woman and Captain America: The First Avenger, both the protagonists fight in the war, fall in love with their allies, and aim to stop their nemesis from using a deadly weapon. Honestly, there’s not much that you can use to separate these two movies. And in the end, they are separated by their love interest and find themselves in the present day. In fact, both movies are absolutely crucial for their respective Cinematic Universes.
3. Post-Credits Scene To Set Up Sequels
This is something that Marvel is infamously known for. Almost every movie and series that Marvel has put out has a post-credit scene that sets up the sequel. It all started with Iron Man where Nick Fury approached Tony with his Avengers initiative. And now, the DCEU is following the same lines as we saw in Suicide Squad‘s post-credit scene where Bruce was gathering intel to make the Justice League. Something was similar was seen in Birds of Prey too.
4. Familial Bonds In Dysfunctional teams
Both the Cinematic Universes have a team of rag-tags that are dysfunctional as hell but still have a familial bond. For the MCU, it’s the Guardians of the Galaxy. Originally, the Avengers was one such family until they wrapped their heads around the concept of working together. The original GOTG consists of Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot, and they do not share anything in common. However, they end up being a strong family with Quill and Gamora falling in love. And for the DCEU, it’s the Suicide Squad which is an anti-hero team made up of hardened criminals.
5. Hidden Big Bad Who’s The True Villain
The MCU and DCEU focus on gathering all their superheroes for a collective movie where they fight off the real villain. For the former, it was Thanos. He was established in the MCU forever and finally got the closure in Avengers: Endgame. As for DCEU, they do not follow the same concept so religiously. However, they did bring the Justice League together to fight off Steppenwolf. Zack Snyder’s Justice League introduced Darkseid as the real big bad. So both the Universes have an alien entity who commands a huge army and wants to destroy Earth.
6. One Event To Drive The Heroes Apart
Captain America: Civil War had all the superheroes on opposite sides pitted against each other. The movie did not have the heroes fight off against a villain, but each other. As Zemo framed Bucky for T’Challa’s father’s murder, the Avengers found themselves in an all-out war. The Sokovia Accords was a plus on which initially drove the team apart. In the DCEU, we had the entire Justice League go up against Clark Kent, aka Superman. A distorted Superman was a threat and legit broke the entire Justice League single-handedly. However, the concept that MCU and DCEU follows is pretty much the same.
7. Hidden Kingdoms With Advanced Technologies
Atlantis and Wakanda are two hidden kingdoms that are highly advanced but do not want to mingle with the rest of the world. Aquaman and Black Panther do not fear the outside government and have their own kingdoms to take care of. For the MCU, it’s Thor and T’Challa who taking care of Asgard and Wakanda respectively. And for the DCEU, it’s Arthur and Diana looking after Atlantis and Themyscira.
8. Heroes Having Daddy Issues
On one hand, we have Tony Stark, who never really vibed with his parents, well, his dad in particular. Howard Stark was too busy building a fortune and Tony felt that he was neglected. Eventually, Tony’s parents were killed and it was later revealed that it was Bucky, the Winter Soldier, who carried out the mission. In the DCEU, we have Batman and Superman. Batman’s parents were murdered when he was a child so he never got the chance to stay with them. Clark, of course, is an otherwordly creature who was adopted by humans on Earth. Characters like Cyborg, Natasha, Quill, all have a weird history with their parents.
9. Stories Out Of Main Timeline
Wonder Woman movies and Black Widow are two movies that are told out of their timelines. Marvel is, however, known for following a strict timeline Even if they include time jumps, it’s that not hard to follow. Even though Black Widow was out of the main timeline, it ended up merging with the present-day MCU story. For DCEU, Wonder Woman’s adventures follow her shenanigans before her debut appearance and explaining her intentions in BvS.
10. Objects That Create The Plot
MCU and DCEU both have an object that is the core of the plot. The former has the Infinity Stones which was the core plot of more than 20 movies. It eventually led to Thanos’s death in Endgame and taking some of our heroes along. As for the DCEU, they have the Mother Boxes. Justice League had the Mother boxes while Wonder Woman 1984 had the Dreamstone. So yes, when we talk about similarities between the two Cinematic Universes, there are more than just 10.
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