This debate tears my heart to pieces. Each side is loaded with incredible content and characters. Billions of dollars have flown out of American hands in support of their toys, comic books, movies and cartoons. Still, it is a question that must be answered. Who is better: Marvel comics or DC comics?
After hours of coffee fueled by rants with my friends, I have decided that Marvel is superior based on its licensed content, abundance of fantastic characters and the overall quality of its universe.
For the uninitiated, Marvel and DC are the two largest publishers of comics over the last 70 years. DC was the first major publisher, but it was originally known as National Allied Publications in 1935. Their greatest acclaim comes from inventing the modern version of the superhero with Superman, who was followed quickly by Batman. Other notable characters include the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash. For the purposes of this article, Vertigo comics, an imprint of DC comics, will be left out because they are not part of the DC universe.
Marvel comics have existed in one form or another since 1939, but Marvel was not a major player until 1961. That year, the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote the Fantastic Four. Soon after, Lee, Kirby and Steve Ditko became the veritable golden geese, creating Spiderman, Daredevil, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men and the practice of yelling “Excelsior.”
Marvel’s characters undeniably beat DC in terms of quantity in high-end characters. You can count the number of DC A-list heroes on one hand before you start scrapping the bottom of the barrel for mistakes like Aquaman and the Wonder Twins. Marvel, on the other hand, seems to have an endless parade of fan favorites, each with their own unique qualities and interesting quirks that make them relatable to us all. Peter Parker struggles to pay the bills, the Hulk has anger issues and the X-Men are discriminated against every day.
DC and Marvel tie in terms of comic quality. DC has some of the most revolutionary and classic comic books in history, including “Batman: The Killing Joke,” which involves the Joker paralyzing Batgirl, and the “Dark Knight Returns,” in which an aging Bruce Wayne returns to his role as Batman. These stories were a lot more intense than other comics, and signified a step toward a darker, more serious tone in comic books than the happy-go-lucky plots of the past. Marvel currently pushes the boundaries of modern comics with events like Civil War, which consisted of the United States government instating a superhuman registration act, a modern spin on a post-Sept. 11 society, and critically-acclaimed titles like “Runaways” and “Astonishing X-Men.”
After two losses, how will our Marvel heroes survive this caped encounter? Licensed content comes to its rescue. Marvel’s movies have hands-down crushed DC in quality and performance. “The Dark Knight” stands as one of the best movies ever made of any genre, but not even that masterpiece can make amends for “Superman Returns” and a complete absence of a Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or recent Flash movie.
Meanwhile, Marvel has more than enough box-office clout. “Iron Man” was one of the biggest and best movies of the year. Spiderman is a record-setting blockbuster monster. Even its more minor characters, like Blade, have appeared out of nowhere and made testosterone-loaded action masterpieces.
Cartoons are a much closer call, but the edge barely goes to Marvel. The dark, gritty Batman show of our childhood was amazing, and the Justice League that followed was epic in scope and quality. Marvel wins out, however, only because it has managed to produce two generations of high quality cartoons based on their universe: “Spiderman: The Animated Series” when we were kids and “Spectacular Spiderman” as we grow into adults. In the last 15 years alone, Marvel has produced three high-quality X-Men shows.
Marvel has also set up an overall higher quality universe. Despite the fact that crossover events can be frustrating for your wallet, making each character interact with one another makes the world feel alive. My nerd vacation would be a trip to the Marvel Universe. Not only is it more interconnected, it is as close to our world as a story about people with razors coming out of their hands and light shooting out of their eyes could be. People react with racism and fear toward mutants the same way they have toward homosexuals and African-Americans in ours.
The result of increased realism and interconnectedness is a palpable world. DC does not bring this to the table. Crossovers are rare, the cities are fictional and the presidents are make-believe. DC characters feel like gods because they do not seem at all plausible. Marvel, on the other hand, makes me believe that if I look up, I could see a human spider hybrid swinging above my head.
DC loses mostly due to this deciding factor. DC’s comics are easier to approach, and its characters are epic, but Marvel simply runs a better business. More importantly, its world does not feel so different from our own, making it easier to connect to its work. The point of all stories is to engulf the listener, reader or watcher. Marvel’s universe achieves this, giving the edge it needs to beat DC.
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Comics Guy Says:
Your arguments are undermined by your inability to write clearly and your lack of knowledge about the comics industry. Aquaman is “bottom of the barrel”? He’s been around for decades (yes, they’ve had a hard time coming up with a suitable concept for him but, really, bottom of the barrel?). Also, Wonder Twins are a property that was conceived of for a Saturday-morning cartoon show, not a comic book. Not even sure they belong to DC.
This reads more like you were copying Wikipedia and less like you had something orginal to say. Or any facts/research/evidence with which to back it up.
Posted on September 30th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Noa Says:
Marvel has terrible villains, usually – DC excels at villains.
Posted on September 30th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Michael Says:
I agree for the most part.I consider myself to be more of a Marvel guy but DC deserves a bit more credit than you gave it. Aquaman is not a bottom of the barrel mistake. DC animation beats Marvel by a large margin. The DC animated universe contains some of the greatest animated series ever made. By comparison, Marvel’s animated universe was OK, but not even in the same league. It failed to connect its series as well and the older Marvel series age pretty poorly. Spectacular Spider-man is the only series Marvel has ever made that’s on par with what DC has done. For me it goes Marvel Universe>DCAU>DC Universe>MAU.
Posted on September 30th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Theisos Says:
Oh gosh. Where does anyone being to talk about how biased and constricted this article is? February 2009? DC Comics has already had massive universe altering crossovers stemming from an event of a similar nature occurring decades ago. You seem to have forgotten the first Tim Burton Batman movie and the first Richard Donner Superman movie that were both huge hits. People as old as myself grew on up those those movies and their sequels. Batman is the most popular Superhero on this planet. The animated Justice League series and the first Batman animated series dwarfs all Marvel animated series combined in terms of impact. Neither universe is somehow easier to “connect to” than the other. That is simply silly. That notion is all in your head because you prefer Marvel. I think that preference depends on who prefers which camp. I like DC Comics because their superheroes are so much fun. Their villains are very deadly but just as much fun. DC superheroes are the definition of superheroes. Marvel has fewer superheroes and more meta humans playing superheroes. Marvel produces more of a different breed of heroes. Marvel is very creative when it comes to the mechanics of their superheroes. DC on the other hand relies on the idea of classic superheroes. Two facets of masked super powered beings doing what’s right and fighting for what they believe in. Both fun. Both different.
Posted on October 1st, 2009 at 8:17 am
Brian Says:
I’m a big DC fan, i like Marvel too but I’ve just been a DC fan my whole life. You are right about movies though. Marvel does an outstanding job in how they do movies and how many they put out. DC/Warner bros. need to realize they can do movies with others besides just Superman and Batman. Hell they could make 6 kick ass Green Lantern Corps movies that would be something like Star Wars. I keep hoping for DC to do movies about JLA,Flash, Green Lantern, etc. While i read more DC then Marvel, Marvel has put out movies like Spiderman,FF4, Hulk, X-men, Ironman, and Punisher while DC seem to only be able to Bats and Sups on film.
Posted on October 1st, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Henry Says:
It’s all about Superman and Batman.
What you call Marvel Comics has existed since the sixties. Period. Don’t pull the Captain America, Namor and Human Torch thing.
DC has Superman and Batman. THE two A List characters.
Marvel has Spider-Man, who will always rank third behind Superman and Batman. ALWAYS.
Every other character at Marvel and DC ranks as B list. Wolverine, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk are not characters who are recognizable all over the world. YES, they all had a few good movies, but SUPERMAN, BATMAN and maybe SPIDERMAN (maybe), transcend comics, tv and movies. In 500 years, Superman and Batman will still be around. Like Zeus, Beowulf, and Macbeth. They are modern mythology.
Here’s the real test. Show your grandmother some pictures of super heroes. She’ll know Superman and Batman. She won’t know an Iron Man from a whole in the ground. Or a Hulk. Or a Blade. Or a Thing. Or a Daredevil. Or a…gasp….Wolverine either!
When the current batch of movies run their course, the Marvel characters will settle back into mainstream oblivion. Fun while it lasted. Sure.
Superman and Batman.
When comics disappeared, they endured.
When comics finally vanish all together……you get the picture.
Posted on October 1st, 2009 at 9:47 pm
marvel fan Says:
I don’t even know why people argue about this anymore… its like religion. At this point you obviously aren’t going to convert anyone from their camp unless they have been recently introduced to the debate. I prefer marvel simply because its so much more plausable (an oxymoron when refering to comics perhapse but then… everything’s relative right?) On a slightly more irrationally trollish side-note I don’t know how anyone could possibly try to argue that DC has as much interconnection than marvel. every marvel character has either individuals or groups they regularly come into contact with over and over so much that they can hardly be considered “guest stars” in each others’ works anymore. that’s just part of the definition of marvel. DC has…. justice league and the brave and the bold with ocasional guest… and teen titans. But at the core of it all… how is it fun to watch a superhero with God Mode turned on? Where is the appeal in reading about superman? at least marvel’s hacker (wolverine) is nearly useless against his villian due to magnetic manipulation. Oh damn this is longer than i wanted it to be… the moral is don’t flame people on the other side cause that won’t help, all you can do is present your side and debate and in the end you might learn something but you probably won’t change your mind.
Posted on October 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Bone Says:
I love the Marvel vs. DC debate. I really do and I’m sure everyone knows who I favor (with legitimate support and logic). But this tard is off as he comments on A-list DC characters and then immediately follows up with “bottom of the barrel” with the likes of Aquaman and the Wonder Twins making the DC list of heroes sub-par to Marvel.
This amature doesn’t read comics as the Wonder Twins were a Superfriends entity before they even were considered for their own comic or tying into the Super Friends comic. http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Wonder_Twins
He’s wrong to even tie them in with a “Comic” debate. Of course they won’t hold any water. They are animated characters first with no support from a comic book stand point.
The rest of his points are sh*tty attempts to ballwash Marvel movies and cartoons citing better quality (WTF) while DC cartoons and movies are… he offers nothing for DC. And his point about DC’s crossovers is unwarranted.
His last point that is that Marvel runs a better business. And I agree with that. But not when it comes to a Comic debate. My viewpoint would have to stipulate that the comics by themselves stand alone and the question would be: who produces the better comics?
Posted on November 13th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Comix Says:
Kevin Pease your article is biased and full of errors to be of any use.
You seem to lack any real depth or understanding of the DC universe. Whether golden age or modern. So your views are just personal opinions. I didn’t even read it all.
Before you attempt another article my suggestions would be:
Actually research what your writing about. This really helps.
Don’t copy Wikipedia. If you can access it, so can everybody else.
If your article is a debate, can we actually see a debate please?!
A few points:
DC doesn’t have cross overs? Your joking right?
Wonder Twins? Not comics my friend.
Aqua Man bottom of the barrel? That’s simply rude.
DC rocks when it comes to animated movies. Anyone into animation will agree with this.
Plus Green Lantern movie out soon. Watch out Marvel dominated movies.
Posted on December 30th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Jack Says:
Okay, It might seem low to point this out, but Marvel cannot compare to DC when it comes to movie adaptations, and character development. Look at Rorschach for example, you know, the guy with the ink-blot mask from Watchmen, he has come a pretty long way for just a normal acrobatic guy in a suit, Spiderman however, has amazing powers and like, 10,000 villains, but his stories get so repetitive, time and time again (why does it seem like SpiderMan, and any of his friends just cannot die?) why does Spiderman always win, and doesn’t seem to have a scratch on him? DC is far more realistic when it comes to its heroes, they don’t always win, sometimes they lose, and on occasion -die-, which is far better than the POW, ZWACK, and SMASH that only leaves the hero in Marvel dazed and confused.
I have one other problem with Marvel, its far too oriented towards children (I mean really- the Itsy-Bitsy Spiderman doll), the premise of almost all Marvel comics, is that they’re edited so much, they seem like Saturday Morning Kids Shows. In these Marvel Comics (Iron-Man, Hulk, Spiderman, Thor, etc.) there never seems to be real criminals, they’re all biologically enhanced psychos, what about the common psycho who has a few tricks up his sleeve (cough, cough, the Joker), or the drug manipulating psychologist (Scarecrow), and lastly- the rich club manager (Penguin). None of those villains fell into a giant microwave, or got enhanced by some super-steriods, no, they’re all just average, ming bending psychos, who just want to torment and kill the hero, unlike in Marvel where all the villains just want to tie the hero to a tree for revenge.
Bottom line- I respect Marvel, but DC has my vote for overall quality when it comes to story/ Character development, and actually making things bearable for all ages, not just 7 year olds.
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 3:48 pm