Last night, while walking on my terrace, my friend and I were discussing the action sequences from the movie Deadpool vs Wolverine that we saw earlier that day. But then suddenly I heard some chatter and started checking my room, and there was no one. I again went to my terrace and saw the rooftop. Oh my god! To my surprise, it was Batman and Spider-Man. They were discussing the unending rivalry between Marvel vs DC. I just couldn’t miss it and overheard, noting down every single detail. I have shared their conversation because even you might be interested in knowing what these superheroes felt.
And then they just disappeared into the sky, leaving my mind filled with so many questions. This incident made me dig deeper into this unending rivalry of Marvel vs DC and give you ‘Marvelites’ and ‘DC Nation’ fans valuable information. I hope you enjoy reading it as I enjoyed writing it.
The Origin of Marvel vs DC
In the late 1930s, as newspapers were the only source of entertainment in the media industry, a new form of entertainment was emerging. This new medium was the comic books published by Timely Publications and National Allied Publications that quickly captured the public’s attention. It introduced readers to a world of superheroes that started to spread like wildfire globally.
These two publications are now popularly known as Marvel and DC Comics. Their creativity, storytelling techniques, and creation of innovative characters have kept evolving for decades. They have created superheroes that give hope, strength, and courage to every generation and continue to do so.
In the table below, you will get a glimpse of Marvel and DC’s rich history.
| Aspect | Marvel Comics | DC Comics |
| Earlier known as | Timely Publications | National Allied Publications |
| Founding | 1939 by Martin Goodman. | 1934 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson |
| 1930-1950 | In 1939, Timely Publications introduced their first superheroes, Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner. Captain America was introduced in 1941. After the decline of the superhero, it shifted to other genres like romance, horror, and post-WWII. | Superman was introduced in 1938 by Action Comics. Detective Comics created a new superhero in 1939 and named it Batman. Wonder Woman, Superwoman, and Batman, though all these superheroes were in constant fame. They surprised their audiences by releasing fictional and romantic comic books. |
| 1950-1960 | Timely Publications changed its name to ‘Marvel Comics’. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced other characters like Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man. Marvel’s character started to appear on various lunchboxes and other products. | Lippert Pictures produced their first film, “Superman and the Mole Men.” DC characters started collaborating with various toy brands. Their characters started to appear on the lunchboxes. |
| 1980-2000 | In 1986, ‘Howard and Duck’ was the first-ever comedy film produced by Universal Pictures. In the 1980’s it produced TV series. During the 1990’s it faced financial difficulties and bankruptcy. In 1996, Avi Arad and Kevin Feige co-founded Marvel Studios and shaped people’s favorite Marvel Universe In the same year, it collaborated with Capcom to feature their characters in video games. X-Men was Marvel’s first major film, which was released by 20th Century Fox. | The film Batman was produced and released in 1989. It was a super hit film. DC partnered with SOE to feature DC characters and created DC Universe Online Video Games. DC and Mattel partnered in the 2000s and produced action figures. Batman’s animated series was created in the 1990s. |
| 2000-Present | Iron Man’s movie was released by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. This movie was the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2009, Marvel was acquired by Disney. MCU continues to create creative and engaging interconnected films. | Warner Bros. acquired DC in 2009 In 2013, Man of Steel initiated the DC Extended Universe DCEU. Since 2010, DCEU has created amazing and successful superheroes like The Flash and Arrow. DC continues to constantly innovate and expand its universe by creating new movies and superheroes. |
Box Office Rivalry: Most-Watched Films and Global Stats – Marvel vs DC
In this section, you will get an overview of the statistics, rankings, and top-rated films from both cinematic universes.
Marvel vs DC- Which Universe Tops Globally?
Marvel has released several films like The Avengers (End Game), Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Black Panther. Its fever is spreading among 51 countries, and it has increased its fan following by creating exclusive series like WandaVision, The Falcon, and The Winter Soldier. These are top-rated series and the most viewed on the OTT platforms like Disney+. Every country has millions of Marvelites, with the top countries being the USA, India, Brazil, the UK, and France.
Films like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Joker, and Batman have increased their spread. If we compare it with Marvel, its craze is spread only across nine countries. South Korea, the USA, India, Brazil, and Turkey are the top 5 countries having DC fans.
Box Office Collection Comparison: Marvel vs DC
The tables below are a list of the highest-grossing Superhero Film Franchises / Series that come under the top 20. This table will give you a fair idea about the Film Franchise that has the highest box office collection.
These are the recent five years’ gross box office:
| Rank | Film Franchise | Total Worldwide Box Office |
| 1 | Marvel Cinematic Universe | $30,708,948,219 |
| 4 | DC Extended Universe | $7,191,495,242 |
Here we can see a gap between the ranks of these franchises as the 2nd and 3rd position is taken by Spider-Man and Avengers Series.
The table below is a list of the highest-grossing film series and most-watched films that come under the top 20 ranking and are produced by Marvel Studios.
| Rank | Series | Total Worldwide Box Office |
| 2 | Spider-Man Series | $10,613,000,880 |
| 3 | Avenger Series | $7,777,410,723 |
| 8 | Thor | $2,710,127,907 |
| 11 | Guardians of the Galaxy | $2,482,661,975 |
| 12 | Iron Man | $2,425,306,783 |
| 13 | Captain America | $2,239,880,457 |
| 14 | Black Panther | $2,209,134,919 |
| 17 | Doctor Strange | $1,633,494,199 |
| 18 | Ant-Man | $1,618,057,284 |
DC film series and films like Batman, Aquaman, and Superman come under the top 20 highest-grossing superhero films of all time. Check out the table below for the same.
| Rank | Series | Total Worldwide Box Office Collection |
| 6 | Batman | $6,843,842,452 |
| 9 | Superman | $2,554,837,548 |
| 19 | Aquaman | $1,582,177,557 |
These are the top-rated films from the DC Extended Universe and the most-watched ones. Captain Marvel, Captain America, Venom, Deadpool from the Marvel Universe, Justice League, and Suicide Squad from DC are ranked amongst the top 50 movies and have a pretty good box office collection.
Through these three tables, we can understand that Marvel is a clear winner. This shows us that Marvel’s consistent branding, creation of innovative superheroes, and interconnecting movies that lead to film series have helped them to beat DC. The standalone DC movies, such as Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, have a separate fan base.
In my opinion, if DC continues to make standalone movies, it has the potential to grow with the right strategic approach. Both universes have their unique strengths and have contributed equally to the movie business. In the end, it all depends on the fans which universe they prefer.
Marketing Strategies for Thriving in the Movie Business: Marvel vs DC
There are some marketing lessons that we can learn from both universes, whether it may be a success or a failure.
1. Marvel’s Movie Business Strategy of Reinventing Superhero and Movie Marketing.
Marvel has kept its vision and has created characters and movie plotlines till 2028. This is a strategic plan for a long-term business. Some of the Marvel characters are a recreation of the characters made by DC. It has relaunched these characters in such a way that audiences felt more connected to these superheroes. Marvel’s movie-making techniques are so unique. Just imagine who would think to add humor to a superhero movie! These techniques have kept them ahead in the movie business, unlike the DC universe.
2. Influencing the Audience through Different Media
Though Marvel vs DC have millions of fans, both of them market their movies with the help of social media influencers. They have made various social groups to maintain their followers, and with the help of social media Influencers, they get to target a larger audience who are unaware of them. They conduct fan events, exclusive screenings, and comic-con panels, and collaborate with different food, clothing, and toy brands to keep influencing people. They incorporate the audience’s feedback into their films to stay loyal to them.
3. Distinct Art Styles that Help to Create a Brand for each Character
The art styles of Marvel and DC are different, creative, and unique in their own way. Both universes have given us some of the most iconic characters. Marvel’s art style is vibrant and uses bright visual effects, which convey the energy and excitement of the superheroes. On the other hand, DC’s characters are created by using primary and bold colors. The characters are bordered with sharp lines, portraying them as dark, mature, and timeless superheroes. All the characters of both universes are designed based on their superpowers and behavior. This creates a long-lasting impact in the minds of audiences and can be easily recognized. It is the best way to brand the characters and their universes
4. Providing Audiences with the Best Cinematic Experience.
Marvel creates interconnected stories and creates effective post-credit scenes. It increases the anticipation amongst the fans for their next Sequel. Whereas DC provides more standalone films in which superheroes are mature and dark. DCEU has failed miserably to interconnect the stories in the past. Hence, it is more into standalone movies. When it comes to the Marvel Universe, their interconnection of stories may lead to audience fatigue as audiences always want something different and unique.
When it comes to market strategies, both Marvel and DC have their ways. These universes have made their brand aware to people by using various strategies like event marketing, providing various merchandise opportunities to customers, and constantly creating new characters and stories that keep the audience engaged.
Marvel vs DC, who is better?
The debacle between Marvel vs DC has been going on for multiple generations. Marvel is dominant if we talk about their box office and popularity in many countries. Their beautiful interconnected stories, animated movies, and TV shows have captured the minds of audiences, turning them into devoted fans. They incorporate the audience’s feedback and stay loyal to them to maintain their trust. The cinematic experience audiences get from them is something DC movies lack. But honestly, DC and Marvel have their unique ideas, and both have created iconic characters.
It is just like a pendulum when it comes to the popularity of movies. Let us take some examples like Aquaman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and The Dark Knight. DC enjoyed the fame of these movies. On the other hand, movies like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Punisher: War Zone do not surpass The Dark Knight’s box office and vice versa. Though Marvel is more profitable today, who knows, things might change.
