Marvel and DC Comics are the world's two major comic book publications. Their confrontation began back in the 30s, managed to survive many bursts, reconciliations and a whole series of joint releases, where the heroes of both universes appeared.
Base
DC Comics was founded in 1934 as National Allied Productions. The first issue was an issue called New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine. A year later, the company was renamed New Comics #1, and in 1937 it took on its current name Detective Comics, Inc (DC for short), referring to one of the publisher's first series.
Competitors from Marvel appeared only in 1939, and were called Timely Comics. At the same time, their first issue was entitled marvel comics. Since 1956, the company's comics have been published under the Atlas logo, and only in 1961 they first appeared under the classic name Marvel.
The first superheroes
Already in the first issues of DC Comics, two key characters of the publishing house appeared. In June 1938, Superman was introduced to the public in the Action Comics series, and in May 1939, the world first learned about Batman.
At Marvel at this time, things were not so rosy. Their most popular hero in the late 30s was the now forgotten Human Torch. However, already in 1941, the artist and the legend of the studio came up with Captain America - a patriotic hero, issues with which immediately became a bestseller.
The best of the best
In the 50s, DC Comics was superior to its competitors in many ways. Their comics sold better, and the characters were much closer to the reader. Their stories often featured a detective line, with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as key characters in the universe. In the 60s, the Flash and Green Lantern were added to them. And in 1961, the popular Justice League of America series was released, which united almost all the key characters of DC.
In response, Marvel launched the Fantastic Four series created by Young and Jack Kirby. It was based on Kirby's 1957 adaptation of Challengers of the Unknown for DC. The main innovation of the "four" was the story of superheroes as ordinary people: they did not hide behind masks, did not double life and in the beginning they didn't even wear costumes.
Rise of Marvel
With the advent of the Fantastic Four, Marvel has risen to par with DC. Moreover, in 1962, the company introduced a new hero - Spider-Man, who first appeared on the pages of the Amazing Fantasy comic. And also released a whole series of stories as positive (Hulk, Ant-Man, iron Man, Daredevil), and negative (Doctor Octopus, Venom, Doctor Doom, Green Goblin) characters. The most successful novelty of the publishing house was the Amazing Spider-Man series.
DC Comics at this time continued to promote their popular heroes, adding new characters to them, who then acquired their own series. But most importantly, the company turned its attention to television, initiating the release of the series "" on the ABC channel in 1966.
DC Strike Back
In 1970, leading Marvel artist Jack Kirby left the publishing house and moved to the camp of the main competitor. His arrival allowed DC Comics to finally stop treading water and present several new series.
Marvel suffered a painful blow. By that time, writer Stan Lee was a key figure in the company, but Kirby's departure, falling sales, and a sharp reduction in its own kiosks to sell products almost led the company to bankruptcy. Saved by her new head - Jim Shooter.
In 1992, after years of fierce competition, DC and Marvel released a joint crossover called DC vs. Marvel Comics. In each of the issues, it was told about the confrontation between two heroes from each of the publishers. At first, not the top characters went into battle, such as Aquaman (DC) vs. Namor (MarveL) or Catwoman (DC) vs. Elektra (Marvel). And then, by voting, the best of the best entered the duel. Here, Batman was already waiting for the battle with Captain America, and Superman with the Hulk. In the end, everything ended in a draw.
In the 1990s, comics were booming, and DC came up with a clever tactic with the injuries or death of the main characters. So Superman was unexpectedly killed by Doomsday, Batman was seriously injured, and Green Lantern went over to the side of evil. Of course, this only added to the popularity of their comics.
At Marvel, at this moment, another difficult period. In the early 90s, seven leading artists left the company at once, who founded their own offspring Image Comics. Among them were Jim Lee (creator of the X-Men), Eric Larsen (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Jim Valentino (Guardians of the Galaxy).
Blockbuster era
In the late 2000s, the battle of the companies unfolded on the big screen. And here Marvel managed to fully recoup. Their film adaptations have become the highest-grossing films year after year, and their idea to bring the popular Avengers series to the screen was another turning points in the history of comics. But if Marvel took spectacular action, then DC in the cinema continued its line with gloomy stories, where milestone was the release of "" Christopher Nolan. Having mastered big screens, both companies turned their attention back to TV. And here Marvel, which launched an updated line of series ("" and ""), is still clearly ahead of its main competitor.
DC Comics has released its third film, and the reviews from film critics for Suicide Squad have not been praiseworthy. Marvel Studios is clearly doing better, they are loved by both critics and fans, but their first films were many times less successful than what they are doing now.
Let's try to have a battle - the first three Marvel films against the first three DC films.
Iron Man (2008) vs. Man of Steel (2013)
Marvel Studios released a surprise summer hit with a film about second-tier comic book hero Iron Man, starring an actor many read out of print ( Robert Downey Jr) and and which was directed by the comedy director John Favreau. The picture became one of the most successful adaptations of comics. Downey's charisma earned him a fee of 50 million for each film in the franchise. Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes are 94%. Released in the same summer The Dark Knight”And Iron Man made him worthy competition. The $140 million film grossed $585 million worldwide (a huge success for Marvel at the time).
"Man of Steel" was burdened with many problems. Not only did it have to fit the trilogy Christopher Nolan and erase the unpleasant aftertaste of the film" Superman Returns”(2006), he was also actually the starting point for the creation of the DC Comics universe, a worthy competitor to Marvel. However, the film caused controversy among fans—complaints about the destruction scene in Metropolis were particularly persistent and frequent. Man of Steel received a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $668 million on a budget of $225.
Verdict: An obvious victory for Iron Man, who has become the cornerstone in the foundation of the Marvel universe.
The Incredible Hulk (2008) vs. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
« The incredible Hulk"- a Marvel movie that many chose to forget, in part because Edward Norton left the comic universe. In his place came Mark Ruffalo. It has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is rarely featured in comic book fan talk. Only one Marvel movie received a lower rating - " Thor: The Dark World". Moreover, he is the least box office film studios, $263.4 million worldwide. By comparison, the original Avengers grossed over $200 million in its opening weekend.
« Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"It's not easy to forget. It was one of the most anticipated films in the history of film comics, and audiences rushed to see it in its first week of release. And then the wave came crashing down. The response from fans and critics (27% on Rotten Tomatoes) made Warner Bros. promise that the next movie will be more fun. The picture collected 872.2 million and received a B rating on the CinemaScore resource (most comic book films still get A-).
Verdict: Which is better, burn out or quietly languish in oblivion? It all depends on the angle of view and perspective. While Batman v Superman grossed over $600 million more than The Hulk, it did some serious damage to DC's reputation. The Incredible Hulk was rated as "satisfactory" and relegated to a distant memory box, and the sins of "BTS" will not soon be forgotten by its fans.
Iron Man 2 (2010) vs. Suicide Squad (2016)
"ZHCH2" is an example of a rare Marvel misfire. It received a 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, significantly less than the first installment, and is as rarely discussed by fans as The Incredible Hulk. Fans didn't like the way Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) was portrayed, although 2 years later Joss Whedon spruced up her look in " Avengers". Despite complaints, the film garnered the biggest box office in Marvel history to that point. Billions of Avengers still loomed ahead.
Marvel and DC are two of the most legendary and famous comic book publishers., which have been in existence for 75 and 80 years, respectively. All this time they are desperately fighting for the attention of fans around the world, but the debate about which universe is still cooler still does not subside.
Each of the companies has made a breakthrough in the comics industry and occupies historical place. Both companies have a myriad of heroes and villains, and no human memory not enough to remember them all. Marvel's main characters are Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Deadpool, Ghost Rider and others. Team of the most famous heroes DC - Superman, Batman, Joker, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Supergirl.
Comparing these two giants is like comparing Pepsi and Cola, Xbox and PlayStation, Nike and Adidas, AMD and NVIDIA, i.e. choosing between them is completely subjective and 100% a matter of taste. Some people like dark, atmospheric and realistic DC comics, while others like lighter and bright heroes Marvel. And the fact is that no one will ever come to an unambiguous conclusion.
I want to talk about them cinematic universes, in which not everything is so clear. After all, the confrontation between the two titans has now moved from the pages of comics to movie screens. Here already underway confrontation between two companies Disney, which owns the movie rights to Marvel comics, and Warner Bros., which owns DC, and each of them has its own strengths and weak sides. And due to the fact that both companies announced the announcements of their premieres right up to 2020, we can safely argue about whose cinematic universe will be better.
First, let's review what has already been done. In their films, DC is not afraid to show craziness, human vices and despair. Their characters are deeper and more charismatic, but sometimes too depressing and dramatic. Unfortunately, they don’t have as many films as Marvel, and success or failure is more likely to be associated with the names of the directors who make them. This is an awesome trilogy dark knight nolana, Guardians And Man of Steel Zack Snyder. Yes, DC doesn't release films that often, but they do it with high quality and without bigotry. The only exception, perhaps, is Green Lantern, but here, as they say, the family has its black sheep. It was an attempt to make a Marvel-like movie with humor and action, but it failed miserably. After that, DC generally decided to remove the humorous component from their films.
Marvel, on the other hand, has never denied itself humor, turning their films almost into comedies. Obviously, their films are much easier to understand, their characters are bright and optimistic, but the films themselves are more superficial and do not really make you connect your brains once again. Nevertheless, Marvel managed to create a coherent homogeneous world, both in comics and on movie screens. Their films, albeit with varying success in terms of criticism, but still victoriously march around the planet. They are not without flaws, but each of their paintings copes with main task- entertains and gives a spectacle, sometimes stupid, but so beautiful.
From all this, it can be concluded that this moment The Marvel Cinematic Universe is bigger and brighter. They are clearly at the forefront and, making new films about superheroes unknown to the general public, such as, for example, unexpectedly successful Ant-Man they only prove their superiority.
DC hasn't had time to build an interconnected universe in movies yet, unlike comics, but right now they're on the right way.
2016 : DC's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and DC's Suicide Squad, Captain America: Avenger 3: Civil War”, “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “Deadpool” from Marvel.
2017 : DC's Wonder Woman and Justice League, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man reboot and Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok.
2018 : The Flash and Aquaman from DC, Captain Marvel and Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 from Marvel.
2019 : Shazam and Justice League 2 from DC, Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 from Marvel.
As you can see, both companies have Napoleonic plans. For the next 2016, Warners decided to put forward heavy artillery - "Batman v Superman"- they brought together two of the most famous and iconic superheroes in one movie! But Marvel does not sleep either - they have a worthy answer to their rivals - on the screens we are waiting for new meeting With X-Men And the first avenger, in which we will see (for a moment!) the confrontation between Captain America and Iron Man! The rest of the announcements also made fans freeze in tremulous anticipation. What is worth making noise "Suicide Squad", which will perhaps put an end to DC's problems with group concepts, because until now the characters in their films have been lone heroes. In general, DC is clearly not going to give up!
Undoubtedly, Marvel is now releasing one hit after another and has much more opportunities to realize its intended goals. DC's ambition to create its own empire after a successful rival looks very promising, but they have a tough job ahead of them to break out of Marvel's shadow. Personally, I have made my choice and give my preference to Marvel films, and who will be the winner in this global battle of superheroic universes, time will tell. Already next year we will have a great confrontation between humor vs. seriousness, depth vs. lightness, Marvel vs. DC! Looking forward to!
There are a number of characters that Marvel has stolen from DC, but we'll only list the most important and well-known ones. By the way, DC is also not sinless in this matter, but this is a topic for another article.
DC Comics | marvel comics
Green Arrow / Hawkeye
The main weapon of both characters is a bow. They are known for their sense of humor and incredible courage (not everyone dares to go against equipped opponents with nothing but a bow and arrows). Green Arrow is designed like a modern-day Robin Hood and is dressed in the same green color, while Hawkeye prefers purple clothes. Green Arrow fired the first arrow in 1941 and Hawkeye in 1964.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Brainiac / Ultron
These two characters have an immeasurable, ever-improving artificial intelligence and are among the deadliest enemies of the good guys in Marvel and DC Comics. Because of their incredible knowledge and skills, they are very hard to beat. Even if they are defeated, they will come back stronger than ever. DC Brainiac was created in 1958, and Marvel's Ultron debuted ten years later in 1968.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Deathstroke / Deadpool
One of them is named Slade Wilson, the other is Wade Wilson. Both are mercenaries with an incredible skill set and healing factor. The creation of Deathstroke dates back to 1981, while Deadpool appeared in the pages of comics in 1991.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Solomon Grundy / Hulk
Both are incredibly powerful beings that have a healing factor, an incredible level of strength, speed, stamina, and so on. Few people know that the first time the Hulk was gray color(as did Solomon Grundy). Solomon Grundy was created in 1944 and Hulk was created in 1962.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Flash / Mercury
The characters wear costumes of different colors and have a completely different history, but they have the most important similarity - the ability to move and think at exorbitant speeds. The Flash was created in 1940 and the Quicksilver first appeared in 1964.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Darkseid / Thanos
Darkseid and Thanos are all-powerful alien demigods with big bodies and purple skin, but one of them became the prototype of the other. Artist Jim Starlin, who created Thanos, openly admitted that he was heavily influenced by Darkseid when creating the character. Both supervillains have almost unlimited strength, speed, stamina, invulnerability, incredible intelligence, and are masters in the art of war. They are among the most strong beings in their universes. Darkseid was created in 1970, Thanos appeared three years later in 1973.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Atom / Ant-Man
You won't be able to see them. You won't be able to hear them. Bang and you're knocked out. This is how you can simply describe these two characters. Atom (Atom) and Ant-Man (Ant-Man) thanks to special suits, they can be reduced to microscopic sizes. The DC Atom was published in 1940 and Ant-Man was released in 1962.
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DC Comics | marvel comics
Clayface / Sandman
clay-faced (clay face) is a well-known supervillain in the DC Universe who most time is fighting none other than the Dark Knight himself. Sandman (Sandman) for a long time was Spider-Man's nemesis, but later became his ally. They both have similar powers and abilities, such as the ability to shape-shift (because they are made of clay and sand, respectively), increased durability, the ability to transform into weapons, and so on. Clayface was created in 1940, Sandman in 1963.10
DC Comics | marvel comics
Batman / Iron Man
You probably think that these characters have nothing in common. On the one hand, you are right and this is their appearance because they are complete opposites in this regard. On the other hand, they are incredibly similar in many other ways. They are very intellectually developed and do not have any superpowers. They are both billionaires and playboys, and they also design and make their own costumes, gadgets, and weapons. The Dark Knight first appeared in 1939 and Iron Man in 1963.
Today, the titans of the comic book world will meet in the ring. Meet in the right corner in red shorts with white letters - Marvel. In the left corner is an equally impressive "blue-black" publishing house - DC Comics. The audience is screaming in anticipation of an exciting battle. The fight promises to be dishonorable! No nobility - only entertainment!
Such a pathetic prologue was not chosen by chance, because it fully describes the off-scale level of intolerance both in relations between the owners of these companies and between fans of superheroes. Comic book connoisseurs have repeatedly noticed that publishing houses do not limit themselves in the means of struggle. Characters are copied without a twinge of conscience and, at times, it can be difficult to distinguish a copy from the original.
In the field of art, exposure to plagiarism is rightfully considered an indelible stigma until the end of life, since it is shameful for the creator to admit to the inability to create something new, interesting to the general public. It is worth thinking seriously about your own abilities, as soon as the desire to appropriate someone else's idea flashes through your head. However, in the comics industry, theft of competitors' work is encouraged by the owners of the companies. This is the norm!
Unfortunately, the consumer has long gotten used to this. Skirmishes have not been arranged on forums and public for a long time, who is cooler: Oliver Queen or Clinton Barton (for those who do not understand - Green Arrow or Hawkeye). Currently, there are about 50 similar superheroes. In some cases, the resemblance is rather distant (Lizard and Killer Croc), and in others, the character is “licked” clean (Catwoman from DC Comics, and Black cat from Marvel).
It is worth noting that the “clone” often surpasses the original in popularity, which is even more tragic for the creator of the original character. We will not dwell on little-known heroes, consider the most popular characters that have twins. Let's try to find out which publisher is the most "thieving", but first let's take a short digression into history.
Round 1: Let's bet gentlemen!
Marvel Comics began its activities under the direction of Martin Goodman back in 1939. Then she had the name "Timely Comic". The publisher debuted by introducing the Human Torch and Namor the Submariner to the world. In March 1941, Captain America was born, and then everything spun, spun, and new characters appeared one by one: Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Wolverine, and many others.
The population of the Marvel "universe" is thousands of characters, including: people, superhumans, mutants, aliens, as well as other inhabitants of space worlds. In 2009 The Walt Disney Company bought it for $4 billion, and in 2011 Axel Alonso took over as editor-in-chief. As for DC Comics, it gave the world the following characters: Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. The company was founded in 1934 as National Allied Publications.
She breathes down Marvel's back, crushing 31.5% of the American comic book market (competitors own 45%). 2009 was a turning point in the history of DC Comics - it became subsidiary DC Entertainment and Diana Nelson was named president. In May 2011, DC became the first to publish digital comics.
Round 2: Catwoman vs Black Cat
This is the most a prime example plagiarism: the heroines are not only similar in appearance, but also have the same character warehouse. It's no secret that Batman's first love was Catwoman (Selina Kyle). The black cat (Felicia Hardy) is much younger, and she "prefers men in red who can shoot webs and walk up sheer walls."
Both heroines have an unhealthy craving for other people's things, in particular for precious sparkling stones, which they appropriate with amazing dexterity and dexterity. They are able to turn the head of any representative of the strong half of humanity. They have a weakness for these two " good guys(Bruce and Peter). They are tormented by pangs of conscience, and they often ask themselves the question: what to choose - to put the "cats" in a cage or put them in a passionate embrace?
Round 3: Namor vs Aquaman
Many believe that it was DC who first conceived the knight from the deep, but if you read carefully, you know that Namor (aka Namor the Submarine) appeared in 1939, and is the same age as Batman.
Both Arthur Curry and Namor Mackenzie are wealthy guys. They own extensive underwater possessions. The heroes use tridents as weapons. And although both characters are quite hot-tempered, they can be described as good heroes.
The only significant difference between one character and another is Mackenzie's ability to fly, and Curry's ability to speak with the inhabitants of the ocean. These guys are arrogant and like to play a trick on the "land rats".
Round 4: Dr. Strange vs Dr. Fate
Now there will be by no means a council of doctors, but a battle of wizards. Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) and Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) are on the side of good. They are former medical staff who have mastered magic skills to perfection.
But Kent, let's say, did it 23 years before Stephen. He feeds his abilities mainly from ancient artifacts (the golden helmet of Naboo), and the Strange youngster is a self-sufficient person, although he does not shun additional sources of power.
Round 5: Doom Patrol vs Xmen
Wall to wall - this is how you can describe the confrontation between the "X-Men" and "Doom Patrol". Prior to Stan Lee joining Marvel, the publishing pantheon only consisted of Captain America and Namor. The great comic book creator helped add the Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Spider-Man and the X-Men to it. The history of the latter began in 1963.
The peculiarity of the franchise lies in how the population of the planet relates to mutants. So, for example, if earlier in the comics of people with superpowers fighting on the side of good, ordinary people extolled to heaven, then in this work they are despised and feared. But only main character V wheelchair can unite and protect the outcasts.
However, not everything is so simple: in 1963, the Doom Patrol series was the first to be released, which has a similar plot, but, as you know, superiority does not guarantee success. The world of "X-Men" consists of six thousand comics, and each character there is recognizable and unique.
Even so, something clearly went wrong at DC, because they failed to popularize the characters they created. This only proves that a promising idea alone is not enough for commercial success, and you still need to be able to put it into practice.
Round 6: Superman vs Many, many people
Let's start with the alien Hyperion, who was practically Clark's namesake. Marcus Milton often introduced himself as the journalist Kant. He organized a semblance of the Justice League with the team similar characters: Amphibian, Golden Archer, and some others. Another copy was the Gladiator (Kallark Elent) and his Imperial Guard (another name is the Legion of Super-Heroes).
It is also worth remembering the Sentry, whose strength theoretically exceeds "a million exploding stars" (whatever that means). He is a terrible whiner, because instead of taking action, he complains about fate, and fights with his dark side- Void. It is quite interesting to watch how the latter destroys the creations of the Sentry.
Round 7: Red Tornado vs The Vision
In 1968, with a difference of a couple of months, the world learned about Tornado and Vision. Again, DC released its brainchild earlier, although the question of who "copied" from whom still remains unanswered. The characters are two red robots who were created for "evil" but preferred the "light side of power". They are in love with women of flesh and blood, and also have human consciousness. In the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, viewers could see the appearance of the Vision, and the Tornado swept through the TV series Supergirl.
Round 8: Deathstroke vs Deadpool
An interesting couple: Deadpool is a clone, and the author publicly declared the fact of plagiarism. The fact is that Fabien Nicieza was an ardent fan of Deathstroke. The animator wanted to draw his own comic about his adventures, so he only had to "correct" the character.
The output turned out to be an exact copy, because everything in it, from weapons to profession, looks like Deathstroke. The names are also striking in their depth of "difference": one is called Slade Wilson and the other is called Wade Wilson. What is there to hide, even their costumes are similar.
Round 9: Mister Fantastic vs Plastic Man and Elongated Man
The superheroes from the Fantastic Four were ahead of the DC characters (the first by 20 years, the second by only 1 year). The fantastic is almost completely written off from The Elongated Man: both characters come from intelligent families, from childhood they demonstrated outstanding intellectual abilities, and later received superpowers.
And what can I say, even Doctor Fantastic's wife was also called Sue. The shameless impudence in choosing names when creating characters could be a cunning marketing ploy - to make readers stop seeing the difference between the characters, confuse who is who, and buy the "correct" comic.
Round 10: Final
In battle largest companies The comics industry lost out to Marvel, who missed seven hits out of eight, giving the lead to DC Comics. Only "Submariner" protected the publishing house from a devastating account. But can this be considered a defeat, because Marvel superheroes are more recognizable and replicable.
The company leads in terms of sales of comics and related merchandise. However, DC is also not without sin - it tried to copy some characters from a competitor, but piracy was not crowned with much success. So, an illustrative example is the creation of a society of villains called "Extremists". It included analogues of Octopus, Magneto and Doctor Doom.
Similar abilities to change the size of the body can boast of Atom and Ant. In addition, companies have a weakness for replicating the images of geniuses, billionaires, playboys and philanthropists in one bottle. For example, Tony Stark competes with Bruce Wayne.
One can endlessly cite facts of extreme similarity: some of them are less obvious, others are more. Cheekwork and character redrawing can also turn off a novice reader, but this is not the only problem that everyone who wants to plunge into the world of comics faces.
A newcomer is waiting for a lot of ups and downs, admiring awe and disappointments. My advice to you: try to close your eyes to the shortcomings and flaws of publishers. In any series, you can find a zest, because the main thing is to put some effort into it.
