Marvel and DC are taking over! And, as much as nerds all over are rejoicing at the fact that our summers are filled with our favorite superheroes on the big screen, mostly due to Marvel, we now have some additional reason to celebrate as Marvel and DC have taken their rivalry to the small screen. Here’s my two cents on who’s winning the battle on the small screen so far, and why.
Strength in Numbers- As of Fall 2014, the DC universe will have four TV shows on air in comparison to Marvel’s one (Marvel’s Agent’s of Shield), not counting the impending shows that are slated to debut on Netflix in the near future (i.e. Daredevil). For me, this is what makes DC more interesting, there are more options, a show to suit a different mood, if you will, thus making DC more eclectic and diverse for wider appeal. Clearly, if your judging criteria for who’s winning the battle between Marvel and DC based on which universe has the most shows, DC zooms (get it, Flash reference) into first place without a doubt.
Fan Favorites vs. Obscure Characters- I love Marvel superhero movies and judging by the box office sales over the past several years, I’m not the only one. Riding on the coattails of their successful Avenger’s movies, Marvel has managed to carry a sizable audience with the Marvel’s Agent’s of Shield TV show, despite a slow start to the season which failed to capitalize on the following of the fans who watched the summer blockbusters, in particular, were expecting to see on the show. It is my understanding that the head writers did not initially want any carryover from the movies, other than Agent Coulson’s story line, but as we all know, they eventually caved when fans took to the blogosphere and ratings dipped a little. Personally, I think they did the right thing in the end because the show definitely improved by the end of the first season, but DC however, managed to get it right from the start. Starting with Arrow, and continuing with the Flash and Constantine, DC seems to be well aware of what their fans want to see, and they don’t mind delivering. DC gets the point for TV shows with the most fan favorites, as opposed to obscure characters.
Originality- I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at both the pilot episodes for Constantine and the Flash, and I must say, I was blown away. However, from what I could see in a single viewing of both of those pilots, the story lines appear be close to the comic book plot lines, leaving little to no imagination on the part of the writers. While this may be desired by some fans, I tend to like diversions from the comic book story lines and feel that sticking to the existing plot lines is safe, boring and ultimately lack creativity in direction as well as the writing. Marvel, on the other hand, has captivated me from the start with a sense of originality. They were struggling in the beginning of the first season of Marvel’s Agent’s of Shield, as there were no previous comics or stories, for the most part, from which the creators of the TV show could lift story lines. DC does make a noteworthy attempt at originality with the origin story line for Gotham, but in my opinion, the originality point goes to Marvel.
While the battle on the small screen is far from over (in fact its just beginning), in my estimation DC is outpacing Marvel, primarily as a result of having more shows on TV featuring our favorite characters. As we all know, change is inevitable, so who knows how this will play out in the end, but for now Marvel has its work cut out for it if it wants to be number one on the small screen.