Which two popular heroes were revived by dc comics when quality comics group folded?

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DC Comics and Marvel Comics in founders 1934 and 1939, respectively, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and Martin Goodman.

DC and Marvel the three original superheroes like Superman, Batman and Spider-Man.

DC and Marvel which respectively original highest-grossing comics introduced Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man and X-Men.

DC Comics and Marvel Comics the original classic characters includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and other Marvel characters.

Marvel vs. DC: Battle of the Titans

The comic book medium gained a massive boost in popularity during the past decade. Part of this is due to the success of many recent superhero films and tv shows. Two popular brand names are at the forefront of this modern day superhero renaissance: Marvel and DC.

There are other smaller but recognizable comic book publishers in existence today. But when it comes to the all-encompassing superhero genre, DC and Marvel are co-owners of the throne. They are the only ones big enough to compete with each other. They are locked in an endless battle for the attention and adoration of consumers. But no publishing house, entertainment company, or business for that matter, ever started as a billion dollar company. They all had to start small, and Marvel and DC are no different. Their long historic rivalry is a very interesting read.

The History of DC Comics DC Comics is the one of the oldest comic book publishers in the United States. The company dates back to 1934 when entrepreneulr Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson started National Allied Publications (NAP). The superhero genre was in its infancy at the time. The comic book medium is instead home to pulp fiction and humor stories. It is where the name “funnies” and “comics” came from.

DC Comics’ first ever publication is New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine, which hit the stands in February 1835. The comic is tabloid-sized, much larger than the comic books we know today. National Allied’s second publication, New Comics #1 is the first book to have a size closer to modern comic books.

NAP is at the forefront of the period historians refer to as the Golden Age of the comic book medium. They have the honor of publishing New Comics, which later changed its name to Adventure Comics. The first run ended with issue #503 in 1983, It’s the longest running comic book publication in history to date. The title relaunched in 2009, as DC wanted to honor their lengthy history.

Major Wheeler-Nicholson struggled financially while running National Allied Publication. So he was forced out of the company only a year later after its foundation. But not before he released his third and final title, Detective Comics. Astute comic book fans will recognize the significance. One of the most popular super hero properties in the world, the Batman, debuted in the pages of Detective Comics in May 1939.

With Nicholson gone, ownership of NAP rolled over to the man he took on as a partner, Harry Donenfeld. Donenfeld is a veteran of the print industry. He owned a printing plant and published pulp magazines. He is also a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News. The amount of clout Donenfeld had in the industry is very fortunate, as it gave NAP a chance to survive.

Donenfeld’s accountant, Jack S. Liebowitz, struck a deal with Wheeler-Nicholson and formed a new company called Detective Comics, Inc. This new company served as the publisher of Detective Comics, but Nicholson bowed out due to financial problems. Detective Comics, Inc then acquired what remains of National Allied Publishing during a bankruptcy auction.

Upon acquisition of New Allied Publishing, Detective Comics, Inc. launched a new comic book titled “Action Comics.” Again, comic book fans will recognize the significance – it is the comic book that introduced Superman to the world. But Action Comics’ importance in the history of comic books is bigger than that.

Action Comics #1 launched in June 1938. The comic is an anthology and featured eleven different stories within. One of the stories is Superman. It is the first ever comic to feature the modern “superhero” archtype, which became its own genre. To a smaller degree, the first issue is also historically important for debuting “Zatara the Master Magician.” He is a stage magician who knows real practical magic, moonlighting as a superhero. There are three things that make Zatara important to future comic book fans:

He once came into possession and wore the helmet of Dr. Fate.

Zatara was good friends with Thomas Wayne, and was responsible for Thomas meeting (and later marrying) Martha Wayne. The union gave birth to future Batman, Bruce Wayne. Zatara also trained Bruce as an escape artist and illusionist, two skills that will be very useful to Batman.

In 1941 - H.G. Peter and William Moulton Marston is called All Star Comics, the first female superhero comic book featuring Wonder Woman, and best from Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman in 1942, respectively.

He is the father of the female superhero sorceress, Zatanna.

Detective Comics, Inc. continued its strong year all the way into 1946. But they felt it difficult to manage two comic book publishing companies at the same time. So National Allied Publications and Detective Comics, Inc. merged into a single company called National Comics Publications. The consolidation also absorbed other companies, including Liebowitz and Max Gaines’ All-American Publications. Gaines sold his half of the company to Leibowitz, and only kept his Picture Stories from the Bible. Picture Stories became the cornerstone for EC Comics, but that is a story for a different time.

Going back to National Comics Publications, they operated under two names: National Comics and National Periodical Publications. But their superhero properties are so popular that they decided to rebrand as “Superman-DC” in 1940. Readers eventually used “DC” as a colloquial term for their publication. The company caught on and officially adopted the name in 1977. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The History of Marvel Comics Many comic book fans are under the impression that Marvel is much younger than DC Comics. It is true that company Timely Comics (which published Marvel Comics #1) is 5 years younger than Wheeler-Nicholson’s company. But Timely Comics is actually a sub-imprint owned by Pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman. Martin Goodman started publishing Western pulp as early as 1933, making them a year older than National Allied Publications as a company. They were only late by a few years when it comes to realizing the popularity of the super hero genre.

Timely Comics’ first ever title is Marvel Comics #1. Like Action Comics #1, Marvel Comics #1 is notable for introducing a couple of future major superhero properties. The first one is the Human Torch. Not to be confused with the member of the Fantastic Four, this original character is an android superhero. The original Human Torch is within continuity, and will have future team ups and run-ins with Captain America. The other major super hero property introduced in Marvel Comics #1 is the Sub-Mariner, Namor.

Marvel Comics #1 is an unexpected commercial success, selling out its initial print runs selling close to one million copies. The massive success allowed Timely Publications to expand and consolidate its operations. It gave them the resources needed to hire in-house staff instead of outsourcing to outside packager, Funnies, Inc. Timely also managed to hire their first bonafide editor, writer/artist Joe Simon. Simon brought in fellow artist Jack Kirby. The duo created the first ever patriotic superhero, Captain America.

The choice to create a superhero that evokes patriotism was a very smart business move. Captain America debuted in Captain America Comics #1, which saw print in March 1941. This is smack dab in the middle of World War II. Interest in a symbol of fighting back against foreign powers is welcome in the hearts of readers. Captain America #1 saw sales close to a million copies. The influx of funds from its sales finally gave Goodman enough resources to form Timely Comics, Inc.

Timely Comics would continue to introduce different heroes over the years. But none of them saw the same level of commercial success as Captain America. Fortunately, Captain America and Marvel Comics are successful enough to carry the rest of the publication. The period also saw the introduction of vintage heroes such as Miss America, Whizzer, the Vision, and the Angel. Some of these characters returned in future Marvel Comics, while the later two will serve as inspiration for new characters.

It also helps to note that Timely Comics became a popular publication in the humor genre. They published the works of cartoonist Basil Wolverton, who made iconic features such as Powerhouse Pepper and Super Rabbit.

The first steps towards turning into the Marvel Comics of today came in 1941, when Simon left timely Comics. Goodman hired his wife’s cousin, a young office assistant named Stanley Lieber as a replacement. The young interim editor briefly vacated his position for three years to serve in the army but came back. This is where he started writing under the pseudonym “Stan Lee.” Comic book fans will definitely recognize the name and know his contributions to the medium.

Goodman’s approach to publishing comics is vastly different from Detective Comics, Inc’s. Goodman’s strategy relied on different shell companies that specialize in different genres. But all of these shell companies are operated out of the same location with a single staff. The Marvel Comics title is so profitable at the time. This led to the shell company handling Timely Comics’s rebranding as Marvel Comics. The rebrand happened in 1944, and the imprint was a success. Readers embraced the new name to the point of Goodman adding “A Marvel Magazine” seals to many comic books covers. In 1961, Goodman made the Marvel name official.

Post War American Comic Market The comic book industry was briefly turbulent for Marvel and DC during the 1950s. Superheroes, particularly patriotic ones, fell out of fashion when the war ended. The decline led to Goodman even dropping several superhero comic books. They turned their focus to other genres such as westerns, horror, humor, crime, sports, and romance.

With the superhero genre in a lull, Goodman chose to prop up a different image. They started using the globe logo of their newsstand distribution company, Atlas News Company. The globe branding was adopted in the other 59 shell companies owned by Goodman. Under the Atlas name, Goodman tried to avoid risk by adopting the popular themes found in TV and movies, which meant that the superhero genre took a backseat to westerns, horror, and romance. Atlas also started targeting the children and teen demographic. They briefly tried to revive the superhero genre in 1953 via their heavy-hitters: the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. Unfortunately, the campaign failed to gain any traction. Stan Lee would later reveal in interviews that Atlas only survived because they produced fast, cheap, and mediocre books. It was more of a move to break even as opposed to innovating.

The superhero genre, and Goodman’s company for that matter, finally saw salvation in 1961. Their competitor, DC Comics, revived interest in superheroes by introducing the Justice League of America. The idea of DC Comics’ popular heroes such as Flash, Green Lantern, etc teaming up in a single comic book was fresh and exciting. The renewed interest in superhero comic books gave Goodman enough confidence to push their Marvel Comics brand. Two non-super hero titles produced in 1961, Journey into Mystery and Patsy Walker, even displayed an “MC” logo on their covers.

1961 saw Stan Lee conceptualizing their own superhero team as a response to the Justice League. But Stan Lee saw that most super hero titles at the time targeted children as an audience. So there was a hole in the market for superheroes aimed towards older readers. This led to Marvel’s first modern superhero team, the Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four #1 was revolutionary. It featured a group of superheroes who squabbled with each other, held grudges, and enjoyed celebrity status instead of maintaining secret identities. Marvel also positioned themselves as the superhero publisher that focused more on characterization and social issues. Nowhere is this more apparent than in The Amazing Spider-Man. The protagonist is young and struggled with personal issues: self-doubt, lack of identity, and studies. Marvel was finally competing with DC Comics on an even keel, using a more organic approach to the superhero genre.

Which Publisher is the Definitive Superhero Company? Both Marvel and DC Comics are so closely associated with the super hero genre. They are also very litiguous. It is not surprising that at least one of them will trade mark the name of the genre. What is surprising is that the two rivals are not fighting over the Super Hero trademark. In fact, they actually share ownership of the trade mark.

Marvel and DC are co-owners of several super hero terms. It includes Super Heroes and Computer Super Heroes, covering a wide variety of goods and services. It covers toy figures, t-shirts, amusement park services, computer software, publications such as comic books, magazines, and even stamp albums. It would seem that instead of competing and entering into a costly legal battle over the term, both publishers cooperated. The trade mark registrations were made as early as 1980. So any backdoor legal tussles and negotiations should have occurred somewhere in the mid 1970s.

With the resources available to both publishers, it is expected that they’ll be the definitive super hero companies. At least as far as the legal system is concerned. There have been earlier attempts by third parties to register the trade mark, including a 1977 attempt by Ben Cooper Inc. But the trade mark application was successfully contested by DC and Marvel. There’s a fierce rivalry between Marvel and DC, but the right to use the word “super hero” is not part of it. For a better comparison, we should instead look into other avenues, such as their offerings. Comparison Between Marvel Comics and DC Comics’ Approach to Superheroes

The 1960s is the year when both Marvel and DC experienced massive commercial success with the superhero genre. But they had a fundamentally different approach to superhero titles at the time. Of course, in this day and age both companies have already met in the middle. Constantly trying to adapt to market trends ensured that the publishers will have similar characters and concepts. But when they first started, Marvel and DC were polar opposites.

The first major difference is their properties’ massive shared continuities. Marvel started from scratch for the most part. Most of their IP were created within Marvel, so they had tighter continuity. There’s not a lot of conflicting histories and origins. DC, on the other hand, owned many characters acquired from different companies or publishers. Some of the more egregious examples include:

The Ray – originally from Quality Comics, but folded and sold its characters to DC in the 50s.

The Peacemaker – the original incarnation was from Charlton Comics, which DC acquired. The character was made darker in the DC continuity. He was also used as an inspiration for The Watchmen’s Comedian.

Plastic Man – another character from Quality Comics. “Plas” fit in well with the DC roster, despite his original comic having more of a humorous tone. The interesting thing is that there is also a “stretching” character in DC called Elongated Man. Creator Carmine Infantino conceptualized Elongated Man after DC already owned the rights to Plastic Man, not realizing the similarities. This led to DC always struggling to balance the two characters everytime they appear together in a comic.

The Question – another migrant from Charlton. The Question is a creation of artist Steve Ditko, based on his obsession with objectivism.

Blue Beetle – easily one of the most popular characters from Charlton. Blue Beetle managed to find his way to the roster of the Justice League, despite having no super powers.

Captain Atom – another very successful migrant from Charlton. Captain Atom is one of the most powerful characters from the publisher, such that he is occasionally used as a villain. He is able to fit in easily in DC due to the presence of more powerful characters like Superman.

…and of course, the most powerful, most popular, and most controversial DC acquisition to date: Shazam.

The Shazam Debacle Fawcett Comics originally launched the hero Captain Marvel in 1940. The character is a boy who gains powers from the greek gods. His transformation to an adult superhero relies on the chanting of a magic word. The concept is unique enough, but the problem is in his transformed state.

In his transformed state, the Captain Marvel character bears a resemblance to Superman and possesses similar powers. DC took offense and sued Fawcett comics for copyright infringement. The protracted court battle took its toll on Fawcett, and so Fawcett ceased publication in 1953.

DC then licensed the character and gained full ownership. They absorbed the Captain Marvel property into their own continuity, which includes an entire family of super heroes. The main problem with this is that Marvel also has a character named Captain Marvel. To avoid another legal tussle, DC chose to change the Fawcett Captain Marvel’s name into Shazam.

Broken Continuities and Solutions As mentioned earlier, Marvel had an easy time juggling their various properties underneath a single cohesive shared continuity. They own all the rights and the characters were created with foreknowledge of the shared continuity. DC didn’t have so much luck.

DC had an abundance of characters acquired from other publishers and shell companies they reabsorbed. This resulted in character history conflicts, multiple versions of characters, and characters that went underutilized. Their solution is a massive intra-franchise crossover event called Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Crisis on Infinite Earths addressed the conflicts by introducing a major threat that requires cooperation between DC’s various superheroes. These superheroes are based on different parallel realities, with some meeting and even fighting their counterparts. The climax of Crisis on Infinite Earths saw the death of Super Girl, The Flash, and the Silver Age Superman. The different parallel realities were also merged into a single continuity, wiping out decades of history and erasing multiple variants of characters.

The aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths temporarily solved DC’s convoluted continuity. But it caused even more confusion with readers. Due to the changes brought on by the crossover, readers now had to refer to characters as either “post-crisis” or “pre-crisis.” DC would go on to try other major crossover events in order to fix the confusion, but only made the problems worse.

Marvel’s intra-franchise crossover events, by comparison, were leaner and easier to follow. The caveat is that they lacked immediacy. Since they had no continuity conflicts to fix, their major crossover events were easier to dismiss as a marketing stunt. Not that they weren’t fun, or didn’t provide lasting changes. One of Marvel’s first major crossover events was Secret Wars – it’s essentially a battle royale pitting different Marvel characters against each other.

While the fallout of Secret Wars was forgotten afterwards, the crossover event introduced Spider-Man’s iconic black symbiote costume. This costume is very popular with the fans. It was also catalyst to a major Spider-Man story arc that culminated in the creation of Venom.

Another iconic Marvel crossover event is the Infinity Gauntlet. In the story, the mad titan Thanos gained hold of the six infinity gems, which in unison gave him the absolute powers of a god within Marvel universe. The crossover had no major fallout as any damage caused was reversed by the Infinity Gems. But it catapulted Marvel’s cosmic characters to the forefront, resulting in boosted popularity for various spacefaring characters such as the Silver Surfer, Thanos, and Adam Warlock.

The Infinity Gaunlet and its two sequel crossovers also served as an inspiration to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity War. The Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most popular and commercially successful superhero movies to date. In the end, Marvel still bested DC when it comes to the lasting influence of their major crossover events.

Major Properties Owned by Marvel and DC Both Marvel and DC have a wealth of comic book franchises. Aside from their legacy franchises, they have also been actively launching new titles and buying out smaller publishers. But they have always been headlined by a handful of commercially successful IPs. In DC’s case, it is “the Trinity.”

The term “Trinity” was originally coined by fans to refer to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. DC Comics considers these three heroes as the most influential superheroes within continuity. But they also sell people in on the idea that the characters are their most commercially successful ones.

The Batman For the uninitiated, Batman is the creation of Bill Finger and Bob Kane. He is an alter ego of playboy millionaire Bruce Wayne. He dons a bat-themed superhero costume at night and protects the streets of the fictional Gotham City from criminal elements.

What is notable about the Batman is that he is one of the most influential superheroes in the DC comic book universe. He is frequently given leadership roles and interacts with powerful super villains, despite having no powers at all.

The Batman is the ultimate representation of what humans are capable of under the right conditions. Driven by a need to avenge his parents’ death at the hands of a common criminal, Bruce eventually turned his obsession towards fighting crime. He spent his formative years studying and mastering martial arts disciplines from all over the world, and used his wealth for high tech gadgets. The Batman also tows the line between ruthlessness and restraint. He gives no quarter to criminals but refuses to kill any human being.

Superman Superman is the polar opposite of Batman. Batman is a normal human being who skirts darkness. Superman is a more positive individual who also happens to be one of the most powerful beings this side of the galaxy.

Superman’s real name is Kal-El. Born on the planet Krypton, his father sent him to Earth as an infant in order to escape Krypton’s destruction. On Earth, Kal-El was found and adopted by the Kansas farm couple Martha and Jonathan Wayne. Raised as “Clark,” he eventually discovered his lineage and decided to use his powers for good.

As Superman, Kal-El acts as a living battery that stores solar energy from Earth’s yellow sun in order to power various abilities. He is immensely strong, extremely fast, near-invulnerable, and can shoot concentrated heat from his eyes. Despite having the powers of a god, Superman is one of the most down-to-earth heroes on DC. He frequently serves as a moral compass for his peers and the first line of defense against powerful threats.

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman rounds up DC Comics’ “Trinity.” She is frequently touted as a great role model for young girls, because she’s the most powerful and respected female hero in the DC universe. She can go toe-to-toe with Superman and can best even Batman when fighting on equal terms.

Unlike Batman who is a normal human or Superman who is an extraterrestial, Wonder Woman’s origins are magic in nature. Created from clay by her mother Hippolyta, Wonder Woman represents the gods of Olympus. She has physical abilities almost on par with Superman, while training in military strategy and combat under the Amazon warriors.

The one interesting thing about Wonder Woman is that her place within the Trinity is a relatively new development. At least in terms of commercial success. The Batman and Superman have always been lucrative properties for DC Comics, even outside of comic books. There’s a long list of video game properties, TV shows, and blockbuster movies from the two male heroes that cannot be found in Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman only started catching up to Batman and Superman in popularity recently. This is because there is a visible push towards better female representation among various media. So fans naturally searched for the best female superhero in DC’s roster, and Wonder Woman fits the bill.

The character reached the peak of her popularity very recently through the Wonder Woman movie. While the movie suffered from a few controversies, it was a massive commercial success. It is also a critical success, with Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman receiving unanimous praise from fans and critics.

Marvel Comics’ Major Properties Maybe it’s because Marvel’s superhero genre is relatively newer, or maybe it’s because the publisher is constantly chasing trends. But Marvel doesn’t have anything similar to the Trinity. They do have characters that serve as parallels. Thor, Sentry, and Hyperion can parallel Superman. Tony Stark is technically a Bruce Wayne with access to more practical technology. And Marvel has a number of super strong female warriors to parallel Wonder Woman. But the ideas are not as consolidated as DC’s. Especially with Marvel constant attempts to reboot their characters.

However, when it comes to commercial success, Marvel does have one character with as much profitability and mindshare as the Trinity. Enter: your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is an outlier when he was first introduced to the readers. He serves as the line that marks a separates Marvel and DC’s approach to superheroes. Where DC’s heroes celebrate the peaks of heroes’ abilities, Marvel delves into the flaws.

It is true that Spider-Man is a relatively powerful superhero. He has enough strength to lift a truck, inhuman agility and recuperative abilities. And he can stick to walls, much like his animal namesake. But he stands out more because underneath the mask, Spider-Man was a teenager who struggled with life. Peter Parker constantly juggled his super hero career with school work, family duties, and eventually a fledgeling career as a photographer. Additionally, his Spider-Man alter ego is not fully embraced by the public. Spider-Man is treated as a vigilante and subjected to propaganda. This is a far cry from Clark Kent’s career as a respected nobel peace prize-awarded journalist. As well as the public and the government’s respect for Superman.

There may be parallels in Spider-Man and Batman’s reputation as vigilantes, and their status as wanted by law enforcement. However, once Batman removes his mask, he is a wealthy billionaire playboy. When Spider-Man removes his mask, he is a person struggling to make ends meet and pining for his childhood crush.

Spider-Man is known the world over, and may even have more commercial success than Batman and Superman. Unfortunately for Marvel, they sold off the film rights during the period when their company was struggling. Sony currently owns the film rights to Spider-Man. While they do have a friendly, collaborative relationship with Marvel, it is not the same as having full ownership of the film license (and its profits.)

Marvel’s struggles with film rights ownership is a key difference. DC, under Warner, has always had full control of their properties when it comes to films. But Marvel, as a result of trying to salvage their company by selling off film and TV licenses, lost the rights to one of their most successful franchises.

We’re talking about the X-Men. The X-Men franchise concerns superhumans who get their powers from a mutation. They are the next step in the evolution of mankind. Like Spider-Man, the X-Men franchise focused more on addressing personal and social issues, particularly racial discrimination and persecution. It was revolutionary for its time, and the franchise was so commercially and critically successful that it put DC on the defensive.

Unfortunately for Marvel, a mistake was made when they sold the film and TV rights to Fox. We are not going to delve into the massively convoluted story of Fox and Marvel’s lengthy feud. It is simply too complex an issue for the length of this article, and most of it is already public knowledge. More importantly, it is also moot because Marvel’s parent company, Walt Disney, recently bought Fox’s parent company. So Marvel for all intents and purposes owns the X-Men film and TV rights again.

But for those years when Marvel didn’t, they lost out on taking advantage of popular characters like Wolverine or the Fantastic Four. This is a particularly big blow to their business strategy. They were unable to incorporate popular characters to their cinematic universe. And they had to watch helplessly as Fox made a ton of profit on their X-Men films. Worse, they also watched helplessly as Fox ruined their Fantastic Four franchise with a string of box office flops.

Marvel vs. DC: Official Comic Book Crossovers While there is indeed a real rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics, they are not above cooperating. In fact, there are a number of official comic book crossovers that pit their respective heroes against each other. The most popular of which are two intercompany crossover events: JLA/Avengers and DC vs. Marvel.

DC vs. Marvel (1996) This is a 4-issue limited series written by Ron Marz and Peter David. Artwork is from Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini. The series aimed to give equal treatment to both sides, so not only are the creators representative of each publisher, the titles also changed to give preference to each publisher. Issues 1 and 4 are titled “DC vs. Marvel Comics,” while issues 2 and 3 are titled “Marvel Comics vs. DC.”

The outlandish story involved two god-like brothers that serve as personifications of the DC and Marvel Universes. They became aware and challenged each other to a series of duels. The duels are fought with champions from their respective universes, namely the heroes. What follows is then a string of fan-service fights. The duels themselves rely on parallels in terms of powers and abilities. Which is a better approach compared to relying on popularity and commercial success. Spider-Man would naturally lose to Superman, while Hulk would beat the pants off of Batman, and so on. The list of fights include:

Aquaman vs Namor: Aquaman wins, using a whale to incapacitate Namor.

Elektra vs. Catwoman: Elektra won by trapping Catwoman on the girder of a building under construction.

Flash vs. Quicksilver: the Flash one, simply because he far outclassed Quicksilver in terms of speed.

Robin vs. Jubilee: the powerless Robin won against the mutant Jubilee, because he’s the better trained fighter.

Thor vs. Shazam: Thor won by taking advantage of Billy Batson mid-transformation.

Superman vs. Hulk: Superman won through more creative use of his strength and heat vision.

Spider-Man vs. Superboy: Spider-Man won through better strategy.

Batman vs. Captain America: the two fighters are evenly matched, and the fight would have ended in a draw if not for an accident. Captain America almost drowned, but he was saved by Batman. Out of all the fights, this is the one that ended in mutual respect and understanding.

Wolverine vs. Lobo: one of the more controversial pairings. The invulnerable, immortal and super strong Lobo lost to Wolverine, who had accelerated healing powers and adamantium claws. The fight also occurred off-panel. Fans saw this as just DC feeding Lobo to Marvel due to Wolverine’s popularity.

Storm vs. Wonder Woman: another controversial fight. Storm won after beating down Diana with repeated lightning strikes.

The crossover apparently ends with the victory of Marvel, but a new entity named “Access” meddled. This resulted in the DC and Marvel Universe fusing together, which led to the publication of a twelve issue series called the Amalgam Universe.

The Amalgam Universe features characters resulting from the fusion of Marvel and DC characters. For example, Bruce Wayne became an agent of SHIELD. Wolverine and Batman led to Legends of the Dark Claw, Superman and Captain America became Super Soldier, X-Men and the Justice League gave way to JLX, etc. The ideas were hit on miss, but it was a major crossover event never before seen in comic book history, so fans naturally flocked to it. It is no wonder that it is not the last time that DC and Marvel would cooperate on a crossover event.

JLA/Avengers (2003-2004) While the JLA/Avengers crossover event happened in 2003 to 2004, the actual idea for the event predated even DC vs. Marvel Comics. The seeds were planted as far back as 1979, when DC and Marvel first agreed to collaborate on a crossover series involving two teams. The original plot was conceptualized by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, with artwork provided by George Perez. The story had Marvel and DC’s time traveling villains collaborating, resulting in the heroes crossing paths.

Work already begun by 1981, with Perez completing 21 pages by 1983). Unfortunately, editorial disputes (allegedly instigated by then-Marvel EIC Jim Shooter) resulted in the project’s cancellation. The fallout of the cancelled project also saw plans for an eventual The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans crossover being shelved.

It is only in 2002 when DC and Marvel once again revisited the idea of pitting the JLA against the Avengers. George Perez is still on board, while Kurt Busiek and Waid were tapped for writing duties. The series was approved, but Waid bowed out due to scheduling conflicts, leaving Busiek as the sole writer. Perez almost dropped out of the project since he is under contract to publisher CrossGen. Fortunately, Perez had a clause in his contract that allowed him to do the JLA/Avengers crossover if and when it was approved.

As for the story, JLA/Avengers benefited from having a properly-written and more plausible storyline compared to DC vs. Marvel Comics. Where DC had a ridiculous plot meant purely for fanservice, JLA/Avengers drew upon existing storylines and villains to instigate the inter-company melee.

Busiek pulled out one of the villains from Crisis on Infinite Earths, an exiled Oan named Krona. Krona travles the Multiverse, destroying anything he comes across in order to seek the truth about creation. When he finally reaches the Marvel Universe, he comes across Marvel’s cosmic villain, The Grandmaster. In order to save the Marvel Universe, the Grandmaster challenges Krona to a game.

The game consists of the Justice League fighting against the Avengers. If Grandmaster wins, Krona needs to spare the Marvel Universe. If he loses, he will lead Krona to Galactus, who witnessed creation itself. Krona agreed, but demanded that they swap champions so that the Justice League represents Marvel, while the Avengers represents DC. Grandmaster’s ploy was clever, because the Marvel Universe will be spared whether he wins or loses. However, Krona turned it around and ensures that the Avengers needs to lose in order for the Marvel Universe to be spared, which means he gets access to Galactus whether he wins or loses.

The notable thing about JLA/Avengers is that it highlights the main difference between each publisher’s general tone and narrative approach. Marvel has a more grounded, gritty overall tone while DC takes on a more idyllic view of the world. The Justice League saw the Marvel Universe as bleak and in need of saving, while the Avengers saw how peaceful and progressive the DC universe is and assumed that the Justice League were fascists.

Unlike the previous Marvel vs. DC crossover, the JLA/Avengers’ fights were more contained, and the results were accepted better by readers. Mainly because Busiek tried to give equal treatment to the teams. As per usual, the crossover resulted in the two universes joining at first, before the heroes themselves put a stop to Krona’s machinations. No amalgam universe was ever formed, but a merging of the universes resulted in the two teams having adventures together.

There were plans to adapt the JLA/Avengers crossover event into animated film, with Bruce Timm himself expressing interest in 2009. Unfortunately, the project never took off.

Video Game Franchises

Video games is a multi-billion dollar industry. So it is not a surprise that both DC and Marvel have taken a stab at the medium. They have licensed out their properties to various publishers and developers. Marvel, under Disney, even had their own development house. So far, there are a number of noteworthy video game franchises for Marvel and DC:

The LEGO Games Both Marvel and DC have licensed their properties out for a collaboration with LEGO. This led to a number of kid-targeted LEGO games that include LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, and LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes 2 for the Marvel side, while DC has LEGO Batman 1, 2, 3, and several of their characters included in the LEGO Movie videogame. All of he LEGO Games are successful, mainly because the franchise is well-received by gamers.

Fighting Games Marvel has been pumping out fighting games since the 90s, starting out with X-Men: Children of the Atom for the arcades, which gave way to the massively popular Marvel Super Heroes. This progressed to a partnership with Street Fighter developer Capcom, which saw the birth of the Marvel VS games, which are crossover fighting games that pit Marvel characters against Capcom’s characters.

DC is a relative newcomer to the fighting game genre, outside of the little-known and poorly received Justice League Task Force during the 90s. Their proper attempt at building a fighting game franchise only started with DC vs. Mortal Kombat in 2008. This game pits DC’s characters against the ultra violent characters form Midway’s Mortal Kombat franchise.

Eventually, the Mortal Kombat characters were excluded and the Injustice series of games debuted. The Injustice: Gods Among Us game only included DC characters, and was more serious in tone but removed all the unnecessary gore. The game was well-received and prompted a sequel titled Injustice 2.

Marvel, on the other hand, floundered a little bit as their most recent fighting game, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, flopped despite being a generally solid fighting game. This is due to the removal of X-Men characters (more on this later) and a DLC model that fans believe to be anti-consumer.

MMORPGs Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games, or MMORPGs, were very popular during the mid-2000s. The massive commercial success of World of Warcraft saw every single publisher jumping on the chance to create their own MMO franchise. Marvel and DC made separate attempts.

Marvel partnered with Gazillion for Marvel Heroes Online. An online action roleplaying game that gave players the chance to play their favorite Marvel character, as well as buy or unlock other characters later. It was a popular game, but one that folded in December 2017 due to internal problems within Gazillion.

DC’s attempt at the MMO genre resulted in a partnership with Sony, which saw the launch of DC Universe Online. Unlike Marvel Heroes Online, DC Universe Online did not let players roleplay existing DC characters. Instead, they let players create their own custom avatars, which then interact with existing DC heroes and villains.

DC Universe Online is still available to play today, so we guess DC wins over Marvel in this part simply through longevity.

Most Popular Game Franchises It is no surprise that DC and Marvel’s respective most popular characters, Spider-Man and Batman, are also their most popular and most recent games. The Batman Arkham series of games are available on multiple platforms, and generally successful. The Spider-Man open world game, on the other hand, is equally successful but only available on the Playstation 4.

It also helps that there have been 4 installments of the Batman Arkham franchise of games – Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City, Batman Arkham Origins, and Batman Arkham Knight, as well as a number of rereleases and compilations. Spider-Man on the PS4 only has one installment so far.

DC wins again on this front, because otheir broader reach and availability.

Cinematic and TV Universes While the comic book medium is still popular and sustainable as a business, DC and Marvel are now focusing their efforts on moving pictures. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and DC Extended

Universe (DCEU) are now the main moneymakers. The movies take precedence over comics, with the comics adopting changes made in the films instead of vice versa.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008) Marvel enjoys a healthy string of box office successes based on their characters, as well as a few flops. But their Cinematic Universe only started with Iron Man in 2008. Much like its comic book counterparts, the Marvel Cinematic Universe relies on a shared continuity that encompasses a variety of different mediums. These include short films, TV shows, digital content, and even video games. The MCU achieves this by crossing over plot elements, characters, and settings.

To help consolidate the various films into a single cohesive universe, Marvel created a new character, the SHIELD agent Phil Coulson. To date, Coulson is the only MCU character to appear in all of the different medium hosting the MCU. Coulson is played by actor Clark Gregg.

There are currently three phases of MCU films, starting with Phase 1, which established the universe:

Iron Man (2008) – Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark. The film marks the first appearance of Phil Coulson and Samuel L. Jackson as SHIELD director Nick Fury.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) – the film is one of the odd kinks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Edward Norton in the role of Bruce Banner. But the role of Bruce Banner went to Mark Ruffalo in later films. Yet, Edward Norton’s version of the character and the events in the film are still canon to the MC. This is exemplified by the appearance of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and William Hurt’s General Thaddeus Thunderbolt. Both actors will reprise their roles in later films. It is said that Norton left the project involuntarily, due to artistic differences. This is usually a euphemisim to hide the fact that an actor is difficult to work with.

Iron Man 2 (2010) – sequel to the 2008 film. Marks the first MCU appearance of the Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. Rhodey also took a more active role as War Machine.

Thor (2011) – this marks Thor’s first appearance in the MCU, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. It also introduces the antihero Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. The film is tied to the MCU with the appearance of the SHIELD agents, as well as Hawkeye (played by Tom Renner)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – the first appearance of Captain America, played by Chris Evans. Unlike the previous films in Wave 1, Captain America: The First Avenger is set in the past.

Marvel’s Avengers (2012) – this film is the culmination of the first wave of MCU films. It brings together all of the plot points left open by previous films, and assembles the Avengers via the established MCU characters. It also establishes Thanos as a future villain and sets up plot devices that will be revisited in Infinity War.

The MCU’s phase 2 started in 2013, through the following films:

Iron Man 3 (2013) – even though this film is still part of the MCU, it takes on a much darker tone and feels more like an action thriller than a superhero film.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) – a sequel to the first Thor film, the movie introduces another Infinity Stone (with the previous wave already introducing a couple.)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – another MCU film with a darker tone. The first appearance of the MCU’s Winter Soldier and Falcon.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – establishes the GotG as another MCU super team. Unlike the Avengers, the Guardians are dysfunctional, and their adventures are mostly far away from the Earth.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – first MCU appearances of the Vision and Scarlett Witch. Sets up future events that will be relevant to the third wave of MCU films.

Ant-Man (2015) – Ant-Man returns the MCU to the more grounded, slightly comedic tone as Paul Rudd puts in an effective portrayal of Scott Lang. The film introduces Hank Pym and Hope Pym.

The second phase of the MCU is so commercially successful that Marvel saw it fit to increase the amount of films for phase 3, which is still ongoing:

Captain America: Civil War (2016) – this film kickstarted phase 3 with a bang. For all intents and purposes, it is an Avengers film because it features all of the Avengers. It has a bleaker premise, with the Avengers fighting each other and eventually splintering into two groups. It is also a landmark film because it is the first apperance of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. This Spider-Man is a special case because the film rights belong to Sony, and they are effectively loaning out the character and Tom Holland to the MCU. It is also the first appearance of Black Panther in the MCU.

Doctor Strange (2016) – the first appearance of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, who will play a major role in future Marvel films.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017) – this continues the adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and further sets up events for Phase 3’s climax.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – this is technically a Sony film, as opposed to Marvel’s. But there is a friendly collaboration going on between Sony and Marvel. This resulted in Homecoming becoming a part of the MCU. The film features Tony Stark in a significant guest appearance.

Thor: Ragnarok (2018) – the film is a much lighter affair, but a very important plot springboard as it resulted in the end of Asgard, and the exile of asgardians. It features the Hulk in a major deuteragonist role, and Loki as once again an antihero.

Black Panther (2018) – while not as reliant on the MCU’s shared continuity, the film is still important because it fleshes out the Black Panther’s backstory. And it introduces his kingdom of Wakanda, which is the setting for a future Phase 3 tentpole film.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – this is the penultimate conclusion of Phase 3, as the villain Thanos collects the six Infinity Stones and plans to use them to wipe out half of the universe. All of the major heroes in the MCU are present in this film, save for a few that are missing for undisclosed reasons.

Infinity War ended on a cliffhanger, but it is currently one of the most successful superhero film in history. A second part is already coming and Phase 3 is still ongoing with Captain Marvel and the Avengers: Endgame coming in 2019. Sony also confirmed another Spider-Man movie that will be in lockstep with the MCU.

DC Extended Universe (2013) While films based on DC comics properties have been around for a long time and made a lot of money, their DCEU only started in 2013. The focus on the DCEU is because they have effectively rebooted their major franchises, consolidating everything into one shared universe. This is similar to the shared continuity of the comics, and exactly what Marvel achieved a few years prior.

DC saw huge success with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, but the films were largely incompatible with any attempt to build a cinematic universe. For starters, the film was gritty and grounded in realism. It would have been impossible to fit superhumans into its fictional world. More importantly, the Dark Knight trilogy already wrapped up its story neatly, leaving no room for future Batman stories.

DC Comics’ cinematic universe, which they dubbed DC Extended Universe, consist of the following films:

Man of Steel (2013) – this is a full reboot of the Superman film franchise, after the less than sterling performance of 2006’s Superman Returns. Henry Cavill took over Brandon Routh in the role of Superman, and the film focuses more on action. While Superman Returns felt more like a disaster film, as Superman was only fighting against a mountain of kryptonite, Man of Steel had a more tangible threat. Superman went toe-to-toe with General Zod and his army of Kryptonians. The film also took on a darker tone.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – inspired by the Dark Knight Strikes Again graphic novel and The Death of Superman story arc, this film pits Ben Affleck’s Batman against Henry Cavill’s Superman. The film also helps build the DC Extended Universe by introducing Wonder Woman, thereby rounding up the DCEU’s version of the Trinity. The main villain in the film is Doomsday, and the end of the film sets the stage for a team-up film.

Suicide Squad (2016) – a slightly more tongue in cheek film that seems to be DCEU’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy. The film stars various DC villains, who are coerced by the government into doing black ops missions in exchange for commuted sentences. The film stars Hollywood heavyweights such as Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevigne, Jared Leto, and Viola Davis. The film also featured a cameo from Ben Affleck’s Batman and referenced events from other DCEU films.

Wonder Woman (2017) – easily the most successful of the DCEU films in terms of box office and critical acclaim. The film stars Gal Gadot as Princess Diana of Themyscera, otherwise known as Wonder Woman. This is essentially DCEU’s answer to Captain America: The First Avenger. The film is set in the past, and establishes Wonder Woman’s origins and first adventures during World War 1. The film is also a plot springboard for the team up film.

Justice League (2017) – all of the previous DCEU films were building up to this team up film, and basically DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers. It features Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman teaming up to fight against Steppenwolf. Towards the end, a surprise plot twist also saw Superman fighting and then joining the team. The film hints at the villain Darkseid making an appearance on the MCU.

Aquaman (2018) – another box office and critical success for the DCEU, the film stars Jason Momoa in the role of Aquaman. The main villains for the film are Black Manta and Orm/Ocean Master.

There are conflicting rumors and reports over the status of the DC Extended Universe. Some are saying that it’s going downhill and did not perform according to expectations. There are also rumors that Ben Affleck is no longer happy playing the Batman and may get replaced in the future. Fortunately for DC fans, replacing a character shouldn’t affect the DCEU too much. Marvel survived Edward Norton’s removal from the Hulk franchise, after all. Additionally, there are a number of projects that are in development, including another Batman film that has Ben Affleck’s name attached as actor and producer.

Bearing all of that in mind, it looks like the Cinematic Universes are slightly in Marvel’s favor. They started first, there are no rumors of the studio being in trouble, and they did better in terms of box office and critical acclaim. DC is doing well, but we’re handing Marvel the win in this category.

TV Shows Another venue where there is fierce competition between DC and Marvel is the TV medium. Both companies have animated and live action TV shows based on their properties. And both companies are experiencing a renaissance, buoyed once again by the success of their films.

Marvel Comics TV Shows Marvel has always enjoyed a healthy small screen presence, especially during he 90s when it was clearly Marvel on top. The X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the Avengers all have fairly successful cartoon shows. But this was a healthy time in general for young boy-targeted content. Once that era waned and gave way to content that is targeted more towards toddlers and kids of different genders, Marvel cartoons struggled.

The rise of the MCU gave them one more avenue to explore, though. Live action TV shows. The streaming service Netflix experienced a growth that gave way to in-house produced content, and this led to a partnership with Marvel. This partnership led to several Netflix-exclusive TV shows:

Daredevil (2015) – this is the first Netflix TV series based on a Marvel property. It stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who has enhanced senses and extensive martial arts training. He moonlights as the super hero Daredevil, protecting the streets of Hell’s Kitchen from criminals. The series also served as a springboard for the Punisher.

Jessica Jones (2015) – starring Kristen Ritter in the titular role, the series follows a former super hero who was abducted and abused by a super villain. The series delves into the aftermath of said abduction, with Jessica trying to pull her life together by starting a shady private investigation firm. The series served as a launchpad for another Netflix series, Luke Cage. It also featured several cameos from the cast of Daredevil.

Luke Cage (2016) – this series focuses on an ex-convict who volunteered for a government experiment in exchange for a commuted sentence. The experiment gave him extremely dense skin and super strength, which he decided to use to protect the streets of Harlem.

Iron Fist (2017) – out of all the Netflix shows, Iron Fist is the one that involves the most amount of fantasy. The protagonist is a wealthy heir of a corporation, who got stranded in a fictional place called Kun Lun. In Kun Lun, he learned martial arts and gained the power of the “iron fist,” which allows him to launch explosive punches and heal injuries. This series features cameos from all three prior TV shows.

The Punisher (2017) – a spin-off from Daredevil, the series follows former US soldier-turned vigilante Frank Castle. It follows the events after Daredevil, when Frank presumably finished his mission of avenging the death of his family. It turns out that the rabbit hole goes deeper.

The Defenders (2017) – this serves as a team-up series for Netflix’s Marvel shows, sans the Punisher. It features the protagonists from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage banding together to fight a common threat.

Netflix’ Marvel shows are part of the MCU, as they contain references to events that occurred in the films (most notably a reference to the Battle of New York, which occurred in The Avengers.) However, the shows largely avoid the MCU movies by confining the stories to the urban level. The characters mostly fight common and non-superpowered criminals.

Unfortunately for these TV shows, Walt Disney’s plans to start their own streaming service scared Netflix away from future seasons. Probably fearing the possibility of depending on shows that a competitor owns the rights to, Netflix decided to cancel the shows. All of the shows have recently been announced as canceled, with only Jessica Jones and the Punisher still in production (and chances are they will get canceled after the in-production season appears on Netflix.)

DC Comics’ Arrowverse DC Comics, on the other hand, seems to be in better position when it comes to TV shows. When it comes to cartoons, DC beat Marvel to the punch. Their Super Friends cartoons is well-received, even though it did not age well. They also have a string of very popular Justice League cartoons, a number of young teen targeted shows such as Teen Titans and Young Justice. More importantly, Batman: The Animated Series is the gold standard for comic book cartoons. The series is considered a work of art, and embraced even by non-comic book fans.

With regard to live action TV shows, DC’s Arrowverse is doing much better than the Netflix shows on account of a few things. First is that the shows are not exclusive to a streaming service. Therefore, it has a much wider reach and watched even by people who don’t have access to the Internet. Next is that the shows have not been canceled yet, and are still going strong.

The shows that make up the Arrowverse include:

Arrow (2012) – this is a live action TV series based on the Green Arrow comic books. It does not follow the comic book continuity, and instead features a much younger Oliver Queen and a more contemporary setting.

The Flash (2014) – the Flash in the TV series is different from the one featured in the DCEU, though the TV series parallels the comic book version more closely.

Supergirl (2015) – the series also features a version of Superman that is different from the DCEU version.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016)– a team up series but for a different set of heroes aside from the main previous entries, although crossovers are frequent.

Vixen (2015)– while part of the Arrowverse, Vixen is not exactly a TV show but a web series that is within the Arrowverse continuity.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray (2017) – like Vixen, this series is also exclusive to the web.

DC’s Arrowverse franchise is a little bit more successful than Marvel’s Netflix shows, though not in critical acclaim. Part of this is the wider availability mentioned before, and because DC is not constantly wrestling with contracts and exclusivity deals. They have also started earlier, and thus were able to attract viewers even before the super hero film boom.

It is also a challenge to have a like-for-like comparison when it comes to DC and Marvel’s current crop of TV shows. Mainly because they have different target markets. DC’s Arrowverse is targeted more towards young adults, whereas the Netflix Marvel shows are for mature audiences. The difference in target markets also resulted in difference in formats. The Netflix Marvel shows tend to come off as crime procedurals, while the Arrowverse shows follow a teen drama format.

On the TV side, we have to hand the win over to DC. Marvel may have more critical acclaim, and viewers tend to unanimously agree that the Netflix shows have more quality. But that hardly matters now that the Netflix shows are cancelled. Some of them even cancelled without proper resolution. The Arrowverse, on the other hand, chugs along nicely.’

Who Wins: Marvel or DC? Despite Marvel losing out on the TV series front, we’ll have to hand the overall win to Marvel. There are a number of reasons why they come out on top:

Fans Prefer Marvel Films Right Now All of the MCU films are blockbuster films, and all are well-received by fans and critics alike. Even the least popular Marvel property, The Ant Man, still made enough money to make other non-superhero films weep. The DCEU, on the other hand, is hit and miss. Aside from Wonder Woman, which was generally embraced by the audience, most of the DCEU films suffered from fan backlash. There are always rumors floating around of problems with production. And fans are still doubting on whether the DCEU will continue. Both make it clear which company is currently winning.

Marvel’s Shared Continuity is Solid The Netflix cancellation may look grim when taken at face value. But this is temporary, and could be better for Marvel in the long run. The contract with Netflix means that Marvel can’t bring back the shows for a certain period of time, but once that’s done – Marvel has free reign. And fans will flock back to the franchises.

…and keep in mind that the main reason Netflix likely cancelled the shows. It’s because Marvel’s owner, Walt Disney, will launch their own streaming service. All of Marvel’s properties, consolidated under one roof, means that Marvel has more control over their content. This makes it easier to have crossovers and better solidify their shared continuity. We may finally see Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Wolverine in the same screen.

DC Comics, on the other hand, isn’t afforded the same freedom. They built their DC Extended Universe separately from their Arrowverse continuity. And they lacked the foresight to avoid making multiple versions of the same character. They can’t consolidate the two separate continuities into one, without breaking and introducing even more conflicts.

Marvel Has More Clout and Resources Right Now Marvel is a direct subsidiary of Walt Disney. And Walt Disney’s constant expansion and acquisition gave them ownership of a number of massively popular companies and franchises. They have the Star Wars properties, and all of Fox’s properties, which includes the X-Men and Fantastic Four film licenses. That’s not to mention all the non-comic book properties they have under their wing. All of these resources and clout can be brought to bear in aid of Marvel.

DC under Time Warner is not in any financial danger, as Warner has deep pockets as well. But we’re just saying, if it comes down to a war of attrition and a money game – Marvel is going to outlast DC.

Marvel Wins, But in the End: We All Win Keep in mind that we shouldn’t pick any side over this. Marvel and DC are competitors, sure. But their joint ownership of the Super Hero trade mark is proof that they’re willing to work together. You won’t find many comic book fans who are exclusively loyal to a single company. If you are a comic book nerd, chances are there are Marvel and DC titles you like. Marvel and DC’s rivalry helps keep both companies on their toes, which means better products for all of us. So in the end, it doesn’t matter which is better between Marvel and DC. The real winner are the fans. Excelsior!