There has always been an ongoing debate about whether Marvel or DC is better. Audiences of the films and comics have been torn for decades, deciding amongst many factors to determine the superiority of one or the other. This summer was no different.
With the release of “Superman” kickstarting writer, director, and co-CEO of DC James Gunn’s DC Universe (DCU), plus the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) first “Fantastic Four” film, the comparisons seem to be never-ending.
The new Superman film introduced actor David Corenswet’s first appearance as the iconic hero. Audiences admired Corenswet’s take on the role, demonstrating Superman as a hero for all people through kindness and compassion. Sophomore Liam Ament agrees, saying he enjoyed how sociable Superman was.
“I loved how in Superman, they made him [a] good guy and friendly. In the other ones, he was ‘mean’ and didn’t care about other people, and in this one, he would save little kids and stuff,” Ament said.
Also introduced to the DCU this summer was Nicholas Hoult as the villain Lex Luthor, who viewers also enjoyed. Language Arts teacher Keith Pardeck said he appreciated Hoult, as well as the fresh spin on Superman himself.
“I really liked Nicholas Holt as Lex Luthor. I thought he was really fun. I like the way that [the movie] just made Superman a good person. I think that was something that had been missing in previous iterations recently. I like the idea of ‘he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing,’” Pardeck said.
Since 1978, there have been a total of 11 major live-action Superman films directed by various directors, including Richard Donner, Zack Snyder, and now, Gunn, who has shown audiences a new view of the hero. Krypto, Superman’s pet dog, who also has powers, made his first live-action appearance in Gunn’s film this summer. Ament explained how these factors made “Superman” unique.
“I feel like in the other ones, Superman is kind of dark and he [likes] to fight people. And then, in this one, he’s all about just saving his dog,” Ament said.
“Superman” included a plethora of characters from the typical Lois Lane to Jimmy Olsen, Guy Gardner as Green Lantern, and more. Many viewers enjoyed the first appearance of Mr. Terrific in live-action, and Pardeck felt the same way.
“I do [think the outlook is good]. I’m excited. I did really like even the side characters and stuff that he put in, like Mr. Terrific. I thought [that] was really cool. I like him. I’m really excited to see where he goes next with that,” Pardeck said.
With an 83 percent critic’s score, and a whopping 90 percent audience rating with over 25,000 reviews, it is clear that audiences loved what “Superman” had to offer. Comparing it with past iterations, Pardeck explained how Gunn’s version is ideal.
“[This Superman movie is] probably my favorite. I grew up with the Richard Donner movies and they’re good, but by the end, [I was] kind of like, ‘Yeah, this is not super great.’ I thought the Snyder stuff was okay. He’s not my favorite director, but I thought it was definitely like he had a perspective on it. I don’t know that I loved [his films though],” Pardeck said.
Also released this summer by Marvel Studios was “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the first introduction of the team to the MCU. With a star-studded cast including Pedro Pascal as Reed Richard, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer, audiences were excited to see the new versions of the characters as compared to other “Fantastic Four” films outside of the MCU. Junior Liam Barrett agreed, saying he enjoyed the new cast’s takes on the classic characters.
“Chris Evans [(“Fantastic Four” (2005))] did a wonderful job as Johnny, but this Johnny [(Joseph Quinn)] was also pretty good. This Reed though, Pedro [Pascal], did a good job being the ‘smart one’ of the group and explaining everything. They had a wonderful family dynamic,” Barrett said.
A common trend recently in the film industry is poor advertisement. This was unfortunately the case for “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which was declared “out-of-touch” by fans, thus taking focus away from the actual film. “Fantastic Four” made about 100 million dollars less than “Superman” at the box office. Ament said that the cause for this could be the film’s substandard advertising, even though aspects of it were better than the previous films of the same name.
“I feel like [“Fantastic Four”] could have been under advertised, and I [think] that probably harmed it. I feel like it kind of just has a better character arc for each character,” Ament said.
The future for both universes is an important question that audiences are asking now. For Marvel, with new “Avengers” movies coming out in the next few years, Barrett thinks they have set themselves up for success.
“[I] got to say Marvel [has a better future], because they’ve got [“Avengers:] Doomsday” coming out, and everybody’s excited for that. And then they [have “Avengers:] Secret Wars” right after that, and they’re gonna reboot the entire thing,” Barrett said.
On the other hand, Gunn’s DCU is just getting its start. Senior Claire Worley believes that their newfangled start and success in their first film sets them up for success.
“I think that DC has a better future in filmmaking because I feel like they’re fresher. They’re getting their start, they’re developing the universe. And I feel like ‘Superman’ was great. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, and maybe now I’ll get into, you know, DC and superheroes and whatnot,” Worley said.
