Marvel Vs DC
The world is big enough for both Marvel and DC. That said the comparisons are inevitable and the rivalry is long standing. With that in mind we thought it would be fun to compare both of them in order to determine which one is actually winning the battle at the present time. To do this we’ve broken the battle down into three categories and as you might guess they are Comics, Movies and Games. If you don’t like our results feel free to argue your own opinion in the comments after the article. Now without further ado…let battle commence.
Comics
If you look at things from a business standpoint Marvel is the clear winner according to 2014 year end statistics released by Diamond Comic Distributors. Marvel has 34.38% of the dollar share for comic books whereas DC only has 28.86%. Marvel also had 9 of the top 10 comic books sold last year whereas DC has none in the top 10. They don’t even show up until 14 with issue 32 of Batman. When you look at graphic novels DC saves a bit of face since it’s got Batman: The Court of Owls in the top 10 and Marvel doesn’t have any listed until 11. If you broaden the number to 20 Marvel still only has 1 and DC has 6, even if they are all Batman titles.
Winner: Marvel
Movies
This is probably the most lopsided category of the three. Marvel films have continued their domination of cinemas since Iron Man first debuted and they’ve really had no failures. Thor: The Dark World was probably the weakest film they put out but it still took in enough money to be successful. Oddly if we return to Diamond’s statistics again DC actually beats Marvel according to DVDs sold in stores that Diamond distributed to. Batman: the Complete TV Series was the top selling video. Obviously this doesn’t mean that DC is anywhere near Marvel’s film universe in terms of total sales. That said DC hasn’t got anything coming up that looks as good as Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Winner: Marvel
Games
DC does seem to beat Marvel in this realm. DC’s Injustice was a rousing success a few years back and Batman: Arkham Knight is being hotly awaited by almost everyone. There honestly doesn’t even spring to mind a definitive Marvel video game. Marvel seems to be succeeding with Disney’s infinity platform but is that even a game in the truest sense of the word? The last great marvel games I remember were all for PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 but since then they’ve been a bit stale. This is surprising considering how great Marvel is at innovating and arriving in new mediums.
Winner: DC
BONUS ROUND – Television
Although television doesn’t fit into a neat website title category, it is definitely a place where Marvel and DC are coming to blows. DC has created its own universe on the CW with Arrow and Flash. The first season of Arrow was a bit too geared towards the CW’s teen audience at times but it grew into a superhero show towards the end and has only gotten better. The Flash was great from the start. Constantine was recently listed as one of our shows that deserve more buzz and Gotham has also been the subject of an article on this site. Marvel’s Agents of Shield has been a fairly enjoyable show but it’s also dragged heavily in sections. DC has the numbers in this category as of now since it’s only got one show up against four. Marvel is on the verge of debuting Daredevil which may shift this battle but for now its DC triumphant.
Winner: DC
FINAL TALLY
Although the two companies are tied according to these categories I believe Marvel is the clear winner of the current battle for America’s soul. They are embedded heavier in the public consciousness and are dominating the actual comic book market share. While DC can always spring from the ashes with its television and video game crowds it’s going to be a bit before they are on the same level as Marvel.
WINNER: MARVEL
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