DC or Marvel: Who Has the Better Movie Strategy?

While walking the red carpet for Sucker Punch in England, Hey You Guys asked the director how his Superman fits into the planned Justice League of America film announced earlier this week.

“It doesn’t,” said Snyder.

Snyder explained that Chris Nolan’s Batman universe and his own Superman universe will not be tied to what Warner Bros. have planned for the Justice League film. “What they do with Justice League will just be its own thing—with its own Batman and its own Superman.”

Sorry continuity purists!

A Justice League film may embrace a more unreal reality
since it won't share a universe with Snyder's Superman film.

This is the complete opposite of Marvel’s Avengers franchise approach, where all of the characters are featured in their own films, but will coexist in the Avengers movies. So far Marvel has produced two Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger coming out this summer.

So what is the better strategy?

Marvel’s plan is ambitious. Beyond ambitious. They’re relying on their character’s films being hits. After all, The Avengers begins shooting next month, before Thor and Captain America open. If one—or both—of those movies were to flop (God forbid), that would, at the very least, remove some of the luster from The Avengers. I suspect that both films will perform well, but Marvel—good, bad, or otherwise—has put all of their eggs in one basket.

This is not a criticism of Marvel in any way. I’m still astounded by the idea of building their franchise 

this way. Or perhaps I should say franchises.

Warner Bros. is taking what might be thought of as the safer route. But what is important about Warner’s strategy—from a creative standpoint—is that their filmmakers are not beholden to reproduce films with similar tones or forced to integrate characters whose only purpose is to tie one film to another.

Marvel's Avengers franchise is redefining ambitious.

My greatest criticism of Iron Man 2 would be the clunky Nick Fury scenes. While a humorous nod to fanboys who recognize Samuel L. Jackson as the inspiration for the Ultimate Fury as drawn by Bryan Hitch in The Ultimates, I think the actor was miscast. The idea that Jackson’s Nick Fury will be popping up throughout the Avengers-related Marvel films does not excite me if it is done out of obligation rather than to service the story.

By putting out a Justice League film that exists in its own universe, Warner Bros. can also take its time to get its other properties into films of their own at the company’s own pace. Also, let’s say Aquaman clicks in the Justice League film. Then Warners can use that as an opportunity to move the character onto a movie of his own. If the character doesn’t click, or the role isn’t meaty enough, then the company can go the Superman or Batman route and put Aquaman in a film that exists on its own. Of course, if audiences don’t warm up to Aquaman in a Justice League movie, then they might not buy him, Wonder Woman or the Flash in their own respective films.

So what is Warner’s big risk? Mainstream audience confusion. Movie companies often cater to the lowest common denominator. Your average movie-goer may not understand that Christopher Nolan’s real-world Batman and the Batman saving Earth from an intergalactic invasion, alongside the Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern, are not the same guy.

It will be a few years before we can discern which strategy was best—if one was best at all. Perhaps both approaches will bring great success to both movie companies. All that really matters is that we comic book fans are going to get more celluloid superhero adventures.

And that ain’t half bad.