Are we, as DC fans, 'jealous of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

[WillieMorgan]

I was in the pub the other night and got talking to a group of lads that are significantly younger than I am but am still friendly with.

To a man, they are all Marvel fans. Actually, it would be better to call them MCU fans as only one of them makes any attempt to read the comic side of things.

They know the distinction between DC and Marvel, not always a given here in the UK where 'Why isn't Batman in The Avengers?' does tend to get asked sometimes, and know me as a DC fan.

I got asked whether I was 'jealous' of the MCU as a DC fan. I replied in the negative as I really enjoy the MCU films personally. After a chat I did have to concede that I did wish that DC were closer to Marvel on the movie side of things though.

Are you envious of the MCU personally? There was all that rubbish about fans trying to sabotage Black Panther's Rotten Tomatoes rating so obviously there are people out there with a chip their shoulders about it. How representative is that of genuine DC fans though?

[MajorHoy]

It's pretty petty for some one to be "jealous" because one company's movies seem to do better than another. "Envious" would be different and understandable, though.

As for me, I don't normally bother with movies and TV shows: I care about the comic books.
(But I'm obviously a Neanderthal about things like that.)

[Frontier]

I wouldn't say I'm "Jealous," since I'm equally as happy with Marvel's successes, but I do wish that DC could have as successful a showing on-film that Marvel Studios has been able to enjoy on a far bigger and more frequent level and without all the divisiveness or downer feelings associated with the DCEU.

[Jackalope89]

Meh. Couldn't get through Guardians 2. No joke. Wasn't a fan of Deadpool. Facepalmed when I saw Tony Stark turn on Steve Rogers, rather than trust probably the most trustworthy guy on the team...

On the DCEU side, I liked Wonder Woman, Justice League, and Batman vs Superman (extended edition). Didn't care for Man of Steel, and couldn't get past 30 minutes in Suicide Squad.

[The Dying Detective]

As far as I'm concerned not really while I would rather see DC improve I am not sure why anyone want to match marvel in the movie business trying to be too close to their way of doing things robs them of individuality. Besides the MCU isn't exactly bullet proof as far as I'm concerned ask Age of Ultron and Spider-Man Homecoming. People like those but very few talk about the flaws in the writing and the case of Homecoming execution.

[bigstupidjellyfish]

From what I’ve seen as a Marvel fan, it’s not so much that DC fans are jealous or envious of Marvel, but rather they delude themselves into thinking that the bad films are cinematic masterpieces. I saw a lot of “dark = serious and serious = good” talk after the releases of BvS and Suicide Squad, but we all know that that argument isn’t true.

Wonder Woman is a beautiful film, but Justice League was another trash fire. Hopefully, Aquaman is more like the former than the latter.

[HandofPrometheus]

I'm jealous of the MCU taking its time and at least making their characters reflect what they supposed to be (somewhat). Only Wonder Woman gave me a sense of Diana actually acting like Diana, the rest were strangers. Not to mention the MCU used it's potential wisely while the DCEU squandered it's potential within the first couple movies.

[Johnny]

No, I'm happy for the MCU. I do wish WB got their act together, after all had Green Lantern been a Marvel character, he would've had a billion franchise years ago. But no, I don't think I'm jealous of the MCU, I'm rather annoyed by WB's parasitic obsession with them. DC often blows Marvel out of the water in any other medium than live-action movies.

[caj]

I just feel that TPTB at DC should learn from their mistakes. I have never read Marvel comics and even I have seen a few of their movies - and they were great.

I've waited all my life for a Justice League movie and then I see the ads for it - a smart aleck fifteen year old boy playing Barry Allen, a former teen titan, and no Hal Jordan or J'onn J'onzz. No Hawkman, Atom, or Green Arrow.

I didn't see the movie but it reminds me of Riverdale on the CW - you may call them those characters but they're unrecognizable to the comics.

[Robotman]

i'm not jealous in a hateful way because i've really enjoyed most of the Marvel movies. but damn it do i wish WB could do for Superman what Marvel Studios has done for Captain America. make movies for the character that are near universally loved.

[WillieMorgan]

It's pretty petty for some one to be "jealous" because one company's movies seem to do better than another. "Envious" would be different and understandable, though.

As for me, I don't normally bother with movies and TV shows: I care about the comic books.
(But I'm obviously a Neanderthal about things like that.)

That was something that actually came up in the conversation. Although I enjoy DC across different media, like yourself the version of the DCU that means the most to me on a personal level is by far the printed one. I'm not sure that the lads that I was talking to actually got that point. I think they felt that I was just saying that to 'cover my bases' if you will.

Perhaps having a vested interest in the comics more than anything else makes a difference in how a DC fan feels about the MCU.

[WillieMorgan]

From what I’ve seen as a Marvel fan, it’s not so much that DC fans are jealous or envious of Marvel, but rather they delude themselves into thinking that the bad films are cinematic masterpieces. I saw a lot of “dark = serious and serious = good” talk after the releases of BvS and Suicide Squad, but we all know that that argument isn’t true.

Wonder Woman is a beautiful film, but Justice League was another trash fire. Hopefully, Aquaman is more like the former than the latter.

Although I personally enjoy all the DCEU films, I'd be lying if I said that I thought they were masterpieces. Much of the decision making when it comes to the films is obviously flawed.

I'd meant to ask any visiting Marvel fans what their take on this would be in my opening post but forgot, so thanks for replying. Have any Marvel fans on here ever experienced any bitterness from DC fans about the MCU?

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Since I'm much more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan, I do PREFER it when a DC property does better than a Marvel one. That doesn't mean I'm "jealous" of Marvel's success, as I'm really looking forward to Avengers in 10 days.

What bothers me more are people who can't see that Man of Steel and BvS are actually good films -- and this is from DC fans as well as Marvel fans. I agree that Suicide Squad and Justice League were highly flawed (although both had good parts), but those 2 films had the most studio interference.

As for the comment above about dark=serious=good, I don't think that's automatically true, but I don't think it's automatically NOT true, either. Because I understood that Zach Snyder was trying to bring a Watchmen-like take to his movies, I was able to enjoy both Man of Steel and BvS. I don't think being "dark" or "serious" is why the movies were divisive. I think it was because the central characters were emotionally conflicted and cynical.

I didn't mind this take, but I think if the protagonists were more inspiring, it would not have mattered how dark and serious the other characters and the movie itself was. I think Wonder Woman proved that. Because Diana and Steve were likeable, you wanted to root for them, and that drew you into the movie emotionally. Perhaps MoS and BvS were a little too cold for most people and kept you at an emotional arm's length.

It's not as though Wonder Woman wasn't dark and serious. We're talking murder, war, mustard gas, and Steve Trevor's suicide run. It wasn't Thor Ragnarok or Guardians of the Galaxy -- and I'm glad because those are the movies, with stupid lazy writing, that make me upset at Marvel's success, not jealous.

I think Wonder Woman is the template that DCEU should try to go for in the future. Seriously done with serious stakes, but with human, relatable characters that make you care about all the pyrotechnics. Along with that, DCEU could try some "just fun" movies like Plastic Man or Super Sons where that tone would be appropriate and I think would really do well with the general public.

[gooch4011]

I wouldn't say I'm either. I have really enjoyed the movies from both sides, and they both have their hits and misses. I do wish WB would get their crap together but it is what it is. I will say though, I am really suffering from Marvel fatigue. I haven't had the desire to watch any movie of theirs since Dr. Strange. I loved Strange but since then I've really just felt burnt out. I tried watching Homecoming and couldn't get into it, haven't attempted to watch Thor yet, and after all stuff that's happened around Black Panther I've just lost all interest. I'm glad they've all done well, I'm just kinda over the MCU.

[adrikito]

Yes.. Because DC is failing with his Cinematic universe..

However, I am not interested in Marvel films.. Except with Spiderman films.