(Left to right) comic book fanatics Bryant Mutanga, Kalen Shaw, Keb Kellum went to see the highly anticipated Black Panther movie
Photo submitted by: Mackenzie McGregor
Although the DC Extended Universe has won our hearts and a considerable amount of our money in the box office, they still can’t hold a candle to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With 19 films and counting, Marvel continues to captivate and outproduce DCEU.
Fans no longer debate “who would win in a fight, Wonder Woman or the Black Panther,” but instead which movie is going to put them to sleep.
With the exception of “Wonder Woman,” critics dogged the DCEU movies, claiming poor character development, choppy directing and confusing plots lead to overall disappointment.
Hopefully “Shazam!” and “Aquaman” can rekindle the respect comic book enthusiasts once had for some of America’s most recognized characters.
Kalen Shaw, a third year information technology major and lover of comic books, shared in critics’ disillusion: “DC Movies for the most part are disappointments. They’ve had their moments, but lack creativity and excitement, as the characters are too dark. Hopefully they can go back to the comics for reference and make better films.”
Marvel, on the other hand, has come a long way from following the comics too closely, stunting creativity. Now they perfectly balance comic book accuracy with realism. Marvel’s ability to portray stories of famous heroes like Captain America and Iron Man interacting in our present day is what keeps moviegoers coming back for more.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe built its foundation one film at a time. Gradually introducing other heroes laid the foundation for epic blockbusters such as “The Avengers: Infinity War” and “Captain America: Civil War.”
There’s something about allowing the audience to acquaint themselves with a hero before throwing them into a convoluted plot line that makes us want to watch Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland evaporate via Thanos’ snap over and over again.
Marvel allows us to love characters and their individual subplots before ripping them away.
There are many moments in DCEU films that leave critics confused: when they don’t coincide with the comics, or were executed poorly. For example, Aquaman lacked purpose throughout the entire “Justice League” movie. There was a lack of water for most of the runtime with the exception of a few scenes. This left him only able to throw his trident around like a javelin.
Marvel recently signed off on a new Black Panther spin-off series. It is more anticipated than the upcoming Aquaman movie. This is expected as the colorful world of Marvel will always trump DCEU.
Whether it’s the inconsistencies with the plot, inaccuracy to the comics or the unfamiliarity with the heroes themselves, DCEU films have left many disappointed and not wanting more. Marvel teaches us how to love their heroes, which is why MCU remains the superior movieverse.