Disney Studios- DC's faults are Marvel's gains

As we all know, Disney has brought the Marvel MCU to the forefront of culture as a linear film narrative, which we all love. The first few years of Marvel movies since the acquisition in 2009 were not stellar (known as phase I). There were some duds (Captain America, Iron Man 2, etc.) However, more important than the movies themselves was the creation of the foundation for a long term universe. Marvel ingeniously had easter eggs and post-credit sequences to provide a preview of future  characters and storylines. Secondly, Marvel's selection of characters for use has been strong and enduring. They introduce characters periodically, but more importantly, they introduce well-known storylines that fans want to see on screen (Civil war, infinity war, etc.). How long can Disney keep this up? It is unclear, but we know that Phase III will likely be their strongest phase yet and I can't wait to see what Phase IV looks like. With successes such as these though, there are bound to be copycats lurking.

Enter the Hasbro universe...I won't go into this in this post.

Enter the DC Universe. The DC universe announcement was a foregone conclusion and was a long time coming. After the Dark knight trilogy, you'd think DC would have been making at least two movies a year. They didn't. They restarted the franchise and gave us one singular movie.

Man of steel- This 2013 movie was not horrible, but it was not enjoyable either. A darker take with too much action (rare to say that for an action movie) which just did not work. This was a poor way to kick off the DCU.

You'd think DC would then start making the movies regularly, but then they delayed. Then wavered and we waited, and waited, and waited. Then they gave us a glimmer of hope. They came out with a schedule that looked way into the future (2020). The first movie out of this plan was not an origin story, but instead a new take on the clash of characters.

Batman V. Superman- This movie was supposed to be awe inspiring as our two favorite characters take up the big screen. The premise was good, the execution was terrible. First off, the characterization is all wrong, it's as if Mr. Snyder is not familiar with Batman or Superman. Batman doesn't use guns and he doesn't kill, Superman also doesn't kill, Lex author was annoying, the desert fighting scene made no sense, the Martha similarity scene did not play well, the addition of Wonder woman served little purpose in the plot, and You ruined Doomsday. Good job DC. The most important element in these movies is that they must be fun to watch, they should not be squarely focused on earthly grounded themes of morality. Lastly, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg looked terrible in my opinion.

Suicide Squad- I admit i have not yet seen this one. I am hesitant to wade into the waters again. The reviews I read were lackluster, but I can already tell that it is Will Smith focused, which should not be the focus. I do commend DC for making a film on a smaller property like suicide squad, because after all, DC has a smaller canon on characters and they will be used up soon enough

Now, where does this leave us? DC's attempts at creating the universe of their own have been shaky at best (though they are making money with suicide squad). Who gains from this shakiness? Marvel does. Comic book movies bring fans out to watch them and DC fans will go to Marvel movies. However, BAD comic book movies will still continue to benefit Marvel more than anyone else because it makes their pictures look that much better.

It is often said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. So true. As we move forward I am genuinely excited about Marvel's prospects into the future.

Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Spiderman Homecoming
Thor Ragnarock
Black Panther
Ant-man and the Wasp
Avengers Infinity War
Captain Marvel

What do you think?