Warner Bros. CEO Believes DC Comics Films Are “Edgier” Than Marvel’s
By eelyajekiM
| @
|
Thursday, March 5th, 2015 at 5:30 pm
The heated debate between which comic book studio’s films are better rages on. It has taken Marvel Studios nearly eight years to establish their brand, and even longer to bring other heroes of theirs owned by other studios back to the fold. Warner Bros. pretty much owns all DC Comics heroes, yet their competitor’s success overshadows their own. Despite announcing their film slate for the next few years, there hasn’t been a major DC film since Man of Steel. Next year will see Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad go up against the likes of Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange. They won’t be head-to-head matches, but the films will re-ignite the debate between which films are better: Marvel or DC.
Now Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara has some fighting words directed towards Marvel. At a recent press conference, Tsujihara calls DC’s film’s “steeped in realism,” and “edgier” than Marvel. Find out what else he had to say after the jump.
During the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference (via IndieWire), Tsujihara told attendees:
“The worlds of DC are very different. They’re steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”
Honestly, this is the kind of statement you would make at a Comic Con panel in Hall H, but I’m pretty sure there are some DC Comic fans in the audience who were excited to hear this.
But he does have a point to a certain degree. The Dark Knight trilogy has a bit more depth to it in terms of realism and grit. However, Marvel has been able to diversify their superheroes by making them genre films. You want a buddy cop tone with some technology you go see Iron Man, you want something fantastical you go see Thor, you want a political thriller check out Captain America, and if you want action and adventure space opera definitely go see Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel has films that cater to everyone’s tastes, while DC has yet to establish themselves.
So which side of the fence are you on: Marvel or DC?
I absolutely love Marvel’s movies a lot more than DC’s films, but I’m not sure “edgier” is accurate. “Edgier” maybe where TV shows are concerned –– DC has a stronghold there, but as far as movies goes, DC’s, with the exception of THE DARK KNIGHT, need to play catch up before any edge will ever be seen.
Comment by John T. Trigonis — March 5, 2015 @ 10:59 pm
Edgier? Or tedious. The Dark Knight trilogy was good but it strayed from the story pretty often. And seriously, that’s the only set of films in twenty years that they’ve managed to do decently. Marvel cranks out some eye candy fun but it stays (mostly) true to the comics. Even the bad Marvel movies are better than some DC films (Catwoman and Superman Returns). Sorry DC, I’ve got little love for your track record. I hope it changes with this next film. I have high hopes for Affleck…
For starters, I’m not going to these superhero films because they’re “steeped in realism” and edgy. Edgy is just a label and means nothing to me. It’s like an artist describing their work to laymen at an art gallery. At their most basic, I want superhero movies to be fantastic and spectacular. I think I want an exaggerated reality. Are the events in the movie likely to happen? No. Could it happen? Maybe. Did what happened seem plausible? Yes. That’s my trifecta and Marvel nails it, even with otherworldly films like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy. Fox and Sony come close but mostly because I believe the environments they establish. Warner Brothers did well with the Dark Knight trilogy but seem hit or miss with nearly everything else. Green Lantern could’ve been better if the big baddie wasn’t some gaseous yellow cloud. Too bad on that one. Personally, I enjoyed Man of Steel and think WB has given Superman a decent chance at coming back from the prior three films. Skeptical of Ben Affleck as Batman but he’s evolved enough as an actor that I think I can believe in him to deliver. Not sure about Wonder Woman but Jason Mamoa as Aquaman is a stroke of genius and if that’s how they’re going to reinvent the King of the Seven Seas, then I’m in! Marvel films haven’t always been highly regarded (I can remember half a dozen clunkers throughout the 80s and 90s) but if WB takes anything away from Marvel’s success, I want it to be cohesive writing (build the universe!) and an unfearing commitment to take risks and deliver characters true to their roots. I might buy a ticket simply because I’m a decades long fan of the characters and want to witness the spectacle (good or bad), but these movies need mass appeal to survive and thrive. The stakes are too high for DC (WB) to simply sell me on “edgier” and “steeped in realism”.
A better question is why are we still having this argument? You know every comic fan is going to watch all the Marvel and DC Movies and love or hate them on their own merit, not which publisher they come from. Avengers is great, but Thor sucked. So did Spider-Man 3, Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men Origins, etc. The Dark Knight was awesome, but Green Lantern was horrible, as was Superman Returns, etc.
Comment by Star Wars Dad — March 10, 2015 @ 4:11 pm
I think they(DC) havn’t built the universe the same way as Marvel, because Marvel did that already. They had to establish a ground to jump off of before they could make the Avengers. I think DC is going to do the same maybe in reverse. Maybe it all started with Man Of Steel and is going to spiral out into something really cool.
Comment by I Am Colossus — April 13, 2015 @ 6:18 am
I agree with you and see absolutely no problem with the way DC has chosen to build their film universe! My point was that, for me, being “steeped in realism” and being “a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies” is not the selling point. As much as I enjoy the Marvel movies, I’m a lifelong DC fan at heart (yay that the Flash is back on TV!!) and I’m going to see these DC movies either way, but touting realism and edginess as the difference between film universes feels wrong to me. It actually conjures up cringe worthy memories of how Image tried to be different from both DC and Marvel in the 90’s. I maintain that DC needs to worry more about integrity and authenticity of their characters and they need to invest in solid writing to succeed. If it takes the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight to bring on Justice League, followed by individual films like Aquaman and the Flash (who otherwise might not have gotten solo films), then I’m in. I don’t care how these characters are introduced but I do want them to have a fighting chance at success.
You may have noticed that we're now AD FREE! Please support Geeks of Doom by using the Amazon Affiliate link above. All of our proceeds from the program go toward maintaining this site.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
I absolutely love Marvel’s movies a lot more than DC’s films, but I’m not sure “edgier” is accurate. “Edgier” maybe where TV shows are concerned –– DC has a stronghold there, but as far as movies goes, DC’s, with the exception of THE DARK KNIGHT, need to play catch up before any edge will ever be seen.
Comment by John T. Trigonis — March 5, 2015 @ 10:59 pm
Edgier? Or tedious. The Dark Knight trilogy was good but it strayed from the story pretty often. And seriously, that’s the only set of films in twenty years that they’ve managed to do decently. Marvel cranks out some eye candy fun but it stays (mostly) true to the comics. Even the bad Marvel movies are better than some DC films (Catwoman and Superman Returns). Sorry DC, I’ve got little love for your track record. I hope it changes with this next film. I have high hopes for Affleck…
Comment by Waerloga69 — March 5, 2015 @ 11:44 pm
For starters, I’m not going to these superhero films because they’re “steeped in realism” and edgy. Edgy is just a label and means nothing to me. It’s like an artist describing their work to laymen at an art gallery. At their most basic, I want superhero movies to be fantastic and spectacular. I think I want an exaggerated reality. Are the events in the movie likely to happen? No. Could it happen? Maybe. Did what happened seem plausible? Yes. That’s my trifecta and Marvel nails it, even with otherworldly films like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy. Fox and Sony come close but mostly because I believe the environments they establish. Warner Brothers did well with the Dark Knight trilogy but seem hit or miss with nearly everything else. Green Lantern could’ve been better if the big baddie wasn’t some gaseous yellow cloud. Too bad on that one. Personally, I enjoyed Man of Steel and think WB has given Superman a decent chance at coming back from the prior three films. Skeptical of Ben Affleck as Batman but he’s evolved enough as an actor that I think I can believe in him to deliver. Not sure about Wonder Woman but Jason Mamoa as Aquaman is a stroke of genius and if that’s how they’re going to reinvent the King of the Seven Seas, then I’m in! Marvel films haven’t always been highly regarded (I can remember half a dozen clunkers throughout the 80s and 90s) but if WB takes anything away from Marvel’s success, I want it to be cohesive writing (build the universe!) and an unfearing commitment to take risks and deliver characters true to their roots. I might buy a ticket simply because I’m a decades long fan of the characters and want to witness the spectacle (good or bad), but these movies need mass appeal to survive and thrive. The stakes are too high for DC (WB) to simply sell me on “edgier” and “steeped in realism”.
Comment by PAUL — March 6, 2015 @ 11:34 am
A better question is why are we still having this argument? You know every comic fan is going to watch all the Marvel and DC Movies and love or hate them on their own merit, not which publisher they come from. Avengers is great, but Thor sucked. So did Spider-Man 3, Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men Origins, etc. The Dark Knight was awesome, but Green Lantern was horrible, as was Superman Returns, etc.
Comment by Star Wars Dad — March 10, 2015 @ 4:11 pm
I think they(DC) havn’t built the universe the same way as Marvel, because Marvel did that already. They had to establish a ground to jump off of before they could make the Avengers. I think DC is going to do the same maybe in reverse. Maybe it all started with Man Of Steel and is going to spiral out into something really cool.
Comment by I Am Colossus — April 13, 2015 @ 6:18 am
I agree with you and see absolutely no problem with the way DC has chosen to build their film universe! My point was that, for me, being “steeped in realism” and being “a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies” is not the selling point. As much as I enjoy the Marvel movies, I’m a lifelong DC fan at heart (yay that the Flash is back on TV!!) and I’m going to see these DC movies either way, but touting realism and edginess as the difference between film universes feels wrong to me. It actually conjures up cringe worthy memories of how Image tried to be different from both DC and Marvel in the 90’s. I maintain that DC needs to worry more about integrity and authenticity of their characters and they need to invest in solid writing to succeed. If it takes the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight to bring on Justice League, followed by individual films like Aquaman and the Flash (who otherwise might not have gotten solo films), then I’m in. I don’t care how these characters are introduced but I do want them to have a fighting chance at success.
Comment by PAUL — April 13, 2015 @ 1:47 pm
Heard that! Although I did like a few of the Image characters, PITT was my favorite, Spawn, Savage Dragon and……… Guess that’s really about it. Lol
Comment by I Am Colossus — April 15, 2015 @ 12:21 pm