DC and Marvel are two of the biggest names of the entertainment industry, both of which have created tons of comics, shows, movies and video games. While Marvel has seen success in many of its entertainment sectors in recent times, DC has not been enjoying the same fortune. Both DC and Marvel are home to some of the most well known comic book characters with solid followings; however, where Marvel has carefully been utilizing its IPs and building a slow but steady path to success, DC seems to be stuck in an experimental phase with no clear direction.
Both publishers have made significant contributions to the world of gaming with Marvel's Spider-Man, DC's Injustice 2, and so on, but when taking into account multiple games from these publishers, it becomes evidently clear that DC games have not been sharing the same hype and success as those being published by Marvel. This disparity between the two comic giants is not simply because one has better characters than the other; rather, there are several key factors that have continued to effect the growth rate of both parent companies.
The Hype of Marvel's Cinematic Universe Vs. DC's Cinematic Struggles
One of the biggest reasons for Marvel's success so far has been due to the tremendous success of the intricately laid out Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has captured the attention and hearts of millions of people around the globe. Consequently, this success has lead to a heightened anticipation for any project associated with the name Marvel. As more people learn about Marvel characters and form strong emotional bonds with them, they become more eager to explore the worlds of their favorite characters through video games.
In contrast, DC's cinematic universe is an interesting but flawed franchise that has continued to disappoint fans for several years now. Although DC films started out strong with Man of Steel, showcasing the origins of Superman, the latter entries in universe have been subpar overall. Where the MCU is still going strong with a clear direction, DC is preparing for another reboot, eradicating its currently established cinematic universe.
Marvel and DC's Games
Marvel and DC both have a wade range of wonderful characters. For DC, its heavy hitters include Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Green Lantern among many others. Marvel's strong contenders include the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, and Wolverine to name a few.
Notably, where Marvel has been trying to introduce more and more of its central characters to its wide audience, DC has not even done justice to its popular ones. Marvel has already published many notable games highlighting its characters, such as Marvel's Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy and its future plans are looking strong as well, with games starring Wolverine, Black Panther, Captain America, and Iron Man being in development.
In contrast, out of the big three heroes, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, only Batman has received the luxury of being adapted into a major gaming franchise lately. The rest have not received even one single-player story-driven game in recent years. DC had a gem a few years ago in Injustice 2, but even that lost its charm among a plethora of other fighting games. DC's most recent big game was Gotham Knights, which among many other issues, did not feature Batman as a main character and hence it struggled to garner attention.
DC's next big title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has also been a topic of heated debate, where players will be able to play the villains going up against the universe's biggest heroes. The game might have had more hype if it starred the Justice League, instead of their enemies.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be released on February 2, 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
