We’ve in a golden age of on-screen superhero entertainment, but much of the discussion on social media about upcoming comic book movies usually descends into arguments over which side is better: Marvel or DC? Recently, for instance, the new Captain Marvel trailer spawned a lot of posts from Marvel lovers who said the movie was going to wipe the floor with Wonder Woman. Why do we need to pit one film against another, though?
Perhaps inspired by this sort of thing, Shazam! director David F. Sandberg took to Instagram to express his sadness at how fans have cultivated a fierce Marvel/DC divide. He shared an image of his favorite comic from his youth – a Swedish issue of a crossover featuring Superman and Spider-Man teaming up to battle Doctor Doom and Parasite – and used it to show how the battle between the two is just a fan-made myth.
“The seriousness of the Marvel/DC rivalry is so god damn stupid,” Sandberg wrote in his caption for the photo. “I hope that all superhero movies do fantastically well. Why would you ever wish for a movie to be bad or fail? More good movies is a win for everyone.”
To be honest, he makes a good point.
Of course, Sandberg himself is caught in the middle of the Marvel/DC war, as there’s something of a rivalry between DC fans looking forward to Shazam! and those who are anticipating Captain Marvel, as Billy Batson’s alter ego used to go by the superhero name now more associated with Carol Danvers. The director himself has gently nodded to this in the past – a previous Instagram post used the hashtag “#TheOriginalCaptainMarvel” – but it’s clear that he’s not being entirely serious and is looking forward to the Marvel movie himself.
What do you make of this, though? Are you a fierce supporter of either Marvel or DC? Or are you happy to support both companies? As always, let us know down below.
