As long as there are superheroes in our popular consciousness, the DC-Marvel debate will rage on. Consider this the latest episode in the ongoing battle to prove one side’s primacy over the other.
Fans of each franchise have taken to Twitter recently to settle a pressing question: Which has the most iconic superhero trinity?
Well, in the red corner, @aaronfootage put forward Iron Man, Captain America and Thor.
https://twitter.com/aaronfootage/status/1303081360832200706?s=20
And in the blue corner, @theSNYDERVERSE responded by choosing Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman as their champions.
I already do https://t.co/qO0ise6dcL pic.twitter.com/gNyFWpI23b
— merc shitpostin (DONT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY) (@theSNYDERVERSE) September 7, 2020
Of course, many other users chimed in as well, as you can see below:
Hell no, there is just ONE trinity and we know it too damn well. pic.twitter.com/pL9ccnw2VM
— Julian | Tim Drake's secret bf (@Anarki1112) September 8, 2020
DC Trinity is more iconic .. with SUPERMAN and Batman in DC .. no one can match their level of iconic figure
— Kakarot666 (@Kakarot6661) September 9, 2020
MCU: “We’ve an iconic Trinity.”
These gents: “Hold my beer.” pic.twitter.com/FIum4s6ziI— Barry Dalgarno (@DalgarnoBarry) September 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/Kalio1456/status/1303161959416823810
DC all day every day #DCFan4Life pic.twitter.com/hAdcCbn1Ba
— Connor⚡ (@flashpointsaber) September 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/GodSpeedyBoi1/status/1303236219413946368
Before we go any further, I’m going to make an earlier-than-usual plea for your comments below. This is a debate, so dissenting voices are actively encouraged.
Now, to address the subject of superhero iconography, for me there’s simply no question as to the winner. DC’s heroes are far and away the most “iconic” trio of characters. Iron Man, Captain America and Thor have all mounted fine challenges with their respective film trilogies over the past decade. But none of them had any particular standing in the public domain until the MCU.
Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, on the other hand, did – particularly Batman and Superman, who have to be the two most iconic superheroes of all time. In part, that’s down to longevity, with the pair going strong for more than 80 years, predating all of Marvel’s most famous characters. Their first successful blockbusters also arrived well before superhero movies dominated the box office, in 1978 and 1989, respectively.
I think, however, that there’s a deeper reason for their continued endurance. Some images just don’t age – Batman and Superman are archetypes that have come to embody an entire genre. This round goes to DC, then. But you may well disagree. For instance, if you narrow your scope to the movies specifically, it’s hard to argue Justice League‘s troupe have more going for them. Gosh, this argument will never end.
