The cracks continue to appear in the facade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after well over a decade of nothing but acclaim, with the tepid reviews to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania furthering the agenda touting that the shine is finally beginning to wear off Kevin Feige’s all-conquering franchise at long last.
It’s not without merit, either, seeing as the three lowest-rated of the superhero saga’s 31 feature-length installments on Rotten Tomatoes have arrived in the last 13 months alone, even if She-Hulk: Attorney at Law should probably be given a pass for holding the MCU’s weakest user average on the aggregation site given that it was the subject of a constant trolling and review-bombing campaign from start to finish.
However, with Marvel Studios alum and Kevin Feige protege James Gunn now steering the ship over at DC Studios, could the tides genuinely turn when it comes to the industry’s premiere comic book conglomerate? Hypothetically, recent evidence indicates that it definitely can’t be ruled out.
Should the MCU continue on its downward trajectory throughout 2023 and beyond, then there’s no reason why the competition can’t make up the cavernous gap that exists between the two in the hearts, minds, and eyes of many. Let’s not forget that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the sequel to one of the best-reviewed DCU chapters, The Flash has been touted as a potential all-time great, Warner Bros. had enough confidence in Blue Beetle to upgrade it from HBO Max to theatrical, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the successor to the highest-grossing adaptation in company history.
The James Gunn era might not officially have started in earnest just yet, but should Marvel and DC’s fortunes continue to contrast over the next couple of years, then it could prove to be massively advantageous for the latter should the former continue trending downwards.
