Special Review | Ant-Man and Black Panther flop, Batman and Superman rise（Part2）

Stage 3: 2017-2019

DC's pace has been far from smooth since 2016 when they decided to compete with Marvel in the "universe" arena. They have only released four films: "Wonder Woman," "Justice League," "Suicide Squad," and "Aquaman." "Wonder Woman" was critically acclaimed but didn't perform well at the box office, "Suicide Squad" was a disaster, and "Justice League" paled in comparison to the already-established "Avengers" franchise. Surprisingly, "Aquaman" had a sudden breakthrough and gave DC a glimmer of hope by completely abandoning their burdens and following the "Marvel style."

On the other hand, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continued to expand, audience fatigue began to show, and people were starting to feel a bit tired of the Marvel brand. In addition to the highly anticipated "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel produced countless standalone superhero movies during this period, but not all were successful. The "X-Men" trilogy as a whole was a failure, and the reboot of "Fantastic Four" also failed. While "Black Panther," "Captain Marvel," and "Black Widow" have potential, they cannot compare with "Doctor Strange" and "Deadpool" in terms of both character and superpowers, and may further deepen audience fatigue if continued as a trilogy.

"Avengers: Endgame" marks a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, signaling the conclusion of the franchise's first phase. With actors' contracts expiring and storylines reaching their conclusions, the MCU entered a prolonged hiatus.

However, lackluster showings by "Ant-Man 3" and "Black Panther 2" suggest that the hiatus may still be ongoing.

Meanwhile, DC's "Green Lantern," "The Flash," "Steel," and "Justice League" series are just beginning.

For DC, the time to fight back has come.

Future

Looking at the three stages of DC and Marvel's confrontation, DC made two mistakes: first, slow planning; second, inconsistent style control. From "Aquaman," it seems that DC has already improved, but the question remains: can this style, such as that in "Aquaman," continue to be successful in the next stage？

As for Marvel, they may make the same mistakes as DC did before, being too proud and ambitious. They have expanded their universe too much, resulting in repetitive styles and boring audiences. Marvel should be cautious and adjust their storytelling and style to face DC's fierce counterattack.

In the future, DC will have the upper hand. After all, they are the "legitimate heirs" with unique characters (such as the just Superman, the wealthy and brooding Batman, the beautiful and sexy Wonder Woman, the quirky Flash, and the cold-hearted Cyborg), diverse superpowers, and various settings (such as the futuristic Metropolis, crime-ridden Gotham City, the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and the interstellar journey of Green Lantern).

In my opinion, what DC needs to do is not imitate Marvel. Instead, each character should have their universe, and they should blend with distinct characteristics while considering the audience's preferences. There is no reason why they can't succeed.

The first part of the article:

Special Review | Ant-Man and Black Panther flop, Batman and Superman rise（Part1） | Peliplat