The major difference between DC & Marvel

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shadowknight
In the seemingly endless discussions we have on who can beat whom. 1 Thing that is abundantly clear is the 2 big companies are built on 2 different philosophies. With few exceptions DC heroes are built on creating Icons, Marvel heroes are built on creating flawed heroes and an every man who just happens to have powers. Here's a few major difference DC is very good at Top Tiers & Street lvl but has a major problem creating mid Tier heroes that sell outside of team books. Marvel with few exceptions specialize in Mid Tier & Street lvl heroes and outside of Thor & Hulk has a problem creating Top Tier heroes that sell outside of team books. Ok the floor is open do you see any other major difference between them.

-Pr-
dc has plenty of flawed heroes...

Sin I AM
they are essentially the same

StiltmanFTW
Not a versus thread, closing.

DarkSaint85
Basically, they are both as good/bad as each other.

What top tier DC books sell, outside of WW/Superman (and even WW is iffy on sales, lol).

What mid-tier Marvel books sell?

Stoic
They should merge. The differences of both universes begin all the way at the top. The heroes would all work out if they were placed in the opposite universe. DC specializes in magic and religion, while Marvel specializes in cosmic entities/deities that turn the wheels of reality. The one reason that the universe's were unable to merge, was because of the fundamental differences that hold the universes together. This has very little to do with the minor aspects (the heroes). If both companies did away with a few minor dichotomies, a merger would be very possible. Unless of course people believe that Jimmy Olsen would be as powerful as Superman if he were to be placed in Marvel.

Stoic
Also, what they have both done instead of outright merging, was to just create reasonable facsimiles of major characters, and portrayed them based on how they saw that they would fit into their continuity. Why rip up the world when they could simply add to it?

riv6672
I'll go with some of what i agreed with on the subject at HC...

DC creates gods. Marvel creates people.

Marvel is usually about the struggles of transcending harsh circumstances and other limitations to achieve greatness in spite of it all. The 3 main pillars of the DCU are about how good people who've inherited the fruits of those struggles (ludicrous wealth, immense power, vast resources) handle it.

...and add something i posted earlier today in a different thread here...

Marvel routinely shows how tough their characters are by the damage they can take. DCs more of a watch me bench the earth kind of Company.

Stoic
Originally posted by riv6672
I'll go with some of what i agreed with on the subject at HC...

DC creates gods. Marvel creates people.

Marvel is usually about the struggles of transcending harsh circumstances and other limitations to achieve greatness in spite of it all. The 3 main pillars of the DCU are about how good people who've inherited the fruits of those struggles (ludicrous wealth, immense power, vast resources) handle it.

...and add something i posted earlier today in a different thread here...

Marvel routinely shows how tough their characters are by the damage they can take. DCs more of a watch me bench the earth kind of Company.

I have to disagree with you on most. DC isn't about who can bench the Earth because there simply aren't that many main characters that can actually pull it off. Superman is one character, he does not justify making a claim that the majority can fill his shoes. There are just as many powerful characters in both universes. What makes the universes differ is the universes themselves. Marvel portrays almighty characters differently than DC does. Marvel keeps it very science fiction-ish while DC has on occasion delved into theology, and outright Witchcraft. The forces that hold both universes is what differs, not the power sets. Marvel and DC have Superman type multi purpose characters, they have the dark lords (Darkseid, Thanos, etc) they have the fire characters, ice, demi gods, speedsters, mega tanks, etc. Continuity has plagued both companies.

riv6672
Originally posted by Stoic
I have to disagree with you on most. DC isn't about who can bench the Earth because there simply aren't that many main characters that can actually pull it off. Superman is one character, he does not justify making a claim that the majority can fill his shoes. There are just as many powerful characters in both universes.
I wasnt being literal, Stoic, my bad.
It was simply a way of saying, DC is more about making their characters look good via feats (the brock lesnar of companies) whereas Marvel makes theirs look good by going through the grinder (ala Mick Foley).
Is there overlap? Of course there is. Nothing we say about the companies will be universal, its more about the overall impression we get from each.
Being individuals our impressions will be different.
I like a lot of what you said that i didnt directly quote BTW.

Q99
The main difference I see is, with it's event-arcs, Marvel has a lot more of a sense of continuity and being interlinked, while DC books are more likely to have direction changes with new writers and so on, and the big crossovers don't have the line-wide effect.

As for flawed heroes, DC is the company that doesn't like it's people in happy relationships and depowered & outed Superman, made Wonder Woman come from an island of murderers, etc.. I think if anything they go too far in that direction!

For mid-tier DCs that sell, there's Starfire and Aquaman that come to mind, though DC, granted, doesn't have a lot of solos outside the Bat family, GL family, or Superman/Wonder Woman.

For high-tier Marvels that sell, there's Hulk, Thor, Surfer. Not all that far down are Iron Man and Captain Marvel too.

basilisk
Originally posted by riv6672
The 3 main pillars of the DCU are about how good people who've inherited the fruits of those struggles (ludicrous wealth, immense power, vast resources) handle it.

So the 3 main pillars of the DCU are:
ludicrous wealth - Batman
immense power - Superman
vast resources - Aquaman


Both companies have their strange dimensions and hidden lands, magical entities and cosmic entities, sci-fi heroes and streets and mystics and swamp creatures, and flawed characters. The big difference between Marvel and DC which means a lot of characters wouldn't fit the other and some fights would be one-sided: SPEED!!!! DC has a lot and Marvel has not a lot.

DarkSaint85
Aquaman is a pillar of the DCU??

abhilegend
Must be very weak pillar.

Prof. T.C McAbe
For me it was like this.

Marvel was about people who got some amazing powers at a price. Nothing was for free and the society treated them suspiciously most of the time. They had to fight harder to just survive and have a good life. The Heroes were significant and powerful but paled in comparison with the Cosmic beings our there that threaten their very existence.

DC was about Heroes who were the protectors of their Cities, their Worlds, most of them famous, almost flawless, cherished and loved by most. They always save the day, they always know what's right and whats wrong. They are cosmic powers by themselves and their turf is not only earth but the whole Multiverse.

This changed over the time, DC Heroes got some flaws, real life problems to fight, like drugs etc., the Marvel heroes started to become more powerful and some of them less flawed. But overall this was the impression I got in the 90ties.

carver9
They are the same and some of the characters from both Universes have insane fts (Hulk, Superman, Surfer, Thor). As of right now, I'm liking DC more. Marvel sucks.

Enzeru
Here is the major difference between Marvel and DC:

The Marvel universe is the world outside your window. The DC universe is a fairy tale.

My favorite character is Sentry, while my least favorite character is Superman.

The interesting thing about that though, is that I don't necessarily like Sentry for what the Sentry himself is, just like I don't dislike Superman for what Superman himself is.

I like / dislike them, because of how the universe they live in affects them.

If you had the powers of either one of these characters, in your mind (and the DC universe) you would be Superman. In actuality (the Marvel universe) you would end up as the Sentry (or Plutonian, if you're not schizophrenic and agoraphobic).

- Superman fights Brainiac to save the entire world and then makes out with Lois Lane in the end! Everyone loves him, everyone admires him!
- Sentry has to save thousands of people on day to day basis without an end to it... and he slowly starts cracking under the pressure. His wife is considering an affair, since he is never at home. Everyone fears him or wants to use him as a weapon.

My second favorite character is Spider-Man, while my second least favorite character is Batman... again for similar reasons.

- Batman was a kid, when his parents died. There is nothing he could have done against it. His sidekick died, but that didnn't matter, since he got a new one and the old one come back anyway.
- Spider-Man however lost his uncle, because Spider-Man made the mistake of being full of himself and stubborn. Oh, and his girlfriend died, because he was too bad at saving her. So she won't be cheering him up anytime soon.

Long story, short: It's so much easier to relate to the Marvel universe. The Marvel universe is far less forgiving and doesn't shy away from putting its characters into situations, where DC on the other hand would be more careful about that.

PS: However, I do think that every now and then (although very rarely) DC does it right. For example, one of my favorite stories of all time is "Superman - Peace On Earth".
I really liked Superman in that story, because in my opinion that's how Superman needs to be portrayed as a character. In that story Superman tries to do something, that actually matters - Only to ultimately fail, since saving the world is an impossible task.

PPS: Don't confuse realism with cruelty.

CortSether
The only great thing to come out of DC is Batman. Unfortunately most of their other heroes fall flat and that's why all of DC's movies that aren't Batman related flop.

Zack M
MOS didn't flop.

-Pr-
Originally posted by Enzeru
Here is the major difference between Marvel and DC:

The Marvel universe is the world outside your window. The DC universe is a fairy tale.

My favorite character is Sentry, while my least favorite character is Superman.

The interesting thing about that though, is that I don't necessarily like Sentry for what the Sentry himself is, just like I don't dislike Superman for what Superman himself is.

I like / dislike them, because of how the universe they live in affects them.

If you had the powers of either one of these characters, in your mind (and the DC universe) you would be Superman. In actuality (the Marvel universe) you would end up as the Sentry (or Plutonian, if you're not schizophrenic and agoraphobic).

- Superman fights Brainiac to save the entire world and then makes out with Lois Lane in the end! Everyone loves him, everyone admires him!
- Sentry has to save thousands of people on day to day basis without an end to it... and he slowly starts cracking under the pressure. His wife is considering an affair, since he is never at home. Everyone fears him or wants to use him as a weapon.

My second favorite character is Spider-Man, while my second least favorite character is Batman... again for similar reasons.

- Batman was a kid, when his parents died. There is nothing he could have done against it. His sidekick died, but that didnn't matter, since he got a new one and the old one come back anyway.
- Spider-Man however lost his uncle, because Spider-Man made the mistake of being full of himself and stubborn. Oh, and his girlfriend died, because he was too bad at saving her. So she won't be cheering him up anytime soon.

Long story, short: It's so much easier to relate to the Marvel universe. The Marvel universe is far less forgiving and doesn't shy away from putting its characters into situations, where DC on the other hand would be more careful about that.

PS: However, I do think that every now and then (although very rarely) DC does it right. For example, one of my favorite stories of all time is "Superman - Peace On Earth".
I really liked Superman in that story, because in my opinion that's how Superman needs to be portrayed as a character. In that story Superman tries to do something, that actually matters - Only to ultimately fail, since saving the world is an impossible task.

PPS: Don't confuse realism with cruelty.

laughing out loud Wow.

80sBaby
Originally posted by Enzeru
Here is the major difference between Marvel and DC:

The Marvel universe is the world outside your window. The DC universe is a fairy tale.

My favorite character is Sentry, while my least favorite character is Superman.

The interesting thing about that though, is that I don't necessarily like Sentry for what the Sentry himself is, just like I don't dislike Superman for what Superman himself is.

I like / dislike them, because of how the universe they live in affects them.

If you had the powers of either one of these characters, in your mind (and the DC universe) you would be Superman. In actuality (the Marvel universe) you would end up as the Sentry (or Plutonian, if you're not schizophrenic and agoraphobic).

- Superman fights Brainiac to save the entire world and then makes out with Lois Lane in the end! Everyone loves him, everyone admires him!
- Sentry has to save thousands of people on day to day basis without an end to it... and he slowly starts cracking under the pressure. His wife is considering an affair, since he is never at home. Everyone fears him or wants to use him as a weapon.

My second favorite character is Spider-Man, while my second least favorite character is Batman... again for similar reasons.

- Batman was a kid, when his parents died. There is nothing he could have done against it. His sidekick died, but that didnn't matter, since he got a new one and the old one come back anyway.
- Spider-Man however lost his uncle, because Spider-Man made the mistake of being full of himself and stubborn. Oh, and his girlfriend died, because he was too bad at saving her. So she won't be cheering him up anytime soon.

Long story, short: It's so much easier to relate to the Marvel universe. The Marvel universe is far less forgiving and doesn't shy away from putting its characters into situations, where DC on the other hand would be more careful about that.

PS: However, I do think that every now and then (although very rarely) DC does it right. For example, one of my favorite stories of all time is "Superman - Peace On Earth".
I really liked Superman in that story, because in my opinion that's how Superman needs to be portrayed as a character. In that story Superman tries to do something, that actually matters - Only to ultimately fail, since saving the world is an impossible task.

PPS: Don't confuse realism with cruelty.

Interesting summation. However, I find it much easier to relate to Superman than I do Sentry or Spider-Man.

Prof. T.C McAbe
Originally posted by 80sBaby
Interesting summation. However, I find it much easier to relate to Superman than I do Sentry or Spider-Man.

thumb up

I also think that Superman or Clark is more human than most other Superheroes, from Marvel and DC, at least during thy Byrne era.

Stoic
Originally posted by Enzeru
Here is the major difference between Marvel and DC:

The Marvel universe is the world outside your window. The DC universe is a fairy tale.

My favorite character is Sentry, while my least favorite character is Superman.

The interesting thing about that though, is that I don't necessarily like Sentry for what the Sentry himself is, just like I don't dislike Superman for what Superman himself is.

I like / dislike them, because of how the universe they live in affects them.

If you had the powers of either one of these characters, in your mind (and the DC universe) you would be Superman. In actuality (the Marvel universe) you would end up as the Sentry (or Plutonian, if you're not schizophrenic and agoraphobic).

- Superman fights Brainiac to save the entire world and then makes out with Lois Lane in the end! Everyone loves him, everyone admires him!
- Sentry has to save thousands of people on day to day basis without an end to it... and he slowly starts cracking under the pressure. His wife is considering an affair, since he is never at home. Everyone fears him or wants to use him as a weapon.

My second favorite character is Spider-Man, while my second least favorite character is Batman... again for similar reasons.

- Batman was a kid, when his parents died. There is nothing he could have done against it. His sidekick died, but that didnn't matter, since he got a new one and the old one come back anyway.
- Spider-Man however lost his uncle, because Spider-Man made the mistake of being full of himself and stubborn. Oh, and his girlfriend died, because he was too bad at saving her. So she won't be cheering him up anytime soon.

Long story, short: It's so much easier to relate to the Marvel universe. The Marvel universe is far less forgiving and doesn't shy away from putting its characters into situations, where DC on the other hand would be more careful about that.

PS: However, I do think that every now and then (although very rarely) DC does it right. For example, one of my favorite stories of all time is "Superman - Peace On Earth".
I really liked Superman in that story, because in my opinion that's how Superman needs to be portrayed as a character. In that story Superman tries to do something, that actually matters - Only to ultimately fail, since saving the world is an impossible task.

PPS: Don't confuse realism with cruelty.

You're saying that DC placed it's flagship characters in favorable positions and gave them stable minds. I think that if Captain America (Steve) had all of Superman's powers that he would be a near mirror image of Clark. Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne are identical twins accept for the fact that they are both cracked in different ways. Bruce is as crazy as the Green Goblin, he just deals with life differently. I see a lot of people making it seem as if DC is a fairy tale company that has perfect cities, and well mannered heroes, but this is false. Bruce is rich but crazy, Clark without any powers is just a farm boy that did well in school and became a journalist, like Peter Parker. He doesn't tend to feel the same pains as Peter though, because of his nearly indestructible body. Things like hunger don't take center stage in his life. Marvel has those same characters but they may have different positions based on personal choice.

This isn't really a major difference between the companies. You could literally take Batman and put him in Daredevil/the Punisher's shoes for a year and he would do as well. You could replace Thor with Diana and get similar effects on how she deals with life as an Asgardian.

Superman is the odd one in the bunch. I never understood why a guy that was as powerful as he is would choose to be a journalist? He has the smarts of a top scientist, never hungers, and wouldn't have to spend a cent in order to live, but he chose that particular field. He's like the Blue Marvel and Spiderman rolled up into one character. However there isn't anything strange about Superman to say that he wouldn't fit in with Marvel.

Henry_Pym
DC is highly envisioned around Supes thus everyone must relate to his world. Marvel is the same but only the character of Spider-Man is much closer to a real human.

Stoic
Originally posted by Henry_Pym
DC is highly envisioned around Supes thus everyone must relate to his world. Marvel is the same but only the character of Spider-Man is much closer to a real human.

It is to an extent, but this wouldn't stop him from fitting well into Marvel without the Omniverse imploding. DC has certain pieces that wouldn't fit into Marvel which can also be said about Marvel. If they merged, the Super heroes wouldn't be affected. It's the fundamental forces that would. the LT would have to become the Living Spectre, or they would both have to disappear altogether. The same would apply to all of the other Abstract and Concept beings in both companies. For some there simply would be no place for them, and then continuity would crash and burn in a major way due to redundancies and squares that failed to fit properly into circles. DC has flattened itself out, and distanced itself from the days that it appeared more fairy tale like, and has become as gritty and imperfect as Marvel. The major differences between the two companies is the glue that holds both universes together.

-Pr-
Originally posted by Henry_Pym
DC is highly envisioned around Supes thus everyone must relate to his world. Marvel is the same but only the character of Spider-Man is much closer to a real human.

That might have been true a while ago, but it isn't now, nor has it been for a while.

Henry_Pym
Originally posted by -Pr-
That might have been true a while ago, but it isn't now, nor has it been for a while. which part? Lol

-Pr-
Sorry. I meant the "around Superman" part.

Smurph
Originally posted by Enzeru
Here is the major difference between Marvel and DC:

The Marvel universe is the world outside your window. The DC universe is a fairy tale.

My favorite character is Sentry lol.

Smurph
Originally posted by Stoic
Superman is the odd one in the bunch. I never understood why a guy that was as powerful as he is would choose to be a journalist? He has the smarts of a top scientist, never hungers, and wouldn't have to spend a cent in order to live, but he chose that particular field. He's like the Blue Marvel and Spiderman rolled up into one character. However there isn't anything strange about Superman to say that he wouldn't fit in with Marvel. Well, I mean, at the time it made sense right?

He wanted to be mild mannered, invisible, but in a position that would allow him to experience the world; both the marvels of the fast-moving Metropolis, but also the thrills of the world beyond that. As a 1939 character, an icon of the people, more powerful than the machine, of course being a journalist made sense.

Anyways...

I think it's really interesting to talk about what philosophies (if any) each company was based on, and how those philosophies have changed/exist (if they do at all) today. Further, I think it's interesting to talk about what each company may view as a competitive edge, within the artistic field: what character/ideas do they have a lease on? What realms to explore has DC planted its figurative flagpole on? Any?

riv6672
Originally posted by Prof. T.C McAbe
thumb up

I also think that Superman or Clark is more human than most other Superheroes, from Marvel and DC, at least during thy Byrne era.
The Byrne era was Superman at his best. Stripped of all the extraneous baggage that wound up getting added as the years went on.

Enzeru
Originally posted by Stoic

You're saying that DC placed it's flagship characters in favorable positions and gave them stable minds. I think that if Captain America (Steve) had all of Superman's powers that he would be a near mirror image of Clark. Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne are identical twins accept for the fact that they are both cracked in different ways. Bruce is as crazy as the Green Goblin, he just deals with life differently. I see a lot of people making it seem as if DC is a fairy tale company that has perfect cities, and well mannered heroes, but this is false.

The problem with your argument is, that you only make few comparisons and then it stops. I never said, that Batman does not have his flaws, which make him more human. Of course, he does. But is Batman a more realistic character than Iron Man? Hell no.
And it has nothing to do with flying suits, which are powered by a nuclear bomb, that is the size of a fist... It's again about the universe both characters live in. If the Tony Stark as he has been shaped by the Marvel universe appeared in Gotham City, half of Batman's rogue gallery would mysteriously disappear and never ever be seen again.

Also, I wouldn't necessarily compare Batman to Iron Man, but more to Moon Knight... and feel free to make the comparisons there :-X

Originally posted by Stoic

Bruce is rich but crazy, Clark without any powers is just a farm boy that did well in school and became a journalist, like Peter Parker. He doesn't tend to feel the same pains as Peter though, because of his nearly indestructible body. Things like hunger don't take center stage in his life. Marvel has those same characters but they may have different positions based on personal choice.

This is what I've meant... Your arguments don't go deep enough. Who cares if they were both journalists? It's how the universe treated them otherwise

Superman had the perfect life. He just happened to have super powers and since he was a good person, it led him to becoming a superhero.
The only bump in the road for Superman was learning that his parents only adopted him and that he was an alien from another world, which exploded.

Spider-Man on the other hand started using his powers to gain money. He only started fighting crime, after something terrible happened to him, for which he was even responsible in a way.
I won't get into detail here, but I'll say, that in the DC universe your parents die an iconic death, while in the Marvel universe you basically doom your own parents.

Originally posted by Stoic

This isn't really a major difference between the companies. You could literally take Batman and put him in Daredevil/the Punisher's shoes for a year and he would do as well. You could replace Thor with Diana and get similar effects on how she deals with life as an Asgardian.

Now I don't get your argument at all anymore.

Batman appearing in the Marvel universe wouldn't make that much of a difference for him. But what if Joker appeared in the Marvel universe? Do you think that he would do as well as he does in the DC universe? I don't.

What if Daredevil or Punisher or Moon Knight or Deadpool or Wolverine appeared in Gotham City? Man, the crime rate there would go down so fast. Batman's rogue gallery wouldn't dare stepping a foot out of their basement anymore.

Originally posted by Stoic

Superman is the odd one in the bunch. I never understood why a guy that was as powerful as he is would choose to be a journalist? He has the smarts of a top scientist, never hungers, and wouldn't have to spend a cent in order to live, but he chose that particular field. He's like the Blue Marvel and Spiderman rolled up into one character. However there isn't anything strange about Superman to say that he wouldn't fit in with Marvel.

Superman became a journalist to hear about disasters as they happen and then squeeze Lois Lane out of the byline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0QVvbhMm24

In all seriousness though, I wouldn't wonder if something like that was the real reason for him becoming a journalist. Hearing about catastrophes, since a news paper should be one of the first sources to hear from it... and then flying over and helping people.
Or simply using news as an additional way to prevent crime, by explosing the likes of Lex Luthor and so on.

With that being said, that's also another point... when we look at Spider-Man for comparison, we see how Marvel universe portrays the a-hole-y-ness of humans:
Spider-Man didn't become a journalist for the same reasons... Spider-Man started as a photographer and was earning money by selling pictures of himself.

___________________________________ _ _ _ _ _

In the end of the day, this comes all down to personal preference and opinion. If you as a reader and more importantly as a person are less cynical than I am, then you will have less problems with all of this and tackle these issues with a more open mind.

I personally would like the DC universe, if Superman went bat-shit insane, started making mistakes and killing everyone around him. Pretty much the same, that happened to the Plutonian.
In believe in the TV trope: With Great Power Comes Great Insanity

I personally would like Batman more, if he killed off his entire Rogue gallery in order to save so many innocent lives.

Obviously you can't have that in comics, since blowing up the planet, or killing off every villain there is, results in there being far less options for stories.
My problem with DC however is, that they push the opposite to the limit... Superman has absolutely no flaws, which could be explored and Batman's villains can do absolutely anything and he'll let them get away with it.

abhilegend
laughing out loud @ Enzeru.

Some of us still believe in heroes. If I had to like a batshit insane psycho as a hero, there is always Lifeld's Image comics.

And laughing out loud @ Superman having no flaws.

Stoic
Originally posted by Smurph
Well, I mean, at the time it made sense right?

He wanted to be mild mannered, invisible, but in a position that would allow him to experience the world; both the marvels of the fast-moving Metropolis, but also the thrills of the world beyond that. As a 1939 character, an icon of the people, more powerful than the machine, of course being a journalist made sense.

Anyways...

I think it's really interesting to talk about what philosophies (if any) each company was based on, and how those philosophies have changed/exist (if they do at all) today. Further, I think it's interesting to talk about what each company may view as a competitive edge, within the artistic field: what character/ideas do they have a lease on? What realms to explore has DC planted its figurative flagpole on? Any?

Well now in terms of Superman, I didn't say that the pieces didn't fit although I always that that it was laughable that no one could tell that he was Superman just by placing on a pair of spectacles. They did the same thing to Prince Adam. I mean who in their right mind couldn't tell that he was He-Man?

As for what corners of the market or to be more precise what are DC and marvel strong suits. DC has placed a choke hold on theology, Witchcraft, and Satanism. They don't even bother to hide it, it's right there in your face in many of their titles. Even DC Universe Online has shown these things. Marvel on the other hand seems to try and keep it fairly simplistic. They've planted their flag in the power cosmic making the very word a trademark of sorts that other companies have shied away from using. As for powers? Both companies have a clone of the others. There may be a few that haven't been cloned, but the main characters are in both companies under different names and different personalities. I don't see any major differences when it comes to that.

Imagine if the Joker had the powers of Superman or nearly so, but he had a conscious. Who would he be? LOL.

Stoic
Originally posted by Enzeru
The problem with your argument is, that you only make few comparisons and then it stops. I never said, that Batman does not have his flaws, which make him more human. Of course, he does. But is Batman a more realistic character than Iron Man? Hell no.
And it has nothing to do with flying suits, which are powered by a nuclear bomb, that is the size of a fist... It's again about the universe both characters live in. If the Tony Stark as he has been shaped by the Marvel universe appeared in Gotham City, half of Batman's rogue gallery would mysteriously disappear and never ever be seen again.

Also, I wouldn't necessarily compare Batman to Iron Man, but more to Moon Knight... and feel free to make the comparisons there :-X



This is what I've meant... Your arguments don't go deep enough. Who cares if they were both journalists? It's how the universe treated them otherwise

Superman had the perfect life. He just happened to have super powers and since he was a good person, it led him to becoming a superhero.
The only bump in the road for Superman was learning that his parents only adopted him and that he was an alien from another world, which exploded.

Spider-Man on the other hand started using his powers to gain money. He only started fighting crime, after something terrible happened to him, for which he was even responsible in a way.
I won't get into detail here, but I'll say, that in the DC universe your parents die an iconic death, while in the Marvel universe you basically doom your own parents.



Now I don't get your argument at all anymore.

Batman appearing in the Marvel universe wouldn't make that much of a difference for him. But what if Joker appeared in the Marvel universe? Do you think that he would do as well as he does in the DC universe? I don't.

What if Daredevil or Punisher or Moon Knight or Deadpool or Wolverine appeared in Gotham City? Man, the crime rate there would go down so fast. Batman's rogue gallery wouldn't dare stepping a foot out of their basement anymore.



Superman became a journalist to hear about disasters as they happen and then squeeze Lois Lane out of the byline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0QVvbhMm24

In all seriousness though, I wouldn't wonder if something like that was the real reason for him becoming a journalist. Hearing about catastrophes, since a news paper should be one of the first sources to hear from it... and then flying over and helping people.
Or simply using news as an additional way to prevent crime, by explosing the likes of Lex Luthor and so on.

With that being said, that's also another point... when we look at Spider-Man for comparison, we see how Marvel universe portrays the a-hole-y-ness of humans:
Spider-Man didn't become a journalist for the same reasons... Spider-Man started as a photographer and was earning money by selling pictures of himself.

___________________________________ _ _ _ _ _

In the end of the day, this comes all down to personal preference and opinion. If you as a reader and more importantly as a person are less cynical than I am, then you will have less problems with all of this and tackle these issues with a more open mind.

I personally would like the DC universe, if Superman went bat-shit insane, started making mistakes and killing everyone around him. Pretty much the same, that happened to the Plutonian.
In believe in the TV trope: With Great Power Comes Great Insanity

I personally would like Batman more, if he killed off his entire Rogue gallery in order to save so many innocent lives.

Obviously you can't have that in comics, since blowing up the planet, or killing off every villain there is, results in there being far less options for stories.
My problem with DC however is, that they push the opposite to the limit... Superman has absolutely no flaws, which could be explored and Batman's villains can do absolutely anything and he'll let them get away with it.

There was really no point in going deeper than i did. The differences I mean the biggest most major ones aren't in the form of the characters that both companies present to the reader, it is the fundamental way that both universes operate. DC does have it's mythological deities like Zeus, but they are more treated like extraterrestrials as opposed to Marvel, that shines a different light on them. They are more important in marvel, whereas DC places Angels on a higher food chain (Lucifer for example). Marvel uses hell lords instead of delving too deeply into Christianity. DC uses the Presence, the Word, etc. So again it is the fundamental forces that play up the major differences which is why a merger between the two can never happen. Notice that they never have a difficult time with minor crossover events, but the minute the Concept/Abstract beings come into play the Omniverse convulses, and things must be set right or everything will be lost. They aren't just making things up.. LOL well they are in a purely fictional sense, but for canonical sake, the differences between the two Universes are so great, that if they were to be merged, the only things remaining that would be useful would be the main characters and the villains. All of the higher up beings would have to be erased, or merged. It really has little to do with the heroes, because you could place all of the Marvel heroes in the DC U, and place all of the DC heroes in the Marvel U and things would still work out fine. At least for a time.

DarkSaint85
Lol, some of the posts make me chuckle.

Punisher/DD/Deadpool/Wolverine/Moon Knight would clean Gotham up? Firstly, DP has only recently become a sort of hero, he still bankrolled his exploits up until recently with assassinations etc.

Secondly, how is Marvel NYC doing? A crime-free paradise yet? I mean, they have a superhero DEDICATED to wiping out mobsters (with extreme prejudice) and yet...the Maggia still exist. Strange, that. The Hand are still around. HYDRA. AIM (until their recent takeover).

Thirdly, Spiderman is more relateable? WTF?

He has a loving supportive family. Is married to/dating a supermodel. Has a steady job (photographer/teacher/head of research) which allows him to drop everything at a moment's notice to websling (yes, he has some friction, but its hardly realistic). Has a little black book consisting of Gwen (admittedly, dead), Black Cat. Has a rolodex where, all he needs to do is snap his fingers and the world's greatest minds will come together to help him (T'Chall/Pym/Reed/Stark/Banner/McCoy/Strange during the Brand New Day and the Other storylines) - hell, even the supervillains will help. Is a supergenius with the respect of THE supergenius, Stark.

Even at his lowest, when he needed the cash, what does he do? Take pics of himself to sell freelance. I guess I can do that if I need the money. Oh wait, no I can't.

Oh yeah, and he has super powers. Pretty much to the levels that he is king of his entire tier.

Yeah, super believable and relatable.

In real life parallels, I'd be married to someone like Alessandra Ambrosio (a supermodel, but not so famous EVERYONE knows her). Have the respect of Elon Musk. Head my own research department where if I wanted to take the afternoon off, I can. Etc etc (I can't even think of parallels for the rest of it).

Note: I am NOT saying Batman (or ninja Paris Hilton) is any more realistic.

But to say one is more realistic and relateable than the other is...stretching it. Unless you guys have amazing lives, I guess.

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