Has DC lost faith in its characters?

With Black Panther looming large after a full month, the comparison between DC and Marvel practically makes itself. Why is DC so far behind?

Just passing the fourth weekend after release, Black Panther has grossed over $562 million, earning the seventh position at the all-time US domestic box office. This now gives Marvel two titles in the top 10, with The Avengers in fifth place. DC’s one title in seventh place is The Dark Knight released in 2008. With DC’s recent releases like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad and Justice League, it’s a little obvious as a moviegoer as to why DC is falling behind Marvel: the characters, the plot and overall tactics.

DC is home to some of the most iconic heroes in the world. Almost everyone knows the stories of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. Yet in their more recent movie releases, DC has not supported its characters, relying on our previous connections with these legendary characters to carry us through the movie. Wonder Woman however was a welcome success with better reception from viewers and critics, delivering a higher gross in the domestic box office than the recent releases at $412 million. However, this is simply not enough especially without any emotional connection between the audience and the characters.

Tactically, Marvel played it smart. The marketing plan is so well thought out that each installment has seen success. With each film released, it has slowly built a universe and provided a variety of characters that the audience can emotionally connect to. Additionally, that universe has also spread out to different channels like Netflix and gained more attention through social media. What it seems like now is that DC was too eager to catch up to Marvel and sped up this building process by relying on quantity of films over quality. Unfortunately, this backfired for DC. It’s cut corners needed to make a valued film for fans and newcomers.

Take Superman, for example. The best thing about Superman is that although he has the world on his shoulders, he’s usually not melancholic about it. He genuinely wants to help humankind and is the symbol of hope with his motto “truth, justice and the American way.” Superman is a figure of what is right, with high morals, goodness and compassion. In any of the films he’s been featured in since Man of Steel, Superman’s powers seem like a constant burden, and he’s gloomy. This dark and gritty theme that DC have gone with doesn’t suit Superman’s character and overall, isn’t really necessary. This theme isn’t amplifying the films in any way. Why have it, then?

However, this issue doesn’t only affect Superman. We haven’t had a chance to connect to any one of the characters besides Wonder Woman — and that was largely due to her film having a better structure as well as showing the genuine nature of Diana Prince. In Wonder Woman we have a better understanding of the character, who she is, what she stands for and her desires and ambitions.

Because we haven’t had time to properly connect to Superman, there wasn’t an emotional concern or sympathy when he dies in Batman v Superman. That only leads to apathetic feelings toward Lois Lane and Martha Kent and their devastation towards losing Clark. In order to feel for the characters, there needs to be character development and a reason to invest in their stories. This leads into the plot.

The difference between Marvel and DC films as of late is that Marvel has a clear direction in its films. It doesn’t try to over-complicate or add too much into one film. For example, DC in Batman v. Superman had so much happening in the film that it is hard to keep track, with a lot of characters doing things that seem out of character. The plot itself has so much jam-packed into it that it could have easily made two separate films. Doomsday is one of Superman’s biggest enemies. Why couldn’t he have appeared in the sequel? Doomsday seems to be there only to provide Superman a chance to sacrifice himself and die for a big finale ending, however, because no one was invested and no one saw a character arc, it left the ending without any emotional punch. Since there’s no punch there, his inevitable return in Justice League doesn’t seem to matter much either. The audience knew long ahead of time that he’d be back, but it still didn’t matter.

Furthermore, DC has riddled each plot with clichés. Granted, it is difficult to create an “original” film with premade characters in a saturated superhero genre, but these iconic superheroes have had a variety of stories in the past. The same goes for the anti-heroes in Suicide Squad. These films end up boring and predictable as a result.

If DC planned it out properly, it could have had something really fantastic. It has such great characters. If it could trust its own characters a bit more, it might actually be able to stand alongside Marvel.

Next: The future of the MCU: What happens after Infinity War

There’s no need to fast track the building process. Simply make the movie more relatable and connect with the audience. Stop making shortcuts or letting over-the-top dramatics rule the day. Sometimes simple is best. If you want to step apart and make it more unique, make it memorable by having a great script and plot.