The past two decades or so have been the golden age for superhero movies. The most prominent of these projects have come from the worlds of Marvel and DC, which makes sense because they’re at the top of the mountain when it comes to comic books as well. Marvel and DC are behind iconic superheroes and villains to ever grace the big screen, like Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, Superman, Iron Man, Harley Quinn, Captain America, and more. Most people tend to pit Marvel and DC against each other, yet the reality is that they have actually only ever faced off a handful of times.
There is no denying that the folks at Marvel have fared better overall when it comes to the big screen, especially in recent years. While DC has had major hits like The Dark Knight and Joker, their franchise has had trouble keeping up with the more consistent quality and success of the movies from the world of Marvel. That said, it has typically been a bit closer when they go head-to-head and release movies within a few weeks or months of each other. Marvel and DC have done this on a few notable occasions in the past 20 years.
Going back to 2006, we look at an interesting time for Marvel and DC. Marvel was concluding an important trilogy after the success of X-Men and X2: X-Men United, while DC was rebooting its franchise about its greatest superhero. X-Men: The Last Stand wrapped up the X-Men trilogy, though it did so in disappointing fashion. Characters were poorly written off (most notably Cyclops), the Phoenix storyline felt rushed, and the film was the worst reviewed of the series. Although the box office intake of over $450 million was the highest for an X-Men movie at the time, the $210 budget made it less impressive.
Two months later, Superman Returns brought the Man of Steel back to the big screen and, ironically, it was helmed by the director of X-Men and X2. Brandon Routh did well as Clark Kent, and it was interesting to see James Marsden here after what happened to him in X-Men: The Last Stand. Ultimately, Superman Returns had better reviews than X-Men: The Last Stand, though it only brought in $391 million on a budget of over $200 million. Neither film achieved what it set out to do, but Superman Returns gets a slight edge for its stronger reviews, though it’s basically a toss-up.
In 2012, things were flipped as it was DC releasing the final leg of a trilogy and Marvel looking to reboot an established character. After Spider-Man 3 disappointed folks, the character was shelved for a few years and brought back with Andrew Garfield in the lead role of The Amazing Spider-Man. The film received positive reviews and grossed over $750 million, which were both great for Marvel. Though not the best Spider-Man movie, it had a lot going for it and felt like the kind of revival the character needed on the big screen.
The Amazing Spider-Man arrived in May and The Dark Knight Rises came out in July. DC found its greatest success with Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman, and the critical and commercial hit that was The Dark Knight made anticipation especially high for The Dark Knight Rises. The film brought in Bane and Catwoman, though it wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor thanks to some plot inconsistencies, a questionable ending, and a lackluster Talia al Ghul reveal. That said, it was still a great movie that grossed more than $1 billion. DC wins this one, though both films are remembered fondly.
2016 was a year with massive excitement for DC and Marvel. They both put out blockbusters that pitted superheroes against each other. In March, DC released Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which gave us Henry Cavill’s second film as Superman and marked the debut of Ben Affleck as Batman, as well as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. There was a ton of hype surrounding this film, only for critics to blast it. The extended cut improves upon this version, but either way, it was a swing and a miss for DC. It did gross nearly $900 million, though.
Two months later in May, the MCU put out Captain America: Civil War, which saw Iron Man, Cap, and so many other heroes on opposite sides of the Sokovia Accords. Like DC’s film, this also introduced two important characters, Spider-Man and Black Panther. Captain America: Civil War was basically an Avengers movie and it looked that way at the box office, pulling in over $1 billion. It also has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating, so this is a clear win for Marvel.
One year later, in 2017, Marvel and DC went back at it. On November 3, the MCU released Thor: Ragnarok, which was the third entry in the God of Thunder’s trilogy. It injected a comedic element into the series and featured fresh action and fun characters. The result was easily the best Thor movie ever made and with Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon, Thor: Ragnarok made over $850 million at the worldwide box office. In every way imaginable, this was a hit for Marvel.
Just two weeks later, DC delivered Justice League, which was supposed to be their answer to The Avengers. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were joined by Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg for a huge team-up adventure. Unfortunately, the film was blasted by fans and critics and only grossed around $660 million on a whopping $300 million budget. Production issues plagued the film and though Zack Snyder’s 2021 version was an improvement, this was still a clear win for Marvel again.
Last year, Marvel and DC went head-to-head again and both were attempting to showcase new looks at established heroes. On July 11, David Corenswet took over the role of the Man of Steel in Superman from James Gunn. This was the best take on the character since Christopher Reeve, as it was well-received by critics and grossed over $600 million, while setting the stage for a new era for DC. By all accounts, it was a success.
Just a few weeks later, the MCU debuted Marvel’s first family with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It was the third film iteration of the team and the best to date by far. Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Julia Garner, and the rest of the cast delivered in spades, resulting in an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s just about on par with Superman, though it was about $100 million behind in box office intake, so we give Superman a slight edge.
Of course, this isn’t every instance of Marvel and DC battling. Captain America: The First Avenger bested Green Lantern in 2011, Venom: The Last Dance was better than Joker: Folie á Deux in 2024, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was significantly superior to The Flash in 2023. Regardless of where you stand on this debate, the fans always win when Marvel and DC put out movies together.
Which battle between Marvel and DC was your favorite? Do you disagree with our picks for winners? Let us know in the comments!
