I really don’t know what DC and Warner’s over arching plans are.
Here you have Marvel, who has spent the past decade or so slowly cultivating an incredibly strong movie machine and making household names out of characters that, Spider-Man aside, had at best a marginal presence in the consciousness of mainstream America. But now not only does everyone know Tony Stark, Nick Fury and The Black Widow, but people who’ve never opened a comic in their lives are eagerly anticipating The Avengers. On top of that, Marvel has actually created a strong comic-esque continuity on film.
And what has DC done? Besides two really good Batman movies, not much. Sure, sure, Green Lantern actually looks like it’s going to be good, but beyond that, what has the company got up its sleeve? Not much it would seem.
Former Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada once said the tragedy of DC is that they own the world’s most iconic characters yet seem to not know what to do with them. When I read that quote way back when, I thought it seemed like a guy throwing stones at the competition, but now…
This past week, Marvel announced their post-Avengers plans, and they run deep. The company has plans for another Iron Man, another Captain America, another Thor, a Nick Fury movie, a Hawkeye movie, a Black Widow movie and Doctor Strange movie, all leading up to a second Avengers movie about five years from now.
DC earned the scorn and ire of fans by saying a few months back that they didn’t think a Justice League movie was the way to go. They then took an about face a few weeks back saying a Justice League movie was on the table, but it would be it’s own independent continuity, with no ties to Nolan’s Batman or Superman flicks, or Ryan Reynold’s Green Lantern. As for the rest of the properties… well, there’s really no news at all there.
Joe Quesada was right. DC seems beyond out of touch with not only it’s fanbase, but with what’s actually working and making money at box offices. Not that this is the first time DC has been way behind the curve. Back in the 60’s, the company all but ignored a then young Marvel’s new, innovative story telling style in favor of doing business as they always had.
And we all know how that worked out.
