"Every movie should have Spider-Man in it!"
Captain Courage and Inspector Gumshoe: Starring soon in a new short story!
The quote in the title is attributed to the legendary Howard Stern. If he had his way, every movie would feature Spider-Man (or any other popular superhero making big bucks at the movies)! And if you went to the movies this summer, or have passed by the video shelves at Wal-Mart recently, you've probably noticed that most flicks feature one or more costumed avengers.
Leaping in a single bound from the four-color page to the black and white screen
Live-action adaptions of comic book heroes is not a recent development. Superman debuted in Action Comics in 1938, and by World War II, Kirk Alyn was donning the red cape and boots, and taking on the Mole Men. Good ol' Supes and his fellow National Comics allies (later, DC Comics) became mainstays at the movies at virtually the same time they appeared in the comics.
It didn't take long for Superman to figure out on which side his bread was buttered. A mere decade later, the world's longest lived super guy ditched the movie serials and set up shop in the new medium that became all the rage: Television! Followed in the 60s by Batman, and in the 70s by Wonder Woman.
Okay, but where's Spider-Man?
Marvel Comics entered the game a little later than DC (about a quarter century), but its impact was felt immediately. Super-heroes with real problems? Peter Parker was always broke. Tony Stark liked the bottle a little too much. Bruce Banner couldn't change a tire without turning green. That kind of real-life stuff!
But as Superman returned to the big screen in 1978, Marvel was falling way behind in translating their iconic characters to both screens (big and small). Their first attempt: A Spider-Man TV series. How did that turn out? Well, let's put it this way: If every movie should have Spider-Man in it, this TV series should definitely not have the web crawler in it. Bad, bad cheap adaption that inexplicably excluded almost all the wonderful characters from the comics. 'Nuf said.
TV's "Incredible Hulk" fared much better, but was about as removed from the comic as you could get. David Banner (renamed from Bruce) and the Hulk starred in a remake of "The Fugitive". Entertaining, but any two characters could've been inserted into this scenario.
Meanwhile, back at the cineplex...
DC was beginning to stumble too. "Superman: The Movie" produced one great sequel and three bad ones. "Batman" made his way back to the silver screen in 1989, and that franchise began going downhill from its first follow-up. Fortunately, the Dark Knight was redeemed with "Batman Begins" in 2005.
"X-Men" finally put Marvel movies on the map in 2000. And, finally, a decent adaption of "Spider-Man" in 2002. Way to go Marvel!
In 2006, Marvel finally slipped into the lead ahead of its "Distinguished Competition." Soon, DC would be playing catch-up. As of this writing, they've been trying for the last 10 years, and are having mixed success.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
For the few who have been living in a cave for the past several years: What is a "cinematic universe?" Simple really. In the comics, for both DC and Marvel, their respective collection of characters all co-exist. Superman knows Batman. Spider-Man knows the Fantastic Four. The X-Men and the Avengers have butted heads.
Finally, someone made it happen: Now, select Marvel characters know each other in the movies as well. The "Cinematic Universe!" "Iron Man" got the ball rolling in 2006, and a mere ten years later, there is a plethora of solo and team-up flicks featuring the members of "The Avengers." It's actually gotten a little difficult to keep track. But it's a lot of fun trying, isn't it?
DC's response to the new Marvel Cinematic Universe, circa 2007: "You want Superman and Batman to team up at the movies? Great idea! We're working on it!" (Took several more years for that to happen, with mixed results.)
The DC Extended Universe
Not wanting to borrow a Marvel branding element, DC's "cinematic universe" was dubbed "extended." Also, this proved to be more accurate. DC was a little slow in forming its own cinematic universe, so it also returned to its roots: Television! Sure, some of the lesser legends were used (Green Arrow, Flash) and appeared on a minor network (the CW), but it worked. Both heroes still grace the small screen, and will be joined this month by Supergirl.
TV or not TV? That is the question ...
Well, that's a stupid question, isn't it? Of course the answer is not "not TV!" In fact, if anything outweighs the explosion of super heroes at the movies, it's the explosion of super heroes on the tube.
"Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" gives us a taste of Marvel super heroics every week to hold us over until next summer's next big-budget action flick. But it was on only 22 weeks a year. What to do?
One word: Netflix! Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more to come! ("Defenders" anyone?) And the awesome thing? It doesn't matter if you watch Marvel super heroes and teams at the movies, on a major broadcast network, or on the most popular streaming service. All of the great Marvel characters share a single "cinematic universe!"
Well, almost.
The Cinematic Universe - Missing a few key players that occupy different universes (actually, different studios)
Yes, there are multiple Marvel cinematic universes: The one formed in 2006, and those that can only be dubbed the "Sony Universe" and the "20th Century Fox Universe."
So now, rights and licenses are keeping our favorite heroes apart! Spider-Man can't be in every movie because he can't appear in anything other than a Sony flick. As fans, we want every single super hero live action production to kick butt, on both the large and small screens. But if a Spider-Man film had to tank (remember "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"), at least this resulted in Sony being humbled enough to partner with Marvel Studios. Now, as of "Captain America: Civil War" Spidey can now hang out with all of the Avengers, and then some! (And Tony Stark can hang out with the youngest and hottest Aunt May yet.)
Hopefully, 20th Century Fox will get wise soon. Currently, they have the sole rights to "The Fantastic Four." While this is Marvel's self-described "world's greatest comic magazine," it's probably the lamest of any Marvel film series produced in the 21st century. Fox, do what Sony did: Partner with Marvel Studios. In the same way they invigorated Spider-Man, so shall they do for Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch and the Thing! Just sayin'.
The Extended Universe - You don't know the (lack of) power of the dark side!
DC is trying to at least approach Marvel's success the last decade at the movies. But if you run too fast on a bumpy road, you're bound to stumble. Over, and over.
"Man of Steel" turned out surprisingly good for a movie that had to be made by 2013, or else Warner Brothers would lose the rights to the character. The result was a relentlessly dark and horrifying debut for this generation's cinematic Superman. If you don't want to relive the horrific gut-wrenching visions of 9/11, be sure to stop watching "Man of Steel" at about the 90-minute mark.
"Man of Steel" is definitely a departure from the Christopher Reeve films. But, for better or worse, it would set the tone of the still-forming DC Extended Universe. DC Comics were always considered light and simple entertainment, painted with primary colors. Batman, despite the campy series we all loved from the 60s, turned the tide to darkness in the 80s.
But now, the path has gone way too far toward unrelenting darkness.
I was one of millions that waited years for Superman and Batman to meet in the movies. The epic battle in "Batman v Superman" (why did they remove the period after the "v" by the way? That would irk some attorneys I know) is lifted from a classic comic series from the 80s, but makes almost no sense in the film. SPOILER: Thank God both heroes (anti-heroes) had mothers named "Martha" to give them something in common to bond over.
"Suicide Squad" got it's fair share of criticism. But at least we finally had a DC movie that was FUN! Early previews of "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League" give me hope that DC will do one simple thing to satisfy the fans of it's big screen heroes: Lighten up! We know you can do it! Your TV heroes are fun and don't make us want to run to our therapists.
Hold on ... Why is the Flash in the movies a different guy than The Flash on TV?
This one mystifies me. The Flash is a hoot to watch in his weekly small screen adventures, and many (including me) would love to see him join the other members of the Justice League. But it's a different actor. More than that, it's really an entirely different character. What gives? And now, when "Supergirl" begins later this month, she will be joined by her more famous Kryptonian cousin: Superman. Yes, played by a different actor.
DC comics has had for decades a brilliant plot device that they always pull out to explain inconsistencies: The "Multi-Verse" (geez, another universe?). AKA "Multiple Earths," the multi-verse contains numerous (infinite?) parallel universes where different versions of characters can co-exist without screwing up continuity.
So far, the only use of this concept is last year's meeting of Supergirl and the (TV) Flash. (I hate having to make that distinction.) The two characters don't exist in the same universe, so (TV) Flash just popped over to another Earth to say "howdy-do." If two (or more) Flashes can exist in the comics, I suppose there's room for (TV) Flash and his totally separate and different movie counterpart.
Oh well.
It will be interesting to see how (TV) Superman (coming soon to "Supergirl") will compare to the big guy in the movies. (TV) Superman has a goofier looking costume, but it fits the tone of the TV series.
Fun Fact: One such parallel Earth is "Crossover Earth," where DC and Marvel heroes get to kick butt together. Superman and Spider-Man teamed up twice, Batman took on the Hulk (what?!), and the X-Men joined the Teen Titans to create a very crowded comic book cover. Someday, maybe in about 20 or 25 years, we may be treated to the "Cross-Over Cinematic Universe". We can only hope! All good things come to an end
And the winner (so far) is...
No contest here: Marvel.
But hope springs eternal for a coherent and fun DC extended universe.
The future? The sky has never been the limit!
The future is obvious. The two "comic book to film universes" are growing by leaps and bounds. Marvel is showing no signs of slowing down, and DC is desperately trying to catch up. No complaints here. I love it all, and my Blu-Ray superhero collection continues to expand.
And here's something to boggle the mind:
Both DC and Marvel have dipped into the "Parallel Universe" well to tell a tale outside the continuities of their respective universes.
One such parallel Earth is "Crossover Earth," where DC and Marvel heroes get to kick butt together. Superman and Spider-Man teamed up twice, Batman took on the Hulk (what?!), and the X-Men joined the Teen Titans to create a very crowded comic book cover. Someday, maybe in about 20 or 25 years, we may be treated to the "Cross-Over Cinematic Universe".
We can only hope!
