Mark Millar on why Marvel movies work and DC movies don't

[DetlefK]

https://io9.gizmodo.com/mark-millar-has-an-interesting-about-theory-why-marvel-1823282223

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are some of my favorites but I think these characters, with the exception of Batman, they aren’t based around their secret identity. They are based around their super power. Whereas the Marvel characters tend to be based around the personality of Matt Murdock or Peter Parker or the individual X-Men, it’s all about the character. DC, outside of Batman, is not about the character. With Batman, you can understand him and you can worry about him but someone like Green Lantern, he has this ring that allows him to create 3D physical manifestations and green plasma with the thoughts in his head but he’s allergic to the color yellow! How do you make a movie with that? In 1952 that made perfect sense but now the audience have no idea what that’s all about.

...

Something feels a little old about them, kids look at these characters and they don’t feel that cool. Even Superman, I love Superman, but he belongs to an America that doesn’t exist anymore. He represents 20th Century America and I think he peaked then.

Millar’s thinking here is sound but, of course, not all encompassing. We saw a Wonder Woman movie work perfectly last year. Superman movies have worked in the past as well. DC characters can make great cinematic heroes. But it’s a fine line—and, now, another interesting argument to throw onto the debate.



--------------------

1. How many background-stories and personality-traits of DC-characters can you list?

2. Superman is a boy-scout from an era of black&white idealism. But the world has become complicated and cynical. That's why a charatcer like Superman no longer works.

3. Wonderwoman worked because the movie happened to coincide with a new wave of feminism.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. Interesting also how DC characters have worked so well in animation but not live action.

Live action is more like real life than animation and Superman, et al haven't got much real life to deliver.

[exboyfil]

2. Because they don't let the animation creative crew

guide the live action. They "know" better by getting big name directors. I got to suspect that their is a Kevin Feige somewhere in the animation creative universe.

Also Superman is ridiculously overpowered, and they keep adding powers to him.

[rusty quoin]

3. I just watched Justice League and the new Thor movie one after the other.

I find them all pretty much the same. I like Marvel better because they are because the characters are more complicated.

The Thor movie was more a comedy and I liked it for that reason. My favorite super hero movie is still Spider-Man II with Tobey Maguire. It had special effects good enough even for now, but it had the human story going on in which I cared about the characters’ personal lives.

[Blue_Adept]

4. More that the film side with Warner Bros. doesn't have a clue

When they try to darken Superman, it will fail.

When they did right by Wonder Woman with positive messages it works.

Millar's a particular guy, he's not one that's ever been a huge DC writer that guided these characters to my knowledge.

As for your point 2, well, you might want to let the publishing division know that Superman no longer works.

And let The CW know as well as Supergirl, which comes from a similar era, works idealism very well and is a shining spot amid the complicated and cynical.

The films were lead initially by Zack Snyder and they've all been a disaster because he was the absolute worst choice because he didn't understand Superman at all.

[pressbox69]

5. DC is darker

Marvel is lighter. It's a shame the Fantastic Four doesn't cut it in movies. That was my favorite comic when I was a kid. Still waiting for a Prince Namor movie.

[DetlefK]

6. The vibe of the F4 is hard to catch.

The Fantastic Four are from the 50/60s. Sci-fi from that era was based on peaceful colonization of space. The mindset was different. Space was the "New Frontier".

Nowadays space has been done to death. It's hard to make Sense-of-wonder sci-fi about space, though from time to time it works ("Interstellar", "Arrival" ...)
The Fantastic Four going to space no longer cuts it.



Isn't there a storyline where Namor kidnaps Susan Richards because he wants to marry her? I would watch that, and if only for an anti-hero who's an arrogant bastard who wears nothing but a speedo.

[MattP]

7. Zack Snyder is a awful director and kneecapped the DC franchise

He has had one hit the 300