The other day a student asked me to explain the difference between DC and Marvel. I argued that DC is what you watch on the CW and Marvel is pure Netflix. It wasn’t exactly a joke. It felt like a statement of fact and audience. The CW is post-teen soap opera. Netflix adds a lot of blood to that dynamic. Beyond this the character archetypes are rather similar. I can find a counterpart for any character in the opposite universe. Batman is Ironman. Superman is Captain Marvel—yeah I said that…
So why does it matter? Well, it’s a possible selling point for future writing. I think it’s becomong more clear that there aren’t terribly many new archetypes available and when writing happens we are constantly seeking new characters to fall into somewhat familiar situations. However, the DC vs. Marvel diametric argues that we aren’t looking for new characters or situations but instead looking to find a way of life and Lena through which to see the world that resonates with us. The CW portrays the world in a certain way. Netflix MCU shows the world through a very different lens. From what I’ve been told, the DC network buys into the CW worldview.
It remains to be seen if Disney MCU will buy into that Netflix view