9 Reasons Why DC Really Is Better Than Marvel

3. They Know How To Reinvent Their Own History

DC Comics/Francis Manapul

DC might have a problem with Bat-fatigue, but they've been fully invested in exploring the rest of their universe this past year, building upon Kirby's older ideas with works like Mister Miracle and going back to the supernatural with new books on Swamp Thing, Constantine and more. There's a clear diversity in the genres on display, and while the same could be said of Marvel, nothing feels quite as fantastical as DC's most cosmic looking books.

In many respects, Rebirth has afforded DC's creators greater space to revisit these older, less conventional concepts in their own comic books. Although it was released a few years before the pseudo-reboot, Grant Morrison's Multiversity is a testament to DC's willingness to embrace their own history, specifically the multiverse and how it, until recently, had been viewed as a hindrance rather than an avenue for high-concept storytelling. The returns of Swamp Thing, Mister Miracle and even Sgt. Rock are also indicative of the publisher's commitment to revisit fan-favourite concepts - not to rehash or recycle, but to reappraise and revitalise.

It's what's made the last few years in particular so great for DC, and while yes, they've been prone to saturating certain elements of their universe (they still are, in some respects), it's difficult to recall a period in which the DCU has felt so heterogenous, certainly since the start of the decade.

The fact that DC have pulled ahead in this respect could be attributed to the recent loss of some of Marvel's biggest cosmic - and more old school - comics, but with the Fantastic Four returning, and with Legacy hoping to follow in Rebirth's footstep, it's a gap that could soon narrow.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.