MCU Vs DCEU: The Definitive Comparison (So Far)

Ever since Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury popped up during the credits of Iron Man, name-dropped the Avengers Initiative and sent fans into a meltdown, Marvel have by and large taken a patient and considered approach to their expansive world-building.

Introducing Asgard, S.H.I.E.L.D, Infinity Stones, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Wakanda and more takes a lot of time, and the MCU has generally done a stellar job of informing audiences about the wider universe without relying too heavily on reams and reams of exposition.

That isn't to say its been perfect, with Iron Man 2 the most egregious example of the studio compromising the quality of one of their movies in order to rapidly pad out their mythology. The presentation of Thanos hasn't been great either, based largely on the fact that he had done the square root of f**k all to be convincingly considered a major threat, but Infinity War looks set to remedy this.

DC has opted for a more rapid form of expansion, with Man of Steel barely even hinting at a wider world of heroes before Dawn of Justice threw Batman, Alfred, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and Doomsday into the mix, debuted the rest of the Justice League in GIF form and acknowledged the existence of Robin, the Joker, Darkseid and Steppenwolf. Unsurprisingly the movie felt a little overstuffed, and a wealth of material was cut from Justice League for similar reasons.

Getting the audience to care about your product works better when they're invested in the mythology, and a patient approach to letting them see it expand gradually (as seen in the MCU's Phase Two and Wonder Woman) creates a better connection to the material.