MCU Vs DCEU: The Definitive Comparison (So Far)

Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon and Alan Taylor have all expressed their dissatisfaction at the level of input Marvel demands over the final product, and the evidence is there for all to see; Iron Man and The Avengers are much more products of their filmmakers than their sequels were.

One of the ways in which the DCEU sought to differentiate itself from the MCU was by claiming to be a more filmmaker-driven operation. While its true that Marvel Studios almost operates on a television-style model with Kevin Feige as the showrunner and each movie functioning as an episode, in recent years Marvel has given its filmmakers more creative freedom than ever before.

Zack Snyder's aesthetic was established as the in-house style over at DC by default, with the director helming three of the five movies so far. Suicide Squad nicely fit the established visual palette, largely thanks to David Ayer's naturally gritty style of shooting but the doom and gloom visuals have come in for their fair share of criticism over the years.

Patty Jenkins brought a renewed sense of hope and optimism to Wonder Woman, with a lighter touch and sense of playfulness resulting in the DCEU's best entry by a country mile. Similarly, James Wan's career has shown him to be a talented and versatile filmmaker, one that could prove to be an inspired choice for the upcoming Aquaman.

The Russo Brothers have transformed from relatively untried directors to Marvel's most trusted hands, James Gunn has immense creative freedom as the sole steward of the Cosmic Universe and Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther would be very different (and probably worse) movies if it wasn't for the presence of Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler behind the camera.

Essentially, both studios have proven that their best work comes when the shackles are taken off and the directors are allowed to inject their own personalities into the project, which is an obvious statement to make but one that generally doesn't apply to many studio blockbusters these days.