DC Vs Marvel: Who Is Winning The Superhero TV War?

Arrow Vs Daredevil, The Flash Vs Agent Carter: Who is coming out on top?

Marvel and DC have been churning out huge cinematic superheroes for the big screen for decades now. While DC certainly had the edge with Richard Donner's Superman and Tim Burton's Batman, Marvel finally got the budget, vision and effects to bring huge franchises like Spider-Man and X-Men onto film. With the release of Iron Man and the shared universe that culminated in The Avengers, Marvel finally got the edge over DC, who - aside from the critical success of The Dark Knight trilogy - is now scrambling to replicate the shared universe template, using Man Of Steel as a platform for finally bringing The Justice League to the big screen. On TV, the superhero genre has been a rather different affair. In many ways it has been around longer - just look at the 60's Batman TV show for example - but it is in the last couple of years that it has really started to take off in the fashion of its big screen counterparts. The CW now have the interconnected Arrow and The Flash, with Legends Of Tomorrow on its way, while ABC is tapping into the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe with Agents Of SHIELD and Agent Carter. But which is better? It is a little less clear cut than the big screen Marvel and DC movies. With less budget, less effects, TV superheroes can feel a little less flashy than Superman or Captain America. But done right, they can make for great entertainment. This article looks at what led up to the likes of The Flash and Agent Carter, what Marvel and DC TV shows are currently airing and ask, on the small screen, who is winning the TV superhero war?

Contributor
Contributor

A writer for Whatculture since May 2013, I also write for TheRichest.com and am the TV editor and writer for Thedigitalfix.com . I wrote two plays for the Greater Manchester Horror Fringe in 2013, the first an adaption of Simon Clark's 'Swallowing A Dirty Seed' and my own original sci-fi horror play 'Centurion', which had an 8/10* review from Starburst magazine! (http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/eventsupcoming-genre-events/6960-event-review-centurion) I also wrote an episode for online comedy series Supermarket Matters in 2012. I aim to achieve my goal for writing for television (and get my novels published) but in the meantime I'll continue to write about those TV shows I love! Follow me on Twitter @BazGreenland and like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BazGreenlandWriter