Superheroes and supervillains are cool, yet their lives are devoid of variety. There is only a limited number of things they can do… things that their fans will find interesting. Consequently, arc similarities sometimes emerge between projects belonging to different brands. Over the years, we’ve seen a few pairs of Marvel and DC movies with similar stakes and almost similar outcomes. But thanks to differences in filmmaking approaches, these films still felt unique from each other.
Staunch Marvel and DC Comics fans are used to parallelism between the two brands, especially when it comes to the special abilities of the heroes. Given the trend, similar stakes never feel like a big deal to them. Namor and Aquaman are pretty much the same person, so are Catwoman and Black Cat. The examples are endless, even among the proud evildoers.
Here are Marvel and DC films with similar skeletal frameworks.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016) & ‘Batman v Superman’ (2016)
Collateral Damage Causes a Rift Among Superheroes
In Civil War, a rift emerges between the superheroes after the Sokovia Accords (a set of legal documents designed to regulate the activities of enhanced individuals) are drafted. Captain America opposes it, insisting that superheroes ought to operate with autonomy, while Iron Man supports it. The world’s superheroes thus split into two groups, each supporting either Cap or Iron Man. Similarly, in Dawn of Justice, Batman and Superman clash, with the former questioning the latter’s unregulated power, and the latter questioning the former’s vigilante methods.
Without Unity, Everything Falls Apart
Released only a few weeks apart, the two films each made bank at the box office, but the DC production failed to impress critics, with many labeling it incoherent. Still, both films achieve the same objective of calling it the reckless nature of superheroes. After Superman destroys huge sections of Metropolis during his cataclysmic battle with General Zod, the government is forced to intervene. The Man of Steel even gets arrested at some point. Similar government intervention is put in motion when the actions of the Avengers cause the death of innocent Wakandan humanitarian aid workers in Lagos.
Underscored in both movies is that the lack of superhero unity often results in serious consequences. While Batman and Superman are fighting, the Man of Steel’s most challenging villain, Lex Luthor, creates Doomsday, a creature that ends up killing the Kryptonian. And when the Avengers split, Earth becomes easier for Thanos to conquer.
‘The Flash’ (2023) & ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
An Attempt To Solve Personal Problems Messes Up the Multiverse
Barry Allen’s good intentions lead to bad outcomes in The Flash. He travels back in time, attempting to reverse the death of his mother and the false imprisonment of his father, only to break the multiverse. This creates a timeline where Superman doesn’t exist. Consequently, Kryptonians invade and attempt to conquer a weaker Earth. The plot is similar to that of No Way Home, where Peter enlists Doctor Strange’s help in making people the “Peter Parker is Spider-Man!” moment, courtesy of Mysterio. Unfortunately, Strange’s spell becomes corrupted, summoning Spider-Man villains from other universes.
With Great Power…
Ezra Miller’s controversies caused people to snub The Flash, but it’s a brilliant movie that is arguably on par with No Way Home in quality. For fans, each film offered the delight of seeing more than one version of their favorite superheroes. The DCEU movie had more than one version of The Flash and also triggered euphoria by featuring three versions of Bruce Wayne (portrayed by Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, and George Clooney). The MCU movie rode on the same kind of nostalgia, bringing back the versions of Spider-Man played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. And the director was cool enough to make them recreate that iconic three-way meme.
Overall, the message is clear in both movies. For the world to be perfect, the hero has to endure personal sacrifices. Neither The Flash nor Spider-Man was going to have their cake and eat it. Barry is forced to learn to live in a world without his mother, while Peter has to bear with the reality of his friends not knowing who he is.
‘Avengers’ (2012) & ‘Man of Steel’ (2013)
Aliens Target the Most Iconic Cities
Earth is under threat in both Avengers and Man of Steel. The MCU film sees Loki attempt to conquer humanity using a large Chitauri army, with New York as his primary target. The DCEU movie has General Zod and his lackeys attempting to conquer the world and terraform it into a new version of Krypton. For the Superman villain, the highly populated Metropolis is his primary target.
Only Heroes Can Save Us
Avengers showed the world what a proper superhero team-up can look like on the screen, and Marvel Studios has been quite obsessed with teamwork ever since. Man of Steel was meant to kickstart a robust franchise to rival the MCU, but things never went to plan. Still, the film is wildly entertaining, featuring a tough Superman and amazing battle sequences that threaten to destroy an entire city. New York almost crumbles too, in the Marvel flick, before the Avengers eventually prevail.
One thing’s obvious in the two gems. When aliens invade Earth in numbers, only superheroes can save humans. Not law enforcement officers or armies. An attempt by the World Security Council to nuke New York almost makes matters worse, and so does the U.S. military’s initial attempt to stop Zod.
‘Aquaman’ (2018) & ‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Relatives Fighting For Control of Kingdoms
Relatives don’t always get along. In 2018, we first saw that in Black Panther, where Erik Killmonger challenged his cousin T’Challa for the throne. While T’Challa aimed for peace, Killmonger intended to wage war on the world once he became the ruler of Wakanda. Later in the year came Aquaman, where Orm sought to unite the underwater kingdoms to wage war on the surface world. But Arthur Curry wasn’t about to let that happen.
May the Real Leader Please Stand Up
Black Panther was a revolutionary MCU installment, becoming the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Aquaman performed extraordinarily well, too, despite the mixed reviews. It’s still the highest-grossing DC film of all time and is probably going to retain the slot for a while, given the recent trend of unimpressive box office revenues for superhero movies.
Even though both movies dwell on the tussle for the throne, they are (on a broader perspective) a discourse on leadership and geopolitics. Is it better for countries to constantly engage with the outside world, or is it better to adopt isolationist policies? We are also reminded that having the wrong person in power will always lead to nasty scenarios. How would these respective fictional worlds look if Curry and T’Challa were defeated?
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018) & ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ (2021)
Villains Using Special Artifacts to Conquer the World
Marvel’s beloved heroes get annihilated by Thanos in Infinity War. In his quest to acquire all six infinity stones so that he can wipe out humanity, the Mad Titan ends up successful, leaving the future uncertain. A similar major angle plays out in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, where Darkseid and Steppenwolf attempt to unite the three Mother Boxes to form “The Unity”, a phenomenon which would terraform Earth.
It’s the Heroes’ Fault
Infinity War and the director’s cut of Justice League had opposite effects on their respective fanbases. The Marvel movie made crazy money, grossing over a billion dollars, but it left fans sad, uncertain of what would become of their favorite heroes. Contrarily, the DC movie was a source of joy and relief to Snyder Bros, who felt their favorite filmmaker had initially been given a raw deal and not allowed to exercise his artistic freedom.
While presenting scenarios where alien warlords use artifacts to try and reshape the universe’s existence, each film shows how a lack of unity can be detrimental in any given scenario. Thanos has an easy time because the Avengers had split, following the events of Civil War. Similarly, the fight between Batman and Superman had delayed the formation of the Justice League. Overall, both films impress by giving various popular heroes a chance to shine.
‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021) & ‘Thunderbolts’ (2025)
Not Our Usual Kind of Superheroes
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad sees several convicts join a task force formed by Amanda Waller. Their mission is to head to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese and destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish known as Starro the Conqueror before it falls into the wrong hands. Thunderbolts, which was meant to be directed by Gunn, also features an antihero group, hired by the corrupt CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
The Morally Gray Characters Saved Their Franchises
The Suicide Squad and Thunderbolts infused fresh energy into their respective franchises. With its neat action sequences and exquisite cinematography, the James Gunn film was seen as a high point for the staggering DCEU. So good was it that the filmmaker was allowed to make a spinoff show before eventually being appointed co-chair of DC Studios. The MCU film, on the other hand, was seen as a return to form after recent struggles, though the box office figures were still not great.
In terms of thrills, each of the productions matches the other. It’s fun watching these expendable back ops teams get their hands dirty and come out on top, despite the odds being heavy against them. Hopefully, both sets of teams will be used more and more down the line.
3
/5
Release Date
May 2, 2025
Runtime
127 minutes
Director
Jake Schreier
Writers
Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
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