DC Comics is home to some of the most well known superheroes ever. For example, they have the rights to Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. However, many don’t know DC as well as they know Marvel. This isn’t caused by bad characters, but DC having a bad reputation with films. Is DC really a disaster though?

Recent DC movies haven’t been doing well in the box office, but just because it fails there, doesn’t mean the movie fails to be good. Fans have to remember that DC movies can be spectacular. DC has The Batman (Robert Pattinson), The Dark Knight Trilogy (Christain Bale), Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam! to name a few. All of these films received high scores from Rotten Tomatoes, and made millions and sometimes billions of dollars in the box office.

One reason is that DC does not advertise their movies as well as Marvel does. Fans can easily see at least one Marvel movie trailer as soon as you turn on the TV. I, however, did not see a single Shazam! Fury of the Gods advertisement on TV. Many people, myself included , forgot it was even releasing.

I went to see the movie, and it was a fun watch. However, I seemed to be the only true fan in the theater;the rest of the people there were little kids. Not to mention, the theater was dead and Shazam! Fury of the Gods had only been out for about a week. With so little advertising, maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise.

The Flash comes out June 16th and, aside from seeing the trailer during a commercial break for the Super Bowl and in the theater, I haven’t seen the trailer anywhere else.The trailer doesn’t appear on any of the cable stations I watch. Same goes for the Blue Beetle trailer. I haven’t seen it on any stations. For a lesser known character you would think DC would want to put his name out there.

Little to no advertisement affects how people hear about the film. Instead of seeing the trailer and thinking that the movie is cool, people rely on sources such as Rotten Tomatoes or word of mouth. Rotten Tomatoes rates movies based on how good they think the films are, but that may not reflect what fans really think.

Another reason some superhero fans may not appreciate DC is the fact that the storylines tend to be a bit darker. However, darker stories can be well loved. Batman is filled with dark storylines, and many fans still enjoy watching his movie. Having darker films and comics leads to less cheesy jokes, something Marvel is great at. Marvel puts in cheesy jokes that make the audience cringe. DC has darker moments, but they do fit in jokes, and they aren’t cheesy.

For example, The Batman Who Laughs, an alternate Batman from a different universe, is a dark DC character. The comics are well liked, receiving 4.8 stars on Amazon. These stories aren’t for the faint of heart, but still many love them. It was a genius idea to make a story about Batman falling into the Joker toxin, and fans loved it. Darker stories seem to be what many superhero fans want, not cheesy stories. Marvel has received backlash for their cheesy projects like Thor: Love and Thunder and She-Hulk. DC has not received any backlash for The Batman Who Laughs, further proving fans want darker stories.

DC hate has become so outrageous that people aren’t even giving the new movies a chance. Many people gag at the thought of someone liking DC more than Marvel. DC has had some slip ups, but so has Marvel. From Eternals to She-Hulk Marvel fans have been harassing their own favorite superheroes.

One thing that DC does so much better is TVshows. Disney+ has been releasing their own Marvel shows, and they have been getting a lot of backlash. However, DC has many well loved shows. The Arrowverse is an example of this. The Arrowverse consists of the shows The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning.

The Flash is one of the most well known DC shows, and it is going on for its 9th season. The show has a group of amazing characters, and they all get their proper screen time. Some episodes don’t even focus on Barry Allen, but they focus on his friends. Marvel shows tend to just focus on the main superhero, not the supporting characters. This leads to the show feeling kind of bland.

DC also has more well known characters. If you ask anyone to name a superhero, Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman will most likely be the first person they name. Those three superheroes are so well known. Iron Man and Captain America needed a movie to introduce them to the world; Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman did not.

Everyone knows who Batman is, whether it is a little kid or a grown adult, they will say, “Yes, of course I know who Batman is.” Batman and Superman both have so many movies because they are beloved characters. Superhero fans always want to see them on the big screen.

DC also has way more complex villains. The Joker, a madman who does the killing for the laughs, is Batman’s most prominent villain. He is far more complex than a Marvel villain. The Joker was originally just a comedian, however he fell into a bin of toxic waste.

This turned him into the madman he is today. He also has the mystery of his scars. How did he get them? He has many explanations, the most likely being he got them from his abusive father. The Joker has a horrid background that makes an even more horrible man.

Another complex villain is Reverse Flash. He is Flash’s main villain for years. Reverse Flash is from the future, and he is obsessed with becoming as great as the Flash. He makes his own speed force, and kills many people who stood in his way.

He eventually travels back in time to meet the Flash and help him out. However, the Flash humiliates him in the process. So, Reverse Flash does the only good answer to this problem, he travels back in time and kills Flash’s mom. Any of the Marvel characters would severely struggle trying to beat Reverse Flash.

DC is not a disaster, and arguably better. Fans just have to learn to give the DCEU a chance. They’ve given Marvel many chances, and DC deserves to be treated equally. Go and watch a DC movie. Don’t think of the flaws, but think of the characters and the story lines. You’ll honestly enjoy it.