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Thread: Why is DC so dark and edgy compared to Marvel?

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    Default Why is DC so dark and edgy compared to Marvel?

    Adaptations of Marvel Comics in other media, such as movies, TV shows, and video games, tend to be bright, colorful, and funny, whereas adaptations of DC Comics in other media tend to be dark, edgy, grim, gritty, and gloomy. Consider the tone of the movies: Marvel movies are fun and have lots of funny moments, whereas DC movies these days are grim and have almost no humor. The same goes for video games: Marvel vs Capcom 3 was bright and colorful, whereas Injustice: Gods Among Us was grim and gritty. Why is DC Comics so dark and edgy?
    Last edited by SuperMillionaire; 10-20-2015 at 02:12 PM.
    Is that your final answer?

  2. #2
    tech spirit
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    they need to compensate for simply not being as awesome as marvel
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    Crazy Scot. Cid's Knight Shauna's Avatar
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    Because The Dark Knight was really popular and people only like one style of movie.

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    Because Batman.

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    Huh? Flower?! What the hell?! Administrator Psychotic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mirage View Post
    they need to compensate for simply not being as awesome as marvel
    get out

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    Krankzinnigheid ligt dich Colonel Angus's Avatar
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    It has a lot to do w/ the Batman thing, as Shauna & Ayen have already stated. Batman is probably the biggest property of DC. Yes, he's bigger than Superman.

    If Daredevil had been that to Marvel, Marvel might've had a different tone. Alas, their biggest star is the Amazing Spider-Man, which has a much lighter tone. I know Spider-Man wasn't until recently part of the MCU, but I think his influence spreads over everything Marvel does. Cap isn't necessarily a dark character, nor are most of the Avengers.

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    Crazy Scot. Cid's Knight Shauna's Avatar
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    It's not Batman's fault though. There has been plenty of campy as trout Batman over the years.

    It is specifically Nolan's movies that has cast this shadow. When I said The Dark Knight, I specifically meant The Dark Knight movie.

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    Huh? Flower?! What the hell?! Administrator Psychotic's Avatar
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    The Killing Joke was from the 80's and I don't think the darkness in that is ever going to be surpassed.

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    At least a couple of their new shows haven't been dark and gritty. The Flash isn't dark and gritty. Supergirl definitely isn't going to be dark and gritty.

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    That's me! blackmage_nuke's Avatar
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    Because movie executives don't know what made the Nolan Trilogy good and just take the cosmetic surface aspects of it and expect us to swallow it up.
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackmage_nuke View Post
    Because movie executives don't know what made the Nolan Trilogy good and just take the cosmetic surface aspects of it and expect us to swallow it up.
    That's probably the best answer
    everything is wrapped in gray
    i'm focusing on your image
    can you hear me in the void?

  12. #12

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    Another part of it is that trying to make their movies like Marvel would be taking on Marvel at their own game. They've perfected the art of the fun blockbuster superhero movie, and have been nailing it for almost a decade now. If DC took Batman and rebooted it to be more like the Animated Series... that would be pretty awesome. But you're also then just going to be in Marvel's shadow picking up their scraps.

    Now, you could argue that they're already seen that way (at least in terms of movies) and I would agree, but at least they're trying to do it in their own way. I've always had a problem with video games that try to capitalise on the success of Call of Duty by copying Call of Duty. There's already a game for people who enjoy Call of Duty - it's called Call of Duty. It's the same here - if you want to see a Marvel style film, you'll go see a Marvel film, not somebody who is just copying them.

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    The Nerd Who Knows Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World's Avatar
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    Probably because DC is inherently more gritty than Marvel is. Go read some comics.

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    I'm glad that both are the way they are, I like the contrast between the two.

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    Marvel has the whimsical hero adventure model pretty much down so DC goes for the more serious approach to differentiate itself since, for the last several years, they've been the less successful.

    However, their are exceptions, like the Flash TV series which is very lighthearted and the Daredevil Netflix series which is pretty dark compared to recent Marvel media.

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