The DCEU came in 2013 with Man of Steel. The MCU came in 2008 with Iron Man. But there are still many Marvel and DC films that came before them and are considered far better.
Came Before DCEU: Constantine
Constantine follows the cynical chain-smoker/sorcerer John Constantine played by none other than Keanu Reeves. The movie was blasted by critics and fans for straying too far from the source material. It has since gained a cult like following, with more and more fans agreeing that 2005’s Constantine was a movie way ahead of its time.
Came Before MCU: Spider-Man 2
Sam Raimi was ridiculed for agreeing to direct a Spider-Man trilogy for Sony back in the day. Today the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy is considered one of the best superhero trilogies of all time. Of the three movies, Spider-Man 2 is obviously the better choice. It has action, suspense, drama, and thrill sprinkled in adequate amounts.
Came Before DCEU: The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s grim take on the world of Batman was so realistic and aesthetically superior that the Dark Knight is considered the gold standard of superhero cinema even today. Heath Ledger and Christian Bale played the Joker and Batman. The movie won numerous awards and set the Box Office on fire.
Came Before MCU: Spider-Man
It was the one that started it all. Spider-Man saw Tobey Maguire first don the red, black, and blue suit on a major blockbuster project. The rest is history. Willem Dafoe’s insane and sadistic portrayal of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin won many hearts. Let’s hope No Way Home does him some justice.
Came Before DCEU: Watchmen
There was a time the movie was stuck so deep in development hell no one ever thought it would hit the big screens any time soon. Zack Snyder’s first take on a DC project was critically and commercially acclaimed. It paved the way and set the tone for the DC Extended Universe movies later on.
Came Before MCU: Blade
Many film experts claim Marvel Comics decided to explore movies only after the success of Blade, starring Wesley Snipes as the titular hero. The 1998 movie had some ground-breaking action sequences and is called the spiritual inspiration for R-rated superhero movies. Blade helped popularize superhero movies and gave them a much needed reputation boost.
Came Before DCEU: V For Vendetta
In the future, the United Kingdom has become a totalitarian police state. An elusive radical simply known as V uses extremist tactics to expose government lies and conspiracies. V For Vendetta is based on the DC Comics limited series of the same name by the legendary Alan Moore. This dystopian political thriller is considered one of the greatest comic book movies of all time.
Came Before MCU: Men In Black
Surprised? The Men In Black movie series is based on the Malibu comic book series of the same name. Malibu Comics was once an independent publisher that was acquired by Marvel Comics in 1994. So when Men In Black came in 1997, many didn’t know that it was actually a Marvel comics film.
Came Before DCEU: Batman (1989)
Of course there were Batman movies and shows before Tim Burton’s 1989 classic. But it was this movie that made Batman a behemoth in terms of superhero popularity. A string of Batman movies followed batman (1989). The Non-DCEU Batman franchise finally concluded with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012.
Came Before MCU: Hulk (2003)
This may raise many eyebrows but we would consider Eric Bana’s take on the Hulk to be far superior to Mark Ruffalo’s in the MCU. Ang Lee’s Hulk was panned for overuse of CGI. But the critics missed the whole point. Lee wanted to show the struggle between the man and the beast raging inside Bruce Banner. Instead of being a set of mindless ‘Hulk Smash’ action set-pieces, it was a welcome deviation from the usual superhero trope. Many fans are starting to realize that.
