The age-old debate of DC vs. Marvel has been through more than enough ups and downs. If one takes the crown in a department, the other races past it in another. DC Animation has always been superior to Marvel, whereas the MCU has managed to win over audiences more than the DC movies. So it can never be said with assertion, which is better than the other.
Although movies in the MCU until Phase 3 were major success for Marvel Studios, they have dwindled in quality since the beginning of Phase 4. DC on the other hand have not had a good run for the most part, but with the current restructuring under James Gunn and Peter Safran, things seem to be looking up, although the final verdict is still a little while away.
DC vs. Marvel: The Winner Takes The Cake
DC movies, although have not had a perfect run so far, have one thing they take pride in. Whether it’s Todd Phillips’ Joker, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Matt Reeves‘ The Batman, or Zack Snyder’s Justice League/ Snyderverse – all the movies have top-notch cinematography. Their cinematography is a major part of how the story is told in the movies. Take The Batman, for example. The movie is a cinematic masterpiece in terms of how every shot and sequence is pieced together to bring the film to life.
On the other hand, even though Marvel movies have been bringing in more audience and scoring more at the box office, in terms of their cinematography, the movies are nothing special. Their storytelling, the way their characters connect with the audience, in no doubt have done better than DC movies. But the attention to detail when it comes to how they shoot their movies, despite having humongous budgets, do not speak a lot for them.
Movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman were made with similar budget, and while NWH managed to make more money than the Robert Pattinson starrer, in terms of cinematography, they are worlds apart. And with how the MCU is progressing currently, they are even failing at doing what they previously had in the bag – storytelling.
Fans React to The Marvel vs. DC Debate – Cinematography Edition
While it is not possible to choose a clear winner in an overall debate on which is better, Marvel and DC fans have never shied away from championing their favorites. In terms of cinematography as well, the same is happening- but it looks like this time we have one who is doing better than the other in this debate.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) are reasoning why DC movies are cinematographically better than Marvel, and there is much less that Marvel fans can say to counter that.
It will forever blow my mind that The Batman & No Way Home were filmed at the same time with the same budget.
No Way Home may have been a commercial success, but it is an artistic failure. https://t.co/CQBxz8H2zY pic.twitter.com/4keMxBGxnI
— Chris 🇮🇪 (@ThisIsCreation) February 27, 2024
Some people make popcorn flicks and others make films. There’s a place for both.
— AfterSound (@AfterSoundMusic) February 27, 2024
Roger Deakins stated that he believes The Batman should have WON the Oscar for Best Cinematography at the 2023 Oscars (it didn't even get nominated).
You know you've done well when the legend himself praises your cinematography.
— Alex Kiddo 🎥 🎞️ (HIATUS) (@FlyingBluRodent) February 27, 2024
marvel really needs to fix the issue in how all of their big budget films look like ugly TV episodes with a grey filter
— ash🔻 (@karakuratownnpc) February 27, 2024
No Way Home isn’t even a movie. It’s a collection of extended cameos and fan service wrapped around an absolutely nonsense story, you can tell they were making it up as they went along and the actors were getting their lines the day they shot their scenes.
— Sean (@GoIrish7310) February 27, 2024
The Batman is an actual movie while no way home, as fun as it is, is just one giant fan service commercial with like, actors who are trying to do their best with the material they’re given
— Mothra Minus One 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 (@Ballszilla490) February 27, 2024
When compared, while Spider-Man: No Way Home made a lot of money for Marvel Studios, their CGI and cinematography didn’t hold a candle to Reeves’ The Batman. Even in terms of budget, most of The Batman pre-production happened during the COVID pandemic, and the filming was delayed a lot, which added to its increase in budget. NWH, on the other hand, had a massive budget at the very beginning and still did not manage to make good on its end with how the movie was shot.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is available for streaming on Disney+, whereas The Batman can be viewed on Max.
