Barbie’s historic $1.3 billion collection is inspiring Mattel to create their very own cinematic universe, as the toy company gears to take on Marvel and DC. As many as 14 projects based on their properties are in development.
Barbie’s collection has left Marvel’s 2023 releases like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania far behind. And it would be futile to even talk about the frustrating performance of DC movies.
However, for the moment, Marvel and DC remain the big boys of the game thanks to their consistent success over multiple decades. Both franchises have delivered countless live-action protagonists from the comic books to the big screen, and have subsequently given birth to a great rivalry in which their respective fans take part regularly to pitch different Marvel and DC superheroes against each other.
Did Marvel Rip Off DC’s Atom for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man?
Paul Rudd has been leading Marvel’s stand-alone series on Ant-Man since 2015. This year, he returned as Scott Lang in the third installment, titled Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Not only was the movie underwhelmed at the box office, failing to even cross the $500m mark, but it also invited allegations of copying. In Ant-Man 3 we see Scott Lang shrink and explore the Quantum Realm – a fictional microscopic subatomic dimension. However, the concept of shrinking isn’t new in the superhero landscape. DC has its own shrinking savior, known as Atom. Al Pratt, the first hero to become the Atom, was featured in DC comics (Oct 1960) four months before Ant-Man
In 2021, Rudd appeared on Howard Stern‘s The Howard Stern Show and the duo talked about the copying allegations. Stern said: “I was so deep into it that Marvel and DC had this rivalry. DC had the Atom. The Atom would shrink down to a tiny little size. Ant-Man would [also] shrink down to little [size], and Atom came first. So I remember reading and thinking ‘They are f*cking ripping off the Atom.'”
However, Stern then pointed out the difference between the two, adding he quickly realized that Ant-Man was communicating with Ants and the Atom couldn’t talk to anybody “when he was small.” The 54-year-old actor nodded, suggesting he agreed with Stern’s assessment.
What Paul Rudd Said About Face-off Between Ant-Man and Atom
The duo dived deeper into the debate and discussed a potential face-off between the DC and Marvel superheroes.
Rudd pointed out how Atom’s inability to communicate was his big downfall “because Ant-Man could just bring in all the ants” to take on Atom. “And bury him with ants,” Stern added.
The veteran host then went on to suggest a brilliant story idea, claiming he’d like to see an Ant-Man vs. Atom movie. The plot where two superheroes face each other isn’t a new idea. In 2016, DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie saw Bruce Wayne take on Superman. The movie was a huge commercial success, making $873.6 million worldwide.
However, the issue is that both Ant-Man and Atom are owned by two fierce rivals who rarely join hands – whether it be in the comic books or the theaters. The last Marvel-DC crossover happened more than 20 years ago in the limited series comic book JLA/Avengers.
Source: The Howard Stern Show
