Marvel vs. DC: who's the king of superhero cinema? – watch now
As the MCU celebrates 15 years and DC plans a relaunch, we debate which of the comic book giants looks set to come out on top.
Marvel and DC have spent decades battling it out for supremacy – but for the past 15 years, they've not just been vying for the affections of comic book readers, but duking it out at the box office.
The release of Iron Man in 2008 marked the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – or MCU – kicking off a shared storyline across many more movies and television series.
DC countered with Man of Steel in 2013, following its Henry Cavill-starring Superman movie with projects featuring the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash.
But with the MCU putting out new films and shows relentlessly for a decade-and-a-half – the latest title, The Marvels, hits cinemas on 10th November – and DC planning a creative overhaul under the stewardship of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, which of the two looks set to top the tree in the next few years?
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RadioTimes.com's Executive Editor Morgan Jeffery was joined by a panel of pop culture enthusiasts to debate this very topic – sitting on the panel for a one-off Radio Times Talks event were: Josh Bryanton (better known to his thousands of social media followers as JellyJoshin on TikTok and Instagram), Rob Halden and Will Preston (hosts of the Marvel Versus Marvel podcast), and Louise Griffin (Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor, RadioTimes.com).
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The panel discuss upcoming Marvel releases – from The Marvels and Thunderbolts to Fantastic Four and Secret Wars – and debate how the arrival of James Gunn at DC Studios will impact its output going forward, starting with 2025's Superman: Legacy.
Is Gunn the man to revive DC's fortunes? Are Marvel's days of dominating superhero cinema over? Has there ever been a truly great Superman movie? And is it a mistake or a stroke of genius to give us two big-screen versions of Batman at the same time?
All this and more is up for debate as the panel attempt to answer one very big question... Marvel vs. DC: who's the king of superhero cinema?
This event was filmed in May 2023 – all information was correct at the time of recording.
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