Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the upcoming DC Universe run by new DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran will have some similarities. Both are massive, interconnected franchises focusing on various superheroes that get their own films or shows.
Yet there’s also some striking differences according to Gunn whilst discussing the new initiative at a press event yesterday and with the details going online today.
Marvel and DC have differed in comics in terms of their setting and tone. Marvel is set in a ‘real world’ setting with the same city names and country names as real life whilst the heroes try to be more down-to-earth types. DC was more classic myth inspired with aspirational heroes in fictional cities like Metropolis, Gotham City and Central City.
The same will happen with the new DC Universe according to Gunn who has played on both sides of the fence with several Marvel and DC works under his belt. He indicates (via Slashfilm) this won’t be like the MCU where heroes are introduced to society one at a time, here the world begins with superheroes existing and a fact of life:
“A lot of people think it’s gonna be Marvel 2.0, and definitely I learned a lot of stuff at Marvel, you know. I think that we have a lot of differences. I think that one of the reasons why I love DC is it really is another universe, it’s an alternate world.
You know in Marvel, generally, it’s New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and then every place else in the world is a fictional universe for some reason. Here at the DCU we have, you know, Metropolis and Gotham and Themyscira and Atlantis and Bialya, and all of that is sort of another fictional universe and this is the world that we’re creating. We’re coming into a world where superheroes exist and have existed for some time in one form or another, and that’s the universe.”
Another big difference is they’re coming in at the start with a plan, whereas the MCU had at least two films (“Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) under its belt before the Disney acquisition of Marvel and the interconnected universe plans properly came into being:
“[W]e are telling a big huge central story that is like [the MCU]…. except for I think that we’re a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning because we’ve gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely. But we’re also creating a universe that is like, you know, ‘Star Wars.’ Where there’s different times, different places, different things. Or like ‘Game of Thrones,’ where characters are a little bit more morally complex.”
Another potential difference between the new DC and Marvel – the level of transparency. Whilst Marvel’s Kevin Feige famously keeps things close to his chest aside from the major events where they reveal new slates, Gunn and Safran say they intend to be fairly open books. Gunn says:
“If somebody is doing something that isn’t working, we’re going to be honest. One of my primary focuses is being honest with everyone. Somebody brings me an idea that doesn’t work, I’m honest about it. We’re building right now the foundation for a studio that we want to last, and it just can’t last if we haven’t built on anything other than rigorous honesty.”
Does that mean he will have to keep taking untrue rumors on Twitter? He responded to that question saying: “Have to? That’s my joy!”.
