Superhero movies are popular right now, with Marvel and Detective Comics (DC) being the two main producers. Fans have debated which franchise is better for years.

  Marvel is known for having a very large and successful cinematic universe. Their movies tend to receive better reviews and make more money than DC.

  Marvel’s biggest movie of 2016 was Captain America: Civil War. The movie received a score of 90 percent on www.rottentomatoes.com and grossed $1.1 billion, making it the 12 highest grossing movie of all time.

  DC produced Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). There was much hype surrounding the film up until it’s release. The movie received a poor rating of 27 percent from www.rottentomatoes.com.

  DC’s Suicide Squad (2016) did not do any better, receiving a rating of 26 percent approval rating.

  Many feel DC has excellent source material, they just do not do well at the box office.

  “I think they (DC) have some good story arcs,” said junior Rylan Sackrider,“I think that the fact that Marvel is owned by Disney has a lot to do with it.”

  Marvel produces more movies than DC, and at a more frequent pace. Marvel has 15 movies in their current cinematic universe, while DC has only 3.

  Man of Steel (2016) saw Superman in his darkest big screen version yet, moving away from his usual positive and heroic persona. The film has fans split about whether this is good or bad for Superman.

  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) was dark as well, with little to no comedic relief. To many this makes Marvel’s movies more fun to see than DC’s. Most reviews state that DC needs more of a sense of humor.

  Fans argue that the graphic novels produced by DC are dark, making them distinct from Marvel. This might work for comics, but not always for movies.

  Marvel’s Deadpool (2016) changed the future of superhero flicks by using raunchy humor and receiving a restricted (R) rating.

  “Deadpool was good because it was humorous with an interesting plot,” said junior Seth Swartout,“(The R rating) allowed the movie a lot more room to be creative and funny.”

  Swartout reads the Deadpool comics as well.

  Despite Marvel having more success at the movies than DC, DC is scheduled to make more movies such as Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, Shazam, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Justice League.

  “I would like to see a Teen Titans movie or Raven movie,” said Sackrider.

  Marvel has big projects planned too, such as Spiderman-Homecoming, Black Panther, and Thor: Ragnarok.

  “A Moon Knight movie would be cool,” said Swartout.

  Marvel is currently more successful both critically and financially than DC. With DC introducing new characters that have never been seen on the big screen, that might change.