Wednesday, December 17, 2014

What DC Needs to Learn from Marvel: Consistency

Earlier this month DC announced the cast for the upcoming movie "Suicide Squad"

The cast included Will Smith as Deadshot.

The problem is there's already a person playing Deadshot: Michael Rowe in CW's "Arrow".

Also, it was announced there would be a "Flash" movie starring Ezra Miller as the Fastest Man Alive.

I'm sure it will include another origin story even though we just saw Flash's origin story four months ago as portrayed by Grant Gustin on CW's "The Flash".

Of course the movie "Flash" doesn't come out till 2018, so maybe DC is hoping the TV version isn't still on air to ruin it.

And don't get me started on "Gotham" apparently taking place at the exact same moment as the rest of these timelines.

The thing I like about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is it's all tied in together.

Phil Coulson has been played in Movies and Television by the same person: Clark Gregg.

"Marvel's Agents of Shield" has included cameos from actors like Neal McDonough who returned to his role as "Dum Dum" Dugan, Samuel L. Jackson who came back to play Nick Fury and Hayley Atwell who played Peggy Carter in "Captain America" and is returning for her own show this January.

For the Marvel Cinematic Universe it's all about consistency.

And it works!

Marvel movies and TV remain head and shoulders above anything coming out from DC.

Now, I know that some comic book purists might say, "But what about the Multiverse?"

DC Creative Chief Geoff Johns is using the idea of multiple universes as an excuse for different stories to be told in film and television independent of each other.

It's a tactic used for decades by the comic industry, and as a reader, I understand it.

But, don't expect that same kind of understanding from the average viewer.

Especially, if DC tries to describe the multiverse to that person for every movie and TV show.

It just gets as confusing as Superman's origin story in "Man of Steel", and viewers lose interest.

Plus, you know who else has a Multiverse? Marvel.

It helps explain the inconsistency between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Comics.

But, Marvel has done a brilliant job of keeping all the TV and Movies in the same universe.

It's a lesson DC needs to learn fast otherwise it's going to keep losing viewers and eventually readers to Marvel.

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments...


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