This week, "Justice League" comes out. I won't go and see it because I dont go to the movies in general, but many people will. And given reactions, many people will be disappointed and cry that WB/DC is finished and Marvel Studios rules all.
And it makes me depressed. But not for the reasons that you may think.
I grew up with DC Comics. I am generally a DC person. But I don't hate Marvel Comics or their heroes, or their movies for that matter. I think Chris Evans (Captain America) is the best casting for a superhero since Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman. But the problem is that now it seems that if I support one side or the other, I get blasted or have to defend it. Fandom should be about enjoyment of a product, not anger or debate. Oh sure, the classic debates on which hero could beat whom are common enough. But they should not be shaming.
DC and Marvel rely on each other to push each other and succeed. And both companies understand that. Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently called the DC-Marvel rivalry "ridiculous" and that he would go see Justice League himself.
Yet fans, partially because they like to feel superior over others and partially because we live in a culture where grey area doesn't really exist, will not stand by this and continue to cry conspiracies and throw hated at each other when they are all truly fans of the same medium.
There is no enjoyment in fandom anymore. It's partially the same with Doctor Who and infighting about where the show is going, who the Doctor should be, etc. And quite frankly, it has rankled my views on Doctor Who too.
Instead of enjoyment, it seems like you have volunteered for an army and you are going to war to defend your turf against those who deem to knock you down. So instead of being happy, you are on the front lines all the time.
Why can't we just enjoy what we want to enjoy without other people telling us that we should or should not like it?
I feel like I have a ton more to say on this particular subject, but they all basically go back to that specific point.
So what to do you think?
You are right. Often times people associate themselves to a competing product in an act of superiority. It happens not only within movies but in every day life. Cars, clothing, phones. The average iPhone user could not tell you it's features, just a drone that "knows" it's better than it's competitors because that is what he/she is told. It's the status of it all.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, back tot he original point. Although they identify with Marvel for psychological reasons DC is falling off. Marvel has produced a better product for a while. The last great DC hero movie was the Dark Knight the last passable was the Dark Knight Rises. That was years ago they obviously need to step it up.