Sophia Doshi, Media Director
@sophiadcourant
Before I start, I want to remind readers that the following opinions, beliefs, and feelings stem from my own; while I will be drawing information from proven statistics, research, and pre-existing sources and opinions, the conclusion that I will be making will be based on my personal assessment.
Most people have a special connection to Marvel or DC Comics, and sometimes both. The origin stories and motives of the characters are relatable or admirable by fans everywhere, regardless of their own origins or background. And naturally, fans of either franchise have taken sides on which one is better, and unsurprisingly that argument has been hard to settle, if at all.
The disagreement about which franchise is better has been around for almost a century now, given that DC Comics was first released in 1934, 5 years before Marvel Comics. From the get-go, DC Comics became known for creating god-like, otherworldly characters that seemed distant and, sometimes, completely unrelatable.
Superman, who debuted in his first comic in 1938 (Action Comics #1), is considered to be one of the first comic book superheroes in pop culture history, which is pretty prevalent for people arguing in DC’s favor. However, the first page of Action Comics #1 doesn’t set up Superman’s story—it simply states that he originated from “a distant planet destroyed by old age”, which is vague and rather unenticing. It also downplayed his powers from what they would become today.
According to the comics, he could “leap an eighth of a mile”, “run faster than an express train”, and “nothing less than a bursting shell can penetrate his skin”. That might have been innovative at the time, but 1930s Superman could get absolutely obliterated by Batman if that was still the truth. The first page also has a panel of “the child” holding up a big red chair, and it’s pretty telling of his strength (and it’s funny, so I wanted to include it because the standard of my humor is astoundingly low). A little bit later in the comic, Lois Lane calls Clark Kent (Superman’s alias) a coward and storms out of their first date together. I think this is a good time to say that we’re at a ratio of DC Comics: 0; Marvel: 0.
Marvel’s counterpart to Superman is a good place to start for the other side of this argument. Captain America, the patriotic, goody-goody, and virtuous stars-spangled man with a plan has always had a comfy little spot in my heart; not because of his righteousness, but because of Chris Evans (but that’s a story for another day).
Captain America Comics #1 in 1941 was the first time readers had ever met him, which is a bit later than Superman’s debut. The cover shows Cap punching the evil Hitler, which really said something about how powerful he was supposed to be. His powers in the comics were not yet superhuman, like those he has in the MCU, but those of a human in peak condition: He can lift and press a sum of 800 pounds with some effort and has agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction time superior to any Olympic athlete ever known.
While I love Cap, this just sounds like someone who had been reaction-training since they were in the womb. Yet his signature vibranium shield has been with him since the beginning and that enhances his comic reputation in my eyes. And unlike Superman’s every-evolving origins, Captain America’s origin story has been the same from the very start: in his desire to serve his country in whatever way possible, he volunteered to be a part of a secret government-military joint project, received the super-soldier serum which chemically enhanced his genetics, and became the patriotic superhero we know today. This consistency is refreshing and would motivate me to give Marvel a point, but if we’re talking a Superman vs Captain America matchup, it would be safe to say that Marvel’s point would be expunged almost immediately because of Cap’s defeat. This is why we are again left at DC Comics: 1; Marvel: 0.
Sources:
https://culturefly.com/blogs/culture-blog/marvel-vs-dc-comics
https://bookriot.com/superman-first-appearance/
https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/7849/captain_america_comics_1941_1
http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/c/captainamerica.htm
