Democrat/Republican. Yankees/Red Sox. Marvel/DC. It's possible to love both, it's possible to hate both. But you probably prefer one over the other. Why, though?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe are both in the middle of ambitious franchise plans. DC just gave us "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" in 2016, and both took a beating from critics, although they were a bit more warmly received by fans. Neither did as well at the box office as Marvel's recent "Captain America: Civil War" or "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which both made more than $1 billion around the world.
"Captain America: Civil War" is coming out on Blu-ray and DVD on September 13, and the Independent just spoke to one of the Russo brother directors (Anthony; apparently Joe was at the doctor's having a physical) about what's next for the Avengers in "Infinity War" and beyond. They shared a lot more with Moviefone on that subject, but the Independent also asked Russo about DC vs Marvel.
Here's how that went:
Why do you think DC films 'Batman v Superman' and 'Suicide Squad' haven't landed with audiences as successfully as Marvel films seem to?
"It's a very interesting question. I can't speak to it directly because I haven't seen either but all I can say is my brother and I's tastes align with Marvel in a lot of ways: we both like very entertaining stories and very balanced movies. We like movies that are going to have a great sense of fun and thrill to them while at the same time remain very grounded in relatable human emotions and conflicts that the audiences can get behind and root for and empathise with. It's the balance between those we strive for. When we first saw the original Iron Man movie, I remember thinking, 'wow' because it had that exact balance to it that we aspired to. So the fact we got to become a part of the Marvel family and find our own expression within that is a real joy for my brother and I."
It's certainly a classier answer than the "F*ck Marvel" "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer offered, although he quickly apologized. When you're the one with a higher success rate (at the moment) you can afford to be magnanimous, so hats off to Anthony Russo for not gloating too much.
Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.