Batman Vs. Iron Man

I'm a comic book fan from way back, but my allegiance was to DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Justice League of America), and not to Marvel Comics (Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers). Marvel's heroes were full of pathos and strife. . .too depressing. But my preferred publisher has had a tough go of it at the box office.

DC Comics movies set the standard back in the 1970s with Superman: The Movie and Superman II. But then, the legend was ruined with the bad Superman III, and the abysmal Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Batman and Batman Returns eventually came around. . .but were full of pathos and strife. And as the series continued with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, they threw so much at the screen--three villains! three heroes!--that people started to lose interest.



DC got a little wind in its sails--finally--with Batman Begins and Superman Returns, but there is still a little whiz-bang, a little zazz missing. Marvel captured all of that with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (though they also threw too much at the screen with the third chapter). Marvel has stumbled with a dreary The Hulk, a silly Daredevil, and others. But with Iron Man they have possibly made the best super-hero film ever. At least, it was the best I ever felt walking out of the theater. 50% of that can be credited to Robert Downey Jr.'s performance.

So, I'm hoping that this year's The Dark Knight, and the future Superman: The Man of Steel will amp up the wow factor. Marvel--now run as an independent studio--is outdoing DC (who has all of Warner Brothers at its disposal) in a big way. Time to step up to the plate, DC!