Marvel or Detective Comics (DC) has been one of the biggest debates in the superhero genre since both comic publishers came into existence. Marvel comics started as Timely comics in 1939, while the era of heroes created by the works of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko began in the 1960s.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica’s section on DC Comics, Pulp writer Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson created National Allied Publications in 1934. In 1937, he merged the company with magazine distributors Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz, naming the company Detective Comics, Inc. With the publication of “Superman” in 1938, DC became what it is known as today.
Physics teacher Andrea Kerns was introduced into the hero universe in middle school with the first “Spider-Man” movie starring Tobey Maguire.
“I find the [Marvel] stories more interesting,” Kerns said. “It feels like [Marvel] relates more to like certain things that people are going to go through.”
Kerns favorite hero is Loki, the god of mischief in Norse mythology who was abandoned as a baby because of a stunted figure. Loki was then taken into the care of Odin, the king of gods, and raised next to the mighty hero Thor, the god of thunder.
“Each character has something unique about them that they experience,” Kerns said. “[DC heroes] seem a little bit more unrealistic and that’s why they’re a little darker. I love Loki, because he’s done a lot of wrong things in his life, but then he has moments of morality and heroism. I don’t like Harley Quinn, I think that’s just not necessarily a good representation of a relationship in general.”
Harley Quinn is a DC character suffering from Stockholm syndrome. According to the Cleveland Clinic’s article on Stockholm Syndrome, “Stockholm syndrome is a coping mechanism to a captive or abusive situation. Victims develop positive feelings towards their abusers over time.”
On the contrary, junior Mason Jackson feels that the definition of a superhero is “having an actual power.” He gave the example of Green Lantern, a DC hero who possesses rings that grant him incredible and incomprehensible powers and abilities. However, he feels that Marvel character Spider-Man, who relies on physical strength to defeat his opponents, is not a superhero.
Other people prefer the self-made hero as opposed to mythical powers.
“It’s appealing the idea that a person [Batman] who’s just the same as any other person to become this superhuman weapon,” assistant principal David Blanchard said.
All superhero movies and comics depict scenes of epic battles. One of the biggest questions in the hero universe is which side would win. According to a poll taken, local scenes would depict Marvel rising above DC Comics.
