As any loyal comic book fan will tell you, fans of Marvel Comics and fans of DC Comics are locked in an eternal battle over which one is better. The two fandoms always seem like they are constantly at each other’s throat throwing shade at the DCEU or MCU, trashing the comics itself or dissing the copious amounts of television shows created by both companies.

I personally don’t get it. While I prefer DC Comics just a teensy bit more and think the shade DCEU gets is overblown, I do enjoy the MCU and avoid such rage-fueled discussions because I just don’t have the time or energy to argue with other people online. I just don't care enough.

I do find the eternal arguments between Marvel and DC fans entertaining as all heck though. The amount of snark and effort people put in to drag both companies either on social media or through funny memes is mind-boggling.

I thought the world of English literature was catty back when I was a freshman in college, but even the academics that argued over their favorite authors couldn’t hold a candle to the sheer hilarity that spawns from Marvel and DC Comics fans clashing on social media.

20 Got It In One

BALLMEMES.COM

The Marvel versus DC Comics debate has always baffled me because at the end of the day, the characters are INCREDIBLY similar — just like this meme points out. So really, what are they arguing over?

Both Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne are billionaires that have a ton of gadgets that they use to fight crime and they lost their parents tragically. In the MCU, Tony discovered that a brainwashed Bucky Barnes (who was still operating as the Winter Soldier) was under orders by HYDRA to destroy Howard and Maria Stark, but had to make it look like a car accident.

Needless to say, Tony was NOT happy when he learned about that, whereas Bruce had many years to come to terms with his parents’ death due to gun violence. I would say the difference between the two is that Bruce used the death of his parents and his resulting trauma as the catalyst for becoming Batman.

Captain America and Wonder Woman also have similar themes in their origin stories, as do Thor and Aquaman, so the whole argument between both fandoms is a bit silly when you realize it is the same kind of characters, just with different writers.

Then again, I’ve always felt that similar debates, such as Apple versus PCs or adopting a dog versus going to a reputable breeder were silly too. Just go with what you like and what works for you. No need to fight to death about it.

19 Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire.....

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@NewTSage is 100% right about this — all of the MCU fans and casual viewers of the DCEU sometimes like to get all high-and-mighty, saying things about how the Justice League should finish the cinematic universe because it was such a flop in theaters... That Warner Bros. won’t want to make another team-up movie ever again, but let’s face it — we ALL know they are going to let their curiosity get the better of them.

Comicbook.com noted that the rough Aquaman teaser—that was screened at Cinema-Con in April—received VERY favorable reactions, so there’s a good chance that if Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara DOESN’T TRY TO MEDDLE WITH IT THE WAY HE DID WITH JUSTICE LEAGUE (yes, I’m forever salty about it), this film will help launch the DCEU to greatness. I have faith in James Wan and Jason Momoa, since many critics said Aquaman looked “epic” and like it was going to be a really fun movie.

We Got This Covered added that the teaser footage for Shazam that was also shown at CinemaCon and some critics were intrigued, especially after Warner Bros. hinted that it is going to have a similar tone to the Tom Hanks film Big, just with superheroes.

So yea, people can keep trashing the DCEU and Justice League, but we all know they’re going to see Aquaman and Shazam when they hit theaters.

18 Justice League Has A Goddess

Via: Twitter/@_JBoogie

Look, in terms of movies, while I am unhappy with Avengers: Infinity War, Justice League was a hot mess due to Joss Whedon and Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara messing up Zack Snyder’s vision.

In terms of a match up between the two teams, I agree with the polls even though the original poster is salty about everyone’s opinions. I really do think the Justice League would win hands down over the original Avengers: Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. If we’re including the entire League, then Green Lantern, Black Canary, and Green Arrow are also on the team.

Black Canary could sonic scream her head off at the human Avengers and disable them in a heartbeat, while Superman took out the Hulk and Wonder Woman defeated Thor. After all, in the DCEU, she’s called “God-Killer” and even Chris Hemsworth admitted that Diana could defeat Thor in battle.

Batman would probably have a FIELD DAY knocking Iron Man down a few notches and the Flash would be running circles around everyone to the point that they’d get dizzy.

As much as I like the Avengers, DC’s Justice League has two metahumans (Black Canary and the Flash), Green Lantern, a goddess, a godlike alien, a billionaire with a ton of gadgets, a brilliant analytical mind, AND one of the world’s best archers. They’d be toast!

17 Even Thanos Was Upset With Warner Bros.

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This meme is the hands-down FUNNIEST critique of both the DCEU (and Justice League in particular) that I have seen so far on Twitter. Thank you, @SuperHeroesRant for a much-needed belly laugh.

Maybe Justice League is the reason Thanos wants to destroy everything in Infinity War? He probably saw the movie and was hoping for a really entertaining Earthling superhero movie to watch. But, at the same time, he was SO ANGRY at how Warner Bros. and Whedon messed it up, that he was like “Oh HECK no, it’s time for me to get those blasted Infinity Stones and go to town wrecking things because, apparently, it's too difficult for idiot Hollywood executives to allow directors time to make a good movie.”

Like same, Thanos, same. I had some VERY choice words for both Whedon and Warner Bros. after I exited the theater. When my boyfriend and I—both of whom ADORE DC Comics—left wanting to pretend that wretched movie didn’t exist, y’all know that the company and the director they hired for reshoots ROYALLY messed up.

It’s infuriating too because the film COULD have been good if things weren’t rushed and they took constructive criticism to heart. But apparently that’s too difficult for Hollywood. I think they need to go back and take a remedial English class in college to learn why constructive criticism and taking one’s time is so important.

16 Warner Bros., Look At Your Life, Look At Your Choices

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Preach it, @Scarra, PREACH IT. While I enjoyed the extended version of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and felt that it should’ve been the cut from the film that was released in theaters (because it easily wrapped up all the loose threads that the fans complained about in the theatrical cut), there’s no denying it — Justice League was a dumpster fire in film form.

It COULD have been great if Warner Bros. didn’t meddle and Joss Whedon wasn’t allowed to turn it into HIS movie, but alas, the company did not look at their life or their choices and we were left with a mess of a movie that only showed glimmers of the epic it should’ve been.

Even though I am NOT THRILLED with Avengers: Infinity War because it is a basically giant kick in the feels (thank you, Russo brothers, for breaking my heart) and I’m FURIOUS that my favorite character in the entire MCU might not return, I will still admit that in terms of story and plot, it is MILES better than Justice League.

Can we please get Kevin Feige to slap some sense into the Warner Bros. CEO and executives so that future DCEU movies don’t flop at the box office? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

15 Our Lady And Savior, Diana Prince

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As salty as I am about Justice League, I won’t deny that DC Comics and Warner Bros. struck gold with Wonder Woman. I’m also SO GLAD that they didn’t give the film to a man to direct, either.

I read Joss Whedon’s script for Wonder Woman and you could SMELL the misogyny through the computer screen.

I’ll never forget sitting in the theater with my boyfriend watching Wonder Woman. It felt SO empowering to see a female superhero kicking butt on screen and I was squealing with joy when I saw that women were just allowed to be WOMEN. There were no long, linger shots of Diana or any of the Amazon’s rear ends, they weren’t scantily clad in armor that is entirely too impractical and they were allowed to be buff.

The only other time I had gotten a faint glimpse of such empowerment was when Eowyn defeated the Witch King after dressing up as a male Rohirrim in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. That or seeing Brienne of Tarth fight on Game of Thrones. Both are pretty awesome heroines in their own right, but they aren’t the main characters in their respective franchises.

Yes, Marvel is FINALLY coming around to the idea of a female superhero movie about Captain Marvel, but doesn’t Black Widow deserve one too? The more female superhero movies, the better I say!

14 Funny How That Works

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I'm not going to lie, I snickered at this meme because it’s basically showing how RIDICULOUS everyone’s criticisms of both franchises are.

Marvel fans like to complain that the DCEU is too “grimdark” (whatever that means) even though the Marvel Netflix shows ARE just as grim and gritty as the movie franchise they are trashing.

By the same token, DCEU fans that like to trash the MCU for being “too light-hearted and quippy” are ALSO the same ones that will watch the CW’s Arrowverse. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely more serious moments (I’m still not over Ralph Dibny’s death) in the CW television shows, but they have a more light-hearted tone that the DCEU.

It just goes to show that this squabbling between fandoms is utter nonsense. It’s one thing to give constructive criticism on how a franchise could do better, but trashing it and trying to tear it (and the loyal fans) down is a waste of time, in my opinion.

There’s a huge difference between saying a movie has flaws and pointing out what it could’ve done better and ripping it to shreds over stupid, arbitrary stereotypes. If both executives focused more on good storytelling and actually allowing directors to take their TIME with the films, I can almost guarantee that the issues people have with both franchises would go WAY down.

13 Enough Of The Brooding Heroes

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This meme had me in STITCHES because I kept imagining Marvel just shoving Funko Pops of Tony Stark/Iron Man at the fans that are sick of him and the fans tossing it away, just like the guy does with the cereal in this photo.

As much as I like Robert Downey Jr. and got a big kick out of Tony’s sarcasm in the first Avengers movie, I can understand why some fans are starting to get frustrated that the MCU keeps putting the spotlight on him. I get that the actor’s contract probably states that he can have cameo appearances in pretty much every Marvel movie, but COME ON.

There are so many other interesting characters in the MCU that deserve their time to shine (T’Challa, for example) and it gets frustrating watching Tony do the same old broody, snarky superhero schtick.

In a way, I wish that Infinity War wasn’t a two-part storyline so that the Avengers could defeat Thanos in the third movie and they could have kicked off characters like Captain America or Iron Man so that the fourth movie could have ushered in a new age instead of being one long, drawn-out plot. Enough already.

12 Loki Is Sick Of Your Nonsense

Twitter

A perfect GIF is perfect, and this pretty much sums up my reaction to the inevitable Marvel versus DC Comics debate that pops up like clockwork EVERY single time one of their films hits theaters. Every. Single. Time.

I prefer DC Comics’ movie adaptations just a teensy bit more, since I grew up watching the reruns of the ‘60s Batman television show. I always LOVED IT when Batman and Robin showed up in the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, such as Scooby-Doo. All of that aside, I still enjoy watching most of the Marvel movies and don’t feel that one franchise is any better than the other. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

I do think the media is responsible for fanning at least some of the flames. Marvel is the press’s darling since it came out first and most people don’t have a deeper analytical eye, so it's easy to just rip the DCEU to shreds for “trying to play catch up” to the other studio instead of taking each individual film on their own merits and giving thoughtful constructive criticism. The DCEU isn’t entirely trash and Marvel isn’t the end all, be all of comic book film making either.

11 Snyder Loves His Metaphors

People can say what they will about the DCEU, but Zack Snyder’s take is chock-full of fantastic metaphors that any literature and film geek would want to sink their teeth into.

Marvel on the other hand, has shied away from such discourse and they’ve also whitewashed certain characters such as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In the original comics, the twins were of Romani and Jewish descent but Elizabeth Olsen was cast to play Scarlet Witch. Like…WHAT ON EARTH WHERE THEY THINKING?

Thank goodness that Snyder didn’t shy away from political discourse in his DCEU films.

Superman’s rise and downfall in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is a subtle way of discussing how American society treats its immigrants and anyone else that they feel is “other than the norm.”

I also have to give Warner Bros. and DC Comics props for having a diverse cast in Justice League too. There were only two stereotypical “white” heroes in the entire film. Ezra Miller and Gal Gadot are Jewish, Jason Momoa is of Native Hawaiian descent, and Ray Fisher is African-American.

Marvel is slowly but surely catching up with making their cast more diverse—Black Panther was a total box office hit and Captain Marvel is coming out in 2019—but in general they tend to be a bit more quiet about important political issues in their films.

10 'Tis The Disney Effect

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This is a BRILLIANT comparison and now I can’t stop laughing. I’m sure the fans might not be thrilled about it, but it’s so on the money that it's almost not even funny. (Does that make sense?)

As much as I enjoy the Marvel movies, let’s face it — they are often VERY light-hearted and full of quips. And hey, that works for them, but after a while it gets rather annoying and I wish they that they would have switched it up a bit BEFORE Infinity War, since the tonal change is just a wee bit jarring. They would do well to look at the Arrowverse, since the CW’s The Flash is the perfect blend of light-hearted humorous moments and dramatic, serious storylines.

While I enjoy most of the DCEU (not Justice League though), I have ZERO problems admitting that they go HARD on the action scenes and the death defying stunts. I remember sitting in the theater watching the Amazons DECIMATE the German army with all these cool twirls and I almost got dizzy from seeing all those stunts. I can’t even imagine how the stunt performers must have felt; they probably needed some Antivert so that they wouldn’t get nauseous after those scenes.

Twitter

Ooooh, can we say shots fired? I THINK WE CAN, since we all know that everyone’s going to ignore the clickbait title and grab their swords for yet ANOTHER round of “Marvel versus DC Comics.”

@_BrooklynBatman makes a good point — some people write off all DC Comics/DCEU fans as being “toxic dudebros,” but I’ve also seen PLENTY of people that fit the aforementioned stereotype that adore all things Marvel. The entire comic book geek genre has an issue with toxic people, but that’s life in general. There’s always going to be a few bad apples in every bunch.

I’m also scratching my head at the claim that DC Comics’ characters aren’t “relatable” but Marvel’s are. Like… did they forget Thor is a NORSE GOD and Bruce Banner turns into a giant green rage monster?

How many Norse deities and green rage monsters does anyone meet in their lifetime? ZERO.

I would argue that both company’s characters, while often blessed with extraordinary powers or copious amounts of wealth, are relatable because they reflect so many of the struggles people go through today. Bruce Wayne lost his parents and probably has PTSD, Bruce Banner has literal anger-management issues, Diana Prince left the comforts of home to fight for a cause she believed in, etc.

8 Sip That Tea, My Dude

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This tweet needs to be Photoshopped next to the popular meme of Kermit the Frog sipping on some tea because this is SCALDING and DC Comics/Warner Bros. are going to need copious amounts of aloe vera to heal these burns.

Even though Infinity Wars went the Game of Thrones route with the whole “slaying off your favorite characters,” it at least had a cohesive plot line and there were actually arcs for each superhero.

Unfortunately, thanks to both the Warner Bros. CEO and Joss Whedon, any semblance of a plot or character arcs for the team was cut to smithereens. The only character that had ANY semblance of an arc was Victor Stone/Cyborg and even then it wasn’t that much.

When even the CGI team couldn’t be bothered to do a proper clean-up of Henry Cavill’s face and mustache, you KNOW Justice League was a mess.

I don’t know WHY the CEO of Warner Bros. decided to try and mess with Justice League. Sure, there were criticisms about Snyder and BVS, but didn’t he realize that at the end of the day, everyone was going to shut up and see the film? So why even bother trying to cut it down to two hours and have Whedon take the tone in a different direction? I swear, common sense is just not that common anymore!

7 Stop Whitewashing In Marvel 2K18

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I remember when Doctor Strange was first released and EVERYONE was really mad that Tilda Swinton was cast as the Ancient One, even though Benedict Cumberbatch’s character travels to Asia and enters an apprenticeship with the Ancient One.

Swinton pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the MCU’s interpretation of the Ancient One wasn’t “written to be of Asian descent or even male at all,” despite the fact that in the comics he is a) male and b) of Tibetan descent. Needless to say, her response REALLY ticked people off.

The Daily Beast added that director Scott Derrickson finally discussed the controversy by saying that he wanted to stay away from “dated stereotypes” and that’s why he chose to cast Swinton in the role of the Ancient One.

Of course, this begs the question of WHY they couldn’t cast an actor of Asian descent AND write the script so that they DIDN’T use “dated stereotypes.” It’s not exactly difficult to write compelling, well-rounded characters, people.

One of the most glaring faults of the MCU is that there’s a lack of diversity when it comes to well-rounded characters of Asian descent. Heck, they could’ve ditched Cumberbatch and cast an Asian-American actor to play Doctor Strange. Everyone, regardless of race and ethnicity, deserves to see themselves represented appropriately as heroes (and equally) on screen and it’s not cool that MCU is dropping the ball when it comes to being inclusive.

6 Critics Think Marvel Is Box Office Gold

https://timelordwithoutfear.tumblr.com/post/154589482323/marveldisney-every-time-they-make-a-new-movie

@Timelordwithoutfear’s post is harsh, but true, especially if you take critic’s reactions to said films into account.

If you listened to the critics, Marvel is box office GOLD and they can do no wrong. Every single MCU movie is going to “blow viewers away” and they are constantly kissing the company’s rear ends when it comes to reviews.

Aside from Wonder Woman, critics often feel very “meh” about the DCEU and it can feel as if they go out of their way to trash Warner Bros. Justice League definitely deserved all the flak it got, but people act as if Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad are the worst movies EVER.

I don’t get it. Have these people EVER seen the film adaptions of Eragon or The Golden Compass? Both are popular franchises whose novels were entertaining, but whose films were complete messes.

With Eragon, Arya was supposed to look around his age, maybe a few years older, since the two ultimately wind up falling in love in later books. They cast a MUCH older actress and it was SO WEIRD. And don’t even get me started on how The Golden Compass was watered down; it could’ve been a great trilogy if they hadn’t removed all of the controversial elements.

5 Warner Bros. Should Be Arrested For Their Terrible CGI

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In terms of superheroes having to assemble in order to defeat an evil alien with superhuman abilities, Infinity War stomped all over Justice League, which is a shame given that Ciaran Hinds is a phenomenal actor and could have been a compelling Steppenwolf under the right circumstances.

I goof on how Thanos looked like a giant grape man and poked fun at his CGI look in Infinity War, but I will also acknowledge that the film is MILES better than Justice League.

Steppenwolf’s CGI looking a little wonky is one thing, but I will NEVER, EVER get over Mustache Gate and what they did to poor Henry Cavill.

I remember when I saw Justice League in the theater — I almost fell out of my seat laughing when I saw that OH-SO-OBVIOUS rubbery, fake face. And Cavill is bloody gorgeous; I’ve had a huge crush on him ever since he starred as King Henry VIII’s BFF Charles Brandon on Showtime’s The Tudors. It was criminal that they made him look so ugly.

Y’know, the special effects in the Lord of the Rings trilogy are dated now, but even Andy Serkis’ Gollum looked WAY better than the special effects in Justice League. Now THAT'S pretty darn sad!

4 Hubris Defeated Justice League

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I’ll definitely give Marvel props for actually taking constructive criticism from both critics and moviegoers alike instead of just ignoring it and plowing full steam ahead.

In my humble opinion, Warner Bros. shouldn’t have pushed for such a quick release for Justice League. After Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice came out, they should have sat down with Zack Snyder and discussed the constructive criticism of the previous film so that they did NOT make the same mistakes with Justice League.

I also feel that the Warner Bros. suits shouldn’t have wanted to chop the film down to two hours, since most of people’s complaints about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice ended once the extended edition came out. Apparently, they forgot the lessons of Lord of the Rings: people WILL sit down to watch a three-hour movie, as long as it is good and has a coherent, engaging plot.

The DCEU doesn’t have to be exactly like Marvel, but Warner Bros. DOES need to allow the directors to take their time, make thoughtful changes from constructive criticism and stop meddling with the runtime. That is the ONLY way they will succeed as a franchise from here on out.

3 If Only Students Nowadays Were So Dedicated To Their Studies

Twitter

As a DC Comics fan, I think @DailySpideyIG’s tweet is HILARIOUS because it is SO on point and I’ve seen it happen while surfing Twitter, too.

Don’t get me wrong, I get being defensive of our favorite characters, but I don’t get the disconnect for the Russo brothers saying that THEY personally related more with Marvel’s heroes. (All because that's what THEY personally grew up with.)

Maybe they could have phrased it a bit better, but it’s not a big deal. People like what they like.

Take my boyfriend and I for example. We both adore Chris Nolan’s Batman trilogy, but I vastly prefer The Dark Knight as a film while he likes The Dark Knight Rises more. My personal headcanon is that after the events of The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle would eventually get bored and return to Gotham to suit up as Batman and Catwoman. My boyfriend disagrees with me and thinks that Bruce wouldn’t want to come back since he found some semblance of happiness with Selina. We enjoy our debates, but at the end of the day, we respect each other’s opinion.

It’s one thing to use the Russo’s comments for a thoughtful tweet on how YOU personally related to BVS, but there’s no need to write a 1,000 page essay every five minutes. Calm down and live and let live.

2 Diana Prince Disapproves Of Stupid Jokes

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One of the worst things about the MCU and that Whedon unfortunately brought over into the DCEU was the stupid, sexist “joke” of Bruce Banner falling face-first onto Natasha Romanoff’s chest.

Really, dude? REALLY? Out of ALL the funny moments you could have included, you just HAD to pick that one? And, of course, Whedon just HAD to include the same stupid gag, just with Barry Allen falling onto Diana Prince in Justice League.

I saw red when Bruce fell on Natasha, and I wanted to flip tables when I saw Barry fall on Diana. It was such an unnecessary scene — especially when you take into account that Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash on the CW often have a light-hearted tone and don’t feel the need to make sexist jabs.

THIS is why we need more female directors in Hollywood, because someone like Patty Jenkins or Ava Duvernay would NEVER stoop so low as to include such a ridiculous and demeaning scene in a superhero film.

Thank goodness Warner Bros. came to their senses and ditched Whedon from the Batgirl movie; otherwise who knows what kind of nonsense in the guise of “humor” he would’ve included between Batgirl and Nightwing.

1 Snyder Is Enemy Numero Uno For Hollywood

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@Aquamras’s tweet is a perfect example of the unnecessary abhor people (mainly Marvel and critics) lodge at Zack Snyder. I don’t get it — they act like the dude stole their beloved pet or popped all four tires on the car.

Snyder’s not the world’s best filmmaker, but he’s certainly not the worst and I thought the extended edition of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was a solid movie. I really like how he had a realistic portrayal of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Bruce Wayne/Batman’s arc and Superman’s rise, fall, and post-mortem rise was pretty interesting too. You’d think that the critics would’ve had a field day talking about the metaphors between Superman being reviled for being “other” and the current discussion on immigration in America, but I guess they must have slept through literary analysis 101 in college.

It’s weird to see everyone poking fun on Snyder because I remember EVERYONE singing his praises after Watchman came out in theaters. He could do no wrong, and now it seems as if he could do nothing right.

Like, calm down people, you don’t have to like his style but there’s no need to cut the poor guy into a million pieces on Twitter.

Sources: Tumblr, Twitter, The Daily Beast, The Hollywood Reporter