Four Advantages DC Cinematic Universe Has Over Marvel's

DC and Warner Bros are looking to finally give Marvel some competition in the cinematic world. However in the spirit of any competition you must know your opponents strengths and weaknesses. Here are four advantages that DC Cinematic Universe has over Marvel's.

1. Warner Bros Owns The Rights to DC's Comics Entire Catalog
This is one advantage that Warner Bros and DC need to capitalize on. Unlike Disney, Warner Bros owns the entire DC Catalog. There is no restrictions on who can appear in which movie. Sony owns Spider-Man movie rights, Fox owns Fantastic Four and X-Men. Marvel/Disney will have a hard time on having Spidey or Wolverine in "The Avengers" sequels. Unless a deal is made that will benefit all parties I don't see Spidey and Iron-Man standing side by side anytime soon. DC/Warner need to take advantage of this by establishing they characters in all forms in medium. Arrow has proven to be a success and The Flash recent trailer is getting positive feedback from fans and critics. There is nothing holding DC and Warner Bros back when it comes to introducing characters. While Disney and Marvel will have to cut deals and enter negotiations, Warner Bros can have an all out war with characters on the screen with no worries.

2. Arrow and The Flash TV Universe
If we can say one thing about DC and Warner Bros is they know television. Smallville was a success and Arrow is doing well. The Flash is building a lot of hype around it and this is something Marvel is still learning. Marvel's Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D is still trying to find it's footing on how the show will overall will play out. At this moment Arrow and The Flash are not connected to Man of Steel so there is no creative limitations. DC and Warner Bros should use this time to develop a connection between the worlds while Marvel is still trying to find it's footing. The Flash can be the key to linking the Justice League since he will be dealing with Star Labs on the show.  Marvel is playing catch up in the television world, while DC is playing catch up in the cinemas.

3. Animation
Hear me out before you start to flame me. Just because your universe is live action doesn't mean everything has to be live action. If comics books, videogames and novels are allow to bridge the gaps for side stories to movies, why can't animation do the same? DC and Warner Bros has always been consistent when it comes to animation, for the most part fans haven't been disappointed. We have seen Flashpoint, Son of Batman and the upcoming Arkham animation film. DC has a strong following of their animation and they should capitalize on it. A backstory on Cyborg before he appears in the Man of Steel sequel will be a great way to keep things going. While Marvel animation is good it hasn't reach the level DC offering does.

4. Entertainment Medium Outside Of Movies
Another advantage DC and Warner Bros should use is connections in other entertainment mediums. This is something Marvel might do with Dave Bautista for promotion of "Guardians of the Galaxy." If you have an actor that wears multiple hats use that to your advantage. If The Rock is cast as Shazam have him go back to the WWE and promote. The key is using every card in your deck, if that actor is also a singer do a song based on the movie to promote. Especially since Warner Bros also has a record label this will be another key advantage to use.

The Challenges Of The DC Cinematic Universe

With "Man Of Steel" a box office success Warner Bros can now move forward onto building a DC cinematic universe like Marvel has. There is no mistaking that Warner Bros has they work cut out for them with mix feelings on the Man Of Steel film and other challenges of how to incorporate the Justice League into this world. I wanted to examine the challenges that Warner Bros and DC will face to establish a successful cinematic universe like Marvel. Can they overcome these challenges? It will need the right film crew, right actors and right directors to make this a success.

Challenge 1: Introducing A New Batman
As many of us know Christian Bale will not be returning to take up the cowl. When ask about the Justice League movie he states”I have no information, no knowledge about anything. I’ve literally not had a conversation with a living soul. I understand that they may be making a Justice League movie, that’s it. It’s a torch that should be handed from one actor to another. So I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with.” Many kids, teens and even adults of this generation have made Bale the definitive Batman, just like the past generation made Michael Keaton the definitive Batman. Introducing a new Batman three years after "The Dark Knight Rises" will take some time for die hard fans of the Nolan trilogy to adjust. The new Batman might a need a new telling of his origins since this universe will not be connected to Nolan trilogy. Seriously who wants to see Batman's origins again after it was established very well by Nolan? The new Batman is going have to be written very carefully and most importantly cast carefully. If Batman is not written well or he is miscast in the upcoming Batman/Superman movie, we can kiss this universe goodbye.

Challenge 2: The Realistic Approach 
Warner Bros is approaching the DC cinematic universe with a little bit realism. As seen in the "Man Of Steel" the approach is what would happen if this happen in real life. This approach while interesting also needs to be proceeded with caution. By grounding the characters into a realistic approach you will sacrifice certain characters, villains and story arcs that fans will love to see because it's not realistic in our world, a great example of this is Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. In Nolan's trilogy you couldn't see characters like The Penguin, Riddler, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter because it wouldn't fit into the realistic tone Nolan was going for. Hell Bane couldn't even use the venom in this world. The realistic approach is a huge challenge because it can take away key elements that define a character. How can they explain the Green Lanterns in a realistic world? How can they explain Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Doomsday, Darkseid and other characters and ground them? Some characters require a little fantasy or sci-fi for the backstory, powers or interaction to be developed, if that part is grounded or sacrifice how can we have an accurate depiction on the characters.

Challenge 3: Introducing The Justice League
The ultimate goal for the DC Cinematic is to bring all the characters into one big Justice League movie. However not all DC Characters are big money draws, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Jon Stewart Green Lantern will all be successful films if only it's marketed and done correctly, but will Aquaman, Martian The Manhunter, Green Arrow and Cyborg bring in the 200 million mark if they have a standalone films? How are Warner Bros and DC going introduce each character? Will they give each character a movie, or will everyone make an cameo in the Batman/Superman movie? Marvel was fortunate to have heroes like Thor and Iron Man to become mega hits but will DC have the same luck. Just like anything in film the story, direction and cast will be have to be a home run. "Man Of Steel" had an amazing cast and if Warner Bros is able to recruit quality actors and quality writers we won't have to worry.

Challenge 4: Marvel Cinematic Universe
There is no doubt whatever Warner Bros and DC do it will be compare to the successful Marvel universe. However the challenge here is actually not to rush to play catch up, but take steps to ensure that this universe is not only successful but just as good or better than Marvel's.