The Marvel and DC rivalry has been going on for decades. While the medium has recently changed, many fans are still strongly engaged in it. However, one of the people who actually has a dog in the fight doesn't have the time to deal with meaningless feuds. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn says he doesn't have the energy to compare his movies to anybody else's. Instead, he simply tries to make the best movie he can, period.
I just don't find any room in my headspace for thinking my movies are superior or inferior to someone else's. I really just think about how can I make, for instance right now, how can I make Guardians Vol. 2 the greatest spectacle film of all time? That's all I care about so that's what I concentrate on. I don't really think about Marvel versus DC. And also any time a Marvel movie comes out that isn't as good as I wished it was or anytime a DC movie comes out that isn't as I wished it was, I'm disappointed because I love these characters. I grew up reading Marvel and DC comics. I want them all to be good.
Certainly, James Gunn's comments to Variety echo those of many fans. The competition between Marvel and DC makes some degree of sense when it comes to comic books. The number of different books is massive, and the amount of money most fans have to spend on them is finite, so at some point, readers have to draw a line. The same isn't really true when it comes to the movies. As popular as comic book movies are, they still come up far enough apart that most fans can likely find enough money to go see all of them, they don't actually need to choose. As such, fans want both Captain America: Civil War and Suicide Squad to both be good. Even if you have a favorite character, it doesn't mean you're rooting for the others to fail.
Because both companies are in the same business, there is a competition of sorts, but that's for the people who run businesses to worry about. The actors and directors don't need to concern themselves with it. They can simply focus on making each movie they're part of as good as it possibly can be. That doesn't mean the perceived competition will go anywhere anytime soon. Many fans seem to hold their love of a particular property or character very close. Bad reviews can result in furious responses on social media from those who disagree.
We would wager that most, if not all, of the filmmakers on both sides of the Marvel/DC divide feel exactly the same way as James Gunn. We're hopeful that Doctor Strange and Wonder Woman are both fantastic films. Do you pick one camp over the other? Let us know how you feel about the feud in the comments.
