WARNING: *THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS*
A week ago Friday we were treated to the second season of Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix. First of all, it was awesome, but that's not really the point. The point is that it was on Netflix, and consisted of 13 hour-long episodes. This is a huge shift in the way superheroes are brought to television, and a huge success for Marvel, ironic amid the failures of recent DC feature films.
As of now, the critics' reviews on rotten tomatoes are giving Batman v Superman a mere 30%. Rotten tomatoes gave Marvel's The Avengers over 90% from both critics and audiences. It begs the question of what exactly DC is getting wrong. Or rather, what Marvel is doing so right.
The one successful element that both comic book companies are seeing right now is their TV presence. DC's Arrow, the Flash, and Supergirl, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Daredevil, and Jessica Jones -- all have high ratings. And Netlix guarantees more superheroes coming in Luke Cage and Iron Fist. So then why is it that DC's movies fail to preform where Marvels' make a killing?
For one thing, Marvel seams to understand the distinction between which heroes should be in TV shows, and which in movies. A superhero team-up like the Avengers takes big names, and puts them all in a single basket. Smaller names in the Marvel universe like Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, or Luke Cage, or even Ben Urich who is featured in Spiderman comics as a Daily Bugle writer -- all are designated to TV shows. This leaves Marvel with options; these more local heroes could be called up to feature films for big events, or story-lines like Civil War can be played out in each show independently. Thus Marvel has retained the ability to distribute bigger events, and capitalize on them multiple times. In fact, Marvel has already done this as the main events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier were mirrored in the events of Agents Of Shield.
DC on the other hand, does not have this option. What would the Justice League be without the Flash or Green Arrow? But then these heroes wouldn't have their own perspectives on main events displayed in their own shows. That is of course, unless Flash and Green Arrow aren't in the Justice League in the new DC universe (a sobering thought).
The other major advantage of Marvel's current model is that its stories adhere to comic book guidelines. Using themes and plots from comic books is not only enjoyable for comic-book fans, but also ensures novel story-lines for fans who don't read the comics. By having an expanding universe both on the the big screen and at home, Marvel creates a tapestry of stories and perspectives, just like in their comics. Story lines like Civil War, or World War Hulk are lived through in each comic-book series, not just in a few movies.
Consider the recent DC movies. Both Man Of Steel and Batman v Superman show ridiculous levels of destruction. Such displays of power are hard to represent in series like Arrow and the Flash, but Marvel takes a different approach. In Daredevil, the destruction of parts of New York City is used to account for the rise of a real-estate mogul/crime boss. Yes, DC has material that crosses over, but the way that Marvel self-references within its own universe creates a cinematic comic-book universe unlike anything before seen in TV. This truly is the Golden Age of superheroes on TV.
The only downside is that when all these shows are done, we'll have to find some other way to procrastinate.
