Before I get into which shows is potentially better than the other, I need to give some quick history of the two companies. For this battle of the television shows, I won’t be including cartoons because while amazing, they deserve to be analyzed more in depth and I don’t want this article to be 10 pages long.

So here we go, DC first kicked it off in 2012 with a hit show on CW entitled “The Arrow”. This show focused on minor hero Oliver Queen returning from his estrangement of five years to become a secret vigilante, Green Arrow.“The Arrow” quickly gained attention and is still running on its sixth season.This success allowed for the 2014 spin-off of “The Flash”, which centered on another hero, following Barry Allen, a man who gets hit with lighting and becomes enhanced with super speed. The events of “The Flash” opened up new possibilities for obtaining superhuman abilities, which allowed for another spinoff: CW’s 2016 “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” which features both heroes and villains first introduced in the world of “Arrow” and “Flash”.

But before I get too ahead, there’s also the 2015’s CW show “Supergirl” to consider. This show takes place in a parallel universe from the others and is focused on the story of Superman’s cousin Kara and her adventures in saving her city.However, while all of the previous shows have either intertwined characters or done Disney Channel style crossovers, DC also has a show that’s entirely separate from the universe, “Gotham”. Fox’s “Gotham, ” tells the story of the gap between the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents and the formation of Batman.This show tends to focus on the rise of the villains and the adventure of James Gordon as he tries to keep Gotham clean.

But despite Marvel shooting out quality movies every year since 2008’s “Iron Man”, they were a little slower to the television party than DC. ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” debuted in 2013, the show centered around the agents that played a minor role in Avengers to really give meaning to the organization that supports “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. ABC’s 2015 “Agent Carter” debuted later for 2 seasons, the plot mainly focused on the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D by Peggy Carter after the 1940’s downfall of her love interest, Captain America.

After the success of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” comes the 2015 Netflix original series, “Daredevil”. This show manages to leave its cringe worthy movie predecessor in the past where it belongs and create a new face for the hero. The show centers on a blind Matt Murdock vowing to use his superhuman ability to help as the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen”.

Later on in the year comes the other Netflix original series, “Jessica Jones”, and then comes 2016 Netflix’s original series “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist”. All of these shows center on a normal mortal trying to help their respective city in their own way. Jessica Jones opens a detective agency while using her superhuman abilities. Luke Cage uses his strength and impenetrable skin to fight crimes. Danny Rand (Iron Fist) attempts to take down the gang named the Hand using his martial arts and chi. All four of them are all set to meet and work together in Marvel’s upcoming miniseries entitled “The Defenders”. In addition, FX premiered “Legion” in 2017, a series detailing the events surrounding a mentally ill mutant. This show was in connection to Fox’s X-men movies, the main character, David Haller, is the son of Charles Xavier. In addition, much like the movies, the show will be separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Before I get into which one outshines the other in the world of television, I have to mention the fact that Marvel and DC have many new shows in the works. Along with the “Defenders”, Netflix is set to release Marvel’s “The Punisher” in 2017, a spinoff from the character shown in Daredevil. Freeform has also picked up Marvel’s “Cloak & Dagger”, a show about the formation of the drug-fighting duo. ABC will also release Marvel’s “Inhumans” in 2017. The series will focus on Black Bolt and other Inhumans, the concept of Inhumans haven been introduced in Agents of Shield’s second season. Marvel’s “Runaways” is a series about six teens that fight against the evil corporation named The Pride when they find out it’s run by their parents. This show will premiere on Hulu in early 2018. Fox’s “Gifted” is set to release in 2017, depicting the lives of teen mutants that must survive while on the run from the government. This show, like “Legion”, will connect to the X-men universe.

All of Dc Comic TV shows have been renewed for another season, and the have a few new ones under their belt. A show entitled “Krypton” is set to debut in 2018. The series will follow Superman’s Grandfather and the House of El before the destruction of Krypton.The CW will also release “Black Lightning” in 2017-2018, a story about the hero coming out of retirement to keep the city safe from gangs.

Now comes the question of the hour, which company dominants the world of television? Well, let’s tally it. I can’t speak on quality alone without being biased because taste is subjective but here are the facts. If we’re talking quantity here than point one goes to Marvel, as they have seven shows and five upcoming ones while DC has 5 series and two approaching shows. If we’re talking about accessibility, while DC has all of their shows on Netflix, Marvel includes Netflix originals where viewers can have access to the whole season without having to wait. So another point to Marvel for feeding into our binge-watching habit.

However, of those shows, DC’s Supergirl has a strong female lead. And I know that Marvel has Agent Carter but it was canceled due to low viewership after two seasons while Supergirl has been renewed for a third season. So I’ll give that point to DC Comics.However, Marvel does have POC (people of color) representation via their superhero, Luke Cage. And despite DC’s Black Lightning being a person of color, the show isn’t out yet so it isn’t a guarantee that it will get passed the pilot while “Luke Cage” has been renewed for a second season and will be one of the main characters in Netflix’s “Defenders”. Something else to consider would be the representation of mentally illness from FX’s “Legion”. So that’s another two points to Marvel.

There’s also the notion that while DC focuses on minor characters, they lean to using their heavy hitters like Supergirl and Flash rather than minor characters like Plastic Man or the Crow that could provide more inside in the DC world. On the other hand, Marvel utilizes both minor characters like Cloak & Dagger and Runaways while also creating new characters that fit into the MCU world seamlessly. So that’s another tally for team Marvel. However, the villains in Dc (especially in Fox’s Gotham) are more fleshed out and humanized. The DC villains definitely are characters we love to hate. So point to DC Comics for that.

Now come the most important tallies. All Marvel shows (with exception of “Legion” and “Gifted”) are connected to the MCU. Even shows that haven’t been released are either confirmed to be set in the same world or have Easter eggs in the trailers or first looks that would suggest that they will be in the same universe while DC movies and tv are entirely separate. Even 2017’s “Justice League” will have another version of the Flash than the one most are used to and have grown to love from the television series. This division of concepts might lead to duplicate retellings from both movie and television and overall confusion. So whether you enjoy clarity or you love the elaborate formation of a cinematic universe, we all can agree that point goes to Marvel on that front.

However, I will give DC a point for its effective use of crossovers, as they allow for characters to interact in an entertaining way, characters to swap series, and ultimate team-ups to destroy powerful villains. But I must give credit where credit is due. DC’s crossover episodes usually start the plot on one show, let’s say “Arrow” and continue the plot onto the other shows. While this isn’t a big deal on a two-show crossover like the “Arrow vs. The Flash” episode, the 4 part ones force viewers to watch all of the DC shows. Marvel shows do include interaction with other characters such as the Night Nurse, Claire Temple, but the shows can stand on their own. So I’d have to give Marvel a point for letting the viewers enjoy the superhero series they want without having to marathon another to understand it.

So there you have it, with a whopping seven to three, Marvel takes the television crown. However, nothing is ever final in the world of the media so don’t give up hope team DC. Get them next year!