The Marvel Cinematic Universe is doing very well at the moment with everyone chanting the names of the Avengers. I myself being an ardent fan of the MCU am awaiting the next installment of Infinity War. Now everyone knows who Superman and Batman is, regardless of age and gender. This was the case for several decades - because DC Comics is a much older entity with a more established and older fanbase. So why is a Franchise which is relatively new scoring better at the box office? I suspect it's because of the reasons given below:
The Rise and Fall of the MCU: 1. Marvel is new, fresh, and light-hearted.
It's nice to delve into the dark world of DC with Batman every once in a while. But the MCU prides itself on churning out more optimistic story arcs with lesser gore and laces its heavier storylines with humor and hope. I mean who doesn't enjoy a few laughs? DC on the other hand has dry and darker tones of humour with lesser comic relief through characters.
2. Marvel takes its time to flesh out characters.
Each character brought out by MCU has several layers to it. There is a dedicated movie to dive into the motivations behind the characters, what drives them, and what makes them tick.
They use references that repeat with every movie that comes out. They showcase idiosyncrasies that tie into the movie plot in some way and basically ensure the character is far from 1-dimensional. DC also tried to breathe life into all aspects of a character but failed to match the efforts of MCU.
3. Marvel Intertwines, Cross Connects, and meshes its Plots and Characters
This is probably one of the biggest reasons for the rise of the MCU. Marvel invests significant time in growing their characters and seeding connections in other movies and characters so that the audience feels a sense of continuity and familiarity enhanced by fresh details about the same comic characters.
This phenomenon can be observed when the audience doesn't move during the end credits. They're all waiting for a juicy end-credit scene that will connect the next movie or character to what they just saw. That's the reason Infinity War did so well.
Anyone who watched any Marvel Movie went to watch Infinity War since they felt it was linked to their favorite character in some way. This is brilliant marketing, to say the least.
Why Does Marvel Looks Like It's Slowing Down?
Dr. Strange 2: The Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, and even Shang Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings were all movies released post-Endgame. All these movies have a few aspects in common such as a watered-down plot, labored references poor twists, and unnecessary graphics. I haven't included Morbius in this as it was a clear flop and had nothing redeeming except memes about it.
There are a few discussions about superhero fatigue, but mostly Marvel is becoming complacent in the way it's doing things. Dr. Strange 2 was just an action movie with horror elements and also had the laziest post-credit scene with Charlize Theron.
Black Panther 2 was such a mess, with the plot being all over the place, leaving the fans confused and disappointed. Shang-Chi could have been much better with a meatier plot.
DC on the other hand is catching up with great movies such as Aquaman 2 releasing soon, and other series and movies doing great.
To conclude, the MCU is doing better in the theaters just because Marvel movies are fun, fast, and completely entertaining. They ensure that the audience has a good time and go home with a sense of redemption and hope. The rise and fall of the MCU will be an awesome tale to tell for generations.