Shazam! producer Peter Safran believes the rehiring of James Gunn proves there isn't a Marvel & DC rivalry. Two of the biggest and longest-running comic book companies out there, it's expected that the brands are often compared to each other. But as Disney and Warner Bros. build their respective cinematic franchises with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe, the competition is up a notch with more people being increasingly invested in their lores and characters.
As comic book films continue to dominate Hollywood, the notion that DC and Marvel are warring with each other is further highlighted, especially with the release of Brie Larson's Captain Marvel and Zachary Levi's Shazam! only a few weeks apart. In print, both heroes were dubbed Captain Marvel, but DC opted to call their dual-personality character Shazam to differentiate him. And while this posed some difficulties for Safran and his team, he said that in the end, everything's fine. This is a stark difference from some of the response this issue got online between Marvel and DC fans who can't seem to find a middle ground about anything related to these supposed rivalry.
Related: The Marvel/DC War is Over, Thanks to James Gunn
Given this, coupled with the recent announcement that James Gunn will both helm DC's The Suicide Squad soft reboot and Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Safran calls the rivalry between the prominent comic book brands "bulls***" in a new interview with UPROXX. Instead, he would want to focus more on what unites the community other than what divides it regardless of one's preference
I’ve always believed, that which unites comic book fans, is much greater than that which divides us. And so the whole Marvel, DC rivalry thing is kind of bulls***. Because really we’re all fans of the same thing. I love the fact that he’s directed a movie for Marvel and directed a movie for DC. And the Earth is not spinning off its axis. It’s okay.
Over the last couple of years since the boom of the comic book movies, many have weighed in on this issue. Some broke down the difference between how Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios adapt their chosen print arc, while others tend to zero in on defending/praising their preferred brand. So having someone like Safran, who's actually involved in creating these films, squash the rivalry and promote unity is proof that fans shouldn't be obsessed with heated arguments online regarding this issue. If anything, most of the people working in these projects are either acquainted or good friends with each other.
That said, a friendly competition between Marvel and DC never hurt anyone. In fact, it can even help improve the quality of these films as the studios put more thought and effort in making sure that their movies are at par, if not better than the each other. And at the end of the day, regardless of one's personal preference, just as long as discussions, especially online, are done in a respectful manner a good-natured rivalry then all is well.
More: Zack Snyder 'Loves' the Avengers Movies, Says Audiences Need to Be Open to Other Things
Source UPROXX
