Warning: spoilers for Green Lantern #2!
DC Comics and Marvel Comics are some of the most iconic publishing houses in American comics, but Green Lantern just made their differences more official than ever. Both are home to characters who have popularized the superhero genre, and supported the genre's expansion into other mediums such as film, television, and video games. Alongside modeling the power of friendship and teamwork, groups such as the Avengers, X-Men, Justice League, and Teen Titans have become household names in popular culture. DC and Marvel's dominance in comics today begs the question of how the two differ in their approaches to storytelling and heroism. Despite the familiar themes that both companies engage in, there is a crucial difference between how they construct their iconic heroic realities, shown by none other than Green Lantern.
In Green Lantern #2, John Stewart learns from the Guardians the reason why Earth is such a hub for superheroes (written by Geoffrey Thorne, art by Dexter Soy and Marco Santucci, colors by Alex Sinclair, and letters by Rob Leigh). The Guardians explain that Earth is part of a network of seven crux worlds in each universe, responsible for the evolutionary development and preservation of life. Earth, in this case, is the Crux of Heroes, with its duty being to produce heroes that will protect the cosmos.
But looking beyond the events of Green Lantern #2, the implications for Earth as the Crux of Heroes fits in with the larger characterization of superheroism that is consistent across the DC Universe. As opposed to the folk everyman approach of Marvel Comics, DC has built its brand upon the mythic and godlike presentations of its heroes. Earth's designation as the Crux of Heroes adds a planned and intentional dimension to DC's heroes, making them part of a cosmic order instead of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
This can be contrasted with Marvel's recent explanation for why Earth is populated with so many superheroes. In the Marvel Universe, Earth became a superhero hotspot due to the death of an ancient Celestial being on it billions of years ago, as detailed in Avengers #5 (by Jason Aaron and Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness, Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales, Karl Story, David Curiel, and VC's Cory Petit). The detritus of the Celestial imbued Earth with matter that later contributed to the creation of superheroes. The death of the Celestial on Earth was accidental, as it just happened to collide with Earth, fitting with the often serendipitous ways that Marvel's heroes have gained their powers.
These two reasons for why Earth is a special planet in DC and Marvel Comics reveals the important distinctions between their comics universes. Earth's designation as the Crux of Heroes in DC Comics imbues it with a sense that its heroes are part of a cosmic order meant to protect the universe. Due to the large scale of this within the universe, it makes sense that many of DC's heroes have a larger than life, mythic quality, considering that their existence was necessitated by a higher power in the cosmos. The origin of Earth in Marvel Comics fits in with its vision of everyday heroism, seen in how someone as weak and nerdy as Peter Parker could become Spider-Man simply from a spider bite. The death of the Celestial gifted the entire planet with the potential for superheroes, evidenced by how people with superpowers have existed throughout time in the Marvel Universe. In Marvel, anyone can become a superhero accidentally.
DC and Marvel Comics have dominated the pop culture imagination for decades now, and the differences between their brands of heroism reveal how the superhero genre has been interpreted over the years. While Marvel has found much success in writing heroes who are, in many cases, directly relatable to readers, DC's epic approach has lended its stories a timeless quality that continue to make characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman relevant in today's times. Either way, both DC Comics and Marvel Comics have inspired readers to see their world just a bit differently.