For years now the MCU has been ahead of the DCEU in many areas, and they've once again proved why by using one of their best secret weapons in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The continuous success of Marvel Studios' MCU movies and TV shows comes down to several things, not least the sheer amount of content the studio produces over the DCEU, and the box office reflects that success. Audiences respond positively to the majority of MCU movies, but there is a reason why its track record is so consistent.

The MCU has always had strong characters even back to its beginnings with Tony Stark in Iron Man. The lead actors have always helped the films connect to the audience and are the biggest component of their success. The DCEU also has some great leads in the likes of Jason Momoa and Margot Robbie, but in truth, it's not just the main characters who matter to building a long-term and loyal audience. It's in the side characters where Marvel gains the advantage.

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In She-Hulk episode 4, the MCU proved once again that their side characters are their secret weapon. She-Hulk introduces the immediately iconic Madisynn to provide more laughs and lean into the show's more sitcom elements. Her interactions with Wong are a highlight and prove that Marvel cares about everyone from the lead characters down to the smaller roles. Madisynn is far from the first to instantly become an audience favorite. Luis from Ant-Man became a fan favorite in not that much screen time with his fast-talking stories and jovial nature. In more recent years, the likes of Kathryn Hahn's character in WandaVision proved so popular that it garnered Agatha Harkness her own spinoff show. Even way back in the first Avengers movie, Marvel used the audience's connection with Agent Coulson to make a big emotional moment in the film and then later brought him back for his own series. It's something that few other ongoing movie franchises have done as well, including the DCEU.

Why The MCU's Side Characters Work So Well

Granted there are a few examples of side characters like this in the DCEU. Etta Candy is a nice side character in Wonder Woman; more recently The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker have done a pretty good job of this. Even with these, the examples are few, and the way they use them is different. Marvel's side characters quite often steal the show. She-Hulk, like Abomination's return is a highlight, but Madisynn and Wong are easily the most talked about by viewers. Even Wong is a great example of how well the MCU uses its supporting characters. Outside of the Doctor Strange movies, he's been popping up in smaller roles in a number of projects, and he shines in every single one. Jennifer Walters even jokes about this in one of her fourth-wall breaks, saying the fans can't wait to see Wong. She's not wrong.

With the introduction of Madisynn, the MCU proved once again that its side characters are its secret weapon. The MCU has a character advantage over the DCEU at the moment, but fingers crossed that DC can start using their supporting characters to better effect (and if Peacemaker is anything to go by the future should be good). Marvel just needs to keep doing what it's doing as Phase 4 might as well be renamed Phase Wong, and that's just fine with audiences.