2023 is coming to an end and it’s time to look back at superhero offerings from Marvel and DC, most of which arguably turned out to be duds. The hit-and-miss ratio for superhero movies and TV shows this year was more glaringly evident than ever, especially at the global box office. Let’s do a complete recap of Marvel and DC’s significant movies and TV shows in 2023 and find out whose year was better along with a roadmap for superhero cinema in 2024.
The MCU’s shaky year in review
Marvel has been struggling to regain their Infinity saga form for quite some time and this year was no different. Starting on an optimistic note, the year did have some refreshing additions such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the big screen and Loki Season 2 on Disney+, both of which ended in bittersweet terms.
While GOTG 3 was a great sendoff for the beloved heroes, Loki managed to revive lost interest in the ongoing Multiverse saga. However, two big tentpole films – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels – failed to meet audience’s expectations and suffered losses at the box office.
Apart from Loki, Secret Invasion also premiered on Disney+ but the reception was middling, both critically and commercially. One more release awaits on the streaming platform with the second season of the animated series ‘What If?’ which did have an exciting trailer that left fans hyped.
As melhores cenas da Marvel em 2023 🔥 pic.twitter.com/10F43Onfnb
— Universo Marvel Brasil (@MarvelBRNews) December 10, 2023
The MCU was also at the receiving end of criticism for compromising on good writing for the sake of churning out excessive content on a regular basis. As a result, superhero fatigue played a major role in 2023 as Barbie and Oppenheimer alone earned $2.4 billion while Marvel’s entire earnings were a mere $3.2 billion.
DC ties loose ends before fresh start
2023 marked the end of the DCEU era thanks to James Gunn and Peter Safran’s arrival. The new CEOs went for a clean slate approach with the newly christened DC Studios. As a result, the year was filled with movies specifically meant to tie up loose ends and burn old bridges.
However, it’s safe to say that they did not exactly work out according to plan, if there was even one in the first place. Shazam: Fury of the Gods bombed miserably and even led to an ugly spat between hero Zachary Levi and Dwayne Johnson who plays Black Adam in the franchise. The Flash was meant to wipe the slate clean and it did so but with a price to pay.
The time-traveling movie turned out to be more of a missed opportunity mainly due to poor visual effects, which became the subject of heavy online criticism. Next up came Blue Beetle which did not work commercially despite getting good reviews. It did show a lot of promise of what awaits us in Gunn’s new-look DC.
Blue Beetle (2023) pic.twitter.com/MLI58sqwk3
— DC Perfect Shots (@dcperfectshot_) December 5, 2023
The iconic studio’s box-office struggles were out in the open for everyone to see. Even their highest grossing movie of the year (The Flash) did not hit even the $300 million mark. This clearly shows why the DCEU reset was actually necessary to save the company.
More superhero highlights of 2023
While the year is almost over, there is still one biggie left to see the light of day: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which is scheduled to be released on December 22. First reactions for the sequel have been unfavorable from test screenings and the future doesn’t look good for Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry in DC.
There's a deeply weird feeling around #Aquaman 2.
A character Zack Snyder cast nearly 10 YEARS ago is still getting a sequel to a universe that is long-dead.
The DCEU ends not with a bang, but a whimper, and an odd feeling of incompleteness. pic.twitter.com/PF3BiQu64R
— Screen Brief (@ScreenBrief) December 5, 2023
Speaking of shaky futures, Marvel still has to deal with the Jonathan Majors controversy to make sure that Phases 5 and 6 proceed undisturbed. The Kang actor is currently in the middle of an ugly fiasco involving domestic abuse and physical assault allegations leveled by an ex-girlfriend.
Moving on, while the animated blockbuster Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does not fall under the MCU movies’ category, it does belong to Marvel as an IP (along with Sony) and it’s still the biggest win for any superhero movie in 2023. DC’s animated offering Justice League: Warworld was practically forgettable.
Apart from superhero cinema, big franchises generally had a mixed year. This includes a variety of hits, misses and ‘mids’ such as Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, John Wick Chapter 4 and Fast X. The Super Mario Bros. Movie surpassed all of Marvel and DC, minting over $1.3 billion.
The road ahead for Marvel and DC in 2024
In terms of who had a better year in 2023, Marvel clearly edges out DC with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki Season 2 alone. However, the year still pales in comparison to the MCU’s high standards of success set over the years.
In fact, this is the first year since 2014 (excluding the pandemic) that Marvel’s parent company Disney has failed to secure a position in the list of billion-dollar-grossing movies for the year. And it’s not just them, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes halted promotions for many other major studios, as well.
Deadpool began with a leak. So I’m joining in. But PLEASE don’t overuse the phrase, “Deadpool Leaks” because it might screw up search results if anyone is looking for Deadpool leaks or Deadpool spoilers or perhaps, Deadpool Scoops. #DeadpoolLeaks #DeadpoolSpoiler #DeadpoolScoop pic.twitter.com/yxZN8MslLn
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) December 7, 2023
Despite a year full of duds, 2024 and 2025 seem optimistic for DC with Superman: Legacy and standalone films like Joker: Folie a Deux and Robert Pattinson’s Batman sequel. Meanwhile, Marvel is all set to break the box office (and the internet) with the upcoming Deadpool 3 which is expected to bring the X-Men heroes to the MCU.
