Marvel Studios' superhero movie realm, officially overtaking DC. Much has been said about the rivalry between Marvel and DC movies, which stems from the comic book companies on which the films are based, but when it comes to Hollywood, there isn't any real animosity. Except, on occasion, among the fans. For the most part, though, superhero movie fans are fans of both.
That said, there's no doubt DC movies dominated the film landscape in the decades prior to 2000's X-Men and 2002's Spider-Man launched comic book movie franchises that were a precursor to the phenomenon of the MCU. There were the Adam West Batman movie and series in the 60s, the Christopher Reeve Superman movies in the 70s and 80s, and then the Michael Keaton Batman movies of the 80s and 90s. Meanwhile, Marvel had the disaster that was Howard the Duck.
Although Marvel did find some success with Wesley Snipes' Blade movies, they were a far cry from the family-friendly fare of DC's movies. As a result, DC movies had a much bigger cultural impact on audiences for most of Hollywood history. However, Marvel has undoubtedly sured DC in the last two decades, and I think I've figured out the exact moment it happened - with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
I Can Prove Captain America: The Winter Soldier Was A Turning Point For The MCU
Using Data, I've Determined The 2014 Marvel Release Marked An Important Shift
Recently, I was curious about the changing tides of Marvel versus DC movies and I decided to use the Google Trends comparison tool to see how searches for "dc movie" compared to "marvel movie" going back as far as it would allow. In this case, it was to 2004. Because of this, I have to note that the data doesn't show all of Hollywood history, but there's still some interesting things we can determine from it.
The biggest takeaway is that Marvel has sured DC for some time, with the highest peak coming in April 2019, the month that Avengers: Endgame released and became the biggest movie of the MCU. However, I can't help but notice that prior to 2012, DC movies consistently had higher search volume, with the line steadily remaining above Marvel movies. There are some Marvel peaks that reach or sur DC - in 2008 when Iron Man was released, and in 2012 when The Avengers hit theaters - but then it falls back down.
It's not until spring 2014 that Marvel finally sures DC and stays above it until present day, which makes Captain America: The Winter Soldier's April 2014 release the most significant of Marvel's entire cinematic legacy. Marvel and the MCU's domination was a long time coming, and there's no doubt that Iron Man and The Avengers contributed to it, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the exact release where we can pinpoint the cultural shift from DC to Marvel movies.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Is Still One Of, If Not The Best MCU Movies
The Movie's Quality Helped Propel Marvel's Cultural Shift
I don't think it can be stated enough just how much the quality of Captain America: The Winter Soldier contributed to it being Marvel's most important movie of all time. Before it, so much about the MCU was still unproven. Sure, Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man movies were good, and Marvel pulled off a cinematic event in The Avengers, but The Winter Soldier demonstrated Marvel's ability to tell excellent stories with individual characters other than Tony Stark. It showed what Marvel was truly capable of when at their best.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Marvel at their absolute best.
Plus, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is just a really, really good movie. It's part of the MCU, but it stands on its own as well. It tells a compelling story about Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and how a man like him can possibly exist in a modern world of superheroes and super spies. It has fantastic action scenes and a poignant deconstruction of government oversight, all while still telling a very human story of a man whose only connection to the past has been turned against him. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Marvel at their absolute best.
Forget Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Should Be Chasing The Success Of CATWS
Audiences Want Good Superhero Movies
In the years since Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released, the MCU has grown massively, with the first three phases culminating in the major cultural moment that was Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Since then, it seems like Marvel has been chasing that height, rather than the success of The Winter Soldier. What I mean by that is Endgame honored Marvel's past, instead of telling a story more rooted in the present that builds up the characters that will be important in the future.
Sure, The Winter Soldier worked well because of Captain America: The First Avenger, and the groundwork laid by some other early MCU movies, but the second Captain America film used those elements to tell its own story. Conversely, it feels like a lot of post-Endgame MCU releases are less concerned with their own story and more about either fitting into the larger tapestry of the franchise. Even movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine rely quite a lot on the past, even as they tell decently compelling stories with their main characters.
Marvel has been on top for a decade; time will tell if they remain on top.
But eventually Marvel will run out of characters they can bring back and references they can make to past movies. When that happens, they should look to Captain America: The Winter Soldier for guidance in order to maintain their cultural status. I'm hoping that's what they've done with the 2025 Marvel movies Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, but that remains to be seen. Still, if nothing else, the data about Captain America: The Winter Soldier proves that Marvel has been on top for a decade; time will tell if they remain on top.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Release Date
- April 4, 2014
- Runtime
- 136 Minutes
- Director
- Anthony Russo
Cast
Steve Rogers / Captain America
Nick Fury
WHERE TO WATCH
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, follows Steve Rogers as he adapts to contemporary life while confronting a new adversary, the mysterious Winter Soldier, amidst internal threats to S.H.I.E.L.D. The film explores themes of trust and loyalty as Rogers teams up with allies to uncover hidden conspiracies.
- Writers
- Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
- Sequel(s)
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Main Genre
- Adventure
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