"Thor is the new Superman"

At the National Post, Steve Murray has a wonderful description of the difference between Marvel and DC movies.  In short, DC went all in on GrimDark™, and Marvel bet on "Fun".

Back in the ’60s when Marvel Comics characters such as Thor first appeared in their books, they were complex, well-rounded antidotes to the campy, consequence-free narratives of DC Comics’ Superman and Batman. However, somewhere along the way to modern movie appearances, the managers of the DC characters mistook complex for mirthless, and Marvel has managed to balance their history of multi-dimensional characters with a sense of fun onscreen. You come back to Marvel movies for the characters, not the spectacle.

Now this, of course, is a Cultural Lesson gleaned from 2013, but I don’t think DC and their parent company, Warner Bros. are going to change tactics with the 2015 Superman sequel featuring a Ben Affleck Batman. It will undoubtably have the dark palette and brooding characters we’ve come to know and shell out money for. It will make a zillion dollars and parents will still, shockingly, be debating whether or not the new Superman movie is appropriate to take their kids to, or, should they hire a babysitter. But, if I may make a suggestion, if you’re interested in seeing a Superman movie that summer, I’m pretty certain Thor’s going to be inAvengers 2.

Well said my friend, well said...