Warner Bros CEO Says DC Movies 'Edgier' Than Marvel's

Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara has been talking about the current superhero boom and the key differences between ongoing Marvel Comics and DC Comics franchises.

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday (4 March) Tsujihara said DC’s output was “edgier” than Marvel’s (via Variety).

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“The worlds of DC are very different,” he said. “[Our DC movies are] steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”

He also attributed success to the global awareness of the more iconic characters. “The big franchises are becoming more and more valuable. You don’t have to explain to the consumer what a ‘Batman v Superman’ is.”

Of course the Warner Bros CEO is hardly impartial given his studio is bank-rolling the DC Comics Cinematic Universe - which began with 2013’s ‘Man of Steel’ and continues next year with ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’.

Talking about the key to the superhero genre’s longevity, Tsujihara said: “The key thing is that the movies and the television shows and the games, everything looks very different.

"You have to be able to take advantage of the diversity of these characters.”

The question is whether edgier is necessarily what people want. Given Warner Bros’ success with the ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ it’s easy to understand why they want to pursue a grittier tone.

Considering how much lighter and more fun-filled the Marvel movies are, going for a different tone also helps Warner Bros offer something different.

However there are still signs of fatigue among the audience when it comes to dark and gritty stories. If the films are good it of course doesn’t matter, but it does make for a slightly harder sell than something as knowingly-silly as Marvel Studios’ films.

Of course ‘Batman v Superman’ will have no problem making a killing at the box office next year, so if there’s a problem we wont see its effects until later, less-assured DC movies.

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' is set for release on 25 March, 2016.

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Picture Credits: Marvel / Warner Bros / DC Comics.