The difference between MCU and DC villains.

There's a lot to unpack in the idea that comic books and comic book movies need to be elevated to high literature and focus almost exclusively on metaphysical drama, existential angst, and pervasively dark themes.

I wish it could be unfurled in a single post but, it can't. It goes far beyond the MCU vs. DCEU fanboy wars. The success of comic books and comic book movies is at the root of the problem. This success has increased the amount of “consumers” who seek to identify some intellectual merit in the artform without understanding, acknowledging or accepting its roots.

A popular catchphrase you hear from the fanboy who will argue for his high-minded drama and depth in comic book movies is, that if you disagree, you've probably never read a comic book before. There's a lot of irony in that impotent and lazy attack.

What they really mean to say is, "If you disagree, you've probably never read a graphic novel before." I blame Alan Moore for the fanboy's current state of cognitive dissonance. To make every comic book movie into a graphic novel, you have to deconstruct the wish-fulfillment fantasies that gave rise to the character in the first place. In so doing you create something that bears little resemblance to the source material it is derived from. (Although it may have merits on its own).

The comic book medium does not need to be elevated to the stature of classical literature. Comic books are about close calls, near misses, and bold adventure. They don't need to be held aloft as sacred and inscrutable texts.