


Superhero TV shows dating back to 1950 show that DC has outpaced Marvel, with a total of 189 for DC versus 116 for Marvel, most of which were animated (64.6 percent), compared to live action (35.4 percent). Once again, Bats and Supes claim the top-two spots, which is a testament to the enduring star power and cultural reverence of the characters. The TV category is more evenly distributed, giving DC more room to puff out its chest. TV Appearances ’s top superheroes by number of TV appearances. Marvel, on average, has earned $536.1 million per movie, while DC’s films have taken in $431.6 million, according to. The median Rotten Tomatoes rating for Marvel is 73 percent, compared to just 48 percent for DC. Since 1980, Marvel has released 47 superhero movies compared to 29 for DC. Conversely, the MCU is the single-most consistently successful entertainment entity in Hollywood history. begun developing solo films for its roster of other characters, but the resulting efforts have been a bit of a mess. Overall, DC may have the top-two most-used movie characters, but their lineup has been overly top-heavy and inconsistent (though The Dark Knight trilogy marks a high-point for the entire genre). The Man of Steel reboot also under-performed in 2013, and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) version of the character has proven to be divisive. 2006’s Superman Returns underwhelmed relative to expectations, and WB shelved its plans to move forward with that iteration. But the latter films in Christopher Reeves’ run as the Man of Steel- Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)-did not fare well with fans or critics and produced diminishing box office returns. However, despite the frequency with which they pop up on the big screen, the quality of their respective films has been up-and-down over the years.ġ978’s Superman: The Movie launched the comic book blockbuster genre with 1989’s Batman continuing the trend. Together, they give DC Comics a commanding hold on the top of the leader board.

The Caped Crusader boasts a market-leading 12 film appearances, with Superman coming in at a close second with nine. With no end in sight to the all-consuming superhero genre, now is the perfect time to ask which superhero is the most famous and explore if that notoriety necessarily translates to success.įilm Appearances ’s top superheroes by number of movie appearances.
