*Spoiler Alert* *Spoiler Alert*

It is better to not pick sides in the “war” between Marvel and DC. Good comic books help the whole industry and good comic book movies give the industry a wider audience. 

But, to further understand the superhero genre historically, it is imperative to compare certain movies to others.

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Here are my top-five ways “Captain America: Civil War” was better than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

5. Humor:

No one is asking the DC Cinematic Universe to be exactly like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Differences in tone and techniques make for better movies, but DC’s reliance on Christopher Nolan’s gritty style hurts its flagship movie and misrepresents important characters.

“Captain America: Civil War” hits the right level of humor and seriousness to make one of Marvel’s most enjoyable movies.

It almost misses at times, showing signs of too many jokes like “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” but in the end, its ability to hit both sides help make it a better experience than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

4. Better action:

It is hard to imagine that the Russo brothers — two directors who had more experience directing comedy shows — could out-action a veteran like Zack Snyder. Yet, here we are.

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The action in this film works so much better, and on a more emotional level, than Snyder’s destruction porn.

Every battle and action scene in “Captain America: Civil War” feels like there is a purpose behind it. It doesn’t seem forced and hits the line between being exciting and meaningful. 

3. Better use of large cast:

There are 13 major superheroes running around “Captain America: Civil War.” That means there are 13 character arcs and developments in place. This can be a daunting task for even the most experienced director and screenwriters.

By the end of this movie, every character feels changed and every arc feels powerful.

Even the introduction of new characters, Spider-Man and Black Panther, are better than any introduction in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Chalk it up a more established universe or the DC being overly ambitious, “Captain America: Civil War” does it better.

2. Scenes impact the audience more:

Here is where the spoiler alert comes into effect; a lot of huge events happen by the end of both movies.

Superman dies at the end of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and at the end of “Captain America: Civil War,” War Machine is severely injured, Bucky lost his robotic arm and the Avengers as we know them are dead.

Marvel’s scenes feel real and heartbreaking, while DC’s feel dry and uneventful. The death of Superman should feel huge, but since it is in the second movie of the series, it has very little emotional impact.

1. Established universe:

Probably the biggest problem with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and the biggest advantage of “Captain America: Civil War,” is the fact that Marvel has a cinematic universe already in place.

By this movie, viewers have had a chance to see the MCU’s characters change and develop to a point where they love and hate them all at the same time.

The DCU does not have that. This is only the second movie in the series and the first did not do a great of job at setting up the universe or characters. By trying to pack so much into this movie, the folks at DC fail even more.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or 618-536-3325