‘Civil War’ Release Date Could Test ‘Batman V Superman’ Staying Power In Ultimate Marvel Vs DC Showdown
The Captain America: Civil War release date could prove to be the ultimate test for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In both films, popular superheroes clash over ideals they personally feel threaten their existence.
In the upcoming Captain America sequel, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) feels the need to defend his old friend James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) against government regulations that would place the Winter Soldier behind bars. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) feels the need to enforce the new regulations and ends up proclaiming war on his former ally.
In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the heroes are set up by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) to fight each other, goading the Dark Knight with newspapers covered in messages he believes were written by Clark Kent (Henry Cavill). He then convinces Superman to fight Batman (Ben Affleck) “to the death” by holding Clark’s mother hostage. What ends the fight is something you probably saw in the trailers.
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The latest Captain America movie is named Civil War after a similar plotline in the comics, which stretched across several different Marvel properties. Batman v Superman, meanwhile, is based on a fight that has spawned comic book fans’ debate for decades.
Iron Man isn’t set to fight Captain America until May, and that was originally the date when Batman was going to face off with Superman. This summer had been intended as the ultimate test of which film would earn the most revenue and answer the debate once and for all whether Marvel or DC has the superior cinematic universe.
Does Batman v Superman Affect Captain America: Civil War? #MarvelvDC #movies #Marvelrules https://t.co/1LuxsrfElR
— Sulbiet Bajramoski (@sbajramoski) March 30, 2016
Going by reviews from critics, it might seem obvious that Cap has the upper hand, having been among the best superhero series in the MCU. BvS didn’t fare so well, with critics giving it a pre-release average review score of less than half of what Deadpool received. It might be worth mentioning that critics are paid to watch new films, whether they might like them or not, and they can be jaded. They have almost literally seen it all, and the movie is up against cinematic competition such as Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. The Captain America: Civil War release date could easily offer the most critically hated film in MCU history. We don’t know yet.
Critical opinions seems to have little sway, however, as Batman v Superman appears to be setting new box office records. There are still people who didn’t consider the film to be that great, but that didn’t stop Transformers: Age of Extinction from being a box office success.
The Captain America: Civil War release date could be what truly challenges the DC powerhouse film’s standing among comic book fans. It is a comic book movie event which, much like February’s Deadpool, gives the fans what they’ve been waiting years for. The same could be said for Dawn of Justice, as the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel have never fought on the big screen before.
X-Men: Apocalypse could also offer the same challenge, although it’s technically a Fox Studios project just like Deadpool. With Bryan Singer behind the film, it could end up being the franchise finale that buries both Civil War and Dawn of Justice on its release date.
Will the Captain America: Civil War release date be what dethrones Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at the box office? We will know this May when the ultimate Marvel vs. DC rivalry hits.
[Image via Warner Bros. Pictures, Marvel Studios]
