Superman and Fantastic Four ignite rivalry among Marvel and DC comic fans

#TeamSuperman or #TeamFantasticFour? Photos: Handout

Comic fans are embracing the latest showdown between Marvel and DC as their superhero films Fantastic Four and Superman compete for box office dominance, reigniting a rivalry spanning over eight decades.

Whether it's the thrill of seeing the comic book superhero The Thing shout "It's clobbering time!" before throwing a punch or watching Superman and his faithful pup Krypto save the day, fans are heading to movie theatres to support their favourite films.

"Well, clearly I'm a Marvel fan," said Danielle Stroski, who was dressed as the shapeshifter character Mystique from Marvel's X-Men comics, at the San Diego Comic-Con.

"But I have a little white dog at home, so I love me some Superman as well. And I know the little white dog is stealing the show for Superman, so it's going to be close. But I got to go Marvel," she added.

The 42-year-old from California predicted Fantastic Four would outperform Superman at the box office.

DC fan Lito Loza, dressed as Superboy, voiced his support for Superman. "I've already seen 'Superman' three times, and I'm very, very happy with what James Gunn did with it. It makes me feel hopeful," he said, referring to the director.

The filmmakers encourage fans to support both movies.

"I'm a huge Superman fan. I'm a huge James Gunn fan. I'm thrilled that both of us are coming out this month," director Matt Shakman of Fantastic Four: First Steps said at the London premiere.

"I think we share a lot of similar optimism in our tone and our feeling in the worlds that we're building. And there's room for Superman, there's room for Fantastic Four. I'm thrilled. Go see both," he added.

Superman director Gunn, who directed the Marvel movie Guardians Of The Galaxy, said in an interview in Los Angeles that he grew up reading both Marvel and DC comic books, appreciating their distinct tones.

In theatres on July 11, Superman introduced David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The movie grossed around US$173mil globally and US$264mil domestically for a total of around US$437mil, according to Box Office Mojo.

Warner Bros has heavily invested in Superman, aiming to launch a new era at DC Studios under Gunn, who has been named co-CEO, alongside producer Peter Safran. Upcoming projects include a Supergirl film slated for June 2026 and a film based on the character Swamp Thing, as well as TV shows for HBO Max. 

Disney said on Saturday that by the end of Friday, Fantastic Four, which stars Pedro Pascal, had earned an estimated US$106.2mil globally, including US$57mil domestically and US$49.2mil internationally. – Reuters