In July 2025, the two largest comic book publishers, DC and Marvel, released two movies that many people were waiting for. Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps! Both fans and the film industry got a fresh new look at what the two industries have for us, and what they hold for everyone in the future. Both movies intend to give their audience a refreshing, lighter-toned experience with more vibrant colors, a different plot, symbolism, and bring forward new characters never seen on the big screen before. These two movies were released around the same time, which brings up the question: which one is better?
Let’s get more specific. Which one is more favored, appreciated, and hyped? Which film was made and planned more thoroughly? Let’s start with Superman.
The film starts off in an outlandish Arctic region, briefly explaining the timelines of every major event in Superman’s life. A few moments later, Superman comes crashing down, appearing injured and unable to move. He whistles, and a super dog, Krypto, comes to bring Superman back to his base called the “Fortress of Solitude.” His base emerges from the ground, and he is taken in by his robot companions. They start a procedure to heal him rapidly with an amplified dose of the sun. He gets back into shape and heads out to fight a foe called “The Hammer of Boravia.” The opening scene ends with a shot of him flying along with dynamic angles. Most DC fans are used to the darker tone Zack Snyder has portrayed in the DCEU, and some fans even like a dark DC Universe. Many people managed to enjoy this bright, new, colorful, and non-serious look at Superman.
Superman was great and well directed, but it still had a competitor coming out 14 days after its release, Fantastic Four: First Steps. Marvel fans were very excited since they hadn’t watched anything about the Fantastic Four in years.
This film begins with a handheld camera view of the group: Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Jonathan Storm, and Ben Grimm preparing for a space mission, where they later encounter a cosmic storm outside the atmosphere. After getting back from their encounter with the storm, they were all different in “fantastic” ways. Reed Richards gained the ability to be more elastic and stretchy. Sue Storm can create spatial and almost completely transparent force fields, which allow her to become invisible. Jonathan Storm was able to set himself ablaze with the major abilities of flight and controlling fire. Ben Grimm’s body was completely transformed into a rock-like substance, but he became almost twice as big and more than twice as strong as the average human.
The film then shows a montage of the many ways they’ve benefited the city and people’s safety. Together they became the “Fantastic Four.” The opening ends with them standing on a platform in uniform and ready for their next mission. Marvel fans were very satisfied with this project; they had been waiting for something refreshing like this.
Many fans on both sides loved both films, but to assess which one was better is difficult. DC fans mention the shift in tone for both Zack Snyder’s Superman, and not everyone likes it. Yet James Gunn’s Superman did bring a message to everyone, and it was very symbolic. Meanwhile, Marvel fans liked the fact that they got a movie that didn’t involve any of the characters they’ve seen already. The movie wasn’t just good, it was emotional and suspenseful; the Fantastic Four isn’t just a group of heroes, it’s a family that is brought together to solve problems. Overall, Superman was more symbolic and brought more hope to its fans. Fantastic Four: First Steps was emotional and brought together families to watch it.
