The perennial rivalry between Marvel and DC often emerges as a contest between two competing groups of fans of either publisher. However, like Batman and The Joker, the two comic book giants, the House of Ideas and the Distinguished Competition, are one and the same in that they use and assist each other so as to remain as influential institutions in the society.
Separated at Birth: Aquaman vs. Namor
Marvel and DC have in the past been constructing characters and stories on similar ideas thereby prompting unique comparisons over the years. A Borapproximately includes the film versions of Aquaman and Namor who are both water-based heroes but have many things in common and everything finds them different.
As said by Ryan Coogler, director of films Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor, or rather the Wondrous Sub-Mariner was conceived after James Wan’s Aquaman. I co-wrote. Coogler recounted how Aquaman served as both a model and a sort of goal for them: How do we set about making a Namor feature and what sets him apart?
“I think the fact that Aquaman was out there, in cinema, and achieved a certain level of success on the market, was rather an indirect guidance. It assisted us to emphasis the factors that set Namor apart from Aquaman. For the sake of the audience – because a good number of people watched that picture and a big number of persons enjoyed it – we wanted to present the audience with something original, yet satisfying.”
Respecting the Market
Coogler stressed on the need to balance meeting the audience’s expectations while providing a novel interpretation.
“We had to put our heads down and be concerned with our film, but also had to consider what people in the industry wanted to see. If you can combine something good and something original, it is always good. We focused on those aspects that were different in the two characters given that their original comic source was quite similar.”
The Results Speak for Themselves
Though creative allusions to Aquaman were apparent, Wakanda Forever charted a different course. Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, was one of the highlights in the runner up which grew to $858 million — a respectable figure but shy of Aquaman’s original performance of $1.148 billion but still above its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which made just $434 million over the world.