Marvel's 'Squadron Supreme' Is A Direct Challenge To 'Justice League'
There have been reports that have hinted that Marvel might have been developing a project related to their own version of the 'Justice League,' i.e. 'Squadron Supreme.' Know the details.
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Since the start of its inception, MCU has put out 23 films. DCEU, on the other hand, has only managed to release a meager eight films under their belt.
Marvel's last two Avengers movies, Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019), alone earned a whopping 4.8 billion at the global box-office. On the other side, DCEU managed to secure just above 5 billion with its eight films combined.
And now, it looks as though Marvel is about to hit DC right where it hurts. The former is reportedly creating a project to challenge the latter's most valued and asset—Justice League.
There have been reports that have hinted that Marvel might have been developing a project related to their own version of the Justice League, i.e., Squadron Supreme.
Their Rivalry & History
DC and Marvel are two of the biggest comic book publishers in the world. Both these companies date back to almost around the same time—Marvel was formed in 1939, whereas DC was formed in 1934. Their rivalry extended beyond comics after the launch their own cinematic universes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was kick-started by Iron Man (2008) while the DC Extended Universe started with Man of Steel (2013).
In terms of legacy, Marvel gave the world iconic heroes such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, and Wolverine. On the other hand, DC birthed monumental figures such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Joker.
Who are the Squadron Supreme? Vs. Justice League
Squadron Supreme is a superhero team in the Marvel comics created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. The group consists of superheros such as Hyperion, Dr. Spectrum, Nighthawk, Power Princess, and Whizzer.
Hyperion is the Marvel equivalent of Superman with almost similar powers such as flight, superhuman strength, heat vision, and power-breath. Nighthawk is a Batman-equivalent superhero who lacks powers but has high-tech gadgetry in his arsenal.
Similarly, Dr. Spectrum's power gem offers him the power to manipulate the energy spectrum in a manner similar to Green Lantern. And Power Princess and Whizzer are equivalent to Wonder Woman and Flash, respectively, in terms of skill sets.
Marvel's 'Squadron Supreme' Is A Direct Challenge To 'Justice League'
On the comics side, the 'Justice League' made their first appearance in 1960 and have a more vibrant history than its Marvel counterpart, which first appeared in 1971.
But, DC failed to make a bigger impact with their own big-screen adaptation of the 'Justice League' in 2017 and have since put a halt to their shared universe idea.
And now, it seems that Marvel wants to show DC how to do a proper Justice League ensemble with their own version of the superhero team.
However, it hasn't been reported by anyone that if the reported project based on 'Squadron Supreme' will be a series or a movie.
Casting Rumors
Reports of Marvel courting Chris Pine for the role of Dr. Spectrum have been rising lately. Previously, Pine was originally in talks to play Green Lantern for the reboot film Green Lantern Corps. Pine played Steve Trevor in 2017 Wonder Woman.
In addition to Pine, Marvel is reportedly eying Brad Pitt for the role of the Squadron Supreme leader, Hyperion.
Superman (left) vs. Hyperion (Right)
It remains to be seen how DCEU will respond to this blatant challenge. In the meantime, expect to see Zack Snyder's original vision for the Justice League on HBO Max out on 2021.