The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics are some of the most recognizable entertainment franchises in American media today. With a fan base ranging in all ages, genders and races, Marvel characters are loved by many.

A multitude of Marvel fans, freshmen Nicole Tracy included, actually prefer the franchise over DC not because of the comics but because of the motion pictures.

Their opinion is not uncommon among the Marvel fandom. For many fanatics, the MCU films attracted them, not the comic books. Like Tracy, junior Brian Sawaya loves how Marvel has made the entire MCU a consecutive, interwoven reality.

“It’s really cool that Marvel has a grand timeline and the plots from all the movies tie into each other,” Sawaya said.

On top of harmonious storylines, Marvel is further praised for their casting and cinematic signatures, in regards to soundtracks and characters’ backgrounds.

“I feel like Marvel always strikes it good with casting, like with Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Pratt as Starlord,” junior Vincent Elloso said,

Elloso’s observation is in stark contrast to DC Films, who had conflict circling around the announcement that Robert Pattinson would be the new Batman.

More issues stirred in DC territory as watchers of the 2016 “Suicide Squad” or the 2020 “Birds of Prey” argued that Harley Quinn was inconsistent in her written character.

“In ‘Suicide Squad,’ her character was written by a man, so she was overtly sexual to appease male audiences. But in ‘Birds of Prey,’ she feels completely different,” Elloso said. “The whole cinematic universe of DC is just inconsistent and messy.”

Tracy also pointed out that they love the Marvel fandom specifically for the welcoming community of fellow enthusiasts.

“I love the fandom of Marvel… I follow fan accounts and meme accounts, and they’re so friendly to talk about movies, comics, shows and rumors for future Marvel projects with,” Tracy said.

According to Tracy, Spotify playlists based on MCU characters or specific MCU films are becoming popular among fans.

“The fandom who makes them are just amazing. They really know how to pick songs that remind you of the movie or character,” Tracy said.

Because of their relatable and diverse characters in both the films and comics, Marvel is able to charm an entire range of audiences.

“I like Thor the best. He’s the most relatable because he got lazy after ‘Infinity War’ and played video games all day,” Sawaya said.

Similar to Sawaya, Elloso’s favorite superhero is Spiderman. Much of the Marvel fandom note their comfort characters to be their favorite because they found common ground in their similarities, despite them being fictional.

“He is a teenager like me, just trying to figure out life too,” Elloso said.

Many believe Marvel always keeps their audience lured in by promising new content consistently. Through platforms like Disney Plus, Marvel promoted their releases, such as “Loki” and “Falcon & the Winter Soldier” and “The Eternals,” which is coming to theaters this November. This is in comparison to DC, whose film premieres usually have gaps of several years.

Sophomore Bella Acuna said she admired Marvel because of how their franchise extended beyond just films. Marvel owns multiple comics, toys, video games and merchandise that the fans can further obsess over.

Many fans love to grow their merchandise collection. Tracy for example, has already stacked her shelves to the brim with rows of Marvel Funko Pops. Acuna is growing her assemblage of Marvel graphic shirts and a Spiderman comics backpack.

What makes Marvel special to many is not only the products of their franchise, but the impact they have on their fans.

“It’s how the crowd would thrill over something on the screen,” Elloso said. “It’s just a spectacular feeling, to feel all the love for the characters and movie.”