Both the DC Universe and the MCU have just dealt with the same superhero movie problem that has caused controversies and generated complaints for decades of the genre’s history. Superhero movies are a multi-billion-dollar industry, with their increased growth over the years making figures like Batman and Captain America even bigger household names than they were before.
But this growth also comes in some ways with increased scrutiny, especially since the genre often runs the risk of repeating itself if those involved with these projects aren’t careful. However, it seems care has very much been taken to avoid one common superhero movie complaint in both the MCU timeline and the DCU timeline, setting a fascinating precedent.
Superhero Movies Have Shared One Common Complaint For Decades
Superhero Films Have Often Featured Wanton Destruction Of Cities Without Their Heroes Seeming Too Phased
Much like in the world of comics themselves, superhero movies often require a level of suspended disbelief in order for certain aspects of their stories – like the scientific mechanics of certain powers, or the logistics of certain moments. However, one such moment audiences have found impossible to ignore in prior years is that of the possibility of civilian casualties.
Having battles destroy entire buildings and span out over entire cities lets films certainly go all in when it comes to their action and the feats shown on-screen. That said, the thing about cities and buildings is that people tend to live in them, which creates some more complications for a movie when it’s showing some spectacular devastation.
Over the years, one of the most commonly discussed complaints regarding superhero movie protagonists’ behavior is that they have often paid little regard to whether a battle is taking place in a populated area that is thus likely to have tens if not hundreds of casualties. While some movies get flack about this more than others, it’s a pretty consistent note audiences have had for some time.
As such, it’s no surprise that the genre has had releases that more directly deal with this matter – as, for example, Captain America: Civil War‘s conflict is kicked off by collateral damage doled out by the Avengers. That said, 2025 has seen both the MCU and DCU directly solve this problem for two of their movies.
Superman & The Fantastic Four: First Steps Both Address The Superhero Movie Problem In The Same Way
2025 Is A Year Of Evacuations Galore
With audiences more than ever noting the potential lives lost and damage done during epic superhero fights, one obvious solution for movies wishing to show their heroes thinking ahead about this topic emerges: showing an evacuation. Both Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps show their respective main cities being evacuated, albeit for very different reasons.
Superman explores the threat of fights taking place in cities several times, including in its ending, wherein the decison is made for Metropolis to be evacuated when the heroes realize Luthor has made a black hole that will steadily eat away at the city unless both are stopped. As such, Superman and Ultraman’s fight is in a depopulated city.
Inversely, when the Fantastic Four realize they will need to draw Galactus to them in order to push him through a portal, they also realize the immense danger this would leave the people of New York in. As such, they instead enlist the help of Mole Man, and evacuate the citizens to Subterranea, where they can be safe underground.
Ultimately, both of these calls pay off. Superman and Mister Terrific are able to deal with Lex Luthor and the black hole – and roughly put Metropolis back together – and the Fantastic Four are able to exile Galactus to some far-off reaches in The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ ending, protecting New York and more broadly the world from him.
Superman & The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Release Dates Make Their Shared Approach All The More Interesting
July 2025 Was A Big Month In Terms Of Fixing This Superhero Movie Complaint
The fact that Marvel & DC’s two latest movies deal with this concept is by itself interesting, especially since both do so to underline how their heroes are factoring in human lives and the potential damage of their battles more. However, the fact these films released so close to each other makes this all the more striking.
Superman debuting on July 11, 2025 – and The Fantastic Four: First Steps releasing on July 25, 2025 – means these two installments released within the same month, bringing these similar story moments to the screen within weeks of each other. Ultimately, this makes both films taking the exact same route with their big fights almost impossible to ignore.
With an audience who are becoming increasingly used to superhero movies – and thus increasingly aware of the perceived flaws in their stories – it makes sense this moment can be found in both releases. As it stands, creating a realistic superhero story in the modern day arguably requires engaging with complaints like this, and showing the complications of being a hero.
It’s also worth noting that this works in both the DC Universe and MCU movies to establish their heroes’ moral forтιтudes. While their powers are beyond normal human capacity, making their first concern how to protect the average person reinforces the idea that these protagonists truly want to look after those around them, making their efforts more endearing by extension.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Created by
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Kevin Feige
- First Film
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Iron Man
- Upcoming Films
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ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Blade (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars
- First TV Show
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest
- Cast
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Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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DC Universe
- Created by
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Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
- First Film
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Man of Steel
- First TV Show
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Peacemaker
- Cast
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Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena
- Movie(s)
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Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold
- Character(s)
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Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
