AL-GREENE: Marvel dominates DC Comics on the big screen

Marvel is winning this summer.

In case you hadn't noticed, the multiplexes are packed with superhero fare this season. We've already seen "Thor," "X-Men: First Class" and "Green Lantern," with "Captain America: The First Avenger" still to come July 22. Next year will bring several more comic adaptations, including a new "Superman," a new "Spider-Man," the next "Batman" and the long-awaited "Avengers."

That means Marvel will be the first of the two major comic book companies to release a crossover film. For those who don't speak geek, the Avengers are Marvel's resident supergroup, and the film will see Iron Man, Thor and Captain America teaming up on screen at last.

A "Batman/Superman" or "Justice League" movie has been talked about plenty, but Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" will hit theaters next year, leaving DC looking a little lame as its big heroes have yet to meet on the big screen. This is a concerted effort Marvel has been making for years — hints were dropped as early as "Iron Man" that the next five, count 'em, major Marvel movies would culminate in a crossover, and then a possible "Avengers" franchise that would only continue raking in the bucks.

It's not too shocking that Marvel is reaching that milestone first: There have been 23 films featuring Marvel characters since 2000 (including the straight-to-video "Man-Thing"). For DC, only seven. And while Marvel's wide field of productions has yielded some turds, DC isn't squeaky clean either. For every "Dark Knight," there's a "Green Lantern."

This summer has seen "Thor," a movie about a Marvel-ized Norse god, hit theaters. Thor is a tough pill to swallow. Who but the worthiest of nerds would embrace such an obscure character? Yet Marvel Studios' CEO Avi Arad must have known the real importance of "Thor." If "Avengers" is going to be a success, every step along the way needs to be accessible and fun.

That's why "Captain America" is such an important film for Marvel: One of its oldest and, by extension, most dated characters is finally getting a feature film, the last big Marvel flick before "The Avengers." Sure, we'll see the "Ghost Rider" sequel first, but no one's expecting that film to go home with an Oscar. So, to some degree, the success of "The Avengers" relies on Cap, a blatantly over-patriotic WWII-era film. A tough sell, maybe, but if Marvel does half as well as it already has this summer, there'll be asses in the seats.

I know I'll be there.

bobalgreene@dailynebraskan.com