(In this day of the film industry being dominated by geek culture, it makes sense that some of the newer film and television adaptations could upset some of the older fans. This is not surprising, seeing as social media is filled to the brim with people who are so full of themselves that calling them egocentric would be an understatement. One of the biggest debates amongst this community is the not-so-recently developed “Comics vs. Movies,” something that despite being mostly trivial takes up an alarming amount of space on the internet. So, of the two sides, which one is most justified into taking up verbal arms in social media? It is time to find out.

Comics have been around since the 1800s, but they gained quite a bit of traction with the popularization of characters such as the iconic Batman, Superman and Spider-Man. As interest in these comics grew, the stories did as well, resulting in massive tales written over the course of decades that are constantly being updated with new plots and concepts. As comics grew more and more popular, culture began to latch on to them more than ever. This, of course, resulted in the creation of movies based on the franchises to monetize interest amongst fans.

So, what exactly is the problem with comic book movies? In earlier years, with Spiderman, Batman, X-Men and the sort being made into movie series, the general public was introduced to these characters en masse, making the characters more popular, but also making them more available for an average person to get involved with. This spark of interest unwittingly dumbed down stories that took years to develop in order to market to a wider audience. This led to conceptions of what it meant to be a fan of superheroes to vary from the original “comic book nerd,” which upset comic book nerds everywhere.

Eventually in the late 2000s, comic book movies took a different turn, introducing interlocking storylines between films and television shows, creating an all new story based on a story that was already written. This can be seen in both of the major comic book businesses, Marvel and DC. The newer movies, while staying more akin to the original comics, branch off into different directions of their own, creating plots and subplots that are modified from their comic book predecessors. Again, this upset comic book nerds everywhere, when suddenly average people were following a different yet similar story to the written ones they are used to.

So who wins in this debate, if there even is a clear victor? On one hand we see a group of people who have something they once loved trivialized by the masses, and on the other a group that is enjoying something that they would not have otherwise. Both have clear advantages and disadvantages, but the right answer is that it is all just a big pile of a samey type substance. Comics and movies are both pretty nerdy, so instead of fighting over which one is more nerdy, or whatever it is that people do, just be glad that culture has gone down a route that gives both sides a fair chance.