Superheros worked great in the comic book format back in the golden and silver years, not to mention the modern age. However, translating all of the penciled and inked action from paper to the silver screen requires far more than just good acting skills: special effects of the highest level are a staple as one simply cannot use one’s imagination unlike reading from a comic book or a well worded page. Marvel has certainly got DC beat when it boils down to the cinematic universe, as you can count far more hits than flops from the former in recent times.
When the small screen is concerned, DC did gain the upper hand early on, with the likes of Smallville, Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, among others. Marvel must have studied their formula and realized that here is another golden goose that we would like to see lay its eggs, so why not?
ABC did go ahead with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and while it did pique the interest of many at the beginning, that interest level began to wane after a while, as the success from the big screen did not trickle all the way to the grassroots. Netflix stumbled upon a winner though with Daredevil, where the on-screen action was amazing and no one needed to wait for a couple of months for a season to be completed, since having enough time on your hands, you can complete the whole season in a single sitting.
The next huge hit from Marvel and Netflix would be the recently aired Luke Cage, and it does look like Marvel has gotten the hang of things, which is why not beat DC at their own game? Crossovers is something that DC and CW have gotten the hang of, where The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and Arrow do meet one another from time to time, so will there be an ABC and Netflix crossover which will star both the Man without Fear and Luke Cage.
Imagine the ratings in which such a crossover would hit -- it would be phenomenal. Of course, on paper for the fans it might sound pretty easy, but there are plenty of paperwork to iron out in the back end. Actors and actresses would want to make sure that they are getting paid for the additional amount of work that is required, while the ABC and Netflix too need to come to an agreement on how revenue is shared.
As for us fans, just make sure the legal eagles will be able to sort everything out in the back end! We do not really care who gets paid what, all that we want to see is Phil Coulson jump aboard the Quinjet to make that trip to New York in order to assist the Defenders, or perhaps to ferry one or two of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team members to Hell’s Kitchen in order to assist the solving of a mysterious crime. What do you think of crossovers, and how soon will we be able to see one? This would certainly be in line with Marvel's classic "What if?" series.
