Batman vs. Superman comes out a week from this Friday, and as you can imagine, DC loyalists are practically jumping up and down in excitement.

I’m a DC fan (I happen to think the Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the best ever), but deep down, my geek heart is loyal to Marvel. This debate has been raging for decades—who’s better between DC and Marvel?

Next week, I’m actually going to start a series of posts titled DC vs. Marvel, but you’ll hear more about that later. For now, it’s time to compare two of this year’s most highly anticipated movies.

And time for me to tell you why Civil War (CW) will surpass Dawn of Justice (DoJ).

Don’t throw me under the batmobile for that statement. Like I said, I love some of DC’s stuff, and I’m looking forward to DoJ. However, I’m convinced that when push comes to shove, CW will not only shine as a better movie, it will outperform at the box office.

Why do I say that—besides the fact that I’m partial to Marvel? Here are six reasons.

1. Track Record

Judging solely based on the number of movies released in the past ten years, Marvel has a proven track record of success. Not all their films have been hits, but several of them leaped into blockbuster territory. Fans love what Marvel is doing, and given the overwhelming success of movies such as The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, we’ve come to expect great things.

By comparison, what has DC done? Apart from the Dark Knight, DC’s showing has been lackluster. Marvel is clearly dominating the superhero slice of Hollywood and DC has a lot of catching up to do.

2. TV Show Support

This may seem trivial, but the fact that CW will tie into the third season of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a factor to consider. I don’t think it will make a huge difference in terms of box office numbers, but integrating CW with the events unfolding in the world of inhumans allows more buildup as each week carries us closer to May 6.

Look at two years ago, when Winter Soldier led to huge implications for S.H.I.E.L.D.—the organization and the show. I expect such a crossover again this time, which should strengthen CW because of the repercussions it causes across the MCU.

3. Originality

CW is going to give us something we haven’t seen yet: two teams of superheroes duking it out. Apart from the simultaneous joy and pain at watching some of our favorite characters face off on opposite sides of the “war,” such a plot is compelling because it’s completely different.

“But wait,” you might say. “Batman and Superman are going to fight, so Civil War won’t be original.”

Um…the trailers I’ve seen suggest otherwise, and that’s one of the main things that irks me about DoJ. You’d think it was going to be a duel between, as Lex Luther puts it, “son of Krypton versus bat of Gotham.”

Except, that’s only part of the story. In the end, they’ll join forces to battle Doomsday.

4. Characters

This is where CW rises head and shoulders above DoJ. As in, it’s not even a contest. By churning out so many films in the past few years, Marvel has given us a healthy dose of favorite characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow. We know them well, and thanks to the two Avenger movies, we’ve seen how they interact as a team.

As if trying to keep pace, DC is also throwing a bunch of superheroes into the story mix for DoJ. The difficulty, however, is that they don’t have previous history as do the Marvel characters. We haven’t seen them on screen before. They could mesh beautifully and give us the entertaining dynamic provided by the MCU squad, but that’s a risky expectation.

Marvel allowed each of the main characters to develop in their own movies before tossing them together and letting the fireworks explode. DC has opted to throw its beloved favorites into the arena without letting audiences form connections with each of the individual characters.

Both CW and DoJ are featuring the entrance of new characters, but again, Marvel has the edge, featuring the eagerly-awaited appearance of Spidey in the MCU, as well as the introduction of Black Panther.

5. Completion of Trilogy

Whereas DoJ isn’t connected to previous movies, CW is the final installment in the so-called trilogy featuring Captain America. Each movie has improved, which bodes well for this climax—in addition to the fact that it’s the climax. With promises of amazing things in store.

On top of that, CW is basically an Avengers movie without Thor and Hulk, and it has ties to the larger MCU. It’s positioned to be one the most epic, breathtaking Marvel productions to date.

DoJ may have the edge in that fans have been waiting a long time for the next DC film (absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 😉 ), but CW has momentum built up over several years and with more expansive implications.

6. Intangibles

This is a key part of the puzzle. The Russo brothers, who gave us an amazing film with Winter Soldier, are at the helm for CW, while instead of Christopher Nolan of the Dark Knight Trilogy acclaim, DoJ had to settle for Zack Snyder.

More importantly, the cast for CW stands out as the stronger of the two. They’ve already proven they can fit their roles well, which isn’t the case for the DoJ cast.

I’ve made my case. Let the conversation begin.

Who do you think will win the battle between Civil War and Dawn of Justice? I’d love to hear your thoughts.