User blog comment:Nardragon/Justice League 2015/@comment-34954086-20121109022122/@comment-4928331-20121110160107

It's not about goofy-ness. Marvel heroes have always been more grounded than DC. Let's go through the lineup of the Avengers movie, and compare against a possible Justice League lineup.

Captain America - A scrawny kid who becomes powerful thanks to liquid steroids, military training, and an indestructible shield

vs. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) - A daredevil pilot who's so fearless that he's chosen to be part of an intergalactic police force, wielding an ring with power limited only by his imagination and the color yellow

Pretty obvious here that Cap's more grounded. It's easier to believe in Vibranium shields than Green Lantern rings and Jewish midgets in space.

Iron Man - Billionaire playboy industrialist who's a genius inventor with many toys

Against Batman - Billionaire playboy industrialist who's a genius inventor with many toys

TIED. However if you bring up comics Stark, who's got a drinking problem against Bruce's OCD personality, advantage goes to Stark. But then again if you bring out Extremis, advantage goes to Bruce. So, tied.

Hulk - Mild-mannered scientist who got caught in weapons experiment - becomes green monster when angry

vs. Superman - Mild-mannered reporter/blogger who's actually a space alien getting powers from a yellow sun

Let's face it, both are pretty unrealistic, but Hulk is more grounded and relatable because, unlike Superman's general public adulation, public reaction to Hulk is pretty much how we'd react too.

Thor - The Norse god of Thunder

vs. Martian Manhunter - An alien from Mars with telepathy, density shifting, phase shifting, Martian vision, flight, and super strength. Despite Mars' atmosphere being way hotter than Earth, is somehow weak against fire.

Again, both are obviously fictional characters. However Thor is a true-to-life mythic character, while Martian Manhunter sprang from the imagination of comic book guys. Thor's alter-ego takes a lot of grief compared to John Jones. Therefore Thor is more grounded.

Black Widow - A Russian super-spy

vs. Wonder Woman - An immortal Amazon Princess crafted from clay. Has a lie-detector lasso and a jet that's invisible.

Although Black Widow's skills are pushing the limits of believability, she is much more grounded than Diana.

Hawkeye - A really good archer

vs. Green Arrow - A really good archer who's actually a billionaire playboy in disguise. Despite his distinctive facial hair, he somehow never gets outed.

Hawkeye is more grounded. How many billionaires in real life run around in Robin Hood costumes?

Alternatives to Green Arrow:

Hawkman/Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl - aliens from outer space with fluffy wings and maces made from a strange alien metal

In just about ALL matchups, DC is much less grounded in the real world compared to Marvel. Not saying that this is necessarily BAD by itself, but I am saying that this makes it more challenging to adapt to the big screen.