The Dark Knight Rises vs The Avengers

The Dark Knight Rises has a more-than-impressive roster with the likes of Batman, Bane, Catwoman, Talia al Ghul, Jim Gordon, speculation over Ra's al Ghul in a flashback and who knows what other minor cameos we might spot. 

But, despite Bane being my favorite comic book character, that group simply can't compete with the impressively large group that will appear in Marvel's The Avengers. We've got *takes a deep breath*: Iron Man, Nick Fury, Loki, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, Mariah Hill and Agent Coulson. Then there's all of the speculation over Thanos, possible other cameos (Spider-Woman? Ant-Man?) and the "we're not Skrulls because that name is owned by Fox but we kind of are" aliens. 

Batman is a legendary hero for a reason and the rest of the cast is something to look forward to, but it just doesn't compete with the sheer diversity that Marvel's The Avengers is bringing to the table.

Winner: Marvel's The Avengers

Battle of the Toms! Will Tom Hardy's Bane be a more formidable villain than Tom Hiddleston's Loki? Seeing as one is a street level human and the other is a cosmic threat, a physical battle between the two would have a rather obvious outcome. But, that's not important. What is important is which will dominate the role as their respective film's antagonist.  Hiddleston already proved he can impress as Loki, providing what was disputably the best villain by Marvel Studios yet. His new determination will be a joy to watch, but his second-turn as a villain in a new franchise takes away from the allure of having a new villain to wow us. 

Yes, the threat Loki poses will be on a much larger scale, but Bane's introduction (appearing to be heavily influenced by Knightfall) seems to have a much heavier impact on the main hero. Both are going to be excellent to watch, but Bane was selected to conclude the epic Batman trilogy for a reason.

Winner: The Dark Knight Rises

I hold a great degree of respect for both directors. Joss Whedon has proven he's a genius when handling team dynamics (Buffy, Astonishing X-Men, Firefly) and Christopher Nolan has never failed to impress (Memento, Inception, Batman Begins). That said, there's a monumental amount of weight on Nolan's shoulders and people are expecting his final Batman effort to blow them away.  Whedon's ability to craft hilarious team banter just may be a wildcard that could play a major role when these films hit.  But, when it comes to comparing the overall work between the two, the films Nolan has directed definitely take the edge. 

Winner: The Dark Knight Rises

Both movies have a commendable amount of talented people. We're certain Christian Bale will still impress as Batman and we have high hopes for Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception). We're also curious to see how Anne Hathaway will fare as Catwoman and how much impact Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50, Inception) will have as John Blake. However, in spite of our confidence in their performances, there is simply no disputing that Robert Downey Jr. steals the show as Tony Stark. Then throw in Tom Hiddleston, Sam Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans (just to name a few) and it's clear which film takes this element.

Winner: Marvel's The Avengers