One day you are presented with 2 doors: one leads to a real-life Marvel universe, the other to a real-life DC universe (the “primary” universe of each, so “Earth-616” in Marvel, and “Prime Earth” in DC for those of you who are going to get all technical).
You’ll not gain powers and become a superhero or villain, you’ll still just be you, but in the fictional (but now very much real) universe you chose. There is no returning to “normal” real life Earth.
Which door do you walk through?
Silver age DC.
If it has to be current comics, it’d be DC, but in a small town a long way from any city where heroes operate (and not in the swamps, either).
Ima gonna stay right here, thankyouverymuch. Too much collateral damage going on in either universe for my tastes.
Either one is too dangerous. I don’t want to be just out shopping one day, living my normal life, and somebody drops a building, or a whole city, on me. Not even for the greater good.
Even out in the country, some spacial anomaly could open up and send me to some strange alien world, or that antique box in the barn might be some ancient weapon and forces from different realms might decide to battle it out on my land. And just who is going to clean that mess up? You know it isn’t going to be them. They’re off having shawarma somewhere.
No thank you!
Yeah, I can’t see any advantage to being a regular dude in a world full of super powered gods throwing trains and buildings at one another.
Which one has Betty and Veronica?
I feel like it would be like living within a modern version of Greco-Roman mythology, minus the religious aspect of it. Life here is boring. I’ll go to Marvel, because I like their “gods” better, and go see some crazy shit. My life would probably be significantly shorter, but I suppose that’s the price to live in a fantastical world where the potential for literally anything is possible.
The potential for anything to happen is there but all that SEEMS to happen is bad stuff. You don’t get a flying scooter or cure for cancer, you just now have a greater-than-zero chance of a flying aircraft carrier crashing into your house and killing everyone you love.
I’d rather live in DC (1960s) because I’m familiar with their characters. But I want Proty to be my pet.
I think of it like The News: lots more mundane and good things happen all day every day, but they only tell you about the bad stuff, the worst stuff. There’s an amazing universe of endless wonders out there, but the comic book writers and artists only show us the bad stuff.
I think what would be really strange is that I would be walking around in constant amazement, but all of the other “regular” native inhabitants would just shrug most of it off as normal.
Me: “Aliens are destroying New York!!!”
Neighbor: sigh “Again?”
I want a ‘like’ button for this post.
I would choose the Silver Age DC Universe if forced. But I would be trying to get back here even if I had to go to Clark Kent, tell him that I have a problem that needs Superman. Then, once he did his usual denial of being Superman, I casually say: “You know, this might be too much for Superman. Maybe we should get your pals, Bruce, Hal, Diana, and Barry involved too. We don’t need to bother Oliver, though. I don’t what he could contribute.” And watch the mask drop. He’s used to people thinking he’s Superman and can handle that but toss the above revelation at him and I don’t think his self control would hold.
Depends a bit, you gave of the option between the two main universes but said nothing about eras within those realms. Could I, for example, choose the live in the distant future DC Earth oh the Legion of Superheroes?
If we’re limited to ‘now’, Marvel please.
This is really crazy because this exact question popped into my head while I was reading comics the other day and I had the idea to post this exact question. What are the odds?
I was thinking about this and given the choice I would prefer the DC Universe. The heroes in DC are bigger than life whereas the one sin Marvel are more grounded. I think if I had to live with them for real I would rather the super powered people be bigger than life.
ETA I remember what I was reading that inspired the question. In a recent Batman Comic a new tower just appears in downtown Gotham. I started thinking how that would feel if that happened in the real world. Just poof, here’s a new building with all glowy lights and stuff.
I’ll stick with what I’ve got. Life is tough enough without having it rebooted every other year.
I may not automatically gain powers, but how do you plan to stop me from becoming a supervillian once I get there? Even without powers there are clearly different fundamental laws of physics operating that have been manipulated by bigger schlubs than me.
Exactly! 
You are free to do whatever you please once you’re there, so if you have the wherewithal to go and seek some gamma rays or radioactive arthropods or enchanted talismans or whatever else to gain some powers and get into the game, go for it!
On the plus side that’s a great way to meet Zatanna. 'cause I’m thinking even the boy scout might be okay with a mind-wipe after that conversation.
I think I’d choose Marvel. Even as a mundy, I still remember where they “hid” a building made of solid gold after the Beyonder’s visit.
Marv-