According to PBS.org, superheroes really became popular in the late 1930s and the 1940s. This is considered to be the "Golden Age of Superheroes", with Superman leading the era with his creation in 1938. Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and other heroes followed soon after and Detective Comics (or known now as DC Comics), paved the way for stories about costumed characters fighting crime. Marvel came next with its first publication featuring The Human Torch in 1939 and iconic characters like Captain America, Iron Man and more soon followed after.
Though Marvel and DC are both in the same industry, and at one point used the same distribution company in the 1950s, (according to an article from CBR.com), fans of the two companies feel like there are major differences between them, often citing that these differences make one better than the other. A rivalry has developed between the two over the year. Whether it's simply between fans or individual writers of the comics one thing is absolutely certain; there are hardcore fans for Marvel, hardcore fans for DC and people who like both. Some people like to use the success of Marvel movies to show that Marvel is better. And, at least according to this article from movieweb.com, the numbers don't lie with Marvel earning $40 million in the box office vs DC's $20 million. But that can soon change with DC's upcoming movies.
So, no matter where a person falls on that scale, they just might find this article of 15 places for Marvel fans to visit and 10 for DC fans to visit an enjoyable read.
25 Marvel Fans: Edwards Air Force Base - Kern County, California
We start our list off with a movie location from both Iron Man and Iron Man 2. The first movie was filmed at the Edwards Air Force base in California, with, according to the U.S. Air Force website "about a dozen of Marines and some of the Air Forces' new aircrafts" being featured in the film as well. The base plays as a location for a number of scenes in both movies. Any Marvel Fan can tour the base for free but, as outlined by the Edwards Air Force Base website, reservations are required and fill up pretty quickly.
24 DC Fans: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Back in 2013, the Cleveland Hopkins Airport opened up a Superman exhibit. Most Superman fans might know this, but the iconic "Man of Steel" was created in Cleveland by co-creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel in 1933. The exhibit was created by the Siegel and Shuster Society and with the donations from Superman fans, according to the Cleveland.com website.
The display has a statue of Superman and several images from different sources including home movies created by Siegel and Shuster.
Any DC fan making a stop at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport should be sure to stop here.
23 Marvel Fans: Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters - Ontario, Canada
Anyone who is a fan of the 2000 X-Men movie might just recognize this Canadian estate. The Parkwood Estate has been used for several different film locations, according to Durhamregion.com. But for X-Men fans, it is most recognizable as Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where the X-Men reside. Outside of film, the Parkwood Estate is a National Historic Site of Canada as it is the home of R.S. McLaughlin, the founder of General Motors of Canada. According to the Parkwood Estate website, it hosts a number of events and tours that can be taken during most of the year.
22 Marvel Fans: Marvel Superhero Island - Universal, Orlando
Disney might own the rights to Marvel, but fans of Marvel visiting Universal Studios can still experience a fan's dream by visiting the Marvel Superhero Island. It is one of Universal's themed islands that features rides and attractions based on our favorite Marvel superheroes and supervillains.
There are plenty of thrilling and exciting rides to get a fan's heart pumping, like the Incredible Hulk Coaster and the indoor 3D simulator ride the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman.
And according to touringplans.com, the Marvel heroes take to the streets during parades, greeting guests. It's a must-visit destination for any Marvel fan.
21 DC Fans: DC Universe - Six Flags Magic Mountain
While Marvel has its superhero-themed park at Universal, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California features the DC characters in their own themed section of the park called DC Universe. What was once Gotham City Backlot, which according to thecoasterguy.com was a "dark and dingy area is now colorful and vibrant".
It features several rides themed after our favorite heroes and villains of the DC Universe including The Flash: Speed Force.
There's also a place to get pizza dubbed Teen Titans Tower Pizza and a number of sights and decorations that give nods to various things within the DC Universe.
20 DC Fans: The Super Museum - Metropolis, Illinois
Ever wanted to travel to a location featured in a DC comic or movie? There might not be a real "Gotham City" but there is an actual Metropolis that is "home" to Superman, technically. In Metropolis, Illinois is the Super Museum that, according to their website, has "the world's largest collection of Superman" memorabilia. It features over 70,000 Superman items, collected by Jim Hambrick, the museum's founder. It has every Superman toy imaginable, movie props and more from the Superman movies and television series. It also has one of the only remaining Superman costumes worn by George Reeves himself!
19 Marvel Fans: Black Panther - High Museum Of Art - Atlanta, Georgia
When filming for the Marvel movie Black Panther, a lot of the scenes were filmed in Georgia.
The museum scene that featured Killmonger stealing an artifact made of Vibranium from the Museum of Great Britain was one of them.
The scene actually took place at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. While the High Museum doesn't have any actual artifacts from Wakanda, it is the host to a growing collection of African-American art along with, as told by their website, "more than 15,000 works of art in its permanent collection".
18 DC Fans: Batman recruits Aquaman - Djupavik, Iceland
There are quite a few reasons to visit Iceland, according to guidetoiceland.is. Experiencing things like the Northern Lights, The Midnight Sun and Iceland's Geothermal Baths are just a few of the things the country has to offer. And apparently being the home to a member of the Justice League is one of them! DC fans might remember that the Justice League movie, that came out November 2017, featured Jason Momoa as Aquaman. When Batman went to recruit him he found him in the small rural village of Djupavik, Iceland's least populated region, according to nypost.com.
17 Marvel Fans: Stark's Resto Cafe - Chennai, India
Now Stark's Restro Cafe in India probably isn't what Iron Man would have in mind, but it will probably please most Marvel fans that visit it. This Avengers themed cafe has a few statues of members of the superhero team that they can dine with, including the Hulk, Captain America, Spider-Man and, of course, Iron Man himself. According to Yooying.com, the cafe offers Marvel themed specials like "Spider's Sunday" that offers unlimited pizza for a low price, and Avengers themed mugs for coffee. There's also open mic events for stand-up comedians and live performers.
16 DC Fans: Wonder Woman - Themyscira - Amalfi Coast, Italy
Wonder Woman came out in 2017 and is the fourth movie of the DC Extended Universe. Before she became Wonder Woman she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons who resided on a hidden island called Themyscira. Themyscira from the movie and comics might be a fictional place, but luckily where the movie was filmed isn't. And any DC fan traveling to Italy could find themselves visiting the beautiful Amalfi coast. It is a World Heritage site according to LonelyPlanet.com. Amalfi Coast offers a number of things to do, including admiring the architecture and arts of the coast, according to TripAdvisor.
15 Marvel Fans: Loki's speech - Cleveland Public Square
In The Avengers, a team of super-powered heroes comes together to put an end to Loki's plans to start an alien invasion of the planet. In one scene Loki makes a grand speech in Stuttgart, Germany where Captain America first encounters him. The scene actually took place in Cleveland, Ohio in the city's Public Square. According to the Cleveland website, the crew for the movie had transformed the public square to make it resemble Stuttgart, but there is no mistaking the Terminal Tower in the background, which is the second largest building in the city.
14 Marvel Fans: The dark world attack - Old Royal Naval College - London, England
In Thor: The Dark World Thor teams up with Loki to save the Nine Realms and stop the Dark Elf Malekith. Part of the film takes place on Earth, specifically in London, with scenes filmed in their actual locations. This includes the Old Royal Naval College. According to their website, the climactic battle between Thor and Malekith was filmed on their lower grand square. Thor: The Dark World isn't the only movie to have used the Old Royal Naval College, Les Miserables, Cinderella and many more movies have been filmed there as well!
13 DC Fans: DC Superhero Cafe - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Some of the places on this list aren't officially licensed by either company, but this cafe in the Sunway Putra Mall in Kuala Lumpur actually is! And, according to vkeong.com, not only does the cafe decor have tons of cool memorabilia of DC's characters, the menu is inspired by them as well!
Fans can order different meals like the Wonder Woman Special that has the heroes' logo printed on a sandwich bun and a lot of different drinks as well.
Who wouldn't want to sip on a "King of Atlantis" Yuzu juice or a "Smallville Cafe Mocha"?
12 Marvel Fans: Seattle's Museum Of Pop Culture - Marvel: Universe Of Superheroes
Back in April, Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture added the Marvel: Universe of Superheroes exhibit that, according to Nerdist.com, features over 300 props, original comic pages, and costumes. Fans can gaze in awe at an original piece of production art from the very first issue of Marvel Comics, and geek out over costumes and props actually used in Marvel films and television shows like Guardians of the Galaxy and Luke Cage. The exhibit is only around until January 6, 2019, so any Marvel fans wanting to go should book a ticket to Seattle soon!
11 Marvel Fans: spider-man: Homecoming - Washington Monument - Washington DC
Spider-Man: Homecoming gave us a deeper look into the MCU's Spider-Man. Holland's Peter Parker is a high school student that tries to balance being a superhero and daily life as a teen. In Homecoming we see those two aspects of his life clash as he ends up having to rescue his classmates and teacher from a damaged elevator in the Washington Monument. While the Washington Monument is currently closed until the Spring of 2019, according to Washington.org, people can still visit it from the outside.
10 DC Fans: Gotham City Lounge - Bushwick, New York
Ever wonder what kind of lounge our favorite superheroes would want to relax in after saving the day? Well, we think the Gotham City Lounge might just be the place they'd visit. According to Thrillist.com, this bar might not be big on space but its big on character and is probably a geek's haven when it comes down to wanting to enjoy a few adult beverages. This Lounge in Bushwick New York isn't officially licensed by DC but it's decorated from one end to the other with images and memorabilia of the DC heroes and other characters.
9 Marvel Fans: Guardians of the galaxy - Liege-Guillemins Railway Station - Liege, Belgium
Guardians of the Galaxy came out in 2014 and featured a crew of intergalactic misfits coming together to keep an Infinity Stone out of the hands of evil. Most of the movie takes place in space and on alien worlds that don't exist, but there is one place from the movie that just might delight Marvel fans. If the Liege-Guillemins Station looks familiar it's because the exterior of Xander Plaza was molded after the modernistic train station. According to Dezeen.com, the train station was designed by Spanish architect Santiago, Calatrava made with vaulted glass and a steel canopy.
8 Marvel Fans: Iron-Man - Caesars Palace Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada
In the first Iron Man movie, Tony Stark comes off as pretty self-centered. One example of this self-centeredness is when he ditched going to an awards ceremony at Caesars Palace where his friend James Rhodes was going to present him with an award. But instead, he decided to gamble at the casino. We can't blame him for taking a little detour with all that Caesars Palace has to offer? Not only is Caesars Palace a hotel and a casino but it offers, according to its website, a number of restaurants and shows.
7 DC Fans: Hall Of Heroes Museum - Elkhart, Indiana
The Hall of Heroes in Elkhart Indiana isn't a DC exclusive museum but any DC fan will find that the museums host a number of DC related attractions that would be hard to find anywhere else. According to the museum's website, HallofHeroesMuseum.com, it has a copy of the first issue of Sensation Comics, which tells the origins of Wonder Woman.
It also has Adam West's personal Batman costume from the 70s and 80s.
There's Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern ring for the 2011 movie and there's even wooden Superman doll, the first ever Superman action figure, that was made in 1939!
6 Marvel Fans: Black Panther - Iguazu Falls - Argentina/Brazil
Sadly there isn't an actual African nation of Wakanda that Marvel Fans can visit, but there are a few real-world places within the movie Black Panther that can be visited. The "Warrior Falls" where T'Challa became the ruler of Wakanda and heir to the Black Panther, was based on the Iguazu Falls that border Argentina and Brazil. It is the second tallest waterfall in the world, only shorter than the Victoria Falls that border Zambia and Zimbabwe and is, according to CNN.com, "nearly twice as tall as Niagara Falls".