W

e’re living in a golden age of comic book movies with more characters making their way to the big screen than ever before.

But years ago, comic book movies were a rarity. The critically slammed 1997 "Batman & Robin" put the genre on ice for some time. If a movie was based on a comic book, studios were less than forthcoming with that information. The next high-profile comic franchise was 2000’s "X-Men," which reinvigorated this style of movie; Sony’s "Spider-Man" solidified that superheroes could be viable in film again.

Now, Marvel Comics in particular is driving this trend. Though popular Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk have starred in films and TV shows since the 1960s, the publisher has dug into its portfolio over the past few years to make stars out of lesser-known characters like Iron Man and Daredevil. And as more characters become box-office draws, they’ve continued to exist in the same interconnected movie and TV universe.

Marvel’s biggest rival, DC Comics, is diving into the cinematic-universe-building business, too, but with a less cohesive strategy where its TV and movie worlds don’t intersect -- ever. Since there are only so many hours in a day, which universe should you invest your time and energy in? Let’s look at the players.

Olivia Munn is a superhero

Olivia Munn, who plays a badass mutant with serious martial-arts skills in the upcoming “X-Men: Apocalypse,” says there’s no need to label someone a nerd or geek because tech is everywhere.