The release of "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is only a few days away. It will open on March 25 and will be arguably one of the most important movie releases in the history of cinema. I know that seems hard to believe, but hear me out.

DC comics owns the rights to the most famous comic book characters of all time. You can try to contend that, but you’ll fail. Before 2008, only comic book fans knew who Iron Man or Thor or Captain America were. Sure the ‘90s TV show made the X-Men household names and Spider-Man was one of the most popular superheroes ever created, but they never measured up to the names DC had in its roster. Even before superhero movies rose to mainstream prominence in the early 2000's, every kid in grade school knew Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Maybe they didn’t know their origin stories or background details, but they knew Superman was the physical embodiment of the American Dream and objective morality, Batman was the brooding vigilante who was done letting crime rule the streets of his city and that Wonder Woman was… a woman who was wonderful (the comic book industry hasn’t done a great job of marketing their female characters).

But that notoriety began to change in 2008. That was when "Iron Man" was released and showed everyone exactly what Marvel Comics were all about. Marvel superheroes had appeared in films before most notably the Bryan Singer X-Men movies and the Sam Rami Spider-Man trilogy, but this was the first time Marvel had creative control over their own license. They pooled their resources into hiring a fantastic director (Jon Favreau) and picking out the perfect cast (you know who he is). They delivered a fun, well-paced action movie that demonstrated the strengths of the comic source material in a fully-realized visual medium. It was a huge hit and suddenly Iron Man and Marvel were viable contenders with the DC movie industry.

DC has a long history with films that intriguingly parallel each other. The first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies are silly but legendary, but when they tried to bring in Richard Pryor as comic relief the franchise collapsed on itself. Even the attempted reboot with Brandon Routh in 2006 was panned by critics and audiences alike. Similarly, the Tim Burton Batman movies are cinematic classics, marked by terrific casts and an endearingly eerie atmosphere. But when Burton and Michael Keaton left the project to be replaced by Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer, the result was unacceptably campy and was rejected by all but the youngest of audience members. Aside from those two franchises, DC was mostly dead on the silver screen until they handed the reigns of a Batman reboot to a relative newcomer named Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is best known for the second film, "The Dark Knight", and Heath Ledger’s almost mythic performance as the film’s antagonist.

"The Dark Knight" also came out in 2008, a mere two months after "Iron Man." It even made more money, almost $200 million more domestic. But "Iron Man"had something Nolan couldn’t deliver: a promise. At the end of "Iron Man"was the first of the now-staple post-credit scenes. For thirty seconds after the credits rolled, Samuel L. Jackson appeared (in a role that was literally designed for him) and promised something incredible, something mighty, something completely unheard off. He promised a shared movie universe. He promised that, similar to the comics where many characters exist in the same fictional reality, more films would come and introduce more heroes that would simultaneously share a film world. In his own words, we had “become part of a bigger universe.” For years afterward, the world watched in amazement as Marvel Studios delivered three more films, "Iron Man 2," "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger." Each one was a bigger hit than the last and built on the initial promise, adding layer and atmosphere to the quickly growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. The tension finally broke in 2012 with the release of "The Avengers." The covenant between film studio and movie-going audience was fulfilled in a spectacular blaze of glory headed by the god of geekdom, Joss Whedon himself.

Meanwhile, DC began to struggle. Nolan’s conclusion to his trilogy was passable, but couldn’t live up to Ledger’s legacy and their attempt at a Superman reboot in 2013 was met with polarizing reviews. After watching Marvel’s runaway success with the shared universe concept, DC grit its teeth and declared it was going to do the same thing, slating in a long-awaited Batman-Superman movie and lining up a movie based on its most successful comic, Suicide Squad.

Which brings us, more or less, to the present day, an age where Marvel has not only changed comic book movies but changed our society. It’s not unusual to know detail about these characters and stories, it’s the norm. You don’t have to have read the comics to understand who Black Widow is because Marvel has made movies that respect her as a character, giving her development and arcs that viewers can easily identify with and recognize. In essence, Marvel used a simple formula to create quality comic book movies: take a character from a comic book, put it in a movie, focus on the character and what makes him or her interesting aside from their superpowers, have them interact with the world around them and don’t change a damn thing.

DC sort of knows this formula, but they can’t seem to catch a break with it. Nolan’s Batman movies were good, but they were more cop dramas with an edge than actual comic book movies and "Man of Steel"had the flaw of being directed by Zack Snyder. Zack Snyder shouldn’t make movies. Ever. He’s the thinking man’s Michael Bay. Which is like being the smartest kid in first grade.

So, why then is the "Batman v. Superman" release so important? Because it will be the moment when the eternal comic book question is answered. Not who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman, but which is the better comic book company, Marvel or DC. This is also the best opportunity DC has for a comeback as the MCU is beginning to show its cracks. "Antman"was good but was the second lowest grossing Marvel Studios film since 2008 and while "Captain America: Civil War" looks amazing it also looks more like Avengers 2.5 than a stand-alone Captain America movie. If DC is going to solidify itself as a contender, if it wants to remind us of why we love Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, it needs to do it now, when the MCU is beginning to falter and when superheroes are the action movie standard.

Because if people walk out of the theaters after the first midnight screenings and don’t feel the spark of hope these heroes are supposed to inspire, it will mean that not only does DC not know how to handle the characters and licenses they own, but maybe they never did. The validity of the old Keaton Batman movies and Reeve Superman films might be called into question. We might be willing to overlook Marvel’s growing flaws because hey, at least, it’s not a god-awful Justice League movie.

I know this all sounds like I’m attacking DC, but I’m really not. As a comic book nerd myself, I actually prefer DC, just not enough to ignore its failings. To me, DC represents the old adage of comics book heroes being the modern myths. Superman isn't just an alien demigod, he represents the hope of immigration. And ultimately, that's what separates Marvel and DC. Marvel is a comic book company, DC is a religion. But just like in any religion, if the pantheon of heroes DC has collected don't live up to their legends, then the congregation will lose faith.

So here it is DC, my final ultimatum. Marvel has consistently kicked your butt in the movies, and while you still hold the crown when it comes to comic book TV shows and video games, it’s only a matter of time before Marvel catches up and overpasses you in those areas too. This is your last chance, a final shot to prove once and for all that you know what you’re doing, that these characters are not only in the right hands but the best hands. Zack Snyder directed it, which doesn’t bode well, and Jesse Eisenberg looks like he’s on coke in the trailers, but Gal Gadot is a natural-born badass and Jared Leto looks like a solid successor to Ledger. I’ll pay for my ticket, DC, but understand that if this movie doesn’t deliver in a big way, it’ll be the last time I give you my money.