Absolutely.
As for who's taken the most chances, Marvel has certainly taken more chances in terms of the number of characters they've brought to the screen, but Warners has taken more chances in terms of the tone and style of their films. And I include in that films actually based on comic books, like Superman Returns, 300, and Watchmen, as well as comic book style films like Speed Racer and the upcoming Sucker Punch.
The thing about Warner Bros is that despite all of the criticism from fans who are hyper-focused on superhero films, and who therefore judge the studio primarily based on their output within the genre, they're actually the most stable and consistently successful studio in Hollywood. Of course they've made some bad films and had some big flops - as all major studios have - but they're nevertheless the most solid outfit in town. But the two guys who have been at the top of the totem pole for a long, long time - Alan Horn and Barry Meyer - don't really have a feel for films that skew edgy or for geek cinema, so their output in that arena has been hugely hit and miss based on whether they give the greenlight to producers and directors who know what they're doing or not.
Now, Horn and Meyer are retiring next year and power has been flowing more into Jeff Robinov's hands over the last couple of years in preparation for him taking over Horn's job. Robinov has sensibilities that skew a lot younger and are much more geek-friendly. He championed the reorganization that led to the formation of DC Entertainment. So the past is prologue and we'll see where we go from here.
