[quote]They would still have made money if they took their time.[/quote]

While yes, they would have but they cannot allow the market be unchallenged. They need to define competition so they can make more money than they would if they took their time.

Hell, if the first JLA movie had happened it would've been right around the first Avengers movie's time (maybe before) if I recall correctly... but Nolan wasn't playing ball and other factors made the project die out.