Compared to the MCU, theDCUhas failed to maintain a clean franchise that produces persistently good films that serve a greater story. Starting from the beginning,Man of SteelandWonder Womanweren’t all that bad, butmajor decisions made within bothDawn of JusticeandJustice Leaguereally hurt DC’s reputation in making a cinematic universe.
Stepping in as the new co-CEO of DC, James Gunn has brought a new game plan to clean up the mess that is theDCUwith titles that will be brought to both the big and small screen. While this is a big feat for Gunn to conquer, it might prove to be even more difficult if he doesn’t have the support of the DC fanbase backing him up.
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While there are still loyal fans to the DC film franchise, Gunn will have to win back the dedications from both the fans who are skeptical of him, and of the fans who have completely left behind the DCU before he came on board. However, some of those fans are still lovers of DC in general, so he does have a shot at reviving this franchise to it’s truest potential.
Fans Are Already Skeptical About James Gunn
The DCU already had an established storyline with the formation of the Justice League. However, Gunn’s plan for the future of the DCU is to totally reboot it and virtually scrap what has already been made canon, stating that the start of the new DCU was withThe Flashin which the franchise was first introduced to the multiverse.
While fans are skeptic about whether it’s a good idea to start from scratch, a lot of skepticism also comes fromGunn’s tendency to re-utilize actors for different rolesthroughout his many productions. Fans accuse Gunn of favoritism in this aspect and think Gunn is unwilling to invite new talent in his films.
However, directors do this all the time. For example, Christopher Nolan with Cillian Murphy, or Quentin Tarantino with Samuel L. Jackson. So who’s to say it’s necessarily a problem? Gunn responded to the skepticism saying that recasting actors from previous projects is advantageous to directors in their mutual understanding of their movie-making and allowing more room in one’s creative freedom. So, while skepticism is somewhat warranted, it may be too early for anyone to bash Gunn and his decisions.
General Audiences May Have Lost Faith in DC Movies
The MCU built such a strong fanbase after the firstAvengersmovie, because they did such a good job inbringing all these heroes togetherafter solidly establishing who they were within their respective solo films. DC, however, struggled with this and seemed to rush into theJustice League, having only released a Superman and Wonder Woman movie. Right away the fanbase shrunk for DC.
The DC did their best to try and revamp the franchise withAquaman,Wonder Woman 1984, andShazam!, but to no avail. A big issue with these films is the audience struggles to take these characters seriously, as the comedic aspects of the films are way overboard sometimes. Thus, the viewers' ability to care for the heroes is diminished, and suddenly the film doesn’t feel like a DC movie anymore.
These fans who have lost faith in the franchise are going to be the hardest to win back on Gunn’s part. So, perhapsscrapping the previous storyline is the right move, allowing the franchise to start over again with a clean slate.
Gunn Has Delivered Great DC Content in the Past
This won’t be the first time Gunn has brought life back into the DCU. After the 2016Suicide Squadfilm practically flopped, Gunn directed his own version of the movie in 2021, and it was an enormous success, among both critics and fans. He also created and co-produced the film’s spinoff HBO series,Peacemaker, which is regarded as one of the top-tiered projects of DC in recent years.
This is all without mentioning his success with theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy, which is a massive fan favorite. If these various successes can show fans one thing, it’s thatGunn is more than capableof making solid comic-book-adapted material.
Gunn’s First Job is Clearing Up Reboot Confusion
Not only does DC already have an established cinematic universe, but there are other projects going on simultaneously with the DCU reboot. There’s Todd Phillips’Jokerand Matt Reeves’The Batman, both of which are producing a sequel. However, with the rest of the DCU scrapped, projects like these are to be apart of DC’s Elseworlds(similar to MCU’sWhat If…?).
The Flashhelped clarify this aspect as it introduced the multiverse to the DCU, which allows for an entirely new storyline to be made on a separate timeline than the previous films. With that, Gunn is not only able to bring new heroes into the universe, but to incorporate pre-established heroes on an entirely new timeline.
Some titles he revealed – both as a film and series –includeSuperman: Legacy,The Brave and the Bold(which will follow Batman and his son Damian Wayne as Robin),Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and even a detective HBO series calledLanterns, which will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart as Green Lanterns investigating space crimes. Gunn will also contribute to the Elseworlds universe with projects likeSwamp Thing.
Needless to say, there is much anticipation around the future of theDCU, good or bad. It’s in James Gunn’s hands at this point, and DC fans are eager to see what will come of the new cinematic universe.
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