DCEU needs 12-step program to regain 'super' status
The DCEU (DC Extended Universe), in one word, is problematic. With terrible worldbuilding, inconsistencies, and stories being whittled to the point that they barely make sense at all, the DCEU basically has evolved into a seeming thriftstore version of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). However, there are some simple fixes to this cinematic dumpster fire that could swiftly transform it into a viable competitor to the MCU.
One of the DCEU’s most prominent problems lies in their versions of Superman and Batman. With Man of Steel (2013), the DCEU introduced a version of Superman not true to the character. This Superman (Henry Cavill, The Witcher) was not the happy-go-lucky boy scout from the comics, but rather a dark and depressing hero. Batman, on the other hand, is naturally dark and depressing, but in the DC Extended Universe, he breaks the one rule which he lives by. He does not kill people. We can see this in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The DCEU takes two of the most iconic superheroes in all of existence, and makes them exactly what they aren’t.
An easy fix to this is to look at Superman & Lois (2021). In this show, there is a Superman that is true to the character, but not too cheesy for today’s audiences. To fix Batman, the DCEU can begin by looking at Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and Batman the Brave and the Bold (2008), specifically the episode “Chill of the Night!” in which Batman confronts his parents’ killer, Joe Chill. Unknowingly, Batman’s decision on how to deal with Chill not only decides the criminal’s fate, but also his own. In Batman: The Animated Series, Batman is almost identical to his portrayal in the DCEU, but Batman keeps his moral promise to refrain from killing people.
Another problem with the DCEU arises from incoherent storylines. To remedy this, the DCEU can take a page out of the DCAU’s (DC Animated Universe) book. In the DCAU, it starts off with Batman: The Animated Series (1992), followed by Superman: The Animated Series (1996), The New Batman Adventures (1997), Static Shock (2000), Justice League (2001), Justice League Unlimited (2004), Batman Beyond (1999), and The Zeta Project (2001). Of course, the DCEU shouldn’t just copy and paste the timeline of the DCAU, but rather should take inspiration from it. An idea for this would be to introduce each founding member of the Justice League in separate films before just going from Man of Steel (2013), to Batman V. Superman (2016), to Wonder Woman (2017) , and then straight into Justice League (2017). This would make viewers more familiar with the heroes before the big team-up feature, as well as possibly foreshadowing future events and villains, for example The Legion of Doom, The Crime Syndicate, ect.
Adding on to this, the DCEU could also make some retcons, such as canonizing Zack Snyder’s version of the DCEU instead. This would let the DCEU start off with a clean slate, instead of trying to make past events fit into the timeline, which could really set the stage for future movies. Movies with more comic-inspired storylines would also spice up the DCEU. The MCU has been doing this for years, and their adaptations have been highly successful. One of the storylines that would fit perfectly into the DCEU is Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a multiversal event that ended in the destruction of countless parallel universes.
Another approach the DCEU could’ve taken was giving the director(s) full reign over the story. Two examples of how this was accomplished was with the Snyder Cut of the 2017 movie, The Justice League, as well as the James Gunn version of The Suicide Squad (2021). Both of these were regarded as miles ahead of the original movies, Suicide Squad (2016) and The Justice League (2017). These two films, when they were first released, were heavily criticized. However, with the uncut and reformed versions, the films did much better when the directors could follow through with their own vision for the films. For comparison, Suicide Squad (2016) got a score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, but The Suicide Squad (2021), received a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Snyder Cut of The Justice League earned a 71%, while The Justice League (2017) earned a 40%. Although the new films had better review scores, they did not surpass the earnings of the old films. With Suicide Squad (2016) making over $746 million USD worldwide, The Suicide Squad (2021) only grossed $71 million, which is considered a box office bomb.
With a confused story and characters, the DCEU is a hot mess, but if it were to have taken a different route, it could’ve possibly been on the same level, or even better, than the MCU. However, with four DC movies currently slated for 2022, the Peacemaker show (currently slated for 2022), and DC Fandome happening on October 16, the only hope that’s left for the DCEU is that it can improve in time. But as for now, it’ll have to remain as the MCU’s little brother.
By Evan Parfitt
Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 1
October 6th, 2021