DC Studios has been struggling to keep up with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in terms of financial success, with “The Flash”, “Black Adam”, and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” failing to make an impact. DC and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery are envious of the MCU’s success, with the MCU’s movies grossing around $30 billion worldwide since 2008. To combat this, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has directed DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran to create their own shared universe involving iconic characters like Batman and Superman. However, DC and Warner Bros. are already working through the tail end of a previous attempt at tying their characters together through multiple films and shows, which failed.
The solution to their problem is clear: character-specific franchises that adhere to one filmmaker’s vision, rather than a TV-style writer’s room. Warner Bros and DC have had success with this approach before, with Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and 2018’s “Aquaman”, which focused mainly on their title characters and were successful in their own right. Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” and Todd Phillips’ “Joker” were also successful despite not being connected to an extended universe.
However, Warner Bros. and DC seem to be heading in the opposite direction with their upcoming “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” movie, which will not star Robert Pattinson and instead serve as “the introduction of the DCU Batman,” according to Gunn. This raises the question of how many different Batmen an already superhero-saturated moviegoing audience needs, especially after “The Flash”, which featured four different Dark Knights from previous movies and shows.
The MCU has also struggled with keeping up with its own model at times. Disney CEO Bob Iger has suggested that the studio was going to the well too often with certain characters, after the fourth Thor film and third Ant-Man installment underwhelmed at the box office. This should serve as a warning sign for DC Studios.
DC’s Gunn has acknowledged that there are “too many” superhero movies and shows, and if anyone can come up with a creative way to change course, it’s him. Gunn has built a sturdy Hollywood career as a writer and director, alternating between R-rated flicks like “Slither” and stuff for general audiences, like his Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel and Disney. His works for DC, such as “The Suicide Squad” and its companion series “Peacemaker”, have also won wide acclaim.
Gunn is currently writing and directing “Superman: Legacy”, which is intended to usher in the new DC shared universe. However, there is still time for him to reconsider his approach and let the Man of Steel – and all the other DC heroes – be super on their own.
DC Studios needs to change its strategy if it wants to keep up with the MCU. Instead of attempting to create a shared universe, DC should focus on character-specific franchises that adhere to one filmmaker’s vision. Warner Bros. and DC have had success with this approach before, and it is a more manageable and less confusing approach for audiences. DC’s James Gunn is a talented writer and director who can come up with a creative way to change course. Letting heroes fly solo has worked for DC in the past, and it can work again in the future.
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