Why The DCEU Failed
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The DCEU has gone from life-support to officially done. The beleaguered film universe had its ups and downs, and fans were left wondering what possible future could be in store after massive cancellations (and scandals) shocked fans at the end of last year. In late December, Henry Cavill appeared in Black Adam, and some were hopeful that maybe a soft reboot was possible and the universe could somehow still be saved. However, after James Gunn and Peter Safran officially took over, it is clear massive reboots, further cancellations, and change are coming to our favorite characters. As time passes, fans have moved away from the who and what of the story and are now curious as to why and how this happened.
In the mid-2000s, the comic movie landscape was very different. DC had several movies that earned them enormous success (Watchmen, Constantine, and Batman Begins) and even an Oscar win with Heath Ledger’s posthumous performance in The Dark Knight as the Joker. When Marvel launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many (including those pulling the strings at Warner Bros) believed it would not work. In 2008 Iron Man ($585 million grossed) was released, and it blew fans away. The rest of phase one followed with similar success, and by the time The Avengers (2012) premiered, it was clear that Kevin Feige (and Marvel) had struck oil. The first Avengers movie grossed 1.5 billion dollars and is still in the Top 10 Lifetime Movie Grosses. Content-wise they had barely scratched the surface, and they seemed to have a loose but steady plan as to where they were going. Their undeniable success caused a directional shift at Warner Bros, and when The Dark Knight trilogy concluded in 2012, they green-lit their own connected universe, which began with Man of Steel in 2013.
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Many have argued that Zack Snyder (who directed Man of Steel) was the wrong archetype to begin (and initially lead) the DC Extended Universe. Man of Steel did well at the box office ($668 million) but was met with mixed reactions from fans and critics, scoring an unimpressive 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and just 75% with fans. Snyder would go on to direct the second film in the DCEU (Batman V Superman), the Flash scenes in The Suicide Squad, help produce both Wonder Woman movies, and direct an alternate version of the chaos that became Justice League.
Snyder is an accomplished director but has often been criticized for following his own path and needing to fully discern the material he adapts. Famous director (and comic book lover) Kevin Smith once said,
“There seems to be a fundamental lack of understanding of what those characters are about. It’s almost like Zack Snyder didn’t read a bunch of comics, he read one comic once, and it was The Dark Knight Returns, and his favorite part was the last part where Batman and Superman fight “.
He is (most likely) referring to the instances of Batman killing in Batman V Superman (a characteristic that the Caped Crusader is known for not doing) and the overall rushed story. Snyder is a visionary when it comes to bringing comic panels to life, but it is clear his vision was not beloved by all.
When Man of Steel came out, Marvel had just wrapped up Phase 1. By the time their second (and third) movie came out, Marvel was in Phase 3 with 13 movies having been released and was gearing up for the monumental showdown between Iron Man and Captain America in Civil War (2016). The same year Civil War was released, DC released their own clash of heroes with the movie Batman V Superman. The second entry (and second directed by Snyder) was more contentious than the first and debuted at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes (63% from fans) and had a record Friday to Friday drop, with sales dipping over 70%.
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The movie (which was based on The Death of Superman and The Dark Knight Returns comics) was criticized for its poor characterizations of the two main characters and for shoving a library of stories down the viewer’s throats. In the universe’s second entry, the viewer learns that Robin is already dead and that an aged (angry) Batman exists and kills. If that wasn’t enough, the film introduces Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Lex Luthor, Alfred, Steppenwolf, Doomsday, and Jimmy Olsen (who is immediately killed). It didn’t help that the next film (Suicide Squad) was plagued with problems of its own and did worse with fans and critics than Batman V Superman (a Rotten Tomato score of 26% and 58% from fans). Whether or not you enjoyed the movies, it’s undeniable that the story was rushed. It would have been the Marvel equivalent of going from Iron Man to Civil War to Guardians of the Galaxy.
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This is not to say that DC hasn’t had its victories in recent times. Joker (2019) and The Batman (2022) were massive hits with fans and critics. Their animated universe (DCAU) has also been an enormous success with films such as Flashpoint Paradox, Under the Red Hood, and the (brief) return of the fan-loved series Young Justice. They have also blown fans away with the surprise hit The Peacemaker. Unfortunately, the live-action (movie) universe rushed everything, and when something went wrong (they) pulled a 180 without thinking of the consequences.
There is no greater example of this than what happened with The Justice League movie. After tragedy struck Zack’s life, he took a step back from directing the movie, and Joss Whedon took over. The film was reworked almost entirely, and what was released barely resembled Snyder’s vision. It was changed so much that he claims to this day he hasn’t seen it and was warned by his wife (producer of the movie) not to. The film was a flop, and it effectively angered and split the fan base. It didn’t help that Marvel’s third Avengers movie (that would end up making 2 billion) was on the horizon and was effectively giving fans everything they wanted.
All of these events led to the massive restructuring we see today. Wonder Woman 3, Batgirl, The Wonder Twins, and Young Justice all canceled, and a new universe is on the horizon. James Gunn (and Safran) is now under immense pressure to produce results and has to deal with a contentious fan base. James had recently addressed the situation stating, “perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts and integrity and always with the story in mind.” Fans of the DCEU will get one last hurrah this year as they get to enjoy a few titles (Shazam 2 and Aquaman 2) but will have to get used to change by 2024.
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