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The state of the DCU is\u2026weird.<\/p>\n
We are coming off the failure of Supergirl,<\/a> a misstep that even DC co-head Peter Safran was quick to address, citing its disappointing box office. It was the equivalent of the bottom 10% of an MCU movie in terms of critic reviews, and would even be a middling entry in the dissolved DCEU. Supergirl is a symptom of what\u2019s wrong with the current DCU, and while it\u2019s only one film, it raises significant questions about Gunn\u2019s vision for this universe, and whether it might survive the next few years at all.<\/p>\n The DCU is all over the place, blending animated series, streaming series, huge hero movies, sub-hero movies, and next, a villain movie, all at the same time. It\u2019s created a mesh of content that flows awkwardly, and so far, has only worked because of James Gunn\u2019s direct writing or directing hand in everything. The first time we saw him merely overseeing something, Supergirl, was a huge miss. But the state of upcoming projects is also concerning.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018Supergirl\u2019 Review: A Heroine Rendered Powerless By ScriptoniteBy Paul Tassi<\/a><\/p>\n Clayface <\/strong>\u2013 This is one of those \u201chuge departure\u201d projects, the third film in the DCU suddenly focusing on what is probably the ninth most popular Batman villain in a movie without Batman. A reassuring factor is a relatively low budget ($40 million) and at least at one point, a script co-written by Mike Flanagan, but again, a strange third step for the DCU just trying to find its footing in year two.<\/p>\n Lanterns <\/strong>\u2013 Rather than another film, perhaps for the fear of invoking Ryan Reynolds\u2019 Green Lantern, the character introduction has been turned into a True Detective-esque crime drama with Hal Jordan and John Stewart. If anything, this may be the project I think could surprise the most, in a positive way, but that remains to be seen. It has a lot to live up to with the recent airing of the non-DCU The Penguin on HBO.<\/p>\n Lanterns<\/p>\n Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max<\/p>\n Man of Tomorrow <\/strong>\u2013 Gunn will be back for a sequel to his own Superman film just two years later, which will make three of the first four DCU movies Superman-related. It feels like if the first three MCU movies were Iron Man, a War Machine movie, then Iron Man 2. Given that this is one that Gunn is writing and directing, and he rarely personally misses with his superhero features, it will likely be good. But good enough to actually boost its box office over the original Superman? I have my doubts.<\/p>\n Batman: The Brave and the Bold <\/strong>\u2013 This whole concept is kind of a mess given that there seems to be a lot of conflict, even unintentional, with the fact that The Batman remains the main DC Batman in the mind of most viewers, and having two blockbuster Batmen in alternating universes is beyond awkward. The Matt Reeves trilogy will likely be running until 2030 and beyond, given the space between these films, and there remains no sign of merging his universe with Gunn\u2019s, which doesn\u2019t seem like it would work even if it did happen.<\/p>\n Wonder Woman\/Teen Titans <\/strong>\u2013 These are grouped together because both are being written by Ana Nogueira, who just wrote Supergirl, and we know how that went. Perhaps the directing was the biggest problem with that film, but the writing certainly didn\u2019t save it, nor help elevate Milly Alcock\u2019s performance. Tasking Nogueira with Wonder Woman in particular, effectively the third most important DCU hero introduction outside of Superman and Batman, now seems like a much bigger risk than before.<\/p>\n Rumored Wonder Woman Adria Arjona (Photo by Taylor Hill\/WireImage)<\/p>\n WireImage<\/p>\n Deathstroke and Bane <\/strong>\u2013 This rumored movie that has been moved up in the DCU timeline would mean there are now three featured Batman villain films, and it would be somewhat ridiculous if they all aired before The Brave and the Bold itself. At a certain point, you are getting into Sony\u2019s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man universe starring Venom, Morbius, Kraven and Madame Web.<\/p>\n Jimmy Olsen and Gorilla Grodd <\/strong>\u2013 Here\u2019s another streaming series that has Gunn written all over it, the show now casting a \u201ccomedic\u201d actor for Grodd, which is a red flag already.<\/p>\n I worry that while Gunn has what it takes to personally make good superhero films, he does not have the ability to effectively guide an entire universe, inserting too many lower-level characters too early and creating a very strange timeline of introductions. Or at least he can\u2019t do both at the same time, which Marvel\u2019s Kevin Feige never has. Is it possible we get some big hits in there? I mean, maybe, but this all looks far from coherent at the moment, and Supergirl has certainly made those concerns run deeper. <\/p>\n Follow me <\/strong>on Twitter<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Pick up my sci-fi novels the <\/strong>Herokiller series<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>The Earthborn Trilogy<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n