In the world of DC Comics, it’s hard to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape. With the recent announcement of James Gunn’s slate of DC films, fans are left wondering if this new chapter will be different from the past attempts at building a shared cinematic universe. In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the pitfalls of the Elseworlds strategy, and how James Gunn’s new DCU content could be walking into a post-Snyder trap. From Zack Snyder’s dark and gritty take on the iconic comic book characters, to Joss Whedon’s Justice League, to the Todd Phillips Joker and the Matt Reeves Batman, there’s a lot of different versions of the same characters running around. How can the DCU juggle so many different versions? What does the future hold for James Gunn’s DCU? We’ll be breaking down all of these questions and more in this blog post, so read on to find out more!
In the world of DC Comics, it’s hard to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape. With the recent announcement of James Gunn’s slate of DC films, fans are left wondering if this new chapter will be the one to finally bring the DCU together. After all, with the introduction of the Elseworlds label, we’re seeing multiple Jokers, Harley Quinns, and Batmans, all with their own unique takes on the characters. But is this strategy setting James Gunn up for a post-Snyder trap? In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the pitfalls of the Elseworlds strategy, and how this plan could be setting up an even bigger mess for the DCU.
It all started back in the 2010s, when Zack Snyder sought to establish a coherent continuity and interconnectedness between the films. He wanted to create a recognizable visual style that would set the films apart from their competitors, and stay faithful to the source material by incorporating elements from the comics into his films. However, with Snyder’s departure from the Justice League film, Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to piece together a cut of the film that ultimately did not go over well with critics or audiences.
Fast forward to today, and we’re seeing Todd Phillips Joker getting a sequel and Matt Reeves Batman getting his own sequel, both set in Gotham and featuring different versions of Bruce Wayne and his rogues. Meanwhile, James Gunn is setting up his own DCU Batman with his own Bat family and villains. This could be a recipe for disaster, as fans may prefer Reeves’ Batman or Penguin and disrupt the fanfare around Gunn’s DCU Batman, just like Snyder fans did with anything that pushed against the Snyderverse continuity.
On top of that, there’s no explanation for the mass populous as to which Superman is and isn’t in the DCU. Is it going to be the Superman Legacy Superman? Cavill’s? Or whichever one is introduced in the Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Superman film? With the lack of a hard reset, the slate of features will continue to be haunted by Snyder both in terms of a fan base that won’t be pleased with him axing Snyder’s characters but keeping his alive, but also because he has multiple versions of the same characters due to the Elseworlds strategy.
So, what does the future hold for James Gunn’s DCU? Will the idea of connecting video games to main storylines be enough to save the universe, or will it just be a repeat of the same mistakes made in the past? We’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, let’s hope that James Gunn can bring the DCU together and give DC fans the hard-fought victory they need.
Source: collider.com