David Pierdomenico
It’s no secret that the DC Extended Universe has struggled since its inception, following Man of Steel. They tried to rush the process, maintain Nolan’s dark and gritty tone, and outdo Marvel at every turn. And what resulted was an absolute mess. But sprinkled in their failures was real potential. Elements of Ben Affleck’s Batman were well received, Wonder Woman was adored by fans and critics alike, and by the time Justice League rolled around they had figured out their tone. Unfortunately it was too little, too late. But with some interesting announcements at this past SDCC, as well as the release of trailers for Aquaman, Shazam, and Titans, it’s clear that they’re still trying, and maybe this time they’ve got it right.
The Tonal Shift
As early as Wonder Woman, we began to see things start to change for the DCEU. Unlike its predecessors, there was far less brooding, the colors were even brighter, and it seemed more optimistic and less Zack Snyder-ish. And while he did work on Justice League and the overall film seemed inconsistent due to the shift in directors, the film itself had a brighter color palette, as well as more humor. In addition, hiring Danny Elfman as composer helped bring the characters (Batman in particular) back to their cinematic roots. It’s quite clear that they’ve learned from their mistakes of the past. They’ve learned that not every character needs to be gritty and brooding. There’s a reason that works for Batman, but not Wonder Woman, Superman or Flash.
The debut of the trailers for Aquaman and Shazam at Comic Con only confirmed this new direction they seem to be taking. While the plot for Aquaman is a bit derivative of the first Thor, his characterization seems to be the same laid back “bro” we met in Justice League. This will provide an interesting foil to the dark and serious events happening around him. Then we have Shazam, which judging by the trailer, almost looks like a comedy. An orphan gains superpowers and, along with his superhero fan foster brother, they remark at how awesome it is. It almost seems like a window into the POV of fans and how they would feel if they became superheroes. Both seem fun in their own way and very different from the films of before.
“Worlds of DC”
However, dropping those two trailers wasn’t the only thing DC and Warner Brothers debuted to the world in San Diego. They announced that the “DC Extended Universe” has officially been renamed “Worlds of DC”. In addition to trying to rebrand themselves and get away from the image of the DCEU as much as possible, this also has some very interesting implications. The new name perhaps has something to do with the many literal worlds that DC spans, such as Atlantis, Themyscira, and out in deep space with the Green Lanterns. But it could also be referring the famed DC Multiverse, one of the tenets of their entire comic book world.
If they go all in with this, it suddenly allows for multiple continuities all across the board. Now, they can make a variety of movies that don’t necessarily have to blend with each other. It grants them an immense amount of freedom. The larger a shared universe is, the more plot holes and continuity errors seem to emerge. Marvel has had some issues with that recently, because all of their films and shows are connected, but in doing so it doesn’t always make sense. Events from the TV shows have no bearing on the films, even though logically they should. By going with a multiverse, DC ensures this will never be a problem.
It also means that we can retcon every single DC film into it, from Donner’s Superman, to Burton’s Batman, to Nolan’s Dark Knight. They all now exist in parallel universes of each other. And crossovers are possible between any two films producers please. Or they can make any film they want be a standalone and still have it fall under the banner of “Worlds of DC”. Now, more than ever, DC is fortunate that unlike Marvel, they kept the film rights for all of their characters with the same studio. Warner Brothers can now make as many DC films as they want, which they already are, and claim that they are all part of the greater multiverse.
The Future of DC
Amidst all the trailers and announcements, DC also released a trailer for their new series Titans, which will be airing on their brand new streaming service DC Universe. Beating Marvel once again, DC is launching their own streaming service exclusively for their content. Not just classic films like Nolan’s trilogy, but also originals like Titans, as well as access to electronic comic books. Time will tell how this all plays out, but it seems like DC has a clear path, which is something they have always struggled with. From shaky beginnings to this, things are certainly looking a whole lot better for DC.
