From the years of 2013-2023, DC tried its hardest to be just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that got it nowhere. The DC Extended Universe was confusing and all over the place, but once James Gunn became the head of the recently formed DC Studios, he rebooted the DC Extended Universe into a new continuity called the DCU. This reboot has come with a lot of questions from fans, the biggest being what the universe will look like. I think the universe should embody everything James Gunn has done up to this, that being to make something fun.
Since 2023 not many questions have been answered about the future of this universe. The current one that’s on everyone’s mind is ‘where is Batman?’ Fans saw a shadow of him in the 2024 animated show “Creature Commandos,” but other than that Batman has merely been hinted at and teased. It has been confirmed by Gunn that Robert Patterson will not be returning to reprise the role of Batman in the new DCU, which is both a good and bad decision.
Patterson’s performance in “The Batman” (2022) is unlike any other Batman actor up to this point. The film was praised for every aspect and is my personal favorite Batman movie. I think it is the right choice for DCU to not overlap with the continuity that Matt Reeves is building and to let him do his own thing with the Dark Knight.
With the failure of “The Flash” (2023), a negative aura has been left around the character. If The Flash were in this universe, I don’t think it should be Barry Allen. It should be his successor, Wally West. This thought process could also apply to other characters.
It’s confirmed that Damian Wayne is going to be Robin, but I think Nightwing should get the focus. Nightwing has become a character much more than Batman’s former sidekick, and truly became a hero of his own. Because of this, if he was to have his own T.V. show, it would probably be the most successful project of the universe. With a Teen Titans movie on the way, it’s only a matter of time before Nightwing gets his own T.V. show or movie.
The one thing that DCU should be more careful about is the amount of projects they release in a year. So far in the 2020s, Marvel Studios has been a train wreck, and this is mainly due to the amount of projects they released in such a short amount of time.
The DCU should go in the direction of releasing two movies, two T.V. shows and maybe one animated project a year. This system would ensure that fans get these “main events” of the universe and the shows can have a unique story disconnected from the movies. This would prevent them from making the same mistake that Marvel Studios made.
Another question about the DCU is what characters and stories should be adapted? Many projects that have been announced but not released feature obscure characters like a Booster Gold T.V. show, a Swamp Thing movie and the most obscure one: giving Clayface his own movie. I believe it’s the right choice to stay away from popular characters because it will keep the universe fresh and fantastic stories only told on the pages can now be told like never before.
The future of the DCU is a bright one, as the universe grows, so will the size of the fan base. It has been rewarding to see these iconic characters getting the spotlight they deserve. I think five years down the line, whatever James Gunn and his crew decide to do will make the universe possibly greater than the MCU, and either way, truly something special.
