The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is over. Designed to be a franchise to rival the success of the MCU, the DCEU never found its footing and never fully captured audiences love or attention. Why?
Spanning 10 years and 17 movies, it would be reasonable to assume we can look back at the DCEU and answer this question:
What was the DCEU about?
People online will answer quickly, waxing lyrical about the scourge of Warner Brothers, the ill treatment of Zac Snyder, or the desperation to be ‘woke’ with Harley Quinn’s standalone film. While all of those are potential corporate reasons for the franchises demise, it doesn’t answer the question:
What was the DCEU about?
Well, let me tell you. It wasn’t ‘about’ anything, and that’s the real reason it was doomed to fail.
First, let’s address the loaded Gunn in the room. Since the DCEU’s end with Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, DC films is now fully under new management. As James Gunn is technically yet to launch his version of the DC universe on the big screen (more on that later), I will refrain from focusing on his leadership in this article. David Zazslav and his ilk, however, not so much.
The DCEU began strong. Whether you are a keyboard warrior defending Zac Snyder or a keyboard warrior decrying his sins on cinema, it is empirically undeniable that the man had a vision for what his DCEU would be. When he left production on Justice League, however, the cracks didn’t just show, they exploded into life.
Warner Brothers was adamant the movie would be released, and that it would be a box office success to rival Marvel’s MCU. So, they brought in solid bet Avengers director Joss Whedon, and everyone’s favourite composer Danny Elfman to ‘polish’ the film. Who was in creative control? Not writers, not Snyder, and not creative visionaries of any kind. When Justice League released in cinemas, it destroyed a polarising yet laser focused DCEU and devastated audiences understanding of what the hell they were watching.
“Directors like Jenkins or James Wan were forced to fit their visions into the frame built by Snyder, who is a distinct visual stylist.” - CBR
Did Warner Brother’s care? It’s hard to say. They continued to insist on Snyder’s visual flare being included in future DCEU outings, but it was all entirely superficial without the man himself, or anyone, offering creative direction. No Justice League 2 was announced, no ‘big bad’ revealed to audiences, nothing. I bang on a lot about storytelling basics on this blog, so I won’t bore you with it here. Suffice to say that Warner Brothers giving creative control of this cornerstone franchise to a board room was a poor decision when trying to cultivate brand loyalty.
Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. - Henry Jenkins
Connective tissue is imperative to a Transmedia shared universe. While each instalment must stand on its own, it must also be recognisably a part of the whole. It’s why, strange as it is, WandaVision is clearly a part of the MCU, and Eternals fails to achieve the same effect. Despite its sprawling multi-platform narrative, each component of the Matrix franchise is easily identifiable as part of the shared Universe. The DCEU didn’t have that.
When the DCEU did have connective tissue, fans were easily able to have conversations over water coolers or on the playground about “what happened to Wonder Woman after World War 1?” or “how could Batman actually beat Superman?” Then it all fell apart.
Aquaman didn’t contain a single wider universe character, and only referenced the catastrophic events of Justice League in passing.
Superman, the most powerful hero on the planet, seemingly disappeared after the events of Justice League.
Despite being arch nemeses, Joker and Batman shared little more than a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in Suicide Squad.
As time went on, the connections grew more and more tenuous. Shazam no longer used the Snyder-style visual flare. Wonder Woman: 1984 no longer seemed to care for the in-world continuity, and the Flash sought to undo the entire franchise, but then didn’t.
When a new DCEU movie was announced, nobody cared about the wider universe anymore. In fact, they may have cared more if there was no DCEU, and the films were released as standalones in their own right.
As time went on, Warner Brothers did begin to understand this, so sought to refocus the shared universe. Not on storytelling, but on nostalgia. There would once again be meaningful connective tissue between the franchises.
Enter: Michael Keaton.
The original big-screen Batman would return to the role in The Flash, and go on as the new Batman, replacing Ben Affleck. To further cement his role, he would appear in Batgirl, and potentially go on to appear in more projects. Henry Cavill would return as Superman, first appearing in Black Adam, and going on to make more meaningful contributions in future. Even Gal Gadot would be appearing in The Flash, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and other franchises. The DCEU was back!
Where was it all going? Who knows!
What’s this new DCEU going to offer? Money!
The Flash was mired in controversy around Ezra Miller’s behaviour.
Henry Cavill, and likely Gal Gadot, fell victim to the hiring of James Gunn to reboot the franchise, something Warner Brothers likely knew about, but lied to their talent in case the deal fell apart.
The DCEU died. But what could have prevented it?
Believe it or not, good storytelling could have, and would have saved the DCEU.
The evidence for this? Ironically for most of his haters, Zac Snyder’s: Justice League. During peak COVID, Snyder returned to the project and, with help from close friends and professionals, was able to release the exact version of Justice League he wanted to make in the first place. Once a team-up movie plagued by controversy, Justice League became a narrative crunch point. The stakes were raised, the threat was real, and the characters were consistent. It was the logical next step for the story. The way forward was clear. Dark Superman, renegade Batman, a world on fire with only one hope of survival. In other words, a narrative question.
What’s the DCEU about?
Brainiac’s attempt to enslave Superman and destroy the Earth.
The solution?
Keep watching to find out.
With the question asked, fans were desperate to find out the answer. An answer that, with the DCEU’s end, will never come.
Zac Snyder left the DCEU during editing of Justice League, but production was far along enough that this central question could have. and should have still been posed.
Ok, it might not have saved the DCEU from its demise, but it would have certainly made the whole event a smoother ride and would have given Warner Brothers the opportunity to sell boxsets, Funko-pops and other merchandise in perpetuity. Fans would be able to watch the movies from beginning to end and hopefully leave feeling satisfied, rather than cheated.
Events would circle around each other, characters would develop in meaningful ways, and the overarching threat would loom larger and larger until finally showing their hand. Warner Brothers may have lost their storyteller, but they chose to abandon the story, and these are the consequences.
Warner Brothers wanted to stand-out from Marvel, but without a visionary storyteller at the helm, they didn’t know how else to create a franchise. That is their issue. They were never creating a franchise; they were telling a story.
McDonald’s didn’t start by buying real estate on every high street and then decide to make burgers. They made burgers, and people loved them so much they had to expand.
Luckily for Warner Brothers, James Gunn knows how to make a burger
So, what’s the takeaway for writers thinking of making their own shared universe of heroes, villains, and winding avenues and entry points?
Don’t.
Just tell a story. Make it a good one. There’s no guarantee you’ll get a sequel, spin-off, or any other opportunity to explore the deepest reaches of your Universe.
If you’re lucky enough to further explore, tell another great story. Allude to the overall question of the drama. When you are sure you’ll get the money, the team, and the creative license to create your franchise, then ask the narrative question.
Ask too soon, and you may never get a chance to answer. Ask too late, and you may have already lost your audience.
The bottom line is this:
You’re telling a story. Tell it, and fuck any corporate suit that tries to tell you otherwise.
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