The DCU isn’t off to the best of starts.
James Gunn’s fresh attempt to bring life and enthusiasm to DC’s cinematic future isn’t necessarily doomed, but its not looking great for the slate of fresh releases the Guardians of the Galaxy director has planned.
This is largely due to several controversial decisions, when it comes to casting. Superman and Batman are the clear backbones of any DC effort, given their prominence in pop culture, and the world has widely acknowledged Henry Cavill as one of history’s greatest Superman actors. He encapsulated the Man of Steel wonderfully across a handful of DC releases, before getting the ax when James Gunn took over.
The reasoning behind this move is understandable, but not when weighed against the rebooted franchise’s decision to retain Ezra Miller as the Flash. The actor has been mired in controversy over the last few years, as a range of troubling behavior gradually came to light between 2020 and 2022. Miller’s history of violence, broad allegations of abuse, harassment, and assault, and accusations of grooming should make them all but unemployable — at least in Hollywood — but it appears that the actor’s time in DC isn’t over yet.
The decision to retain Miller and stick to the release of 2023’s The Flash was already controversial, and sparked pushback from a number of DC fans, but backlash was intensified following news that Miller may have a spot in the future of the DCU. The idea of the problematic Miller remaining, while the beloved Cavill departs, sparked instant outrage among fans, who made their opinions clearly known online.
The DCU’s prospects are already on a downturn, as fans react to Miller’s continued presence in the behemoth cinematic universe. Fans are already calling the rebooted DCU “out of touch” as they eye the controversial decision to ditch Cavill, supposedly so the franchise can start over, but keep Miller on.
Cavill has a rocky past of his own, but it’s nothing compared to the slate of accusations and even charges Miller has stacked against them. This, combined with Cavill’s popularity among fans, has many DCU diehards making accusations of favoritism, and turning their backs on the rebooted franchise before its even off the ground.
