7 Reasons Why There Is Still Hope For The DC Extended Universe

In a lot of people’s eyes, the future of the so-called DC Extended Universe is not looking good. So far, three films have been released under the banner – 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad – and none have been met with critical or fan acclaim. At each stage, audiences have raised their hopes only to be kicked down by a film that had its fair share of problems. Even Suicide Squad, that many thought would be the saving grace of the franchise, was plagued with several of the same problems as previous entries. But does this really mean that we shouldn’t raise our hopes again for the upcoming slate of DCEU movies? No, it doesn't. Sure, we’ve come crashing down to reality three times now, but there is a very real chance that the franchise will pick up in future. Apart from the glut of enticing movies coming up, there have been a lot of behind the scenes changes at DC Entertainment which will have a big impact going forward. Here, then, are seven reasons why we think there's still hope for the DCEU. As always, feel free to hit the comments section and let us know whether or not you agree with us. 7) Marvel Wasn't So Different At This Point Just to get the inevitable Marvel comparison out of the way, it's important to remember that when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just three films in, it was not as reliable as it is now. Obviously, it has to be said that Marvel got off to a great start with the massively successful Iron Man in 2008, while DC’s own metal-titled movie Man of Steel was a much more divisive opener. Still, the next two MCU movies – 2010’s Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk – are among the franchise's weakest efforts. Yet, fans at the time were perfectly willing to let those disappointments slide and remained full of hope for the future of the MCU. There is no reason, then, why we shouldn’t do the same for the DCEU and be just as excited to see this franchise grow into itself as it goes along. 6) Superman Returns One of the big missteps so far in the DC Extended Universe is the presentation of Superman. While Henry Cavill completely looks the part and a modern reinvention of the hero is a solid idea on paper, audiences don’t seem to have taken to this iteration of the Big Blue Boy Scout as much as DC would have hoped. But now they have a golden opportunity to re-invent the character into someone that people can get behind again. After his death at the end of Batman V Superman, Supes can literally be reborn as a new take on the character. Certainly, he will wake up into a brighter DCEU - one where Batman doesn’t want to kill him and is instead building a team of metahumans in his honour. News has just broke that they are also finally working on a Man of Steel 2. If this sequel adopts the brighter, more hopeful tone we associate with Superman, it could make up for the failings in the character so far. 5) Suicide Squad Showed Promise Many DC fans are downhearted that Suicide Squad is not the all-round success it looked set to be. It can’t be denied that for the most part, the movie was just as choppy and uneven as Batman V Superman was before it. And yet, Suicide Squad definitely marked a move in the right direction. Despite starring a bunch of murderers and psychopaths, it's the first DCEU movie to make us invest in its characters – for instance, the touching relationship between Deadshot and his daughter or the undoubtedly weird but also strangely sweet Joker and Harley romance. And, whereas Man of Steel and BvS got lost in all the posturing about what it means to be a hero, this movie's primary aim was to entertain. That’s got to be right at the top of the list for what we want from a superhero film, right? Suicide Squad may not have fired on all cylinders, but it is certainly the most outright enjoyable of the DCEU entries so far – which definitely bodes well for the movies to come. 4) Geoff Johns Recently, it was announced that comic book writer and TV and movie producer Geoff Johns had been upgraded from his previous role as Chief Creative Officer to the new President of DC Entertainment. The move puts him as the nearest equivalent DC has to Marvel’s Kevin Feige (a role he will share with Warner Bros. vice president Jon Berg). Previously, this was probably Zack Snyder. Johns holding the reigns of the DC Extended Universe is definitely an exciting move for the future. Based on his previous work, we can bet that he will implement a lot of changes that people are asking for. As head of DC comics, as well, Johns has spearheaded the movement to bring hope and optimism back to the DC universe, starting with the Rebith relaunch. Not to mention his fine work as an executive producer on the similarly brighter The CW TV shows (Arrow, The Flash). Given that, we can assume that Johns’ appointment will lead to a more hopeful DC Extended Universe, too. 3) Fresh Behind-The-Scenes Talent Similarly, fans put off by Snyder’s distinctive and divisive brand of moviemaking should remember that there are many interesting directors on the horizon who will no doubt deliver something very different. First, we have DC beating Marvel to the punch with a female director in Patty Jenkins, who will helm Wonder Woman. James Wan, meanwhile, could marry his supernatural and action movie expertise to make a great Aquaman movie, and Rick Famuyiwa is an off-the-wall choice for The Flash but could very well turn out to be a brilliant one. But the most interesting upcoming director for fans is Ben Affleck himself, who will be the main guy both in front of and behind the camera in the next Batman solo movie. The actor has both proven himself a great fit for the character and a talented director in the likes of Argo, so it will be fascinating to see his own take on the Batman mythos. If Snyder and David Ayer haven't done it for you so far, don’t worry – there are plenty more where they came from. 2) That Justice League Trailer After Batman V Superman lowered a lot of people’s expectations, the first trailer for Justice League that released at San Diego Comic-Con raised them right back up again. Instead of BvS’s gloom, the trailer promised lots of fun as DC’s superteam unite on the big screen for the first time. Obviously, we've learnt not to immediately trust fun trailers for DC films after Suicide Squad, but let’s give this one the benefit of the doubt. Zack Snyder will definitely have taken on board the audience’s reaction to his previous films, so we can hope that he has amended his style to make a more inclusive, fun-loving movie. The director has said that naturally BvS, a film where superheroes come to blows, would be darker than a movie where they come together. Plus, come on, it’s a team-up of Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash et al. How can it not be awesome? To quote the Flash, stop right there – I’m in. 1) The Most Exciting Movies Are Still To Come Building on that point, the main reason to still be hopeful for the future of the DCEU is that the most exciting movies are still to come. As opposed to yet another Superman or Batman reboot, the upcoming films on their slate offer a lot of things we haven’t seen before on the big screen. Obviously, there’s the previously mentioned Justice League, which arrives next year. As does Wonder Woman, the very first cinematic solo adventure for the 75 year old character. Other ones like The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg are also on the way. And let’s not forget those that aren’t talked about a lot right now like Shazam and Green Lantern Corps. The former will be intriguing to see, for how they manage to integrate the kid-friendly hero into the more adult DCEU. The latter, meanwhile, will hopefully right the wrongs of the 2011 Green Lantern movie. And if the superhero boom hasn’t burst by next decade, there are presumably plenty more where they came from. With such a varied and rich source of material coming up, things have got to pick up for the DCEU soon.