It’s ironic that the first decade of the DCU was defined by constant stops and starts that resolutely failed to build the sustainable shared mythology that Warner Bros. had always wanted to give the studio’s comic book content the platform to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially when the Arrowverse had all of its ducks in a row on the small screen to a much more cohesive extent.
Sure, The CW’s criss-crossing of various TV shows and crossover events gradually became increasingly unwieldy, and the uptick in quality definitely led to a downturn in quality, but co-creators Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim should be commended for giving both superhero supporters and casual audiences alike a sprawling franchise that didn’t hold back when it came to dipping into the back catalogue for inspiration.
And yet, Guggenheim admitted in his Legal Dispatch newsletter that he was completely shunned by James Gunn and Peter Safran when they announced the slate for Chapter 1 – Gods & Monsters, leading him to question whether or not he’d wasted an entire decade of his life in the process.
“I’m not particularly surprised. In fact, I assumed that they would assemble some kind of brain trust to help facilitate what I assumed — hoped — would be a vision as ambitious as the DC Universe deserves. But I’ll be honest: I would have liked to have gotten at least a meeting.
Not a job, mind you. A meeting. A conversation. A small recognition of what I’d tried to contribute to the grand tapestry that is the DC Universe. I’d only spent nine years toiling in that vineyard, after all. (Not including many more years co-writing the Green Lantern movie, a Green Lantern streaming series, and comic books like The Flash, Batman Confidential, Adventures of Superman, and Justice Society of America.)
Although working for DC had been creatively fulfilling, it involved a lot of adversity, challenges, and personal sacrifices — none of which seem to have accrued to any professional benefit. Simply put, the Arrowverse hasn’t led to any other gigs, so it feels — at least on a career level — that I really wasted my time.”
You can see where he’s coming from when it’s been made clear that Gunn has spoken to a long list of names that includes – but isn’t even limited to – Dwayne Johnson, Henry Cavill, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, David Ayer, Keanu Reeves, and plenty more besides about their DCU futures or lack thereof, but the guy who helped usher in the revolutionary interconnected Arrowverse has been left completely in the cold.