I know a lot of DC fans are upset that Patty Jenkins is no longer making Wonder Woman 3, leaving that project in an unsure state, and that development of Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel 2 is over, and look, I feel for you. I truly do. That’s kind of sad. But, you know what? Even though I do feel bad for you, I’m also pretty happy that both movies are looking at cancelation.
I’m not some Marvel fanboy over here trying to gloat. In fact, even though I really loved She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, I’ve kind of gotten off the Marvel hype train as of late, so this article definitely isn’t that. Instead, I actually think that this big shake-up for the cinematic side of DC may be the best thing to happen to it, and I have four reasons why. Flame shield, up!
We Need To Move On From The Snyderverse
Ok, so let’s get the big one out of the way first, as I’m overjoyed for DC to wash its hands of the mess that is the Snyderverse. It definitely has its fans (I mean, shoot, our very own Sean O’ Connell actually wrote a book about releasing the Snyder Cut), and the Snyderverse may not be completely done for good. However, it's the absolute worst thing to ever happen to DC at the box office. I was there for Batman & Robin, and even so, I still seriously think that the Snyderverse has been way worse for the comic book goliath.
This because of how it affected all of the heavy-hitting DC characters on such a major level. Superman was way too bleak; Wonder Woman, while interesting in that first movie, dive bombed into icky weirdness with that second film; and Aquaman was dude-fied way too much. In truth, it was almost like anything the Snyderverse touched crashed and burned. You could tell that studio execs at Warner Bros. saw this too, as they quickly pivoted after the mediocre Justice League with the much more colorful Aquaman solo effort as well as Shazam! – which I still think is the best post-Christopher Nolan DC movie.
This is why I’m really happy that we might be moving away from anything connected to the Snyderverse. I know Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2 might have been quite different under James Gunn’s new vision, but I also think it’s just better to move away from anything even remotely close to that era of the franchise.
I’m Excited For A New Superman
The news is coming fast and heavy, as just recently we were talking about Henry Cavill’s plans for Man of Steel 2. Now we know that Henry Cavill is not returning as Supes, but that James Gunn still has plans for Superman all the same. I’m okay with that. Even though I’d much rather see more of characters like Martian Manhunter from Zack Snyder’s Justice League or Cyborg, I still have nothing against Superman. I actually like Superman, which is why its best get as far away from the Snyderverse version as possible, even though Cavill is a good actor.
The Snyderverse did its part to ruin the big screen legacy of Superman, and it will be exciting to see how Gunn envisions the character for the future. That’s his strong suit, right? Bringing out the color in characters. Superman can be a colorful character – he just needs to be in the right creative hands. Unfortunately, Henry Cavill can't be separated from the Synderverse, so we need a new actor for the part.
The Suicide Squad And Guardians Of The Galaxy Show That James Gunn Works Well With More Obscure Characters, So Let’s See Those
While there will now always be a big screen future for Superman and Wonder Woman, now can be the time for more obscure DC characters to shine – akin to how James Gunn took the relatively D-level Guardians of the Galaxy and brought them to the A-tier with Marvel. DC has a super rich collection of characters not involved in the Justice League, and characters like Plastic Man or Captain Comet should be brought up to the big leagues.
But let’s go even deeper, as Gunn is a master at bringing oddball characters to the screen. Hell, he even found a way to make Howard the Duck cool. So why not introduce mega obscure characters like Detective Chimp or Ragman to the movies? When you take Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3 off the table for the time being, DC is left with a lot more possibilities to divert resources toward.
Gunn has already showcased with the Guardians of the Galaxy and his take of The Suicide Squad that the best approach might be for him to make DC odd and unique, rather than staid and predictable,– which could, in turn, finally make DC truly competitive with its biggest rival.
DC Can Finally Get Out Of Marvel’s Shadow With A New, Different Direction
DC has grown to rely too much on the heavy-hitters. As much as I love the live-action Batman movies, how many times are we going to get different interpretations of this character? And, even though we’re getting a new Superman, heroes like the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Batman hold DC back to a certain extent, and the company's reliance on them puts the company in Marvel’s massive shadow.
But DC doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of being in Marvel’s shadow, DC can create a shadow of its own. We’ve seen this with the TV series, as things like the Arrowverse have made the small screen a much better space for DC. We’ve also seen it with their animated movies, like Justice League Dark, which have carved a niche in the world of animation that Marvel still hasn’t fully tapped yet.
Pulling away from projects like Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2 can possibly give DC the kick in the pants that it needs in order to really be something different on a cinematic stage. A show like Peacemaker is proof that Gunn has the right kind of vision to make DC stand out.
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