Six years and seven movies in, the DC Extended Universe—or whatever it is we’re calling Warner Bros.' on-going comic book experiment these days—is a fascinating thing. By most metrics, it’s been a success from the start.Man of Steelopened things up in 2013 with an impressive $668 million worldwide.Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justicetook things to new heights with a whopping $873.6 million.Suicide Squadshockingly—and, let’s be honest, hilariously—won an Oscar. AnOscar. ButSuicide Squadis also a film that asked you to believeJai Courtneyis one of the most dangerous men on Earth because he’s semi-accurate with a boomerang. That’s the thing; those early-days DCEU films, theZack SnyderYears, if you will, created a dour funk in both quality and tone that’s still hard to wash out. Even the DCEU diehards who love each film unabashedly—and I know you’re out there and I respect your choices in life—have to admit those first steps out of the gate were bumpier than Doomsday’s deltoids. For every box office success and random Academy Award, there was a “Martha”, there was a Batman Crossfit montage, there was an awkward Eminem needle-drop.
So where are we now, with Snyder no longer the architect of the DCEU andShazam!thunder-bolting its way into theaters with a $53 million debut? (The lowest, it should be noted, in the DCEU’s history, albeit with the second-highest Rotten Tomatoes score.) It’s hard to say, exactly; even more fascinating than the way the DCEU started is the way it’s evolved. And the wonkiest part of the evolution was 2017’s back-to-back twin attack ofWonder WomanandJustice League.
FollowingSuicide Squad, three uninterrupted hours of Bruce Wayne’s waxing routine probably would’ve been an upgrade. But directorPatty Jenkins’Wonder Womanwas a genuine revelation, a shining glimpse at a modern-day DC Comics movie that was not only a good time but hadhope, all anchored by a bright-eyed breakout performance fromGal Gadot. Audiences noticed a shift. And then WB noticed the audience noticing that shift, and kicked that brightness into high-gear. Zack Snyder either leftJustice Leagueforpersonalorprofessionalissues depending on who you ask, but what we know for sure is that the studio tappedAvengersmastermindJoss Whedonto finish the project. To be clear, having Joss Whedon finish a Zack Snyder movie is like trying to stop a prison riot by calling in a team of Dachshund puppies. The result was a strange Frankenstein’s Monster of a movie, a tonal clash from beginning to end.Justice Leagueis the literal embodiment of a franchise being pulled in two different directions; on one side, that Snyder-esque grit and grimness, and on the other something a bittoosaccharine and full of yucks. The DCEU’s massive team-up movie grossed just $657 million worldwide, and a choice had to be made as to just what the heck this franchise even was.
Or did it? With the tonal strangeness ofJustice Leaguestill hanging in the air, WB’s next move was under the sea forJames Wan’sAquaman, a vehicle forJason Momoa’s Arthur Curry based on a character so historically lame that HBO’sEntouragemade a running joke out of giving him a standalone flick. It proceeded to gross more than a billion dollars around the world, and while reviews were still mixed—I loved it, but to be fair “Jason Momoa riding a Lovecraftian sea-beast into battle” is my favorite genre of film—they were certainly enthusiastic, as to be expected for a genuinely insane film that includes both a drum-playing octopus and Pitbull covering Toto’s “Africa” for seemingly no reason. The DCEU wasn’t saved by any means, but all that water seemed to be washing off some of the grime.
Then, just recently, cameShazam!,and again things could be better—$53 million domestic opening is solid, not spectacular—but there are also milestones you can’t quite measure with box office numbers. The mood justfeelsdifferent around the DCEU these days, the same way those first films felt oddly unsuccessful even when they were raking in money. There’s not a whole lot of connective tissue betweenWonder Woman,Aquaman, andShazam!, other than extremely charismatic leads, an overall optimism, and a bare-bones approach to connecting to the larger DC Universe.
And that’s partly the point. I maintain that outside all the mumble-grumbly angst and Batarang branding, there’s actually a lot to love in Snyder’s DC movies. But pitting Batman against Superman and trying to introduce Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg in the same movie—just the second movie in the franchise, no less—was clearly trying to fly before you’re able to walk.Wonder Womanwas a breath of fresh air because it brought things back to Earth;Aquamanbecause it introduced a specific pocket of the universe;Shazam!because the stakes were family, not the fate of the world.
So, again, just whatisthe DCEU at this point? You’d be hard-pressed to find a definition by looking at its upcoming slate. There’s Joker, Todd Phillips hard-boiled noir look at the Clown Prince starring Joaquin Phoenix. There’s aWonder Womansequel set in 1984 that somehow features a very aliveChris Pine. There’sBirds of Prey, aSuicide Squadspin-off forMargot Robbie’s Harley Quinn that seems to be completely ignoring Suicide Squad, followed bya sequel toSuicide Squadmiraculously written and directed by, of all people,James Gunn, that also…seems to be completely ignoringSuicide Squad.Ben Affleckis no longer Batman.Henry Cavill—from the neck up, at least—is no longer Superman.Ezra Millerhas towrite his own dang moviejust to be The Flash again.
The bottom line is that even after three critical hits the DCEU is still a hot mess of a whirlwind, but at this point it’s kind endearing. The variety is the brand. Marvel built a bajillion-dollar universe with a tried-and-blueprint, developing that MCU formula that ensures even the more out-there entries likeThor: RagnarokorGuardians of the Galaxyfeel, under the surface, familiar. Warner Bros. tried this and failed, first on a storytelling level and then finally, withJustice League, on a financial level, too.
But by tossing the blueprint into the Phantom Zone, Warner Bros. is just honoring comic book storytelling in a different way. Marvel is all about the interconnectivity of it all; the reference, the Easter Egg, the big crossover. Disney built a universe then connected it. Lately, Warner Bros. seems to be demonstrating just how vast the DC Universe is by having nothing connect — tones, team-ups, creative teams. And honestly? The crisis isn’t exactly over, but it also feels far from infinite.
