It’s no secret that DC has been struggling to keep up with Marvel in the cinematic universe department. In general, DC movies are a mixed bag, with some entries being really strong while others are…lacking. They’ve been in desperate need of revitalization, or at least some sort of brand strategy, for quite some time now, as the tone and quality of DC movies have been all over the place since the beginning. Warner Bros. recently merged with Discovery and the studio announced that it’s looking to overhaul DC in an effort to improve its cinematic universe.
In particular, it appears they want to more closely follow the Marvel formula, even down to having a Kevin Feige-like figure to oversee all of the creative decisions and ensure that the DCEU becomes more cohesive in the future. This sounds like a great plan on paper, as the MCU has obviously been so successful and any attempts to replicate that success would likely work in DC’s favor, but it also raises concerns for some fans that any DC movies with a unique flavor,such asThe Batman, will be put to the side or changed for the worse in order to fit the specific aesthetic of a shared universe.
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It seemed like, if anything,The Batmanwas going to be a real turning point for DC. Fans and critics alike had nothing but praise for the film, and if DC could harness the magic that made that movie what it was, their movies as a whole could be more successful. The problem is, the thing that madeThe Batmanso successfulis exactly the kind of thing it sounds like they want to avoid in the future, namely, movies that are standalones and very tonally distinct from the rest of the studio.
The Batmanseems to be its own thing so far, divorced from the rest of the preexisting stories in the DCEU. This is one of its strengths because it allows for more creative freedom and experimentation within the film and the theoretical rest of the series. Being different from every other superhero movie that’s being released right now is exactlywhat makesThe Batmanas good as it is- it stands out.
If DC truly wants to go the route of emulating Marvel, it could be troublesome for what they’ve established withThe Batmanso far. MCU movies, while all having their unique features, do tend to feel the same across the board, because they all need to fit intothis shared cinematic universe. They need to be tonally and visually similar enough that it’s plausible they could all exist in the same universe, and since Marvel found a formula that works for them and that gets people to the theaters without fail every time, they’ve continued to do it to replicate their success over and over.
This is obviously what Warner Bros. and Discovery would like to do with DC, and it makes sense. It would be most lucrative for them to copy Marvel to a certain extent and make movies that are familiar to audiences andbuild fan loyaltythat way. However, this would mean that projects likeThe Batmanmight not get made anymore because they don’t fit the pre-established aesthetics that the cinematic universe wants to work within. Even thoughThe Batmanhas arguably been the most successful DC film project in a while, it’s possible that its future could be in question after this brand strategy was announced.
It’s not only that DC might want to copy the general formula of MCU movies, but that they’ll likely want to model the tone as well. DC tried to differentiate themselves by goinga darker and grittier routewith their superheroes, to overall negative results until the release ofThe Batman. In fact, some of the better DC movies have been lighter in tone, such asShazam!orBirds of Prey. Marvel’s success has also likely come from the fact that their movies are overall light and fun, and generally quite comedic (though some might argue that they lean a bit too heavily on the comedy). to grab the attention of the audiences who are already loyal to Marvel, DC might very well pivot to trying to emulate that tone themselves.
Unless they decide to stick to the dark, gritty thing as their overall tone, it seems like DC wouldn’t want a movie or a series of movies that is a tonal outlier. If they shift to a lighter comedic tone, it might mean that the aesthetic ofThe Batmanandany future installmentswon’t fit the vision of the new DC. There is a possibility, though it may be a small one, that they’ll end up scrapping it altogether as they work towards a rebrand of the DCEU.
Now, that would be quite an extreme move, and probably a poor business decision if they were to go through with it.The Batmanhas clearly been their most successful film in quite some time, and it would be questionable of the studio to not continue with it when it’s so clearly beloved. While there is definitely a chance that trying to be more like Marvel will result inthe death ofThe Batman, it seems like it would be such a poor business decision that it’s unlikely that would happen. Trying to do their own spin on the Marvel formula would definitely be beneficial for DC in a lot of ways, but doing it at the expense of one of their best movies so far would be a massive mistake.
