From the DCEU to Worlds of DC, but is it the Right Move?

It looks like fans, or more appropriately critics, will be getting their wish. The DCEU is no more and we’re not quite sure where we stand with that decision. While there is no official confirmation, the writing is on the wall. No that doesn’t mean that Warner Bros and DC won’t be partnering again to make movies, nor does it mean Disney has snatched them up. No, the DCEU is going through a rebrand. From here on out it will be referred to as the Worlds of DC.

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With comic books, characters are never strangers of reboots, rebrands, and retcons and apparently movies will follow suit. In an attempt to distance themselves from their failures, DC has dropped the DCEU and announced at San Diego Comic-Con the Worlds of DC brand going forward. Now that doesn’t mean we’re not going to see Henry Cavill as Superman or Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne. It simply means a shift in branding.

Echoing the failed attempt at the “New 52” comics that would eventually become their “Rebirth” brand, DC looks to be pivoting on their already established characters. When the New 52 came out, sales fell flat, characters seemed like shells of their former selves, and fan response wasn’t nearly as invested as they should’ve been. So they planned a big reboot, kicked it off with a bang, and brought back the characteristics of these characters fans have grown to love over the years. Sound familiar? If that doesn’t echo what they’re trying to do with the DCEU/Worlds of DC then you haven’t been paying enough attention.

Mixed reviews have poured in over the internet since the DCEU kicked off with Man of Steel. Fans loved it, critics hated it and vice versa. While having limited success with characters such as Wonder Woman, DC often seemed like they were playing catch-up to Marvel. The MCU was winning the race not by having better characters and stories, but by making characters come to life. If DC ever wants to catch up they have to make the audience feel like they’re watching these characters come to life in every little detail, down to the last freckle. Their stories, their traits, their emotions need to feel like fans are flipping through comic pages as they watch. That’s why Marvel is so far ahead, there’s not a Marvel version of the Joker fans have an undying love for. What characters are more popular than Batman and Superman? DC as a brand is loaded with iconic characters that should dominate the box office.

With the shift from the DCEU to the Worlds of DC, it certainly sounds as if they’re embracing their multiverse roots. A move so drastic would only make sense as Warner Bros/DC have already announced multiple Joker films going forward. It would also allow them to steer further away from the darker, often referred to as the Snyder-verse, alternate feeling versions of these characters we’ve critiqued over the past few years. Even now, with the upcoming Aquaman and Shazam trailers being released, the tone of the films seems a bit more upbeat and closer to their comic book counterpart. However, the question still remains if they’re scrapping previous versions altogether, sticking to what they’ve got and improving on them, or are in a holding pattern until the next round of films come out.

With Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam, and Aquaman coming up the DCEU still has the potential to move forward with their shared universe. To be honest, nothing would delight fans more to see these actors stick it out in their current roles so long as the characters are written more true to the source material. Acting hasn’t ruined DC’s film properties as much as the stories have. Even when the stories were right, the characters felt too fabricated as the writers took too many liberties at the viewer’s expense. If the can recreate the magic from the comics, a soft reboot into a rebrand could be the spark that ignites their box office. Tell us what you think. Is this the right move for DC and the DCEU?[CMRickTwitter]