While speaking at a panel at SXSW today, Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead comic, had a few things to say about Zack Snyder's much-anticipated Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. While notably excited for it, Kirkman appeared to have a few concerns about DC's upcoming shared cinematic universe. Claiming Snyder and DC may have an "uphill battle" on their hands, Kirkman noted the high profile nature of the project and the obvious comparisons to the MCU it will receive:
“Anyone would be foolish to think that Marvel hasn’t done something extremely special. I think of Iron Man ending with with a surprise cameo from Samuel L. Jackson [mentioning] The Avengers – you were like, ‘What?! How did that happen?!’ People forget that was a surprise. Everything that came out of that was very organic and very exciting. I think [DC] announcing you’re going to do a Justice League movie after a Superman movie, that was neat and had some awesome things in it, but it wasn’t like amazing or groundbreaking – I shouldn’t have said that. It was an awesome movie, I like it. [The plan] just seems derivative, so it puts them in a backseat position to Marvel. It’s not organic so there’s going to be so much scrutiny on Batman V Superman when it comes out, it’s got an uphill battle. If they hadn’t told anybody if the Justice League were going to appearing in that, and they were forming that, it would have been surprising and exciting and weird. People are forgetting how important the surprise is. But, you know, Aquaman looks awesome and I’m sure it will be great.”
Another point he brings up is the loss of the element of surprise in CBMs. With all of the recent casting and scheduling announcements, there's a case that fans already know who/what to expect when they go and see the actual film. Of course, this is less of a DC issue and more reflective of the CBM industry as a whole. Marvel followed a similar tactic with their Phase 3 announcement - confirming the appearance of several characters (both new and old) in 2016's Civil War.
What do you think? Do you believe DC will have an uphill struggle when Batman V Superman is released next year, or do you think the differences in tone and style will help the general audience see it as something completely new? And would you prefer to see more surprises like Nick Fury in Iron Man? As always, sign off with your thoughts below!