Earlier this year, Warner Bros. launched DC Studios and announced a new slate of movies and TV shows all set in the "DCU." Once Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in theaters in December, the DCEU (which was never an official moniker; just one fans co-opted after it was used jokingly in an EW article) will reach its end. Confusingly, some actors will stick around, but that's not something we're getting into here.
It's been a rough couple of years for the franchise, though its films largely received a mixed to negative response from critics since day one. In fact, these DCEU titles have often divided fans as well, creating a fanbase it's become increasingly difficult to please.
We didn't know it at the time, but the DCEU kicked off with 2013's Man of Steel. Back then, there were rumblings Superman's origin story took place in the same world as The Dark Knight Trilogy, and there were those who even expected Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern to show up. Instead, Batman v Superman followed, though the addition of "Dawn of Justice" to the title saw the movie used as a means of attempting to replicate the success of the MCU in a single 150-minute blockbuster.
Task Force X got its own big screen outing for some reason with Suicide Squad and it took no time at all for a Wonder Woman origin story and Justice League to follow. It was around this time Snyder's vision for the DCEU started clashing with Warner Bros., news no one was shocked by after movies that were box office hits on paper were deemed a failure due to massive, out-of-control budgets. The studio chose to change course, enlisting Joss Whedon to reshape Justice League and inadvertently creating an often toxic movement in #ReleaseTheSnyderCut (though we'd be remiss not to mention the good many of its less fanatical followers did for charity).
Since then, the DCEU has struggled to figure out what it wants to be, attempting to replicate Marvel Studios' approach in colourful, goofy outings like Aquaman, Shazam!, and Wonder Woman 1984.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) was hated by many fans but also a critical hit that...bombed. The DCEU seemingly couldn't do right for doing wrong, with the Wonder Woman sequel going from "Certified Fresh" to Rotten across the course of a few days.
The release of Zack Snyder's Justice League was meant to finally silence the most vocal DCEU/Snyder fans but the filmmaker sneakily adding scenes setting up his sequels only helped give birth to the newly named #RestoreTheSnyderVerse movement. Meanwhile, James Gunn lent his talents to the franchise with his R-Rated The Suicide Squad, a second crack at Task Force X which, while a critical hit, struggled to draw an audience (much of the blame for that should be laid at the feet of the pandemic and HBO Max). Since then, it's all been downhill courtesy of Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. Blue Beetle opened to positive reviews but, the brand is so damaged, it too is shaping up to be a flop.
It's been a crazy decade and one which has now seen the vast majority write the DCEU off as a colossal failure. Now, the narrative online is the sooner it ends and the DCU begins, the better. So, was the DCEU really that much of a disaster?
In many respects, yes. The DCEU has not only damaged these characters but DC and even the genre as a whole. Marvel Studios has struggled to remain consistent in the Multiverse Saga, but the brand remains one largely associated with quality. DC, on the other hand, is essentially a warning label that the film you're about to watch is almost certainly going to be mediocre...unless it's an Elseworlds project like The Batman or Joker. Critically, many of the DCEU movies have bombed and, for the most part, they've disappointed financially too.
On the other hand, there's a lot in the DCEU we've enjoyed. Many of the casting decisions have been superb, while at least a few of the movies produced since 2013 have been a good example of how great this genre is when everything comes together the right way. Unfortunately, the franchise's legacy is one of failures and memorable moments as opposed to true classics. Who should we blame? Many of you will be tempted to blame Zack Snyder, but it's not him. The filmmaker made some divisive creative decisions, sure, but his films were largely better than the forgettable fluff that followed and the DCEU may well have succeeded had Warner Bros. told his story instead of panicking and trying to copy Marvel.
There's hope on the horizon. With a division fully devoted to making the franchise work - DC Studios - finally a reality, all eyes are on the DCU to turn this shared world's fortunes around. There's a very good chance Warner Bros. will once again drop the ball, but we can now only hope that, once the strike ends, the genre can bounce back and leave us with two comic book franchises - Marvel and DC - it's worth getting excited about.