James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU has barely had time to get started, but the franchise now faces an uncertain future. With Gunn and Safran out as DC Studios co-CEOs and Jeremy Latcham stepping in to take their place, there's a golden opportunity to start afresh and address some of the problems that have plagued the shared universe since it launched in 2023.
There are conflicting reports about what comes next. Some outlets have said that we're getting a full-blown reboot, while others suggest Gunn could stick around to continue the Superman Saga, serving solely as a filmmaker rather than the person steering the ship. Either way, the DCU is in a state of flux.
From its confusing continuity and lack of iconic heroes to questionable creative decisions and unresolved storylines, there's plenty that needs fixing. If DC Studios wants to compete with Marvel and finally give audiences a superhero universe worth investing in, these are six changes its new leadership should seriously consider.
A Nonsensical Continuity
This is a wild thing to say about a shared world that technically only began in 2024, but that's how much of a mess Gunn has made. By enlisting the DCEU's Peacemaker cast and Blue Beetle for the DCU, the filmmaker has muddied this franchise's waters to an absurd extent.
Last month, Gunn launched an hour-long podcast and decided, with his wife and friend, that 2021's The Suicide Squad should be DCU canon. As a reminder, the movie, released during COVID, was a box office flop and a sequel to one of the worst DCEU movies.
Unless a full-blown reboot is coming, Latcham needs to untangle all of this. Gunn has made it so that those Peacemaker characters are very much his, and if he remains involved as a writer and director, their stories could continue. Honestly, though, the best idea would be to ditch all his DCEU characters and just keep the DCU's best new additions...which really only extends to a small handful of actors.
The Batman And Wonder Woman Problem
For whatever reason, Gunn was never able to figure out the DCU's Batman and Wonder Woman. He had a good idea for the former, which was to head down the route of Bruce Wayne discovering that he had a son, Damian, and subsequently training him as Robin. If that meant having an established Bat-Family, it would have been far from a bad thing.
Paradise Lost was a little more perplexing. The series was billed as a Game of Thrones-style story set on Themyscira, long before Diana Prince was born. Overall, it was a pointless idea that, fortunately, never saw the light of day. Still, all this has left the DCU without a Batman and Wonder Woman.
Adria Arjona has reportedly been cast as the latter for Man of Tomorrow, and Latcham must decide whether he wants to build a franchise around her as the Amazon. As for Batman, casting the DCU's Dark Knight has to be a priority...unless the plan is to focus solely on Robert Pattinson's version in The Batman franchise.
Lanterns Backlash
Lanterns may have received positive reviews, but the response from fans has been noticeably less enthusiastic. Much of that unhappiness stems from the decision to tear Hal Jordan down in a bid to build John Stewart up, with the series going so far as to kill Hal in the lamest way possible.
Lanterns was reportedly a ratings hit, and the casting of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre was hard to fault. Using the series as a launching platform, Latcham can bring the Green Lantern Corps back to the big screen and deliver the epic space opera these characters deserve.
Taking its cues from Geoff Johns' Green Lantern: Rebirth, it would be wise to resurrect Hal, even if that means casting a new, younger actor in the role. Fans have made it clear they want to see him front and centre in the DCU, and Latcham obliging them would earn him a lot of fans.
Making The DCU A World Everyone Can Enjoy
There's definitely a place for R-rated and TV-MA content in the superhero space. On the Marvel side, that's evident from the likes of Deadpool & Wolverine and Daredevil: Born Again. Unfortunately, Gunn went completely over the top with movies and series aimed at adults in the DCU.
Creature Commandos launched the DCU and was blatantly aimed at an adult audience, despite it being a cartoon. Peacemaker Season 2, the franchise's first live-action series, was billed as an essential Superman sequel, and opened with a superfluous orgy. Lanterns rebooted Green Lantern and had its leads dropping F-bombs for no other reason than to justify its place on HBO. Then, there's Clayface, a lame body horror.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a variety of stories and genres, but Marvel Studios waited over a decade before heading down the R-rated route for good reason. These stories need to be for everyone and attract a young audience, not just pre-existing hardcore fans. Latcham would be wise to follow the MCU's example when it comes to tone, at least initially.
Unresolved Plot Threads
If the DCU is being rebooted, this won't matter. However, Gunn's swift exit has left some big dangling plot threads, including Peacemaker being stranded on Salvation and whatever big bad the filmmaker's Superman Saga was supposed to be building toward.
Man of Tomorrow was meant to be followed by Superman 3 and a Justice League movie, so it's bound to be at least somewhat open-ended. Unless Latcham intends to follow Gunn's blueprint, the sequel needs to be given The Flash treatment, with reshoots ensuring it works as a standalone movie (and yes, that could result in Wonder Woman being left on the cutting room floor).
Latcham needs to hit the ground running, and while it would be a risky move, there's one franchise that can help him achieve that...
Goodbye To The Justice Gang
What the hell was Gunn thinking? The Justice Gang is a total misfire, and while we know he was attempting to take his cues from Justice League International with the inclusion of Maxwell Lord, a team of corporate heroes was, well, lame (it would have also, no doubt, predictably led to them breaking away from their benefactor down the line).
Latcham needs to bring the Justice League back to our screens, delivering an event movie that kicks off the new DCU in style. This worked with "The New 52" relaunch, and from there, the team's members can appear in their own solo projects.
However, the C-listers need to go. Guy Gardner? Gone. Metamorpho? Ditched. Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific? Well, they have some potential, but like the original six Avengers, the Justice League should, initially, be comprised of A-list superheroes. Both deserve a spot on the roster, though, especially if the team is made up of 7 or 8 members.