The DCU Doesn't Need A Formula. It Needs Great Stories.
I have a confession to make as a DC fan: I really want the new DCU to succeed.
Which is exactly why I sometimes find myself frustrated with it.
James Gunn has been pretty clear about wanting the individual DC projects to have their own identities, much like the comics. Different writers and directors can bring different looks, feels and tones to the same universe.
Honestly? I love that idea.
Superman can be bright and sincere. Peacemaker can be ridiculous and heartfelt. Creature Commandos can be a bizarre animated monster story. Lanterns can be a murder mystery.
They can all be DC.
But that philosophy also raises a question for me: are we actually pushing these stories far enough?
This is where Supergirl left me disappointed. Not because I think the movie looks bad. There are some genuinely beautiful shots in it. My frustration comes from knowing what the filmmakers had in their hands.
Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is visually extraordinary. Its alien worlds are strange, colourful and almost dreamlike. Its story feels like a space Western filtered through grief, mythology and fairy-tale imagery. The movie changes a lot from the comic, and as a fan, I kept asking myself: why didn't we go all the way?
I'm not asking for a panel-for-panel adaptation. Changes are part of adapting anything. But when you have source material this distinctive, I can't help wondering whether we sometimes underestimate just how weird these characters can be.
Kara is travelling across the galaxy. We have virtual production, enormous visual-effects capabilities and filmmaking technology that can create almost anything. So why did some of these worlds leave me thinking, "That's beautiful... but haven't I seen this planet before?"
Maybe it's budget. Maybe it's production limitations. Maybe it's simply a creative decision. Or maybe the question is something more fundamental: do we trust these characters enough to let their worlds become truly strange?
That's why Lanterns has me intrigued. We've only seen the beginning, so I'm not ready to declare it the saviour of the DCU. But Green Lantern being dropped into a grounded mystery in rural Nebraska is exactly the kind of tonal choice that makes me curious. Early reviews have highlighted its character work and grounded mystery, which makes the approach even more interesting.
And that's the thing. Lanterns seems interested in making the ordinary feel mysterious. I wanted Supergirl to make the extraordinary feel extraordinary.
Maybe that's the real opportunity for the DCU.
I don't want every project to look like Superman. I don't want every project to sound like Peacemaker. I don't want a "DC house style."
I want every project to have an identity.
That's what the comics have always given us. Different genres. Different artists. Different tones. Different worlds.
All DC.
So perhaps the future of this universe shouldn't be about finding a formula that makes every project successful. Maybe it should be about giving filmmakers enough confidence to make each story the best version of itself.
Because I don't need every DC story to be perfect.
I just want it to make me feel something.
And maybe that is the real superpower the DCU needs.
Do you think the DCU is actually embracing the creative freedom Gunn promised, or do projects like Supergirl suggest there's still a gap between having great source material and trusting it?