It's been quite the ride following the "DC Extended Universe." We put that in quotation marks because it's a name that was created by a journalist and adopted by fans rather than a designation from Warner Bros. In fact, this shared world never received an official moniker, an indication of how poorly planned out it was from the start.
Kicking off in 2013 with Man of Steel, it was three years later when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice League came along. As the awkward subtitle made clear, that was all about setting the stage for the Justice League to assemble in a movie that was badly fumbled when Warner Bros. decided to change tact with its approach to the DCEU.
That was a panicked decision that came in the wake of Suicide Squad's release, and an attempt to Marvel-ize this franchise quickly followed.
Wonder Woman was the first true hit for this series prior to that, of course, but it was followed by far lighter efforts like Aquaman and Shazam!, both of which were actually critical and commercial successes. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey struggled to resonate with fans, though, and Wonder Woman 1984 - released in the midst of the pandemic - was a disaster.
It was at this point the DCEU's output slowed, but an unexpected treat came our way in the form of Zack Snyder's Justice League. The four-hour director's cut was vastly superior to the theatrical version, but a one-off treat for fans and not the filmmaker's long-awaited return to the shared world he helped create.
The Suicide Squad later offered an idea of what that regime at Warner Bros. may have wanted this world to be and it was definitely a breath of fresh air. We went downhill from there, unfortunately, with Black Adam following a little over a year later.
In 2023, the DCEU will end with the releases of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The latter three may be folded into DC Studios' new DCU, but before we see how these movies fare, we want to hear from you about which DCEU title is, in your opinions, the best one.
Make your voices heard by casting your vote in the poll below and check back here soon for the results...