I believe it is safe to say that The Man of Steel will be a success and the possible keystone to build a cohesive DC cinematic universe. Now the task that Warner Bros. and DC have at hand is to make films for the other characters inhabiting their universe. More likely than not the first hero that Big Blue will come into contact with is going to be batman. Now we know that the Caped Crusader has the legs to carry a franchise on his own. The question is do we bring back Bale or do we do a total reboot.
I feel it will be in the best interest of DC to reboot the character and make him fit in this universe that Superman inhabits.I am not a Batman fan but I did go to the theater to watch two out of three of the Nolan Dark Knight films and I own the trilogy on DVD, do I think that Batman could have been done better? Yes, a thousand times better, but it was just nice to see bats on the big screen and I can't kid myself the thought of a World's Finest film has me as giddy as a cutter in a razor blade factory. If there is one thing the world can count on it is that a Batman/Superman team up movie would kill at the box office and put Marvel on their toes.
The real question still remains, Can DC/WB make good on the rest of their franchise characters? Does Wonder Woman have the tenacity to carry her own movie and be the first lead female protagonist in a CBM? or does the Flash have the recognition to be brought front and center for the Scarlet Speedster to make an impression in his own film? I mean, Green Lantern could have been great...should have been great, but the property was forced into less than capable hands and rushed into production so they could make a couple of dollars.
This seems to be the norm for the former guard at WB but with the release of Man of Steel I feel a change in the wind. With people that are ready to respectfully explore the rich history that these characters have. I have no doubt that within five films DC will once again be the Distinguished Competition to all things Marvel. They have already shown themselves more superior in the comic book and animation markets and they are poised to close the gaps in theaters as well.
However, they must be willing to make the hard decisions and gamble on the likes of Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, it is a huge risk and must not be taken lightly. With the right drive and the tenacity, I feel we can get a Justice League movie on par if not, dare I say, better than that of the Avengers. Well here is hoping for nothing but the best from both DC and Marvel in the coming years, one could argue that it is a good time to be a comic book fan. Stay nerdy my friends...