Aug 16 2026

The MCU Surges Ahead At D23

Perhaps all the talk about superhero fatigue in fims and TV shows may have been premature. At this weekend’s D23 Expo, Marvel Studios surged ahead with impressive announcements for its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and this comes fresh off the studios’ massive success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

In the past few years, the MCU and other live-action superhero franchises have struggled with general audiences as many films and TV shows failed to capture the stunning success they experienced in the 2010s, as seen with Marvel Studios’ films last year. While that idea may have some merit, what is becoming clear is that at least with Marvel Studios they have course-corrected and laid the foundation for its comeback, which is starting to bear fruit.

It is true that recent MCU projects (putting aside the new Spider-Man film) were not resounding successes, they were well received by critics and fans as seen with Daredevil: Born Again, Wonder Man, Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps, which helped to rehabilate the MCU’s reputation. By the time these properties made their debut, the MCU had developed a lukewarm reputation thanks to subpar films and TV shows like The Marvels and Secret Invasion. Marvel Studios in the early 2020s was forced to produce a glut of projects that were not well executed and the MCU suffered as a result. But thankfully, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige pulled back on output and emphasized quality over quantity and that is now starting to pay off. More importantly, people began to realized that MCU films and TV shows were back to being great.

The clearest sign of Marvel Studios’ renewed success of course comes from Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The latest Spider-Man film has astonished everyone by how successful it has become as it has just eatned over $2 billion in the box office. The film clearly proves that superhero film fatigue talk was premature and demonstrated that the only fatigue that existed was for mediocre films. While in the past, the film studios could get away with putting out inferior films, that no longer works. Put out a quality film with a popular character then it will be successful. Spider-Man: Brand New Day established that the character is one of, if not the most popular superheroes around and the film could be heralding a new golden age for the MCU. It has helped reignite interest in the MCU, which bodes well for Avengers: Doomsday and beyond.

There was a lot of doubt that Marvel Studios could inspire much interest in the upcoming Avengers film and questioned how the film’s villain, Doctor Doom, did not have the kind of lead up that Thanos had with the early MCU films. These questions appear to have been dispelled as seen with the reaction to the new trailer released during D23, which was previously shown at Comic-Con, and focused on Doctor Doom. There is a lot of intrigue behind the villain and the reason for his crusade, not to mention with his power scale as seen in the new trailer when he effortlessly brushed aside Thor’s attack and raised an army of robotic sentinels to attack the Avengers. Right now fans are pouring through every frame of the trailer and every nugget of leaks and rumors to find out what happens in the film and with its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars, not to mention which characters will appear in both films. But one set of characters has everyone especially excited.

Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and the rights to the X-Men, Marvel and MCU fans have salivated over the idea of the mutants joining the MCU…and grown impatient. Despite having the rights to the X-Men, Marvel Studios was slow with introducing mutants into the MCU, but that has changed and started with the introduction of….Spoiler Warning for anyone who has not seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day….

Jean Grey, one of the founding members of the X-Men and portrayed by Sadie Sink.

At D23, Feige introduced the director of the upcoming X-Men film, Jake Schreirer, who was rightfully rewarded for his work on Thunderbolts* with this plum assignment. Sink was introduced on stage as one of the stars of the X-Men film and more actors were presented, such as Kit Connor as Cyclops/Scott Summers, Maya Boyd as Storm/Ororo Munroe, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Anna Marie/Rogue, Christopher Abbott as Professor X/Charles Xavier, and Adam Driver (appearing on video) as Mr. Sinister/Nathan Milberry. The announcements left out other characters like Beast, Iceman, Angel and Magneto, though it’s not known at this time if they will appear in X-Men, which comes out May 5, 2028. What was refreshing about Driver plaing Mr. Sinister is that the film won’t go with the usual route of Magneto being the main villain.

Expect a full cast for X-Men to be revealed later on, perhaps with another day-long YouTube video featuring chairs with names on them. Or that may be reserved for Avengers: Secret Wars which is expected to have an even larger cast than Avengers: Doomsday. Speaking of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, once again we were teased with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds possibly appearing in the film as Wolverine and Deadpool. This has not been officially announced, and there is no word if Tobey Maguire will appear as the OG Spider-Man, but this is driving everyone insane by now.

Even though everyone is excited by the coming slate of MCU films, many are concerned about the apparent demise of MCU TV shows on Disney+. After VisionQuest and the third season of Daredevil: Born Again there have been no announcements at D23 of anymore live-action MCU TV shows. This was made worse with the recent cancellation of Wonder Man even though a second sesaon was announced a few months following the positive reception it received. It has been reported in the Hollywood trades that Disney is pivoting away from live-action MCU and Star Wars TV shows because they appear to be diluting the brands and affecting the box office numbers for the films and the costs for producing them are too high. This is regrettable because Marvel Studios has produced some genuinely terrific TV shows. The problem they had goes back to the early 2020s with the Disney mandate to produce a glut of product which led to many terrible TV shows being produced. This clearly hurt the MCU brand and could have been remedied by cutting back and concentrating on producing permium TV shows like HBO does. This can work as we saw with Daredevil: Born Again and VisionQuest which looks like it will be great as well. There are rumors that Marvel Studios will produce one-off special presentations like Punisher: One Last Kill or Werewolf By Night, and will supposedly feature the Defenders and Strange Academy, as well as a sequel to Werewolf By Night. At least it’s something, but Disney is foolish if they completely abandon MCU television.

On a more positive note, it’s a relief to feel genuine excitement for the MCU and its upcoming projects. Any doubts about the MCU have been thankfully dispelled for now. Of course, helping to get rid of any concerns for good is if Avengers: Doomsday turns out to be great and makes a ton of money, which it will, as long as the film is well received by fans and critics. Otherwise, it could wind up like Avengers: Age of Ultron, which while it was financially successful, it dampened enthusiasm for Avengers films until Avengers: Infinty War came along. If Avengers: Doomsday ends up being a hit, and who knows if it can match or exceed the runaway success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, expect enthusiasm to go into overdrive for Avengers: Secret Wars and beyond.We can’t wait!

José Soto

Aug 9 2026

Top Ten Most Wanted MCU Spider-Man Team-Ups

One of the main features of the Spider-Man films that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are that many MCU characters interact with Spider-Man. This made the MCU Spider-Man films unique since the previous films took place in their own universes because Sony Pictures, which owns the rights to live-action Spider-Man films, were not able to feature other Marvel Comics characters not associated with Spider-Man.

The meetings Spider-Man had with MCU characters were something of a mixed bag. On some films, the MCU references and character appearances felt intrusive and did not mesh well with Spider-Man. Other times, as seen with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the appearances of MCU characters and their interactions with Spider-Man were natural and added to the story. Here are ten other Marvel characters that the MCU Spider-Man should team up with; keep in mind that this list is geared towards characters Spider-Man has not met yet and characters that are currently alive in the MCU,,,or in another universe.

10. Cloak and Dagger

The young runaway duo made their debut in the comic book Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64 and quickly gained a cult following. Eventually they had their own TV show that was not connected to the MCU, but the characters crossed over with another non-MCU Marvel TV show, Runaways. Aside from that the TV show was quickly cancelled and forgotten.

However, the characters are compelling enough to return and become part of the MCU, but recast with younger actors because the actors from the original TV show are aged out. Since they are closely associated with Spider-Man in the comics, they should be featured in a future Spider-Man film where he would serve as kind of a mentor and try to help them.

9. Rocket and Groot

Some of the most memorable moments from Avengers: Infinity War were the interactions of Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film, Spider-Man met, briefly fought and ultimately teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Except he did not meet the full roster. Rocket Raccoon and Groot by that point in the film were off on their own separate adventure. So a story where Spider-Man properly meets and teams up with Rocket and Groot is warranted. For that matter, he may as well team up with the new Guardians of the Galaxy in an outer space adventure.

Actually, Spider-Man’s experiences in space demonstrated his ability to adapt to different environments. Sure he is better suited to operating in cityscapes but he held his own in outer space. It would also be amusing to see Spidey and Rocket trading insults with each other as they use their superior engineering skills to build new devices to help them fight the bad guys. Plus, Groot would be a perfect tree for Spidey to swing from.

8. Wolverine

This is one of the most popular team-ups in comics and for good reason. Wolverine is a savage and caustic character who liked to pick fights with Spider-Man, who proved that he was quite a match to Wolverine’s fighting skills. Once they stopped fighting, the duo turned out to have an engaging buddy-cop dynamic with their opposing personalities.

This kind of opposites-attract chemistry would be perfect for a bromance road film featuring these two heroes. It would be similar to Deadpool & Wolverine where Deadpool’s non-stop banter drove Wolverine insane. The same thing could happen in a Spider-Man/Wolverine team-up where Spidey’s quips and running mouth would be enough to drive Wolverine into a berserker rage. This would be perfect if they’re facing off against an army of disposable henchmen.

7. Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan would be a great team-up opportunity for Spidey. He represents New York while she represents New Jersey, so the two neignboring superheroes would have a lot in common when it comes to their locales. As seen in her comics and TV show, Ms. Marvel is a huuuge fan of superheroes and while Captain Marvel is her favorite it would be easy to see her relating to Spidey since he’s from across the river.

It should be considered that both heroes are young, eager and have unique powers that would work well in a film. The intense banter would be hilarious to watch especially connsidering that she probably outdoes him when it comes to running her mouth. Who knows, they could even develop unrequited crushes for one another to make things interesting, though we know Peter’s heart belongs to MJ.

6. Deadpool

Another popular team up in comics is Spidey with the Merc with a Mouth. The two superheroes vaguely look similar although one is a deranged and violent killer while the other is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Given Deadpool’s penchant for violence and profanity, such a meeting would land Spider-Man in his first R-rated film!

This team-up would give Deadpool great material to break the fourth wall and quip non-stop about Spider-Man and his complicated live-action film and TV rights. It should be as hilarious as his commentary on the MCU and Marvel Studios in Deadpool & Wolverine. Also, as with Ms. Marvel, despite his gift for gabbing, Spider-Man would have a hard time keeping up with Deadpool’s mouth.

5. Miles Morales

This is so obvious. Marvel Studios and current Spider-Man actor, Tom Holland, are eager to introduce the next generation of Spider-Man to the MCU, But Sony Pictures has so far refused to allow this to happen (aside for a couple of vague references) and prefer to keep Miles Morales in his own animated film series. This is regrettable since Miles played a major role in the Secret Wars comic books and it is hard to see how the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars would proceed without him.

Still, we can always hold out hope that the ultimate team-up of these two Spider-Men can happen in live action. Sure the animated films are genuine classics but it would be so satisfying to finally seeing Miles Morales in a live-action film. Such a team-up would be a guaranteed box-office hit and a win for fans everywhere.

4. Thor

Aside from Black Widow and Hawkeye, Thor is the only OG Avenger who has not met Spider-Man (he most likely met Black Widow and Hawkeye off screen during the events of Captain America: Civil War). Thor would introduce Spider-Man to the epic cosmic scale of the MCU with outlandish worlds where Spider-Man would demonstrate his gifted intelligence to adapt and thrive in a location outside of his comfort.

Thor would feel a kinship with Spider-Man for his heroic and plucky nature. Meanwhile, Spider-Man’s amazed reaction to Thor, his power and Asgardian trappings would be worth the price of the movie ticket alone. Plus, we would get to find out if Spider-Man is actually worthy enough to lift Thor’s hammer. He is as far as we’re concerned!

3. Venom

Tom Hardy, who portrayed Eddie Brock/Venom in the Venom film trilogy, always wanted to have his anti-hero meet Spider-Man. The two characters were fierce enemies before becoming uneasy allies in the comics, and Hardy hoped this would happen in the films. Sadly this has not happened to date. The best we got was a cameo of Spider-Man appearing on a TV screen in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Brock appeared in a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home but never met Spider-Man.

Sony Pictures at one point planned to have the fourth MCU Spider-Man film feature Venom and a storyline involving Venom’s arch foe Knull, but that never came to be, which was for the best. The storyline of Peter donning the Venom suit was done in Spider-Man 3 but could be remade to feature Hardy as an MCU variant of Brock who ends up with the Venom symbiote. It could lead to a new series of Venom films set in the MCU where he and Spider-Man could fight then team up together.

2. Daredevil

Technically the two New York City-based heroes met onscreen already in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but only in their civilian identities. It was hoped that Daredevil would have appeared in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but unfortunately, that did not happen, which is not surprising since he is currently in jail. But the film did have more than a few references to the world of Daredevil.

If the two heroes were to team-up in a future film, it should be against their common foe, Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin. He made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 but became more known as a Daredevil villain years later. Vincent D’Onofrio and Tom Holland expressed their hopes that Kinpin and Spider-Man would confront each other but aside from a couple of references that has not happened. Come on Marvel Studios have the three characters interact with each other in a future film!

1. Human Torch

It had to be Johnny Storm. He and Spider-Man headlined the very first issue of Marvel Team-Up and years before the two often met each other in the comics. At first the two young hotheads didn’t get along well, but were able to put aside their differences to fight their enemies. It was not long before the two developed grudging respect for each other which turned into a genuine friendship that was so deep that Johnny handpicked Spider-Man to replace him on the Fantastic Four if needed.

One regrettable thing about Fantastic Four: First Steps was that it was not set in the 616 MCU reality where Spider-Man exists, which prevented any meetings between the Human Torch and Spider-Man. However, there is the hope that the upcoming Avengers films will be the perfect vehicle for these two young heroes to meet, argue and become best bros just like in the comics. Also, if Marvel Studios greenlights another FF film, it definetly should feature Spider-Man, even if all he does is argue with Johnny Storm; it could be as hysterical as his interactions with the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Other MCU characters to consider:

Beast, Black Panther (Shuri), Blade, Falcon Joaquin Torres), Gambit, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Kate Bishop, Kitty Pryde, Korg, Loki, Luke Cage, Man-Thing, Moon Knight, Mystique, Namor, Nightcrawler, Okoye, Quake, Rogue, Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, Stature, Storm, The Thing, Werewolf By Night

Are there any other characters who should be considered to team-up with Spider-Man? Leave a comment.

Jul 31 2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Presents The Most Authentic Version Of Spider-Man Yet

Reeling from recent box office disappointments Marvel Studios brought out its big guns for the newest film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with the latest Spider-Man film. After slightly over a year since we’ve had an MCU film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a return to form for Marvel Comics’ most popular superhero as the latest MCU Spider-Man film presents the character at his most authentic yet.

A common complaint about the MCU version of Spider-Man was that he was basically Iron Man, Jr. and his fawning over Iron Man, over-reliance on MCU references, and outer space trips did not help. This was done to differentiate the character from past versions of cinematic Spider-Men, but now that the character became his own independent solo character by the end of the last film, he was returned to the more grounded comic-book accurate version fans have come to love. Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is now a lonely young man who scrapes by in a frugal existence and is solely devoted to fighting crime in New York City as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

When Spider-Man: No Way Home, the last Spider-Man film, ended, a magic spell was cast that made the whole world, including his girlfriend MJ Watson (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon),, forget that Peter Parker existed. This film deals with the consequences of that spell as Peter lives a solitary life in a decrepid rented attic working on upgrading his suit and fighting crime. An opening montage shows how for the past four years since No Way Home ended, Peter kept himself busy fighting assorted supervillains and helping the New York City police. In his down time, he monitors Ned’s social media feeds to keep track of him and MJ. During one incident involving a break-in at the federal detention center for the Department of Damage Control (DODC), Spider-Man goes to help the federal guards and encounters an unseen person (Sadie Sink) who can telepathically possess people, except him. His conflict with the person draws the attention of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), an uneasy ally of Spider-Man who is the murderous vigilante called the Punisher. Unlike Spidey, Castle has no inhibition in trying to kill the telepath while Spider-Man wants to try to capture her for the DODC.

As he grapples with this new enemy Peter learns that he is starting to evolve physically; he is able to shoot organic webbing, his senses become overwhelming enhanced to the point they nearly debilate him, and his strength and agility increase. Alarmed by his development, Peter seeks out Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for advice. Banner who is also the Hulk, has been able to keep his monstrous personna under control through an inhibitor that Peter hopes to duplicate to dampen his increased powers. At the same time, his intense loneliness drives him to eventually seek out MJ and Ned and try to find some way to reconnect with them. Naturally, all these plot lines converge with disastrous results as Peter has to find a way to come to grips with his emotional and physicaly plight while trying to stop the telepath.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the same person who helmed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Wonder Man. Unlike the previous director, Cretton brings much needed energy to Spider-Man’s antics which now feels kinetic and literally off the wall. The camera never stops moving and presenting dynamic and colorful scenes that are filmed off kilter, which could be disorienting but better captures the mind set of our favorite wall crawler. Needless to say, it is the best filmed Spider-Man film. The fight scenes and the visceral web swinging are easily the best ever shown in a Spider-Man film. It felt as if you were there with him as he swung through the City that Never Sleeps. BTW, the look and feel of New York City feels authentic and adds to the grounded and frentic nature of the film. There are also many beautifully set up scenes that capture iconic images and covers from the Spider-Man comics that fit in well with the tone of the film and flows perfectly.

But what made the film so special was its emphasis on the emotional core of Spider-Man and the telepath who are both injured and fragile souls that are at odds with the outside world. The narrative is fast paced and holds your attention despite the film’s length.

Spider-Man fits in perfectly with the MCU as its references and characters don’t feel in-your-face unlike some of the previous MCU Spider-Man films. This time, we get a street level connection to the former Netflix Marvel TV shows, especially Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again (and no despite our hopes Daredevil does not appear in the film), in the form of the Punisher. Both Holland and Bernthal have great chemistry together as their two characters oddly complement each other. Much of the banter and emotions they share are some of the best moments in the film and will bring a smile to your face.

All the actors were at the top of their game in the film. Tom Holland himself turns in his best performance as Peter/Spider-Man who is now more mature and downbeat but is still trying to find a way to connect in the world. The moments Holland has with Zendaya were so involving and feel so genuinely human, it probably helped that the two actors are married in real life! You can just empathize with Peter as he is anguished to know that MJ does not remember him or the love they once shared. It was very haunting and you can sense the distress coming off Peter in those moments.

Of course the film is not perfect. There are a lot of narratives going on which could have collapsed the film if not for Cretton’s steady hand and smart editing. Also, the storyline with the telepath sometimes takes away from the plight of Spider-Man and, without giving anything away, could be seen as just a way to set up other MCU projects, but it was very well done and engaging.

It’s hard to say where Spider-Man: Brand New Day would rank among the other Spider-Man films. It is arguably the best of the MCU Spider-Man films and rivals the early Sam Raimi films, though Spider-Man 2 is still the GOAT. Marvel Studios would be wise to retain Cretton for future Spider-Man films since he is a perfect fit for the superhero. Now on to Avengers: Doomsday!

José Soto

Jul 26 2026

The MCU Moves Ahead From Hall H

After skipping out of the San Diego Comic-Con last year, Marvel Studios made a welcome return to the convention yesterday to Hall H with tantalizing announcements that point the way forward for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The announcements were not on par with past announcements like Robert Downey, Jr. playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday or revealing a mammoth list of upcoming projects. But Marvel Studios did put on a good presentation for the public with exclusive footage from this week’s release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and this December’s Avengers: Doomsday, along with an impressive roster of actors from the latter film appearing on stage along with Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige and the directors of the new Avengers film, Joe and Anthony Russo.

What caught everyone’s interest was an appearance by Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool who popped out of the audience and teased the cast as to why Thor was crying in a cryptic scene from Deadpool & Wolverine–a question that was leveled at Paul Rudd who plays Ant-Man. The question while playful had dark undertones with the implication that Ant-Man will die in Avengers: Doomsday. There was also the question that everyone had about whether or not Deadpool will appear in the Avengers film. So far, the answer appears to be no, but Reynolds did reveal in a recent interview that there are plans for a new Deadpool film.

The last announcement made by Feige after the Avengers: Doomsday presentation ended did not surprise anyone: a third Black Panther film coming in December 15, 2028, to be directed by Ryan Coogler. What blew the roof off the hall was that the announcement that Black Panther will be now played by David Jonnson. Genre fans will recognize him from his appearances in Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk. This was very welcome news given Johnson’s natural charisma and acting talent, and frankly he was the best part of those films. So him playing T’Challa’s grown up son who picks up the mantle of the Black Panther, plus Coogler’s revelation that Black Panther III will be filmed in large format film amped up interest in this film.

The most surprising revelation at Hall H was the announcement of a new Ghost Rider starring Ryan Gosling, to be directed by Shawn Levy and slated for release in 2028. Apparently Gosling and Levy’s collaboration in next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter went so well that they are teaming up again for the MCU. It was not revealed which version of Ghost Rider Gosling will play but expect him to play the original Johnny Blaze version. It’s interesting to note that the actor is married to Eva Mendes who appeared in the original Ghost Rider film in 2007 and it would be nifty if she appears in the reboot. Some have concerns that Levy who is known for more lightweight films will be directing a film that should be more horror based given the superhero’s horror roots. Regardless, nearly everyone is excited by the idea of Ryan Gosling playing Ghost Rider as many have fan casted throughout the years. As long as it turns out better than the original and it doesn’t end up being unfilmed like what happened with Blade. Hopefully Feige and Marvel Studios know better now and seems to have since at least a director has been locked in and not just the lead actor.

Regarding the MCU TV shows, no major announcements or trailers were released. The only thing mentioned by Feige was that VisionQuest will conclude the Wanda trilogy. Most likely the big announcements about MCU TV shows (and trailer releases) will be done at the D23 Expo on August 14.

It’s also worth mentioning that despite speculation there won’t be any secret MCU films planned for between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the latter of which won’t be a two-part film. Another thing missing from the Marvel Studios presentation was any news about the new X-Men film. That could be due to the fact that there isn’t a full cast and the desire to keep Sadie Sink’s character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day a secret for a while longer (the popular theory is that she is playing Jean Grey, a founding member of the X-Men). Apparently, Marvel Studios is keeping its cards hidden in order to avoid the past embarrassment of announcing a bunch of projects that never get made–see Blade, Inhumans, Armor Wars; and this is for the best. Give the fans a few nuggets of information about definite projects when they are ready to be announced.

It’s easy to say that given the failure of several recent superhero films that superhero fatigue is upon us. However, given the excitement of upcoming superhero projects at this year’s Comic-Con that may not be the case.

Jul 12 2026

DCU: Fallout From Supergirl

The relatively new cinematic universe, DC Universe (DCU), got off to a solid start with last year’s release of Superman and two TV shows, Creature Commandos and the second season of Peacemaker. However, the DCU and DC Studios, which produces the DCU films and TV shows, have been rattled by the failure of the DCU sophomore film, Supergirl.

It was hoped by DC Studios that Supergirl’s popular cameo appearance in Superman would translate to a healthy and respectable box office performance with her solo film. No one expected it to earn $1 billion dollars but at least it should have earned $400 to $500 million and help cement the DCU. Unfortunately that was not how things turned out and based on BTS stories about how DC Studios struggled with the film’s poor reception during previews is not a surprise. As the film was being put together the film studio and its head James Gunn saw that Supergirl was not scoring well during previews and the film was hastily edited. This resulted in a movie that felt disjointed in its mood. Sometimes it felt like a gritty and somber Mad Max-style action piece. Other times it seemed as if it was trying to ape the atmosphere of a more light-hearted and goofy space adventure like Guardians of the Galaxy.

This doesn’t mean that Supergirl is a terrible film. It has its faults but overall it was a fine superhero film and certainly cannot be compared to those awful Sony films featuring Spider-Man villains or some of the worst of the former DC Extended Universe (DCEU). But in DC Studios’ situation, the film had to be more than fine, it had to stand out and resonate with audiences. Perhaps if they delayed the film to tinker with it some more in reshoots or editing and released it another time it would have fared better. It is maddening to think that Warner Bros. thought that releasing the film in late June sandwiched between the animated juggernauts of Toy Story 5 and Minions & Monsters was a good idea. They could have released the film in early May where it had no competition. It probably would have still received the same negative to mixed reviews but it might have earned much more than it will now. Traditionally, the early May schedule was reserved for films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but this year, there were no MCU films scheduled with only The Devil Wears Prada 2 in the way.

Despite how much Monday-morning-quarterbacking can go on, Supergirl is in the rearview mirror. Where does the DCU go from here? Is it already doomed? Will James Gunn be removed? To answer the last two questions: no the DCU is not in trouble though it took a nasty black eye from Supergirl’s failure and it is too premature to deem the DCU dead or in trouble, and Gunn’s position is safe…for now. Certainly the next DCU film, Clayface, has to do very well, as well as the upcoming TV show, Lanterns. The success of one or both projects will stem all the negativity the film studio is getting until the big test coming with next year’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow.

Fortunately, the previews for Clayface and Lanterns have been received well, especially Clayface’s. What is helping Clayface is that it seems more like a horror film and will come out at a perfect time to take advantage of that perception. Plus, being perceived as a horror film helps distinguish Clayface from standard superhero/comic book films and this is something that DCU needs at the moment. Meanwhile, Lanterns is being marketed as more of a murder mystery which will annoy Green Lantern fans who expected a traditional space adventure, but the more grounded TV show could pull in viewers who are not traditional superhero fans.

Of course, none of that will matter if Superman: Man of Tomorrow does not perform well. Going for it is that like Superman, it is being directed by James Gunn and the reaction to what has been revealed about it has been positive. Given Gunn’s talent, it is unlikely that the film will get negative reception but it has to do at least as well as Superman and earn over $600 million to keep the DCU viable. Its success also will determine the future of the DCU and James Gunn’s position as head of DC Studios.

Gunn’s contract with Warner Bros. will end next spring and no one can say for certain if he will remain as the president of DC Studios. Many have speculated with Warner Bros. being taken over by Paramount Pictures that it will mean that there will be massive executive changes at Warner Bros. Paramount could take a hard look at how the DCU is performing and demand changes or else. Whether or not Gunn will go along with this is unknown, and it has to be considered that he will be wooed by other film studios, starting with Disney. Do not be surprised if news comes out next year after Superman: Man of Tomorrow is released that Gunn will leave DC Studios to work for Marvel Studios with the intent that he could take it over at some point in the future. If that happens what becomes of the DCU? Who will take over and what direction will it take? Obscure heroes like Booster Gold and the Authority will be disregarded for proven popular characters, that is certain. But do not expect a return of the old DCEU or its creator Zack Snyder despite what some fans wish for.

There are many unknowns but expect a hard shift to focus on Batman as the lynchpin of the new DCU. Given the supposed lack of progress in launching a new Batman for the DCU, Gunn could face pressure to just fold The Batman films into the DCU since the first film, was very successful. The only thing is that that grounded version of Batman will be nearly impossible to connect it to the more bright and goofy DCU that Gunn has created. Of course, all this could be moot if the next couple of films and TV shows succeeds.

It is unlikely that the DCU will be dissolved by Warner Bros. anytime soon. It just got started with only two films under its belt. The cinematic universe has not achieved the disastrous results of the DCEU and still has some good will towards it. Some adjustments will have to be made just as Marvel Studios did and continue to do with their MCU films and TV shows. For one, James Gunn will have to step away from actively directing films and concentrate on running DC Studios. Trying to do both is impossible since running a film studio and maintaining the quality of films is a full time position. He has to devote more time to ensuring that what comes out is above average and deserves to be made, otherwise you end up with another Supergirl. Another thing for Gunn to contemplate is that although he loves quirky obscure characters major DCU projects cannot be devoted to them. He should be paying his full attention to the most popular DC characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and so on. It’s fine to feature the quirky characters in films about popular characters like Superman did. Doing so would serve as a testbed for the quirky character and see if they are well received by fans, as what happened with Mr. Terrific, who is being considered for a TV show.

So, is it time to panic for DC Studios? Not yet, it’s early, Warner Bros. and the fans just have to be more patient and see how upcoming projects turn out. Yes, Supergirl is a failure but this experience was an opportunity for Gunn and the film studio to learn from the mistakes and make adjustments. Seeing what worked and what doesn’t will guarantee future success for the DCU going forward.