Tag Archives: DCU

Jun 12 2023

Man Of Steel & The Failed Promise Of The DCEU

This week marks the tenth anniversary of the film release of Man of Steel, which was released on June 14, 2013. It not only served as a reboot for the Superman film franchise but as the vehicle to launch the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Now the superhero film universe based on DC superheroes comes to an end this year starting with The Flash, which will serve as a soft reboot of the DCEU and transform it into the DC Universe (DCU).

One of the casualties of the DCEU reboot will be Superman himself, which is ironically fitting since his film launched the DCEU.

Man of Steel was directed by Zack Snyder, who presented a darker and more grounded version of Superman in a world filled with muted colors and stark lighting. At the same time, the film and other Snyder-centric DCEU films cast the title hero with mythological, god-like imagery that did not resemble comic book images but rather epic paintings with static poses and even more harsh lighting.

This became more prevalent in future DCEU films such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, while Man of Steel was more grounded.

This unique approach to Superman was supposed to make him more relevant and relatable to modern audiences. As to whether or not that worked, is open for debate. Before Man of Steel, Superman was seen as a noble, larger-than-life do-gooder as best personified by the Christopher Reeve Superman films of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Thanks to Reeve’s classic performance it was difficult to imagine the superhero in any other kind of light. Even Superman Returns, the last Superman film before Man of Steel, did not veer from the Reeve interpretation of Superman, which led to a lot of criticism. In trying to make this version of Superman distinct from the traditional Boy Scout persona, it can be argued that Snyder veered too far from what made Superman so special. He is supposed to be a beacon of hope for humanity, which was ironic because he was actually an alien who grew up on Earth. Despite humanity’s faults, Superman adopted the best traits of his adopted species and served as an exemplar for the promise of humanity.

In Man of Steel, Superman aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) went through something of an identity crisis in an updated origin story. The film went through the typical Superman origin tropes but with new twists. Superman’s home planet, Krypton, was not the cold, crystalline and sterile civilization seen in the Christopher Reeve films. This Krypton was a planet embroiled in civil strife with a warring society that used what seemed to be technology based on programmable matter.

Superman’s origin was more tied to that of his nemesis, General Zod (Michael Shannon), in that Zod was at odds with Superman’s father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe). With the planet dying, Jor-El sends his newborn son, Kal-El, to Earth to have a chance at a new life. Before Kal-El is sent, he is embedded with genetic material called the Codex, which will provide the genetic means to recreate the Kryptonian race on another world.

After arriving on Earth, Kal-El is adopted by a human couple and grows up in a farm in Kansas. He struggles to fit in with society because of his developing super powers, which he has to keep hidden. Once he reaches adulthood, Kal-El who is now called Clark, sets out in the world to find himself and a purpose in life. During his journeys Clark clandestinely uses his powers to help people during emergencies.

Eventually he comes across the wreckage of a Kryptonian scout ship and activates an AI program that takes the image of Jor-El, who reveals to Clark his Kryptonian heritage. Under the guidance of the Jor-El AI, Clark learns to properly use his powers and adopts the famous Superman identity.

Soon after, Zod and his army arrive on Earth and establishes first contact with humanity, with the demand that Superman be turned over to him. Zod earlier learned that Kal-El was implanted with the Codex and wants to retrieve it to rebuild Kryptonian civilization on Earth, which he plans to terraform.

This creates an identity crisis for Superman as he is torn over siding with the human society he struggles to fit in with versus the Kryptonians, who he knows are malevolent. What complicates Superman’s decision is that once he is revealed to the world, he is immediately mistrusted by most of humanity who only see him as an alien threat.

What was interesting about this version of a Superman film was that the superhero was not received by the general public with open arms, but with suspicion. This is what would probably happen in reality if some unknown person was suddenly revealed to the world as an alien with superpowers.

While Man of Steel lacks the light-hearted humor and heart of previous Superman films, it makes up for it with its grounded and frankly more honest approach to the comic book legend. This approach by Snyder and writer David Goyer turned out to be divisive among fans.

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Feb 4 2023

Reaction To The New DCU Announcement

To be frank, it was best to wait a few days after the announcement from DC Studios’ head James Gunn about their new slate of DC Universe (DCU) films and TV shows. The immediate reaction for these types of announcements often run wildly until the news is fully digested. What was interesting about Gunn’s announcement was not the rage from fans of the ending DC Extended Universe (DCEU), but the large collective shrug from most.

There are many reasons for the various reactions, but the pervailing muted response has to do with the content of the upcoming DCU films and TV shows and that fans have been burned before with the intial announcement of the DCEU. When the first batch of DCEU films were announced last decade there was a lot to get fans super excited, especially with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now we know how all that turned out. Some of the films were never made (with The Flash finally premiering later this year), while some released films failed to deliver. Then there is the fact that some of the more well-received aspects of the DCEU, namely actors like Henry Cavill and Gal Godot, will not be a part of the DCU. So, naturally the skepticism and outrage was expected.

But let’s face the truth: the DCEU was a failure. Blame the executives at Warner Bros.. Blame the producers, writers, directors and actors. Blame the unrealistic expectations and toxic fans. But the fact remains that there were too many missed opportunities and that Warner Bros. was too reactionary. Instead of trying to fix what was wrong with the DCEU, the film studios had a scattershot approach to their DC properties. They ignored what worked with the DCEU and doubled down on films and TV shows that featured DC characters, but were not connected to the DCEU. What made things worse for the cinematic universe was that non-DCEU films like Joker and The Batman were huge successes. More and more DC films and TV shows were greenlit that were not part of the DCEU, while the DCEU itself was left behind.

This was a mistake. Warner Bros. have the characters in a shared superhero universe that should have rivaled Marvel Studios and their properties. While this may please Marvel fans, the fact is that Marvel Studios needs healthy competition to keep them on their toes, and we were seeing the effect, as their recent films and TV shows were not as well received as earlier releases.

What could have been done to salvage the DCEU? Nothing, at this point. James Gunn took the right approach by starting over. But there should have been a complete reboot. Instead we are getting a TV show about Amanda Waller starring Viola Davis, who was prominent in the DCEU. Then there are reports that other actors from the DCEU like Ezra Miller will be a part of the DCU. Why keep Davis and Miller but not Cavill and Gadot? The latter two actors were very popular and turned in iconic performances as Superman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, while they were great in their roles they are too identified with the DCEU and nervous executives probably feared that keeping them in a new cinematic universe would be too confusing for the average moviegoer. Whatever.

On the other hand, to dismiss the DCU without seeing the final product is foolish. James Gunn is a very talented filmmaker who took the obscure Marvel Comics property Guardians of the Galaxy and made them beloved superstars. He also did this to a lesser effect with DC characters in his film The Suicide Squad and TV show Peacemaker.

Do some of the announced films and TV shows sound uninspiring? Sure. Who is clamoring for Waller or The Authority or Paradise Lost (sorry this last announced project seems too much like Game of Thrones)? Who the hell can replace Henry Cavill? Anyone trying to answer this should remember how many fans were attached to Christopher Reeve as Superman or bemoaned about how Brandon Routh was short changed. Who knows, maybe Cavill and Gadot will return at some point. It happened to Routh when he had the opportunity to reprise Superman in the Arrowverse version of Crisis on Infinite Earths. That is one crossover event that is begging to be redone properly by Gunn and his people.

It stinks that we have to wait until 2025 to see the first DCU entry Superman: Legacy, but until then we should be patient and see what happens. We should also be rooting for the DCU to succeed because if it falters like the DCEU then it will be a long time before such effort is made to create a live-action cinematic universe based on the beloved DC characters.