DCU: Making DCEU Dreams a Reality – 10 Fan Favorites Coming to Life!
The DCEU's Misses and the DCU's Amazing Promise
Let's be honest, the DCEU had its issues. It started strong in 2013 with Man of Steel, but ended with a whimper in 2023 with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. It never really found its footing, those initial great plans ended poorly and left a lot of great storylines underdeveloped; many unfulfilled expectations that fans have waited to see. There were brilliant films; but those overall narrative threads were messy and some incredibly hyped storylines remain sadly unused. And a whole lot of fan wishes remained unrealized.
But guess what? The new DCU, spearheaded by James Gunn, is already making many of those unrealized DCEU dreams come true. Get ready; some really, really amazing things are coming! They appear poised to deliver precisely what many previous films had hoped for – to deliver exciting action and well-crafted character moments! A key element is understanding precisely how those previously disappointing narratives failed and to instead focus on a new direction and an improved direction which already looks extremely promising based on existing trailers!
10 DCEU Fan Dreams Now DCU Reality (or Coming Soon!)
10. A Ben Affleck Standalone Batman Movie
Ben Affleck's Batman? A HUGE success from the DCEU! A serious contender among those live-action versions and those fans called out for his standalone film – that never came to be in the prior iterations. He was stuck as part of larger team movies – more of a Nick Fury-style figure than a full-fledged hero in his own movie.
Guess what? The DCU is bringing Batman: The Brave and the Bold – showcasing an experienced Batman mentoring his son, Damian Wayne! That's going to be brilliant!
9. Deathstroke's Epic Cinematic Debut!
Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke? Fan-cast forever, appearing in Justice League (briefly!) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (more!). A standalone movie was never realized within the prior DC cinematic universe, and ended unceremoniously before even attempting it. It never happened; this is very sad!
The DCU? It’s bringing a movie featuring Deathstroke alongside Bane! A supervillain team-up?! Yes!
8. Green Lantern: Hal Jordan, John Stewart and a Potential Green Lantern Cinematic Universe
Green Lantern? That Ryan Reynolds movie was a disaster. This means every attempt to showcase those stories got avoided. Only minor cameos (a brief Green Lantern appearance in Zack Snyder's Justice League) never gave Green Lantern his time. And those fans wanted Hal Jordan AND John Stewart.
Not just that; this was achieved and expanded even beyond this simple and basic need! This specific adaptation creates a far greater opportunity that previously remained undeveloped! Guy Gardner's Green Lantern will even show up in Superman: Legacy! Plus Hal Jordan and John Stewart are showing up in the HBO Max series, Lanterns! A truly impressive approach and opportunity only made possible now through a greater emphasis toward storytelling and creativity.
7. Superman: A Beacon of Hope (Finally!)
The DCEU’s Superman was always quite dark – and Henry Cavill, while brilliant, never got to be that totally hopeful, optimistic version we already know and love! He lacked many aspects of the source material; including its more idealistic viewpoint on humanity, making the characters almost alienating compared to what might already exist. Fans yearned for that classic, farm-boy raised Superman who felt hopeful, less angry.
Enter James Gunn's Superman: Legacy. Promotional images are incredible! Those words; "message of hope," and those scenes which all make this feel incredibly relatable – it suggests exactly what fans wanted; that classic approach. Plus, Krypto the Superdog?! That alone guarantees everything that viewers have previously loved from comics; being translated to live-action adaptation, adding even greater connection for both existing fans and even potentially creating appeal for those completely unfamiliar with this particular Superman, including those more easily approachable audience members like the young.
6. Supergirl's Long-Awaited Solo Movie
Supergirl? Largely underutilized in The Flash, and her prior big-screen appearances since 1984 (riding on the success of the Christopher Reeve Superman films) bombed spectacularly! This means the cinematic universe avoided another such story! But fans always yearned to see this Supergirl in action.
The DCU cast Milly Alcock (from House of the Dragon!), showing up alongside Superman in Superman: Legacy, before going solo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow; adapting that comic. This creates far greater opportunities that couldn’t have previously been envisioned!
5. Robin Takes the Stage!
Robin? Absent in live-action since Batman & Robin, with a fleeting glimpse of the suit in Batman v Superman (then revealed as an old version in the movie's main narrative storyline)! A whole generation had missed him! And fans desired their live action Robin.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold? It’s delivering Damian Wayne as Robin, in that upcoming standalone Batman movie. That's extremely cool!
4. Robin’s Very Own Movie and That Incredible Animated DC Universe!
The DCEU never used Dick Grayson or Jason Todd (maybe they implied that Dick Grayson existed as Nightwing, a character developed much later) despite fan requests. No solo movies. This shows one massive issue with the earlier cinematic universe; to create additional value by providing this greater continuity and a clear narrative; and avoiding having disconnected story elements that never amounted to something meaningful in the previous cinematic universe's release timeline. This is going to be very different. The creative differences displayed now versus before this completely reset greatly affects the audience's interest.
But this doesn’t appear to be the case anymore! The DCU gives Dick Grayson and Jason Todd (as Robin) a film! This insane, epic crossover; this animated version (Dynamic Duo) finally delivers a live-action version, one that fans always dreamed of – with their individual heroic personas fully acknowledged. This approach also showcases how important those specific kinds of characters remain; providing potential spinoff and crossover opportunities far beyond what we previously thought possible.
3. Canon Animated Projects!
DC animated features and adaptations are insanely good; yet that previous universe mostly didn't even attempt those amazing ventures into that much successful format that already existed; leaving that portion completely out of that original cinematic timeline. It didn't do animation; and fans wanted canon DC animated films and shows, making that aspect another extremely creative failure that should be resolved!
The DCU? It gets it. The fully animated Dynamic Duo movie's already in the works! They added Creature Commandos as another amazingly creative storytelling opportunity that shows a creative return for the franchise, creating new appeal for the studio!
2. Exploring the Amazons
Wonder Woman was great, but Themyscira remained underutilized and its potential to display an expansive narrative world; a creative choice to use more fantasy world-building remained largely unexplored, that incredible level of depth for those various locations and scenes shown remain incomplete and unsatisfactory to many fans.
Paradise Lost (a Game of Thrones-style prequel taking place in Themyscira before Wonder Woman!) Is exactly what those fans always yearned to see, those incredibly detailed accounts of that legendary setting, showcasing the epic adventures.
1. Teen Titans Movie: Finally on the Big Screen
The Teen Titans (a massively popular DC team) never appeared; despite several expectations including the potential addition of Cyborg (and that appearance of Deathstroke), this became one seriously missed opportunity in that initial universe!
The DCU already confirmed this! A Teen Titans movie is on the slate! That alone generates incredible amounts of buzz, for long-time fans.
Conclusion: A Fresh Start, a Brighter Future for the DC Universe!
The DCEU had those serious flaws which generated immense disappointment for fans, most of all from a creative level, and even from many production issues. It didn’t create that coherent universe many had expected and many projects did end on those underwhelming conclusions, particularly due to some issues during filming and creative conflicts which impacted many key moments in each installment.
The DCU’s early plans are incredibly encouraging; it shows a clear understanding for those unfulfilled dreams which could now become amazing new adventures and experiences for viewers! This entire reset, this ambitious new cinematic universe is truly exciting!
