For years fans have been wanting to see the original cut of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad especially after it was revealed the theatrical cut was drastically different than the film he intended. This topic has been brought up numerous times over the years but more recently there seems to be a stronger desire for it. David Ayer recently said that he had spoken to James Gunn and at some point, down the line The David Ayer Cut would be released. It seems inevitable but it will be a long ways a way. James Gunn and Peter Safran have the DCU to launch. The DCEU is ending in December when Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom comes out marking the final film in that universe.
Interest has steadily built over the years for the David Ayer cut of Suicide Squad. It has built up more once the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League was released. Fans were hopeful it would mean that Zack Snyder’s vision would be restored. It was not. The Snyder Cut did nothing to change the course of the DCEU. It was a one and done. It did not lead to another Justice League or course correction for the DCEU. Realistically if the David Ayer Cut gets released it will also be a one and done. A new universe is launching. The David Ayer Cut would really just be for the fans to see what the intended vision was supposed to be. One of the appeals is the fact that the original cut is supposed to showcase Jared Leto’s Joker a lot more. It could change opinions of Jared Leto as the Joker. The film’s tone was also meant to be darker than the theatrical cut. There would still be humor, but it would be more in line with the darker tone. David Ayer said the original cut’s tone was what the first Comic Con trailer was. Later trailers showcased a movie similar to Guardians of the Galaxy tonally and sonically. The theatrical cut has a soundtrack the way Guardians of the Galaxy did. The difference is that the songs were a better fit for Guardians of the Galaxy whereas the soundtrack for Suicide Squad did not necessarily fit the film itself. I own the soundtrack and like the soundtrack. Most of the songs did not fit the scenes they were featured in and it felt kind of forced at times.
Should the David Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad be released at some point? I think it would be interesting to see what the movie was supposed to be like. It also won’t lead to anything. The DCU is coming, and a lot of those roles will probably be recast. Viola Davis will remain as Amanda Waller. I don’t think Will Smith will be back. I think it’s safe to say Jared Leto will not be the DCU’s Joker. Margot Robbie is a question mark. She has reprised her role as Harley Quinn in several projects including James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. James Gunn also said there are no plans on doing a sequel to his movie. There have been no announcements in regard to Margot Robbie keeping her role as Harley Quinn. Time will tell what happens with that.
I think they should release the David Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad. I would like to see what the actual vision was supposed to be. I am curious if it would be better than the theatrical cut. I thought the movie was alright for what it was. I did like the soundtrack, but I do think it would have been better if it had a darker tone. It also seemed a lot of things were cut out of the film including the Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship which was romanticized in the theatrical cut. It sounds like one day the David Ayer Cut will be released, but it will be a long time until that day comes. When it does, I will definitely check it out.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened about a month ago. It opened with 30 million at number 1. In its second week it plummeted 69%, a very steep drop even for superhero movies. Currently Shazam! Fury of the Gods has amassed 56 million domestically as of the Box Office dated April 7th-9th. The first Shazam! finished its box office run with 140 million domestically. It was also well received and came out after Justice League and Aquaman. We all know how Justice League played out and Aquaman was a huge financial hit. Given the fact Shazam! was not as known compared to some of the other DC characters it was quite an accomplishment that it did as well as it did. I originally thought Shazam! Fury of the Gods would easily surpass the first one. What went wrong?
There are some Spoilers throughout.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a solid movie. I think it’s just as good as the first one if not better. The movie is a lot of fun. This year has been a bit tough for superhero movies so far. Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania was not as big as expected. It is a few million short of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Other threequels such as Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Infinity War all surpassed their predecessors. Has superhero fatigue finally set in? I think it is too early to say. Let’s see how the rest of the slate does this year before saying its superhero fatigue. If similar results happen with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, then we can revisit superhero fatigue.
Before opening, Shazam! had a few things going against it, mainly the announcement of the DCU which will reboot the DCEU universe into a cohesive world across film, television, and video games. Because Shazam! is linked to the DECEU, there has been a question if the film even matters. It seems a fair amount of people did not show up for the movie because they felt it was irrelevant now that the DCU is on the horizon. They did not want to invest in something that would not be fulfilled similar to a fair amount of DC properties specifically Zack Snyder’s movies. Wonder Woman 3 is in flux right now since Patty Jenkins departed and there has not been an official announcement on the status of Wonder Woman. Ben Affleck’s Batman movie never happened. The Cyborg movie was cancelled. Zack Snyder’s Justice League will never get resolved. Audiences have been burned a decent amount over the years. They have been let down. The Flash is said to reboot the world. Not much has been said about Aquaman 2. There have been reports that Ben Affleck will appear in that which would mark his final time as Batman presuming he is not cut out of the movie.
Another big factor for Shazam! is Black Adam. In the comics Black Adam and Shazam! are archrivals. Black Adam came out last fall and starred Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. Plans for Black Adam 2 seem to be on hold. Black Adam set up a lot of things for the future which now seem obsolete. A more recent example of investing in something that is not going to come to fruition. There have been reports that Dwayne Johnson refused to cameo in Shazam! 2. The director David F. Sandberg said there were never plans to have Black Adam in this movie because they wanted a different type of antagonist instead of someone else with the same powers as Shazam. There were also reports that the mid-credit scene was supposed to feature different characters from Black Adam, but Dwayne Johnson refused to let the other characters appear in the movie which led to a last minute change. Two different characters appeared instead.
Those who saw the movie are worried that the credit scenes will end up not paying off because of the restructuring at DC Studios. The mid-credit scene set things up for Shazam that we may never see happen. The end credit scene revisited a credit scene from the first movie which now seems like that will never lead into anything if there is not a Shazam! 3.
Zachary Levi, who stars as Shazam, said in an interview that he feels the marketing is the main reason why the film has not done as well. He feels the movie is a great movie for families to go together. The marketing has not really pushed that aspect. Another thing that I think may have hurt the movie is the marketing spoiled a big cameo in a TV spot. Once I saw headlines that mentioned that I deliberately did not watch the commercial so I could be surprised. A fun thing about the DC and Marvel Movies and other big franchises are the surprises. After seeing the movie, it seems that there were not many surprises since a lot of it was mentioned ahead of time. The credit scenes were mildly surprising. However, there were reports that certain characters would appear in the movie which they did in the credit scene. Before Black Adam was released, it was revealed that Henry Cavill would return as Superman. When that mid-credit scene aired it was not a surprise. This is the second consecutive DC movie to spoil a big reveal prior to the release.
Speaking of Superman, that may have been a reason why some people chose not to see Shazam! 2. It was a big deal when Henry Cavill returned on the big screen as Superman and it was setting up a future for him. A month after Black Adam opened it was revealed that Superman would be recast for the DCU and Henry Cavill would no longer be playing the role. That added to another example of something being set up and not going anywhere. Superman had a cameo in the first Shazam! minus Henry Cavill. It was Superman’s torso, we got to see. There were rumors prior to Black Adam coming out, about Superman actually appearing this time around. That did not happen, but he was referenced in the movie. Shazam! was always a bit of a question in terms of how did it fit in the bigger picture. There were references to the Justice League but for the most part the film stood on its own. Fury of the Gods still stands on its own but there are references to the Justice League heroes as well as a cameo by a Justice League member. That pretty much confirms that Shazam is part of the world that Zack Snyder created.
James Gunn currently has said there could still be a future for Shazam and Zachary Levi as the character. No official announcements regarding that have been made. James Gunn recently responded to a fan that there was no truth to the rumors that Zachary Levi had been recast in the role.
Could there still be a Shazam 3? I think that will be up to James Gunn and Peter Safran, the Co-CEOS of the DCU. The cast still wants to do it. There is a lot of ground left to cover. James Gunn has slowly been revealing updates for the DCU. Already, we have gotten confirmation that Viola Davis, Sean Gunn, Steve Agee, and John Cena will be keeping their respective roles from the DCEU. Anything is possible. We just have to wait and see. It seems a lot of people did not want to invest in Fury of the Gods if there would not be a Shazam 3 or another project for the character to appear in. I think once Fury of the Gods hits home media and streaming people may start to feel more comfortable checking it out. I also think once an official announcement is made in regards to the future of the character that will go a long way.
In the coming months the DCU will start to announce casting for their upcoming projects. James Gunn said that not every role will be recast from the prior films. It will be a mix where some roles are recast while others will not. So far Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Steve Agee (John Economos), and John Cena (Peacemaker) have been confirmed to be keeping their roles in the DCU. It has also been confirmed that Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck are out as Superman and Batman respectively. I think it is safe to presume that Ray Fisher is probably out as Cyborg as well. Gal Godot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller are on the wait and see list. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Besides the Justice Leaguers, themselves there are other characters from the DCEU. Given James Gunn is now the cohead of DC Studios along with Peter Safran, many have presumed that The Suicide Squad cast will probably get to keep their roles given the fact James Gunn directed that movie. Nothing has been stated either way if this will be the case. It will be interesting to see if the Suicide Squad will count when it comes to the DCU or if it will get retconned. Three actors from that movie are confirmed to be keeping their roles. We’ll see how it plays out for the others. An update was given that James Gunn would like to work with Margot Robbie again. That is a good sign that Margot Robbie may be able to continue to portray Harley Quinn. I think it is safe to presume that Jared Leto will not be back as the Joker. If the Joker comes into play it will most likely be a different actor. I think the same will be the case for Lex Luthor who was portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg in the DCEU. Idris Elba who portrayed Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad said he would like to keep the role when asked if he would want to keep the role or be cast as a different DC character. I don’t know if there is any interest in having Deadshot in the DCU and if there is, I don’t know if they would want to keep Will Smith or recast the role. Will Smith only appeared in Suicide Squad since the character was not in The Suicide Squad.
With Superman and Batman being recast, I think it is safe to presume that the supporting characters would also get recast. Goodbye to Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Kevin Costner (Jonathon Kent), Michael Shannon (Zod), J.K. Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), and Jeremy Irons (Alfred). Even when characters are killed off, they usually wind up in other projects via flashback or other means in comic book movies. Zod has a role in the upcoming Flash movie. Jonathon Kent had a brief part in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. J.K. Simmons was supposed to be in the Batgirl movie which got cancelled. I suppose there is a slim chance he could keep the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon. Harry J. Lennix is a bit of a question mark. He played General Swanwick in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League it was revealed that he was Martian Manhunter. If there are plans for Martian Manhunter, they could keep Harry J. Lennix in the role or they could go in a different direction. I think it depends on what the plans for the character are for the DCU.
One of the biggest questions is the films coming out this year. Will any of the actors get to keep their roles? Zachary Levi who plays Shazam had a good shot but that is in question now that Shazam: Fury of the Gods has opened and opened softer than the first Shazam! as well as Black Adam. If there is a third Shazam! the cast will most likely remain the same. Aquaman is in a similar boat. Once Aquaman and the Lost Kingdome comes out later this year, it will be evaluated about doing a third movie. If there is a third one the cast will probably remain intact. A lot of this has to do with what the DCU plans are for the specific characters. Are there plans for Shazam and Aquaman in the DCU? Even if they get a third movie, that could be the end of their stories. Dwayne Johnson who played Black Adam in his solo movie is a big question mark. Black Adam saw the return of Henry Cavill’s Superman in the credit scene. That scene is no longer relevant since it was announced that Superman will be recast. Dwayne Johnson was very vocal about wanting to bring back Henry Cavill. I don’t know if he still has interest in keeping the role. I don’t know what the plans are for the character. Plans for Black Adam 2 seem to have been cancelled. Really, the only opportunity at this point would be a potential Shazam! 3. The Flash Movie is meant to serve as a reboot. After the film comes out, it will be evaluated about keeping Ezra Miller or going with a different actor. Given there have been multiple Flashes in the comics, it would actually be easy to have a different Flash altogether. It does not even have to be Barry Allen. It could be another character. It was stated that Blue Beetle was its own thing to begin with and it would be easy to integrate that character into the DCU. It will really depend on how the movie does when determining the future for the character.
Answers will slowly come as it gets closer to these projects moving forward. There could be some twists and turns along the way. Maybe Jared Leto will remain as the Joker. Maybe Ray Fisher will return as Cyborg. Maybe Henry Cavill will get cast as another character. We won’t know until we know but eventually there will be answers.
James Gunn and Peter Safran finally unveiled the first 10 projects for the DCU. Chapter 1 is called Gods & Monsters. It sounds like the DCU will use “Chapters” similar to how Marvel uses “Phases.”
James Gunn did discuss the movies coming out this year. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will see the Shazam family face the Daughters of Atlas. Helen Mirren, Lucy Lui, and Rachel Ziegler play the main antagonists.
As expected, The Flash will reset the DCEU. Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will both be Batman and Sasha Calle will debut as Supergirl.
Blue Beetle is not connected to the DCEU which will make it easier to integrate this into the DCU. Presumably if the film does well. They did not mention any future plans for the character.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see Aquaman face off with Black Manta who wants revenge for his father’s death. Ben Affleck is set to reprise his role of Batman for the final time.
Chapter 1: Gods & Monsters. 1 of 2 chapters that will tell a story over 8-10 years.
Creature Commandos is a 7 episode animated series. Voice actors will portray the characters in live action.
Waller will star Viola Davis and is a spinoff of Peacemaker. It is set in between season 1 and 2 of Peacemaker.
Superman: Legacy is the first DCU film that will not be an origin story. James Gunn is writing the film but is not currently set to direct it. A new actor will be cast in the role. It will be released on July 11th, 2025.
Lanterns is a new show for HBO MAX and will star Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The previous show under Greg Berlanti that was in development has been axed.
The Authority is a movie based on the Wildstorm heroes. James Gunn might have revealed that Superman could pop up in the movie.
Paradise Lost is a show set on Themyscira and has been described as a Game of Thrones type of show. This is a prequel set before Wonder Woman was born.
The Brave and the Bold is a movie featuring Batman and his son Damian Wayne.
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeves’ film. It’s not part of the DCU. It is part of Elseworlds (non DCU projects including this as well as the sequel to the Joker) and will see Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl again. The Penguin show with Colin Farrell will lead into this movie. The movie is set to be released on October 3rd, 2025.
Booster Gold is a show featuring the superhero.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a movie that will be based on the Tom King miniseries. It is not known if Sasha Calle who is Supergirl in the Flash movie will reprise the role for this or if the role will be recast.
Swamp Thing will be a horror movie based on the character.
These are the first 10 projects for the DCU and there are more in Chapter 1 that have not been announced yet. Now that the reveal has happened what are my thoughts on the subject?
Well, that is a very good question. Since the announcement I have been reading up on each piece of news that comes through. The most recent thing I saw was that James Mangold who directed Logan is interested in directing Swamp Thing. I also saw that James Gunn said the animated Harley Quinn show will most likely stay after a slew of cancellations for other projects and Superman & Lois probably has one to two more seasons left in it which would at least allow the show to wrap up properly. James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed that John Cena and Viola Davis will keep their respective roles as Peacemaker and Amanda Waller. Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill are officially out as Batman and Superman. Henry Cavill’s last film was Black Adam. Ben Affleck’s last film will be Aquaman 2. James Gunn also said that Henry Cavill was not fired because DC Studios did not hire him to begin with. There was no contract with DC Studios which has been newly formed. Ben Affleck is interested in directing a movie for DC Studios. James Gunn said there are two potential projects that they have discussed with Ben Affleck. Neither of them will be The Brave and the Bold. They made no mention of Dwayne Johnson’s future as Black Adam or the future for the character. Wonder Woman is part of the plan but nothing concrete was revealed at this time. Gal Gadot could potentially keep her role. The only thing said on that was there were discussions and she is interested. They also said that some of the actors will get to keep their roles while other roles are recast. There is still hope for Zachary Levi, Jason Momoa, and surprisingly Ezra Miller. They will make a decision about Aquaman after the second movies opens the end of this year. I also would presume they would do the same for Shazam! and The Flash. It was mentioned that Jason Momoa viewed Aquaman as a trilogy. At this time they were not announcing a third film. They also said despite rumors that Jason Momoa would play one character. Jason Momoa himself had expressed an interesting in being Aquaman and Lobo. If he ends up as Lobo that would mean that he is no longer Aquaman. Now there is a theory that if Aquaman 3 happens, that would be the final film and open Jason Momoa up to taking on the role of Lobo after wrapping up Arthur Curry’s story. Nothing was stated about other actors such as Jesse Eisenberg, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, and many others. I think at this point it is safe to assume Jesse Eisenberg and Jared Leto are probably out as well. Margot Robbie could be able to keep the role, or they could go in a different direction. Who knows? The only thing said about Ezra Miller was they were open to keeping them and they would have those conversations down the line. I would presume they will wait to see how The Flash movie does before deciding. If it bombs, they will probably be out. If it does well financially but is polarizing like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, or Suicide Squad, that could spell the end for Ezra Miller.
I think the Man of Steel cast is out since Henry Cavill is out. I do not bank on seeing Amy Adams, Diane Lane, or Laurence Fishburn again. I think the same for Jeremy Irons who was Alfred. There is a slight chance they could keep J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. One thing that kind of works out with rebooting this world is since there never was a Batman movie, there are not many Batman characters in the DCEU. Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons were the only Batcharacters that were in more than one film. The Suicide Squad ignored most of the batvillians that were in Suicide Squad except for Harley Quinn. Jared Leto was not in another movie other than Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Will Smith was only in one movie. Even Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke only appeared in Justice League both the theatrical and Snyder cut. One person who was not mentioned at all was Ray Fisher who was Cyborg. I think given everything that has happened with Ray Fisher and Joss Whedon and the studio, it is probably safe to say he is not in the running to keep the role. I also don’t know if Ray Fisher would have any interest in doing it now.
With a new world arriving, there will be a lot of fan casting taking place until roles are cast. We already knew there will be a new actor as Superman. Superman will be younger and there will be a new Batman. It was not said how old he would be but given his movie has his son, I would think Batman would be a bit older. I have already seen that fans think Chris Pratt could become Booster Gold and suggested Dave Bautista for Lex Luthor. Dave Bautista has stated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be his last one as Drax partly because he is getting older. Chris Pratt has not stated if he views this as the end for him or if he wants to keep doing the role of Star-Lord. I saw something a few years ago where he said he would love to keep being in the Marvel movies for as long as possible. I don’t know if he still feels this way. This is also assuming he doesn’t get killed off in Guardians 3. Dave Bautista has expressed interest in being Lex Luthor after seeing fans suggest it. It is possible for actors who are in Marvel to also be in DC. There is no firm rule about it. Chris Pratt is a busy man. He is in tons of projects, and he may not want to sign on for another big commitment if he is still with Marvel. One thing that James Gunn said was that the DCU will be one whole cohesive world between animation, movies, TV, and video games. He said that voice actors for animated projects would portray the live versions of their characters. When getting cast in a role, actors have to sign on for the full world including all medium. I am assuming out of animation, film, and television. They did not speak about video games during their announcements. They only touched on it briefly, but nothing project wise was announced.
I don’t have any fan castings at this time. I could see Dave Bautista play Lex Luthor. I am hoping there is a way to keep some of the cast. I am disappointed that Jesse Eisenberg and Jared Leto were not given more of a chance to show what they could do with their characters. I hope Gal Gadot will remain as Wonder Woman. I can’t even think of someone who could play Wonder Woman now. All I see is Gal Gadot when I think about Wonder Woman.
What do I think about the projects announced? I am sure my feelings will change over time especially when they actually get up and running. The only projects that had set release dates were Superman: Legacy and The Batman Part II. The rest of the projects do not have set dates. They could but they were not announced at this time. The DCU will launch presumably in 2025. We are two years away right now. Superman: Legacy is set for 2025 and so is The Batman Part II. There is the chance Creature Commandos and Waller could debut in 2024.
The world sounds exciting. I am a fan of James Gunn. I like what he had to say. They want a full cohesive world. James Gunn and Peter Safran want that, and they want the projects to be unique. I think the DCU is in good hands with both James Gunn and Peter Safran. They both seem passionate about the material, and I think that is something that lacked with all the other attempts at building a world. It always came across that the focus was to catch up to Marvel. One of the reasons Marvel does so well is because it is overseen by Kevin Feige who is a fan of the material. He along with the producers are fully involved in all of the projects. James Gunn said there is a brain trust of writers and they have been working together to map out the DCU. I think that already puts it in a better position to be successful. I think it is nice to take things slow. Out of these 10 projects Justice League was not announced at all. I am sure at some point there will be a Justice League team but it’s not going to be for a while. That is the better move to make. Also, Superman and Batman are getting their own projects. Even if they meet down the line, they will already be established in the DCU. It seems they are doing things right. They are not rushing things. James Gunn said he learned a lot working with Marvel. I think the future is bright for the DCU and the characters. I am optimistic for the future. Out of the projects announced the one I am looking forward to is Swamp Thing. I like that they are going to make it a horror movie which sounds similar in tone to the short-lived show that came out a few years ago. As for the rest of the projects once more information comes out for them and when it gets to the marketing campaigns, I will have a better idea if I am excited for them. For the record at this point I do intend to watch the films. I don’t know about the shows yet. I don’t know if I want to pay for another streaming service. I got Disney+ because of Marvel but I also have Netflix and a few others. If the DCU finally takes off, it will be because of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
A lot has changed since the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) first announced its roster. After Man of Steel, there was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice followed by Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam! Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, and Black Adam. There was also supposed to be The Flash starring Ezra Miller and Cyborg starring Ray Fisher. There were plans for a Batman movie starring Ben Affleck as well as a Man of Steel 2 with Henry Cavill. There was also supposed to be Justice League 2 as well as Green Lantern Corps. These projects had release dates set. The Flash was supposed to come out in 2018. Cyborg was originally set for 2020 as was Green Lantern Corps. Justice League 2 was originally supposed to be 2019 and at one point the title was Justice League Part 1 and Justice League Part 2. Man of Steel 2 and The Batman movie were the only ones that did not have set dates. The Batman was trying to aim for 2019 at one time. That does not include a handful of projects that were announced. At one point there were plans for A Joker/Harley Quinn movie that would have starred Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. There was also supposed to be Gotham City Sirens which would have starred Margot Robbie as well as having Poison Ivy and Catwoman and there were rumors that Jared Leto would have a role as the Joker. There were also plans for a spinoff of Aquaman with a film called The Trench. The Trench would have focused on the trench and the creatures who lived there. The location and the creatures were in a small part of Aquaman. Also, The Trench would have been more of a horror movie. There were also plans for a Deadshot movie with Will Smith in the works as well as Deathstroke with Joe Manganiello.
Fast forward to 2023 and clearly things did not go as planned as everyone knows. You don’t have to be someone who follows DC to know the basics of what had happened over the years. Whereas the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) became a huge success, DC faltered numerous times. Now, they are trying to revamp the DCU (DC Universe) again and it has a new name. Peter Safran and James Gunn are now the heads of DC Studios. By the end of this month James Gunn has stated they plan on revealing some of their plans for the future of the DCU. While we all wait on those announcements. I figured now would be a good time to take a look back at what could have been if things did not fall off the rails.
Batman
I love the Superhero genre and I am a Marvel and DC fan. I have grown up on Batman since being a child. I watched the classic 90s cartoon. I own the complete series on DVD. Batman is one of my favorite heroes. I have seen all of the Batman movies including the recent version The Batman with Robert Pattinson. One thing I love about Batman is the characters. Batman has a strong rogue gallery and in my opinion, has one of the best of all time. Batman has the Joker, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Ra’s Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and a ton of others. Batman has also had video games including the popular Arkham Games for Xbox. For a character that has been around for many years in media, there was the Adam West 60’s show, it is both shocking and sad to say that there was not a DCEU Batman movie. Ben Affleck never got his solo movie. He is not the only one, but he is the only one after the main trio to not get one. Henry Cavill who plays Superman had Man of Steel while Gal Godot had Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. A lot went wrong which led to the eventual death of Ben Affleck’s solo film. He was originally going to write the script, then he was hired to direct the movie as well and obviously he would have starred in it. As time went on it became a lot for him and he backed out of directing it. He already wrote the script which rumors have suggested that it was very good. I don’t work there so I have not seen the script. Obviously, some people had. The Batman movie would have had Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. Not much was known about the plot and how it would fit into the bigger picture at the time. A timeline wasn’t known either. Would this be a prequel similar to Captain Marvel set before Man of Steel or would this have been in the present set in between whatever movies would have been released before or after this? Would Jared Leto’s Joker have been in the movie along with Harley Quinn and every other Batvillian roaming around? Maybe. Jeremy Irons who was Alfred and J.K. Simmons who was Commissioner Gordon definitely would have been in the movie. There is so much mystery surrounding Ben Affleck’s Batman movie. Maybe one day the script will be released for fans to see what could have been. Highly doubtful but stranger things have happened. A more realistic thing would be if Ben Affleck at some point decides to share a little of his plans for the movie on what the plot would have been and what characters would have been in the script. Even now Ben Affleck’s future is in question. He is currently set to be in The Flash movie that is finally coming out this June and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom coming out December this year. I say currently because by the time those films are released, he could wind up cut out of the films. There have already been rumors of other characters being removed from The Flash, more on that later. Out of all the films that were announced or in development, this was one of them that I was really looking forward to. I also thought Ben Affleck did a good job in the role and should have been given more of a chance. I think that is something that caused a lot of issues with the mess of DC. Some of the character portrayals were controversial. There was mixed reception to Ben Affleck. He has his supporters but for every supporter there are people who felt and still feel he is one of the worst ones. Some also feel he should stay away from superhero roles. His last superhero role was Daredevil that was pre MCU. That film was not well received, and a planned sequel never materialized.
The Holy Trinity
Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman are supposed to be the holy trinity for the franchise. Out of the three, Wonder Woman is the only one to have a well-received movie. However, there were mixed reactions to Wonder Woman 1984. Henry Cavill only got one solo movie in Man of Steel. Man of Steel came out in 2013 three years before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Man of Steel was directed by Zack Snider who originally had an elaborate plan mapped out for these films. There were big plans for the holy trinity as well as many other characters. At this point I have not seen Zack Synder’s Justice League. I have not gotten around to it yet. Part of it is because it is a four hour movie which means I have to cut out a big chunk of time for it. I want to see it and I will see it. It just might take a while. I have read up a lot of what Zack Snyder has had to say in terms of what would have been next after Justice League. More has been said about Batman and Superman’s roles in the bigger picture especially if the Justice League films had continued. Not much has been said about Wonder Woman’s role. All that was really known is that she would have had a big role and that is based off of her being part of the trio with Batman and Superman.
Superman
Man of Steel was not well received when it initially came out. The film has its fan and there are a lot of people who want a Man of Steel 2. Man of Steel was not universally loved the way multiple Marvel movies have been. I think there was a lot of confusion when Man of Steel came out and Man of Steel’s placement in the DCEU. First of all, Man of Steel came out after Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy which were hugely successful and well received. They are still considered one of the best Batman iterations of all time. I happen to agree. Man of Steel was the year after The Dark Knight Rises. This is also a year after Marvel’s Avengers came out concluding Phase 1 of the MCU. When Man of Steel came out, it was not even known that this was supposed to kick of the DCEU. Iron Man was known as the official launch to the MCU from the beginning. Iron Man even had a credits scene that sets up the bigger picture. Man of Steel was thought to be its own thing. It was thought to be the launch of new Superman movies. When the DCEU was officially announced, Man of Steel was pretty much shoehorned in. It has been stated in the past that if it was known that Man of Steel was meant to be the kickoff to the bigger world, more would have been done to set that up a bit. Whether that would have been a credit scene or a few easter eggs here and there, we will never know. Man of Steel was treated as a separate movie for the most part. I have seen some things more recently on websites suggesting when taking a deep dive into the film that there are some easter eggs to the bigger DC world. In a way Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is really the kickoff to the DCEU. Batman v Superman introduced Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman as well as Lex Luthor and had tons of easter eggs and references. I believe another confusion was that Man of Steel was believed to be similar to The Dark Knight trilogy. Christopher Nolan served as a producer on the film. Based off that, people may have believed that Christopher Nolan would do for Superman what he did for Batman which would also explain a bit of the approach Man of Steel took. Man of Steel is a little similar to how Batman Begins was. Batman Begins was also a fresh take on the character. The last film that came out was Batman and Robin which was not well received and is laughed at by many. I did like the movie, but I was also eight or nine when I saw it. The last Superman movie to come out was Superman Returns which opened the year after Batman Begins. However, it was known that Superman Returns was meant to be a sequel to the Christopher Reeve films. Batman Begins was meant to be a fresh start. Also, Superman Returns was not well received either. I saw that movie and I found it fairly boring to be honest. I am not the biggest Superman fan. Batman was always my favorite DC hero. I do think Henry Cavill is a good Superman. I don’t dislike Superman. I don’t have a lot of experience with the character. I never saw the Christopher Reeve films. My main experience comes from the TV side of things. I watched Smallville which was about how Clark Kent becomes Superman. He didn’t become Superman until the end of the series. My other experience is when Superman was introduced in the Arrowverse shows for the CW. In terms of Man of Steel, I did like the movie. I think I liked it because it was different. I think that is also what hurt the movie reception wise. It has also been said more recently that there were plans for Man of Steel 2 again. Henry Cavill reprised his role in Black Adam which was meant to serve as Henry Cavill’s return to the role. James Gunn has announced that Henry Cavill will no longer be Superman and they are going with a younger Superman for the DCU. It was said that Man of Steel 2 was going to feature Brainiac. A lot of people were excited and disappointed to learn that we could have gotten to see Brainiac which is a villain a lot of people have been wanting to see. I also presume Lex Luthor would have been in the movie. Maybe Wonder Woman or Batman would have made an appearance. Not much is known about the plans for Man of Steel 2 or the original plans for the film. The sequel was at one time aiming for 2018. Those were rumors that were never confirmed. Once Justice League came out and was a disaster, it killed off any plans for Man of Steel 2 as well as pretty much everything.
Justice League
Everything was supposed to lead up to Justice League similar to how Marvel did it with Avengers. Justice League was hated by both critics and fans alike. Justice League suffered from studio interference which destroyed Zack Synder’s original vision. That is also why there is a Snyder Cut of the film. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released a few years ago after a fierce campaign by fans who wanted to see what he had truly intended. Joss Whedon took over as director to finish the movie when Zack Snyder stepped down due to personal issues amongst other things. Lots of rumors and theories from fans, but I’m not going to get into all that here. Joss Whedon and Warner Brothers destroyed the film by redoing half of it. Even without seeing the Snyder cut of the film, it is obvious a lot had changed. When Justice League released its first trailer at Comic Con, it was substantially different than later trailers for the movie. A huge chunk of scenes from the first trailer were not in newer trailers. Also, there was a color change in the later trailers. In the original trailer, the night scenes had a dark background and dark skies. The later trailers as well as the film itself changed those scenes to make it brighter and they had red skies. There were rumors and theories that a reason for changing this was because of the complaints that the DC movies were too dark. Add the fact that Marvel at that time, was entering Phase 3 and was continuing to find success with their films, which are known to have brighter color pallets. Personally, I felt Justice League would have looked better if it kept the original pallet the first trailer had. There were a multitude of issues regarding Joss Whedon and the hire ups that the cast has since vocalized. If Justice League was successful, there was at least supposed to be a second one but really the intention was to have three Justice League movies. The story that was mapped out seemed to be too big for only two Justice League movies, in my opinion. There were also rumors that Justice League 3 would potentially be Justice League vs the Suicide Squad. I don’t know if those were ever real rumors or if it was fan wish fulfillment. From what is known and has been said, Green Lantern probably would have been in Justice League 2. Martian Manhunter would have been in Justice League 2. Darkside was going to be the villain. As seen in the Snyder Cut, Darkside was in the movie whereas the Joss Whedon version cut him out entirely. Darkside was only alluded too. The knightmare sequence that was in Batman v Superman was supposed to have a real payoff in the later movies. Cyborg was also supposed to have a much larger role in Justice League. His storyline was cut out severely in Joss Whedon’s Justice League.
Darkside was supposed to be the Thanos for the DCEU. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a one and done. There was hope that once the Snyder Cut was released it would resurrect the Snyderverse. That did not happen. It most likely is not going to happen since there are plans to reboot the world entirely. To what degree no one knows yet. We all have to wait for James Gunn and Peter Safran to reveal what they have planned for the DC Universe.
Suicide Squad
So much has gone wrong with the DCEU world over the years. To be honest, I don’t think it ever really had a chance. Man of Steel was finically successful. It made around 291 million domestically and about 668 million worldwide. That is lower than The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises but it is more than Superman Returns. Man of Steel was not the most liked. It should have been given a chance to grow. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out and also did well financially. It made more than Man of Steel. Once again it was not well liked either. In fact, there was strong negativity toward the film. Suicide Squad came out and that movie did well financially and even had a hit soundtrack that did well. Once again, the movie was really not liked. There was already controversy with some of the casting choices particularly Jared Leto’s take on the Joker. When the movie came out it was similar to Guardians of the Galaxy tone wise. The Joker was also substantially cut out of the movie. Like Justice League, there was studio interference. The movie was supposed to be darker which audiences got a glimpse of with its first trailer that debuted at Comic Con. The first trailer had a darker tone. When the next trailers came out, the tone shifted to making it more like a DC version of Guardians of the Galaxy. A band of misfits being thrown together to save the world. David Ayer the director of the film has stated that there is an alternate version of the movie. After the Snyder Cut was released, fans than started rallying to have the Ayer Cut released. That will never happen, unfortunately. As time has gone on David Ayer has released photos of what his movie was supposed to be. It was also supposed to have a different plot that would have linked to Justice League. I don’t believe Batman v Superman had studio interference but who knows? The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn served as a reboot and sequel. Several of the characters returned while adding a slew of new characters. Jared Leto was not involved. I have not seen The Suicide Squad; however, the movie did not do well financially in theaters. The same fate happened to Wonder Woman 1984. Both films came out during the pandemic and were released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. I think its safe to say that caused great interference with the box office returns.
Changing Course
It seemed every time a movie came out and was not well liked, DC kept changing course. That is the main thing that has caused such chaos with the DCEU. After Batman v Superman came out and had a lukewarm reception, Suicide Squad conveniently changed tones and became a completely different movie. Wonder Woman surprisingly did not get a makeover since that seemed to be the attitude every time a film does not achieve what they want. Wonder Woman was a huge hit when it came out and it actually was liked. The thing is, Wonder Woman was a good movie. The other movies are not terrible, but they are not that wonderful either. I liked Man of Steel. I liked that it was different. Batman v Superman, I thought was good, but it was a little undercooked. It seemed there was a lot that was trying to be crammed into the movie. This is the first movie where we meet Batman and already, he is fighting Superman. Wonder Woman is introduced in the movie as well. She has a small role, and she shines when she makes her debut as Wonder Woman. On top of that, they also introduce the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg as well. Those three characters had cameos but all of it felt forced. The movie was also very long, and it felt a little too slow. Suicide Squad’s issue was there was a lot going on and they completely changed the tone to making it more of a comedy than a dark movie about a team that is full of psychotic villains. Yes, they are a band of misfits but that was already done in Guardians of the Galaxy. This movie was supposed to be different and not a carbon copy. This comes across as one especially since besides making it more comedic, the movie even has a soundtrack of songs that don’t necessarily fit the movie. I own the soundtrack and I love the soundtrack. It has great songs on it. The thing is the songs did not fit the movie or the scenes they were in. They felt kind of forced in. The soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy fit the movie and the scenes they were in. Music should fit the scenes they are in, and this seemed thrown together. I think I read at that time that it felt like someone was changing radio stations. That is a good comparison because it did feel that way in the movie. Wonder Woman was great. Justice League was a disaster. It also was the shortest DC movie at that time. This should have been the movie that was the longest or at least longer than its running time which was only two hours. The Snyder Cut is four hours and that might be pushing it a little bit for an introductory movie to the team.
Justice League: Where are the members?
By the time Justice League came out, only Superman and Wonder Woman had solo movies. Batman did not have one and neither did The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Justice League was also the first time for the audience to really meet The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. I am a huge Marvel fan but what really worked for Marvel was the fact they took their time. Iron Man came out in 2008. Avengers did not come out until 2012. The whole team had solo movies prior to Avengers. Iron Man, Hulk (albeit a different actor and there is still question how cannon that movie is), Thor, and Captain America. Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 and Hawkeye had a cameo in Thor. Nick Fury who created the team was popping up throughout the films to set up Avengers. That really should have been the direction DC should have gone in. Man of Steel should have had a sequel beforehand. That movie could have been used to introduce Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Ben Affleck should have had the Batman movie first. It never made sense to have Batman v Superman before getting a Batman movie. They should have been more established before getting that battle. Because Marvel took their time, that made it much more impactful when Captain America: Civil War came out and pitted the heroes against each other. It is interesting that Civil War came out the same year as Batman v Superman. At one point they actually had the same release date before Batman v Superman wisely moved to another date. Aquaman should have come out before Justice League and The Flash and Cyborg should have had their movies beforehand as well. Even if DC wanted to go a different direction, those characters should have been introduced properly in something before Justice League. It should have been more than a cameo. Again, Marvel has done this well with other characters. Spider-Man and Black Panther were introduced in Civil War before headlining their solo movies. Civil War to a degree is like another Avengers movie anyway. Justice League should have come out a little later. There seemed to be a rush to getting to Justice League. It always felt that DC was trying to play catch up to Marvel with their world and it was at the expense of doing justice to the characters and the source material. They have great characters and a fair amount got lost in the shuffle.
Characters that Never Got a Chance
Green Lantern has never had another movie since the Ryan Reynolds version that came out in 2011. Green Lantern has not even been seen at all. He was not in Justice League and clearly the Green Lantern Corps movie is not happening. Even the show that was in development for HBO Max has yet to surface. I think the last update was that it is still in development. Martian Manhunter is another character who has not been in the movies. He was in the Snyder cut but that was it. I don’t know if they’ll keep Harry J. Lennix in the role or recast or forget about the character entirely. He did appear in human form as General Swanwick in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman but the reveal that he was Martian Manhunter only happened in the Snyder cut of Justice League. The only live versions of Martian Manhunter have come from television. He costarred in Supergirl, and he made guest appearances on Smallville, played by David Harewood and Phil Morris respectively. Cyborg has also had limited live versions, however the character is one of the leads on the show Doom Patrol. Cyborg has only been in two movies and his storyline was pretty much butchered in the theatrical cut of Justice League. There were rumors of him appearing in The Flash movie but that is not happening especially after Ray Fisher opened up about his treatment on Justice League in regards to Joss Whedon. Ray Fisher has been the most vocal out of the cast about the abuse that had happened on the set. The Flash movie is finally coming out this June. Five years after it was supposed to be released. This movie was rumored to have Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill appear. It has also been rumored that they have both been cut out of the movie. Since Henry Cavill is no longer Superman, I guess it makes sense why he would be cut out. There have also been rumors that The Flash is meant to serve as a reboot since he can travel back in time. That has been a rumor for many years even before all these changes.
Shazam!
I want to take a quick look at the more recent projects that were released and technically still a part of the DCEU. Shazam! opened in 2019 and did very well. There were a lot of references to the heroes and that they exist in the same world. At the end of the movie Superman made a cameo, well only his torso and minus Henry Cavill. That started to muddle things a bit. Zachary Levi plays Shazam, and he will be starring in the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods due out in March of this year. There was already questions about where Shazam fits into the bigger world. Those questions will remain until plans for the DCU start getting unveiled. Shazam! also had references to Black Adam which came out in 2022. It seemed to tease the eventual meet up between Shazam and Black Adam.
Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984
Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 came out in 2020. Both films did not perform as well as hoped. Birds of Prey was rated R, the first theatrical movie in the DCEU to get that rating. Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League were not released in theaters. I have not seen Birds of Prey but I was surprised that it did not do that well in theaters. I do wonder if part of the issue was the rating. From my understanding Birds of Prey was its own thing that did not really acknowledge the prior films. I do know Harley Quinn is single in Birds of Prey and is no longer dating the Joker who was not in the film. Wonder Woman 1984 came out during the pandemic whereas Birds of Prey was released a month before the pandemic. Wonder Woman 1984 did terrible in theaters, however it was released on HBO Max at the same time. I have not seen Wonder Woman 1984 yet. I will, I just need to find time to watch it. I am aware that a lot of people did not like the movie and found it polarizing. Wonder Woman 3 is no longer happening after director Patty Jenkins left. There were rumors that Wonder Woman 3 would be set in the present. I think there is a chance Gal Godot could still keep her role in the DCU. I don’t know what the plans on for Wonder Woman.
The Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn came out in 2021 and was released in theaters and HBO Max at simultaneously. The Suicide Squad was liked a lot more by audiences; however it also did not do well in theaters. It seemed in both cases for Wonder Woman 1984 and The Suicide Squad a lot of people streamed the movies instead of seeing them in theaters. Since James Gunn directed The Suicide Squad there is a good chance those characters could be involved in the DCU.
Black Adam
Most recently Black Adam came out fall of 2022. Black Adam was the first DC movie to make over 100 million domestically. The Batman made over 300 million domestically but it is its own thing and not part of the DCEU. The last movie to make over 100 million domestically was Shazam! Black Adam’s future is now in flux. Dwayne Johnson seemed to be pushing for Henry Cavill’s Superman who finally made his return in the credit scene only to be sent packing. Shortly after his return was announced, it was announced that Henry Cavill would not playing Superman in the DCU and the role would get recast. Dwayne Johnson has not commented on it at this point, but there is a chance he may not want to stay in the role after Henry Cavill’s dismissal. Dwayne Johnson seemed big on Black Adam vs Superman more than Shazam vs. Black Adam. It has been reported that Dwayne Johnson was very instrumental in getting Henry Cavill in Black Adam. Black Adam also was linked to both the Synderverse and The Suicide Squad with Henry Cavill back as Superman as well as meeting Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. There were plans for a Black Adam 2 which seemed to have been nixed or at least on the back burner for now.
What Could Have Been?
If Zack Snyder was able to continue his vision, would that have made a difference in the success of these films? I honestly think so. Things would have been more cohesive at the very least. I wish we could have gotten to see what Zack Snyder’s vision entailed. I have read up on things that have been said of where things were going to go. There were big plans to pay off a lot of things that were set up in the earlier films. There were plans for the Joker and Lex Luthor. I think that would have given Jared Leto and Jesse Eisenberg more time to really explore the characters and showcase what they could do with the roles. It would have been nice to see Batman face off with Deathstroke. It is disappointing not to see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn team up with Poison Ivy and Catwoman. That could still happen but what are the chances Harley Quinn will still be played by Margot Robbie? It seems safe to say Jared Leto is officially out as the Joker. There is also the current issue of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie which is a separate movie outside of the DCU. Joker 2 is coming out with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Also, after the success of The Batman with Robert Pattison, there are plans for an expanded world including a show for Colin Farrell’s Penguin and a sequel to The Batman. With those in play, that makes it a little harder to even have Batman or Batcharacters in the DCU without confusing the audience or creating batfatigue. Marvel is one whole world especially now that Marvel Studios controls the TV sector as well. All the movies and shows are linked to each other. There are no conflicts other than the spidey side of things but that is a whole different story. Can there be two separate Bat franchises? If done well, it could work but that is the big if.
There have been so many casualties with the DC projects. Projects that got derailed by studio interference and projects that fully got the boot. My hope is that whatever the plan for the future is, that they will take their time and focus on the characters and have a story that can really get the audience excited. With that said, I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store.
I saw an article recently that talked about this very concept of who will have a strong 2023, Marvel or DC. After reading the article it got me to think about that question. This is my take on that topic.
Before getting into it, here is a list of what is scheduled to release this year for Marvel and DC. For the sake of this, I am looking at the MCU which does include the Disney+ shows. X-Men 97 is an animated series and is a sequel to the 90s cartoon. Given it is not considered cannon for the MCU it is left out as well as the Sony Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Kraven the Hunter. Now that DC is in the midst of massive restructuring, for the sake of this only the films are included. This is based off statements that the DCU will be fully cannon between film, television, and video games. As of now any DC show that is currently scheduled is not cannon to the DCU with the exception of Peacemaker.
Marvel
Credit Marvel Comic Logo PNG
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2/17/23
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 5/5/23
The Marvels 7/28/23
What If? Season 2 Early 2023
Secret Invasion Spring 2023
Loki Season 2 Summer 2023
Ironheart Fall 2023
Agatha: Coven of Chaos Winter 2023
Echo 2023
2023 is a big year for Marvel. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 of their Multiverse Saga and it properly introduces Kang the Conqueror played by Jonathon Majors who is the main villain of this saga. Everything will culminate in Phase 6 films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is meant to be a game changer the same way Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War were when they were released. Quantumania is also going to lead into Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is one of the most anticipated films of the year. It is also the conclusion of James Gunn’s trilogy with this group of characters. This will also probably be the last Marvel project from James Gunn since he has now moved into corunning DC Studios with Peter Safran. There is also The Marvels which is Captain Marvel 2. While Ant-Man & Guardians of the Galaxy have trailers, fans are waiting for a trailer for The Marvels. It will probably be coming soon. Might it be attached to Quantumania? Not much is known about The Marvels, but it will see the return of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel as well as the film debuts of Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris and Ms. Marvel played by Iman Vellani. Monica Rambeau made her debut in the show Wandavision while Ms. Marvel debuted in her show of the same name.
On the TV side What If? and Loki will be the first Marvel shows to get second seasons. Loki, is also the first live show to get a second season up to this point. Even the animated shows in the works including X-Men 97 and Spider-Man have already been renewed for season 2. Loki is the show that really kicked off the Multiverse Saga due to the events in that series. I won’t spoil anything here. Secret Invasion will see the return of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury who has been around since the beginning. It has also been rumored that Secret Invasion will directly impact The Marvels. Only one trailer has been released for Secret Invasion but a new one is supposed to be on its way very soon. It is also rumored to be heavily linked to The Marvels which also stars Samuel L. Jackson. Ironheart will be getting her own show. Audiences have already gotten to meet Ironheart who was introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Agatha: Coven of Chaos is aiming for late in 2023 possibly 2024. Its included here since there is not a concrete date of when it will drop. It is a spinoff of Wandavision with the popular Katharyn Hanh reprising her role as Agatha Harkness. Reports have stated that Echo will be delayed. Originally Echo was aiming for summer 2023. At this point it is not known if it will still be released this year or end up releasing in 2024. The last update was that Echo was still trying to aim for a 2023 release.
Marvel has 9 projects total with 3 movies and 6 shows. Fans have had a mixed reaction to the Phase 4 projects. However, when all is said and done the fans will still show up for the movies and shows. I know currently from what I have seen Secret Invasion and Loki are really the only ones that have anticipation. I think once trailers are released for the other projects hype will start to build up. Captain Marvel has had some controversy and has been a bit polarizing compared to the other characters. However Captain Marvel was a huge hit when it came out and made over 1 billion worldwide. It also opened right before Avengers: Endgame. The movie that has the most hype is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That franchise has been very popular and this is the conclusion of this story that adds to the hype. After the promos the hype has grown for Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. I think by the time The Marvels come out it will do very well and may be better received by fans. Secret Invasion may help build up hype for it especially if it is indeed linked to The Marvels.
DC
Credit DC Comics Logo PNG
Shazam: Fury of the Gods 3/17/23
The Flash 6/16/23
Blue Beetle 8/18/23
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 12/25/23
Peacemaker Season 2 Late 2023
With the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) over and the DCU (DC Universe) gearing up for launch 2023 will pretty much mark the end of the DCEU. This year is a little weird for DC. The films coming out this year may very well be the end for these current characters. The only thing known about the future at this point is that Henry Cavill is no longer Superman and they are going to have a younger version with James Gunn writing his own Superman movie. This also seems to spell the end for Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam as well. He is not set to appear in Shazam: Fury of the Gods unless he secretly filmed something. Shazam! was a hit and was well liked by audiences when it came out. There is hype for the sequel which will see the whole cast return. This time around Helen Mirren and Lucy Lui are playing Kalypso and Hespera who are the Daughters of Atlas and the villains of the movie. Should Fury of the Gods be a hit, the question remains what happens next for Shazam. Will Zachary Levi get to keep the role? Can there still be a Shazam 3 and if so, could it see Shazam face off with Black Adam? Part of the goal was to eventually see Shazam and Black Adam face off. In the more recent years, it seemed Dwayne Johnson was more focused on having Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman face off. The Flash sees Ezra Miler reprise his role and finally get a solo movie. The Flash was supposed to come out five years ago in 2018. Barring any further delays, the movie will finally release in June. The Flash was always viewed as the movie to serve as a reboot or to fix all the problems in the DCEU. The main reason is due to the time travel that The Flash typically does. There were rumors of doing an adaption of the Flashpoint storyline at one point. However, it does not seem to be the case anymore. There have also been rumors that Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot who plays Wonder Woman were supposed to have cameos in the movie and are cut out. Currently both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck are supposed to be in the film as Batman. It remains to be seen if either of them will get cut out. Michael Keaton was supposed to reprise his role in the Batgirl movie, but that movie got the ax. If they end up cutting more people out of the movie, I would think they would cut Michael Keaton out and keep Ben Affleck even if it is just meant as a farewell to his character. The other main issue with the movie is the fact Ezra Miller has gotten himself into a lot of legal trouble and has had many scandals. Even if The Flash does well, there is the question of would the studio want to keep Ezra Miller in the role or recast entirely? Fans have suggested Grant Gustin taking on the film role after starring as The Flash on the hit CW show which is also entering its final season within the next few weeks. Blue Beetle is a new movie with a character we have never met. I was never really clear if Blue Beetle is even meant to be part of this world or not given it was originally supposed to be for HBO MAX. The studio decided to give it a theatrical release. I’m not sure how connected it is supposed to be to that world or if it is a standalone movie. We’ll see when it comes out. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom was originally supposed to come out Christmas 2022. It was pushed back a full year. Aquaman did very well. Will the sequel be able to do just as well? There are some controversies with this one as well particularly with Amber Heard. Since Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s trial, there has been a sector of the fanbase who have been pushing for Amber Heard to be removed from the movie. Currently she is still in the movie. I don’t know how substantial her screentime is in this one. Also there have been rumors that Jason Momoa will step down as Aquaman and take on Lobo for the DCU. Recent statements were made by Jason Momoa that he would remain as Aquaman. He could end up playing both roles, but we won’t know until they start unveiling the plans for the DCU.
Currently the only show that is considered cannon would be Peacemaker Season 2. However, I am not sure if season 2 is even happening this year or is aiming for 2024. The Penguin show starring Colin Farrell is linked to Robert Pattison’s Batman which is not part of this world.
Who will dominate 2023? Marvel and DC could both be winners but there are some hurdles for both. A complaint of Phase 4 for Marvel has been that fans felt the movies and shows did not serve a bigger purpose and did not feel as connected compared to the prior films. This year has the opportunity to really link everything together and show that Phase 4 is just as important. The Marvel movies will probably dominate as they usually do. The shows are the ones that have a little more to prove. However, all of the Marvel shows up to this point have been successful including the ones that were not as well liked. DC has a lot more bumps given the films may be obsolete when it comes to the bigger picture. I don’t know if The Flash and Aquaman will be able to do as well given the controversies surrounding those films. Between the two, I think Aquaman has a better chance of doing well. Ben Affleck is also supposed to be in Aquaman but there have been rumors of him being cut out of the film. We won’t know until the movie comes out. DC could still have a successful year, and this is the first year they are releasing 4 movies. Currently the only film to have a trailer is Shazam which just released its latest trailer. The Flash has a teaser trailer, but nothing has since been released. 2 out of the 3 movies for Marvel have trailers and Secret Invasion has a trailer with a new one expected to be coming sooner than later and The Marvels will most likely debut its first trailer around the same time of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Only time will tell who will be the winner of 2023. I look forward to how this year will shape out for both Marvel and DC.
Entertainment: Movies, TV, Music 