Source: dccomics.com

1. Like, a GOOD Superman Movie

Heh, I MAYBE could’ve picked a less inflammatory title for this entry, but here we are.

But in all seriousness, Henry Cavil is capable of being tremendously likable (check out Man From UNCLE if you don’t believe me) but you wouldn’t know it from his Superman portrayal.

The DCU always used Superman as the optimistic center, a beacon of hope in the darkest hours, and that is one thing the DCEU does not have. There simply cannot be a cohesive DC film universe without this factor. We need that tone-setting movie to show DC as it is: the universe where heroes are at their purest, rising above all else to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.

And you can’t undercut that with grimdark pseudorealism or eye-rolling sarcasm. You have to do what the Captain America movies have done: own it. Own every scrap of Boy Scout, Truth n’ Justice, All-American heroism you can possibly find. Because you know what other movie did that? Superman, the 1977 Richard Donner movie. And that one is responsible for the launch of modern Superhero cinema.

True, DC would lose the “we want our movies to be ‘realistic’” crowd (it is literally impossible for me to put enough air quotes around the word “realistic” there), but the audience they’d gain could save their cinematic universe. And after Cap Civil War blew past BvS’ ENTIRE BOX OFFICE TOTAL in under three weeks, it does need saving.

But, as a tremendous DC Comics fan, maybe I’ll get to see the characters I love done right one day. And if they make any of the movies I mentioned in this article, we’d be one step closer to having that dream come true.