Initially, this was supposed to be a list about the DCEU being able to compete with the MCU - and not from a financial point of view. But, after Batman v Superman divided the audiences even more than Man of Steel because of the direction it was given, we will try to discover 10 reasons for why the DCEU is a safe bet, at least for the studio.
Batman v Superman
As the second movie in the DCEU, and despite being so divisive, Batman v Superman is one giant blockbuster. In just five days, it managed to make $500 million worldwide, being the first movie ever to do so in such a short period of time. So, not even a week after its release, Warner Bros. only needs $300 million more in order to make a profit (reportedly, $800 million worldwide is the minimum the movie has to make).
Some love it, some hate it - but the thing is that Batman v Superman is, at this point, repeat business for the studio, with more and more fans seeing it multiple times. And this leads us to say that, no matter how it was cut, and no matter how weird the plot may seem for some, Batman v Superman can spark a conversation. And this is essential for a movie's success.
Reportedly, it will have the biggest fall from a first weekend to the next at the box office, as far as superhero movies are concerned. But the fact that it has no real competition until the 15th of April will make it the most attractive offering for the audiences.
Batman
After being literally hated by the fans when he was announced as the new Bruce Wayne/Batman, Ben Affleck's character is now called the best of all the Caped Crusaders who’ve appeared on the big screen. But this isn't exactly the reason why the DCEU will prove to be a success.
Instead, we can safely say that Batman is the most recognizable superhero of all time, while also being the superhero with the most movies to date (yeah, not all of them were good, but still). So we can say that, up until now, the audiences have been interested in him almost every time he has appeared on the big screen.
We can bet that it will be so from now on as well, especially since Ben Affleck will write and direct the first solo flick of the Caped Crusader in the DCEU. And, if you didn't know, Affleck has an Academy Award for each of these categories.
Even if he will appear for just 10 minutes in Suicide Squad, Batman alone will have contributed to the success of that movie. Speaking of which"¦
The villains
While it can be argued that Marvel did it first with Guardians of the Galaxy, the DCEU will be the first shared universe in which actual villains will be the main characters. The Suicide Squad thus marks a first in the genre.
But this isn't all about the DC villains. While Marvel is said to have the most interesting superheroes, DC is said to have the most interesting villains. And since in the MCU the big baddies seem to be molded after the same one-dimensional cast (with the obvious exceptions, of course)"¦
So Suicide Squad, besides a more than interesting cast (we cannot wait to see Will Smith as Deadshot, simply because the fans already hate him, just like we cannot wait to see Jai Courtney finally proving us wrong), also has a more than competent director. David Ayer has a history of movies in which the line between hero and villain is nonexistent.
Fury, Harsh Times, and Sabotage are the best examples. And since the director likes his ultraviolence, the DCEU will bring something different to the table. At this point, of course, we cannot say whether or not the audiences will enjoy this course. However, given the response to the Suicide Squad trailers, we can safely say that Warner Bros. has another hit on its hands.
The DCEU is shiny
This could be an irony, but it isn't - the DCEU is the shiny new toy for the fans of superhero movies to play with. It brings a new formula, new themes, new characters, and new visions. And given the response to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, the audiences are interested in it.
Going back to Marvel, after almost two Phases, the studio needed to make a change in order to keep the casual moviegoers interested. In this way, the Russo brothers gave the shared universe a much needed perspective, which will finally pay off this year, with the Civil War (the comparison isn't made to underline that either DC or Marvel is better).
A shared universe needs to be reinvented from time to time to maintain the moviegoers’ interest. The same can be said about the Mutant Shared Universe - unlike in the MCU, a full reboot was needed in order to bring the X-Men movies to their former glory.
The DCEU is new in its entirety and it will be a long time until there will be a need for change.
As far as Zack Snyder is concerned, he isn't exactly the Kevin Feige of the DCEU - so whether he stays or leaves, there won't be such a big impact on how the movies are made. We mention this seeing that many petitions have been started asking for him to part ways with Warner Bros.
The DCEU is dark
If we are to compare the DCEU with another shared universe, that universe would be the Mutant one. The themes are, at this point, pretty much the same, with the superheroes barely finding a way to fit into the society.
However, the DCEU is much darker, and it can be considered an extreme version of the other, with every action of the metahumans (and Batman) bringing a reaction from the society. The Battle for Metropolis echoed in Batman v Superman like nothing we have seen before. And we can bet that the events of Batman v Superman will stir up even more controversy.
And this, in turn, will have an impact on the superheroes as well. Take Wonder Woman, who was revealed to have left the world of man after WWI. Or, better yet, take Superman, who simply couldn't deal with all the hate surrounding him.
In other words, the world of the DCEU is much more realistic because of its consequences. It can be said that the MCU is not that different - however, in order to keep track with all of these adverse reactions, one would have to watch the Marvel shows as well.
And, as we’ve said plenty of times, the movies would be better if standing by themselves.
The themes
The darkness of the DCEU comes from its themes and not from the visual style of any Zack Snyder movie - we guess we will see that beginning with Wonder Woman.
The biggest flaw of the DC characters is considered to be that they have no flaw whatsoever. The DCEU has changed that. Superman is constantly struggling to fit in, being constantly reminded that he is not human. His own superpowers are the ones that work against him. In a way, he is an orphan who cannot fit in.
Batman is even more flawed - if Batman v Superman said something about him, then that something is that he is deeply scarred as a character. Until this year, we haven't seen him so deeply marked by the death of his parents - even after so many years, he still sees his parents dying (that scene with the giant bat exiting the grave was excellent).
Furthermore, he has no reason to trust anybody. Case in point: the loss of Robin, about whom we believe to have become a villain himself (how many good people stayed that way).
And all these inner struggles reflect in the decisions they make, in a way worsening their relation with the public. It seems to be like a never-ending spiral, one that always leads to something worse.
Wonder Woman
If Batman is the most recognizable superhero of all times, Wonder Woman is the most recognizable superheroine. And the fans have waited for ages to see her on the big screen.
And guess what! Gal Gadot's Diana Prince/Wonder Woman was one of the highlights of Batman v Superman, despite appearing in just a prolonged cameo! Furthermore, the DCEU will mark another first - it’s the first time an actual superheroine will have her first solo movie.
Patty Jenkins (Monster) will direct Gal Gadot in her first solo movie, which is due on June 23, 2017. Little is known about the movie, except for the setting (WWI) - but, boy, does she look like a fine warrior!
Freedom
We mentioned before that Zack Snyder, even if seen as a Kevin Feige of the DCEU, doesn’t exactly that. Granted, he and his wife are producers. However, the other directors have complete freedom as far as their movies are concerned.
In other words, the DCEU movies will be the creations of different people (who might as well be comic book fans) and the expression of their unique visions. Of course, the movies will need follow a red line, toward a bigger event - however, other than that"¦
And the best example for this is Batman v Superman itself. It can be said that no movie ever was more divisive - and we are more than certain that the powers that be knew that from the start and knew that many would hate it. But the movie came out just as Zack Snyder wanted it.
So, again, there is freedom for the DCEU directors. Whereas we will never get to see an Edgar Wright Ant-Man.
New superheroes
If 10 years ago someone would have told you that Aquaman will be a thing, would you have believed it? We bet you would have laughed.
But the DCEU will make it happen, together with some other superheroes as well. We’ve already seen Green Lantern, but we will see the Flash and Cyborg as well. And we don't know about you, but we think Ezra Miller is one fine actor.
The X-Men seem to come back to the same heroes again, with Apocalypse introducing the younger versions of the mutants from the original trilogy. The MCU just started to freshen their roster in 2014. So, in a way, the DCEU will bring new blood into the mix - and, together with the superheroes, new (and hopefully better) villains.
Ownership
This has been a pain in the other shared universes' butt - the ownership of the characters. Whether we are talking about the MCU, or about the Mutant Shared Universe, or about the (highly unlikely) Spider-Man one, none of the other superhero universes can be complete. And that is because none of them owns all the characters of the respective comics.
And this might just be the biggest reason why the DCEU has the most chances of being a hit - its stories can contain all the characters they need. Imagine a Justice League movie without the likes of Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman - and now imagine a Civil War without the Fantastic Four.
Warner Bros. owns every character from DC comics. And surprises can pop up from all over the place. We aren't even talking about a larger variety of superheroes and supervillains from whom the studio can choose.
Just ask yourself who could come after Darkseid and you will be able to find quite a few answers. Then ask yourself where the MCU can go after Thanos and you will find the possibilities greatly reduced.
