DC Studios' DCU: 5 Questions Which REALLY Need To Be Answered About The Upcoming Relaunch

2023 kicked off with DC Studios revealing its DCU slate, but with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom bringing the curtain down on the DCEU once and for all, we have some big questions which need to be answered.

By JoshWilding - Dec 27, 2023 12:12 PM EST

Filed Under: DC Studios

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opened last week and, to put it bluntly, it's already the fourth DC Extended Universe failure this year. Shazam! Fury of the Gods fell well below its predecessor both critically and commercially, while The Flash was far from one of the best superhero movies ever made.

Blue Beetle, meanwhile, managed to find critical success only for no one to watch it.

Back in January, DC Studios announced its DCU slate, dubbing it "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters." For many fans, it was a sign that they needn't bother watching 2023's DCEU offerings because they soon wouldn't matter. An exciting tease for the future has become a costly mistake for Warner Bros. Discovery, and as 2023 winds down, we have more questions about James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans than ever before.

Attempted clarifications have led to increased confusion and between controversial casting decisions and convoluted, often contradictory, explanations on social media, the DCU is close to feeling as chaotically muddled as the DCEU before it.

We want this reboot to succeed and the brand has nowhere to go but up from here. However, we'd still like these questions to be answered...

5. What Is And Isn't Canon?

This is a question that's been bugging a great many fans, largely due to what often feels like conflicting statements from Gunn on social media. Blue Beetle underperformed earlier this year, but Jaime Reyes will be part of the DCU; does that mean his origin story and that big Ted Kord tease are canon?

Peacemaker will get a second season, while Amanda Waller will take centre stage in her own series after previously being featured in the Suicide Squad movies. So, how much of what we've seen from their respective DCEU adventures matters in the DCU? Did Christopher Smith meet the Justice League and, if not, did all that character development we saw in Peacemaker season 1 still happen?

DC Studios is picking and choosing elements from the DCEU to make canon, heightening confusion in the process. These are questions which have both minor and major implications depending on how much time you spend mulling them over. However, they wouldn't need to be answered if the DCU had been a true reboot.

4. When Are All Those Movies And TV Shows Coming?

Once upon a time, Warner Bros. announced an entire slate of DCEU movies. Most of them didn't happen and only a couple met their planned release dates.

With that in mind, we can't criticise DC Studios too much for not sharing release dates when "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" was unveiled nearly a year ago (in fact, the Hollywood strikes would have likely pushed most of those back, anyway). However, as we head into 2024, some clarity would be appreciated, as would release windows which offer a better idea of how - and, more importantly, when - this slate will head our way.

There have been rumblings that more movies and TV shows will be added to Chapter 1, but seeing as most of the projects we know about still don't have creative teams, it all feels eerily similar to Warner Bros.' low-key DCEU slate reveal. Does anyone really think that the Themyscira TV show is happening?

3. Will Everything Be Part Of The DCU Or Not?

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Gunn recently had to clarify his previous comments that everything will fall under the DCU umbrella, suggesting he didn't quite mean it that way. We kind of think he did, only for it to become apparent in the months since that movies, TV shows, cartoons, and video games all becoming DC Studios productions isn't at all realistic.

It also doesn't make sense from a business perspective; quality video games can take up to half a decade or more to create, so what happens if Superman: Legacy bombs (we highly doubt it will) and Rocksteady is in the thick of creating a game based on that specific Man of Steel? What about those lucrative direct-to-DVD DC movies? Are those just going to be shelved for DCU productions? Hardly.

The "Elseworlds" banner will go some way in helping with this, of course, though Gunn recently revealed that Joker: Folie à Deux won't have that banner because DC Studios wasn't directly involved. The waters have been muddied and it might be wiser for the newly created production company to focus on its own content.

2. Just How Different Will The DCU And DCEU Be?

Now, in DC Studios' defence, this isn't really something they can show off until Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy both head our way. Still, with more than a few DCEU characters making the leap to the DCU, we can't help but wonder how different - or similar - these worlds will be.

It would be childish at this stage to ignore the fact Gunn has enlisted many of his friends and family from the DCEU to join him (Viola Davis, John Cena, Sean Gunn, Nathan Fillion, and Steve Agee are among those being given new or the same roles) and that's his prerogative as DC Studios' co-CEO. However, it blurs the line and lends weight to the argument this is more of the same rather than a full-blown reboot.

Yes, we're about to meet a great many characters who never appeared in the DCU, but both visually and tonally, we don't know where this shared world is heading. There's plenty of time to find out, of course, but there are ways for DC Studios to start teasing and explaining this beyond Gunn's social media updates.

1. Is The Brand Too Damaged?

When all is said and done, it will likely be down to moviegoers and fans to answer this question. 2023 has been a disaster for the DCEU, with not a single movie grossing more than $275 million worldwide. Outside of Blue Beetle, they've failed to strike a chord with critics as well, and despite Marvel Studios' recent missteps, how do we know "superhero fatigue" isn't "DC fatigue"?

Gunn is a filmmaker and he may not want to throw his fellow creatives under the bus by openly criticising their DCEU movies. However, candidly acknowledging that they had issues which the DCU will address could help restore some faith in the brand and make it clear this reboot is delivering something new beyond what currently feels like a mission to recast major characters.

The DCEU is dead. It had its run; we don't need to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse and, morbid curiosity aside, who wants to #ReleaseTheAyerCut beyond David Ayer? It's time to move on and admitting that what came before didn't work is fine.

The DC brand is close to being damaged beyond repair and while a great Superman movie can help with that, it will by no means be a guaranteed fix even with an eighteen-month gap between Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Legacy's release. We don't want the DCU to fall at the first hurdle, but DC Studios will have its work cut out to save this franchise.

Bonus Question: Is Gal Gadot Returning s Wonder Woman Or Not?

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DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn Responds To Zack Snyder's Recent Comments About The DCU

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39 Comments

HulkisHoly - 12/27/2023, 12:08 PM

Don’t we already know Gadot isn’t returning?

BaneoftheBat - 12/27/2023, 12:09 PM

All questions that have already been addressed by Gunn, apart from the release dates.

JFC, why do any of us torture ourselves by reading this bias hack's "writing"?

Josh, just do us all a favor and switch this site to "Make Mine Marvel" already why don't you? Stop pretending you have any objectivity at all when it comes to DC properties. Jesus Christ.

ObserverIO - 12/27/2023, 12:27 PM

@BaneoftheBat - It is objectively a complete failure of a franchise.

JustAWaffle - 12/27/2023, 1:31 PM

@BaneoftheBat - They could change it to AllsGood.com

FireandBlood - 12/27/2023, 2:21 PM

@ObserverIO - Right? But nobody wants to acknowledge that objective fact.

GhostDog - 12/27/2023, 12:15 PM

We’re gonna get 5 different version of this article over the next few months

Waifuslayer - 12/27/2023, 12:17 PM

@GhostDog - on top of the 5 he's already done.

lazlodaytona - 12/27/2023, 12:18 PM

I was gonna say, dude's asking all these questions on the wrong site.
Just get on any of Gunn's social media and you will get all your answers.

Personally? I'm not worried.

Forthas - 12/27/2023, 12:28 PM

5. Canon will be determined by if it lost money or not and if it is starring James Gunn’s wife.

4. Most of those TV shows will not see the light of day especially if WB is quired by Comcast which at this point might be the best thing that could happen.

3. Matt Reeves is more important than James Gunn at WB...so no! Matt Reeves will not allow his projects to be part of the DCU.

2. The DCU will be different from the Snyder inspired DCEU but it will be very much same as the even worse performing more recent DCEU films that adopted slapstick comedy as a strategy.

1. It is not the Brand that is damaged. It is the tired approach introduced by James Gunn where slapstick comedy is injected into films in place of thoughtful themes, character development and relatable drama and also where each scene is there to set up a zinger.

Asterisk - 12/27/2023, 2:19 PM

@Forthas - man I just don’t see how you could watch TSS or GOTG 3 and not see all that stuff you just listed at the end there lol. He makes great emotional movies even if they are jokey sometimes

Forthas - 12/27/2023, 9:12 PM

@Asterisk - You did notice that TSS bombed at the box office and GOTG3 made less than the second installment and also less than the first one when you factor in inflation. Even if it is YOUR favorite film of all time, that does not mean everyone shares your enthusiasm.

Asterisk - 12/28/2023, 12:28 AM

@Forthas - I’m not saying it’s my favorite film of all time lol far from it but I literally couldn’t give less of a shit if a movie bombs or not so that has nothing to do with what I’m saying.

RJW97 - 12/28/2023, 6:57 AM

@Forthas - You did notice that TSS was released at the height of the pandemic when people were isolated and many theatres were closed, it had no chance at success. Say what you want about GOTG3, it's still the only MCU film to turn a profit and you could argue it would've made more if it was released closer to Endgame.

Forthas - 12/28/2023, 9:38 AM

@RJW97 - You did notice that films like Black Widow, Godzilla Versus Kong, Dune, and Tenet were ALL released at the height of the pandemic and made over 3 times as much as TSS under the same day and date release circumstances. So even by those standards it was a flop. The entire GOTG franchise is successful because it is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain Marvel, Ant Man and the Wasp, and Thor Love and Thunder were all successful even though those films were mediocre at best. That is what being part of Marvel used to do and GOTG benefitted from that at the height of Marvel's brand awareness.

RJW97 - 12/28/2023, 2:22 PM

@Forthas - All those movies (except possibly Dune) lost money or broke even, that just adds to my point the pandemic affected everyone. Added the fact that DC didn't have the recognition or esteem that Marvel, meant that TSS was always going to have an uphill battle. The Marvel films you listed were all at the height of Marvel, this year is the year where the cracks in Marvel are really showing, and yet despite that GOTG3 still was a box office success. That movie probably would've made a billion if it was released around the time of Thor: Love & Thunder.

RolandD - 12/27/2023, 12:30 PM

“With that in mind, we can't criticise DC Studios too much for not sharing release dates when "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" was unveiled nearly a year ago (in fact, the Hollywood strikes would have likely pushed most of those back, anyway),” but “we” will still criticize them for it.

bobevanz - 12/27/2023, 12:31 PM

Just have RPK "confirm" them through his Patreon, and then James Gunn can debunk them ^_^

ObserverIO - 12/27/2023, 12:34 PM

I'd love for him to answer that first question. Specifically the part about Peacemaker season 1's canonicity.

Basically, are Peacemaker Season 1 and Peacemaker season 2 technically two different universes? And will the change in continuity be addressed at all? And if so, when? Creatures Commandos, Waller, Peacemaker Season 2?

I mean the big glaring conundrum there is the Justice League scene.

If Peacemaker S1 is canon to the DCU proper... then Jason Mamoa is Aquaman? And Ezra [frick]ing Miller is The Flash?!

Godzilla2000Zer - 12/27/2023, 2:03 PM

@ObserverIO - Retcon or canon adjacent as Greg Weisman would say

FireandBlood - 12/27/2023, 12:53 PM

Oh, man. The brand is all the way in the shitter.

marvel72 - 12/27/2023, 1:09 PM

All I want to know is will I see the following characters.

The Spectre
Lobo
The Phantom Stranger
Mongul
Brainiac
Swamp Thing
Powergirl
Punchline
Deathstroke
Sinestro
New Gods
Zatanna
Court Of Owls
The Crime Syndicate

Forthas - 12/27/2023, 1:16 PM

@marvel72 - You will see all of these characters and more in Superman Legacy!

marvel72 - 12/27/2023, 1:20 PM

@Forthas - More than lightly.

ModHaterSLADE - 12/27/2023, 1:35 PM

Actually agree with #2. They have their work ahead of them convincing audiences this isn't the same slop from the DCEU.

slickrickdesigns - 12/27/2023, 1:41 PM

The only question is;
Will Josh give the DCU a chance to establish itself or will he be impatient and act like it’s already doomed before Gunn can do anything for the new DCU?

FireandBlood - 12/27/2023, 2:20 PM

@slickrickdesigns - I’ll never understand why anybody thinks a franchise that’s consistently failed its fans for the last decade deserves its umpteenth chance to ‘established itself’ again.

AllsGood - 12/27/2023, 3:01 PM

I'm Going with The Brand is Too Damaged even with Superman and Batman.

marvel72 - 12/27/2023, 4:17 PM

@AllsGood -

AllsGood - 12/27/2023, 4:27 PM

@marvel72 -

rkshuttleworth - 12/27/2023, 5:34 PM

Josh Wilding, your mind is too damaged.

Nolanite - 12/27/2023, 7:33 PM

Just for clicks.

DanFlashesShirt - 12/27/2023, 7:34 PM

Only one these questions can actually / need to be answered. What a pile of clickbait….

MovieMonster - 12/27/2023, 8:18 PM

I don't think any upcoming CBM has as much pressure to deliver than Superman: Legacy. If this thing tanks, Gunn and DC can just kiss their shared universe ambitions goodbye and we'll just keep getting Matt Reeves' Batman films which will probably continue to do well if they keep the quality up.

Spike101 - 12/28/2023, 3:33 AM

Honestly what killed the DCEU is toxic articles like this. Many of this years and last years output wasn’t so bad , aside from the hacks made by Gunn and co to finally kill it off.

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