The DCEU Doesn’t Need Justice League

Now the dust has somewhat settled on Justice League, one thing has become increasingly clear the DC Extended Universe doesn’t need the team to survive. There was some fan concern when it was announced Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice would also introduce Wonder Woman, and pave the way for a Justice League movie straight after. So not only did the film have the responsibility of pairing the two iconic heroes for the first time on the big screen, it had to introduce a host of new characters and set the groundwork for future adventures all over the course of a single movie.Whereas Marvel took the time to give their key heroes a solo movie prior to The Avengers, it seemed Warner Bros wanted to rush towards a team-up. This proved to be their undoing because while Batman V Superman made a profit, it failed to break $1 billion and the critical backlash was swift and merciless. The studio had invested in Zack Snyder’s vision but the reception to Dawn Of Justice showed that perhaps they were headed down the wrong path.Related: Justice League Confirms That Marvel Crushed DC on the Film SideSince Justice League was already gearing up for production at this point, it was too late to slam the brakes and retool the project without raising alarm bells. Snyder pressed ahead with the movie, but the studio made a noticeable effort to steer things into a more bright and commercially appealing direction. It appears the studio was extremely unhappy with Snyder’s first cut, leading to the director’s dismissal (it’s been alleged Snyder was actually fired) and Joss Whedon being brought on to helm extensive reshoots.The end result is an uneasy mash-up between the styles of the two filmmakers, with a muddled story, sub-par CGI and an adventure that, while technically bringing in a better Rotten Tomato score than BvS, is seen as one of the most uninspired and forgettable movies of the franchise. The true behind-the-scenes story will no doubt be revealed someday, but now that Justice League is officially the lowest-grossing DCEU movie to date, it’s becoming clear the future of universe doesn’t depend on this ragtag group of heroes.This Page: The First Justice League Hurt The DCEU

The First Justice League Hurt The DCEU

While a major franchise can withstand the occasional dud or underperformer, Justice League is a special case. A movie teaming a group of major heroes for an apocalyptic adventure should have been the easiest sell possible, but even if audiences hadn’t been turned off by Batman V Superman or Suicide Squad, the Justice League reviews provided the killing blow. Once Snyder was removed from the project it should have been delayed to allow time to plan a proper course of action, but the studio pressed ahead with the release date to keep up appearances.

The failure of this approach is best seen with Henry Cavill’s infamous CGI mouth, where the actor was unable to shave his Mission: Impossible Fallout mustache for the Justice League reshoots, leading to it being pasted over with distracting CG. The haunting image of Cavill’s bugged out eyes and creepy mouth soon went viral, proving downright embarrassing for public perception of the movie; it didn’t help the effect spoiled what was arguably Cavill’s best performance in the role. The CG on the movie as a whole was shoddy; villain Steppenwolf looked like he stepped out of a PlayStation 2-era cutscene, and the final battle was a garish nightmare.

Related: Everything We Know About Zack Snyder’s Original Justice League 2 Plans

The movie bears the scars of having two filmmakers with completely differing visions, and while it occasionally shows promise it just never clicks together. Batman V Superman has a passionate group of defenders who love the somber tone and social commentary Snyder was attempting, and whatever flaws the movie might have, it can’t be denied it at least has a distinct voice and vision. The same just can’t be said for Justice League, which is a Frankenstein patchwork of ideas stapled together to meet a release date. The critical and commercial performance of the movie is a black eye for Warner Bros and one that proves audiences are losing interest in the current version of the DCEU.

Team-Up Movies Are Becoming Old Fashioned

What made The Avengers an event back in 2012 was the novelty of seeing a group of heroes who would normally be the leads in their own adventures being forced to work together. Marvel took their time building up to the movie too, giving characters that were considered B-listers solo movies and then mixing them together. It was an ambitious gamble that paid off for the studio and gave them the confidence to take more risks in the future.

Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel are two of the most anticipated comic books on the horizon because they’re the cumulation of a solid decade’s worth of storytelling. Warner Bros attempted the reverse move with Justice League, deciding to jump to the team-up adventure and then focus on making solo movies. While this could have worked in theory, it depended on a home run with Justice League, which failed to make characters like Cyborg or Aquaman suitably interesting. Wonder Woman at least had the benefit of appearing in a solid solo adventure between Dawn Of Justice and Justice League, which gave Gal Gadot a chance to grow into the character.

Comic book movies have now reached a point where traditional team-ups like Justice League are starting to feel a little old hat. Marvel themselves have realized this, which is why they turned Thor: Ragnarok into something of a buddy comedy between Thor and The Hulk, which gave that outing a whole new dynamic to play with. The same could be said for Captain America: Civil War, which made the clash between the team a key part of the narrative, but remained focused on the relationship between Cap, Bucky and Tony Stark. Justice League may have legitimately struck out to redefine the team-up in its own way, but ended up feeling like it was playing catch-up especially when it hired the actual director of The Avengers to try and recapture a similar vibe. Moving forward, the DCEU needs to find its own voice.

Related: What Will WB’s Post-Snyder Justice League 2 Be About?

The DCEU Slate Looks Great Without Justice League 2

Zack Snyder’s Justice League was supposed to set up a direct sequel, but whatever plans the studio had for the movie back then are undoubtedly scrapped by now. Warner Bros. should use the disappointment performance of the movie as a chance for self-reflection – and an opportunity to refine their vision. Their upcoming slate is also looking quite robust. Wonder Woman remains their high point critically, and the sequel will have a chance to build on what made the original work while introducing Kristen Wiig as villainess Cheetah.

James Wan’s Aquaman will flesh out both the character and world of Atlantis, which was woefully under presented in Justice League. While Suicide Squad received a mixed reception, it was also a hit for the studio, with fans being drawn to the movie’s focus on antiheroes. There’s still plenty of potential in the concept and exciting potential characters to add to the line-up, including if the rumors are to be believed Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. While set photos of the Shazam’s costume haven’t wowed fans thus far, Zachary Levi is great casting for Shazam!, and director David Sandberg (Lights Out) should be able to bring something fresh to the genre.

Related: Darkseid’s Justice League Appearance Was to Set Up Zack Snyder’s Sequel

The Batman will naturally be a key ingredient of the slate, that movie is currently held up by the Schrodinger”s Cat-like involvement of Ben Affleck. The star is seemingly weighing the pros and cons of continuing following the hostile reaction to previous movies, but the attachment of Matt Reeves (War For The Planet Of The Apes) and the movie’s rumored neo-noir tone means it could be something special. Finally, there’s the R-rated Joker movie being helmed by Todd Philips. This one-off project could set up a series of Elseworlds stories featuring famous characters unchained by the DCEU continuity, and if the movie works it could chart an intriguing new path for Warner Bros.

All of the above frankly sound more exciting than a Justice League sequel, and it feels like the studio would serve itself – and its many fans – best by chalking the movie as an expensive mistake and focusing on giving their roster of heroes great solo adventures instead.

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