The DC Cinematic Universe (DCEU) has been in a state of course-correction ever since its conception. A desire to catch up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in record time has made the franchise’s growth feel like an exercise in throwing everything at the wall and hoping some of it sticks. The DCEU was in desperate need of a Kevin Feige-like figure to help shepard the franchise in the right direction.

It was announced in 2022 that writer-director James Gunn would be that person. Gunn came out of the gates swinging, swiftly axing a number of popular DCEU projects and putting forth a bold new vision for the franchise that has been redubbed the DCU. Some of Gunn’s most controversial decisions include halting production on Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3. Let us explore whether Gunn can make the DCU thrive without focussing on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
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The Big Three

Warner Bros.

In DC Comics, the trio of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are considered the ‘Holy Trinity,’ the characters that all the other superheroes and the DC multiverse in general looks up to. Any time one of the big three are in a story, you can expect most of the attention to be given to them, making the rest of the heroes feel like supporting characters in their own comics.

This had also carried over to the DCEU. The live-action version of the Justice League was technically introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But all anyone remembers from the movie is Wonder Woman helping Superman and Batman fight Doomsday. In the follow up feature Justice League also, Batman and Wonder Woman were the unquestioned leaders of the superhero team, and Superman’s arrival was the biggest source of excitement in the story.

Stealing Everyone’s Thunder

Warner Bros. Pictures

The habit of sticking one or more of the holy trinity into another superhero’s story to give it an extra kick has persisted all through the DCEU. Superman makes a guest appearance in both Shazam! and Black Adam, walking away with all the internet buzz despite only appearing on screen for a few seconds at the very end.

When it comes to Batman, the studio seems to think there is no such thing as too much. The character is already being portrayed by Robert Pattinson in his solo film series. But two other versions of the Dark Knight were also set to make an appearance in the upcoming solo movie for The Flash. Many consider Wonder Woman’s supporting role the best part of Batman v. Superman, and the character can boast of being the only one to have had two solo projects in the franchise while the DCEU was still a thing.

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So how are audiences expected to get invested in other DC superheroes if half of their attention is always spent waiting for Superman, Batman, or, Wonder Woman to make an appearance in the story? Here we can look to the example set by the far more successful MCU, which was able to create a wildly successful franchise despite not having access to their most popular characters, Spider-Man and the X-Men at the start of the series.

Bringing D-List Heroes to the A-List

Marvel EntertainmentArt by Jim Cheung

Decades ago, Marvel Comics was forced to sell the rights to their most popular heroes to other studios to stave off bankruptcy. Thus when Kevin Feige came on board to create the MCU, he found himself scraping the bottom of the barrel for far less popular characters like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Despite the lack of mainstream recognition of these characters, Marvel Studios managed to make several successful solo movies for all of them by focussing on their strengths. From Iron Man’s fancy suits and gadgets, to Thor’s mix of magic and mythology, to Captain America’s adventures against the Nazis and deep state conspiracies, Marvel knew just how to leverage their second-best characters to endear them to audiences.

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The results were highly successful, to the extent that the MCU has become the blueprint for how to create a superhero franchise, and the studio has grown so powerful that they are now able to use their most popular comic book characters. When Spider-Man finally entered the MCU, the other heroes had already built up such popularity with general audiences that there was no danger of the webbed wall-crawler stealing anyone’s spotlight.

Focus on lesser known DC superheroes

Warner Bros.

The success of Shazam! and Aquaman has proven that DC Comics also has many lesser-known superheroes who are capable of headlining their own solo series in the right hands. If the DCU were to follow the MCU blueprint, the focus would be on building up the lesser-known heroes until they can rival the popularity of the holy trinity, which would also make the eventual coming together of the Justice League feel like a truly momentous occasion.

As far as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are concerned, their already-established popularity ensures that they will not be forgotten even if they are not immediately a prominent part of the DCU. Pattinson is still playing Batman. Gunn is already writing a story for a new, younger Superman, and Gunn has also confirmed Wonder Woman will continue to have a place in the franchise. The future is bright for the DCU, as the franchise hopefully marches towards creating a more diverse and well-developed roster of stars that could someday take their place as equals to the trinity.