Another year has brought another round of changes for the DC cinematic universe, even as their up and down release calendar of 2022 featured the critical highs of The Batman and the box office lows of Black Adam. The change in ownership at Warner Bros., now called Warner Bros. Discovery and ran by CEO David Zaslav, has been the catalyst of these changes. Former franchise leader Walter Hamada left his post and there was a months-long search for a new head.

Eventually, two were found in the form of James Gunn, famous for directing the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Peter Safran, who is said to be handling the business side of the proceedings. Because of Gunn’s presence and the transition towards a lighter tone in recent years, many have wondered just how much the future of the DCU, as it has since been officially labeled, will mirror their Marvel counterparts. As of now, it seems that the DC franchise will certainly be adopting many of the classic features and tropes associated with the MCU, for better and for worse.

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As part of the reshuffle at Warner Bros., DC Studios was officially established to oversee the franchise, just as Marvel Studios does with the MCU. The similarities don’t end there, though, especially with James Gunn handling the majority of the creative side of things. Not too long ago, The Flash film was said to be a reboot of the universe with Supergirl largely taking Superman’s place and Michael Keaton becoming the Batman of this world once again. Now, it’s completely unclear as to whether or not that direction will continue, especially with the cancellation of Batgirl.

Leslie Grace in the cancelled Batgirl movie

That direction was planned by Walter Hamada, and it seemed to be directly influenced by Marvel’s connected universe plans. While that might not go forward, at least not in the way Hamada initially planned it, James Gunn’s presence at the helm of DC Studios means that the franchise will certainly borrow many elements from the MCU.

For starters, the connected universe approach that Marvel has become known for is certain to be adopted by DC. CEO Zaslav confirmed as much, saying that his desire was to have the DC franchise be completely connected and each project in tune with the next. This means that upcoming films like Blue Beetle, Aquaman 2, and more are all set to be intertwined in a way that they might not have been previously. The first Aquaman film, for example, was completely absent of all larger connections to the DC universe, but this Marvel-style approach means that fans can expect to see more easter eggs, cameos, integrations, and teases for the future.

This extends to the broader vision for the franchise. For over ten years, the MCU was building towards Thanos’ arrival on Earth and his fight with the Avengers. That became known as the Infinity Saga, and the MCU is now in the Multiverse Saga. Having interconnected films is one thing, but a villain and larger plot line that they are building towards is something different. That is a level of ambition that James Gunn and co. clearly have for DC, especially as he posted a mysterious tweet about “making plans” for the future of the franchise.

That tweet was accompanied by a picture of the DC comic Kingdom Come, which was released in the mid 90s and has since become known as one of the most memorable stories with these iconic characters. Kingdom Come follows Superman as he returns from the shadows and clashes with the likes of Batman and more. Set in the future, this story has been the primary influence for the Injustice video games and the Knightmare sequences seen in Zack Snyder’s DC films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.

These plans are akin to that of the MCU taking direct inspiration from the Infinity Gauntlet story from the comics for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. If done well, this could propel the DC franchise forward in popularity significantly, particularly as a few of the MCU’s more recent projects have received mixed reviews and fan reaction. Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in Black Adam only adds to the speculation that the future of the DCU will be broadly based on Marvel, especially with the potential links to Kingdom Come.

James Gunn Kingdom Come DC Universe

In that regard, the DCU’s inspiration from Marvel appears to be wise. On the other hand, though, James Gunn must be careful as to not betray some of the franchise’s greatest strengths. In recent years, even as the larger universe has faltered, projects that have greatly differed in tone like The Batman and Joker have been huge successes with fans, critics, and at the box office as well. Taking inspiration from Marvel is a smart move, but if there’s one thing that the MCU doesn’t have, it’s diversity in tone. That has become DC’s point of uniqueness in recent years, and it’s one that has clearly resonated with audiences and clearly fits the characters well, especially the likes of Batman. The MCU continues to retain its humorous, light heaters tone across all its stories, but the DCU shouldn’t follow suit in that regard.

Whatever happens with the future of the DCU, fans will be encouraged that there is finally a larger plan being developed and put in place for the future.

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