It's no secret that Warner Bros wishes the DCEU was more successful. The film universe launched in 2013 with Man of Steel. By that point Marvel had already perfected a system for producing interconnected superhero films on a regular basis. WB knew they were playing catch up, so they rushed headlong into Batman v Superman and Justice League. The results have been less than ideal.
The best DCEU films so far have had very little to do with the "EU." A century separates Wonder Woman from Batman v Superman. From tone to plot Shazam! might as well exist in its own universe. In their effort to achieve MCU-level success, WB managed to leave out all the key elements of a shared universe.
The Key Ingredient
A million different pieces fell into place for Marvel's shared universe to come into being. The Avengers wouldn't be the same without Robert Downey Jr. as the definitive Iron Man. And Iron Man wouldn't be the same without Jon Favreau. The MCU wouldn't be what it is today without countless executives, directors, and actors. But WB had all of those, too. Henry Cavill is an iconic Superman. For better or worse, Zack Snyder offered a defined directorial vision. What WB lacked was a real creative and authoritative force behind their universe.
Marvel, on the other hand, had creative force in spades. Kevin Feige began his work with Marvel as a producer on X-Men in the year 2000. These days he is the company's Chief Creative Officer. Feige was instrumental in establishing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He designed the larger plot arcs that spanned multiple movies and ensured a certain level of tonal consistency between the films. Feige continues to oversee the MCU through its Phase 4 and beyond.
Fresh Out of Feige
The WB launched the DCEU without a Feige-like figure steering the ship. Zack Snyder was the creative lead at DC Entertainment, but as the director of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League his focus wasn't on maintaining a cohesive multimedia universe.
WB might have thought they were differentiating themselves from Marvel in a good way. Rather than a single captain for their universe, WB had a brain trust. The DCEU offered directors more freedom to create their personal visions. WB hoped to attract new directors and moviegoers who were tired of watching superheroes quip in Marvel's house style.
What worked in theory failed in practice. Instead of being a bastion of creative freedom, the DCEU offered directors constant problems behind the camera. There were disagreements between WB and Patty Jenkins on Wonder Woman. The studio fought relentlessly with Snyder about the tone and plot of first Batman v Superman then Justice League. Eventually, this fight between studio and director became a fight between studio and fans with the twitter campaign #RestoreTheSnyderCut.
Even the less-central DCEU films had studio conflicts. WB interfered with Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey and made disastrous changes to Suicide Squad. That film is already being re-booted. How The Suicide Squad will fit into what the DCEU calls canon remains to be seen.
What's the Move?
It seems WB's brain trust couldn't come to an agreement on how the DCEU should operate. Unfortunately, the studio wasn't content to let directors make their own decisions, either. Instead, creative battles played out behind the scenes and publicly. The DCEU films that have made their way to audiences are fragmented, confusing, and worst of all, uninteresting. When WB made the decision not to have a "Feige" for the DCEU, they fundamentally misunderstood what Kevin Feige brought to the MCU.
Almost anyone can organize plots and enforce tonal consistency between films. If that was all WB needed, they could have pressured Snyder to take on even more responsibility. Zack Snyder's Justice League proves Snyder can tell a more coherent story than WB, at the very least.
Kevin Feige brought a genuine passion for Marvel comics to the creation of the MCU. Feige genuinely loves Marvel and its characters. That passion keeps him motivated to pursue the MCU's vision. It also comes through in the MCU films. It's what keeps audiences invested and what makes them come back for the next Marvel movie, even if the last was only so-so.
There is a packed slate of DCEU movies coming to theaters in the next few years. The Suicide Squad later this year will offer the first look at the DCEU post-Snyder. Hopefully, The Batman, The Flash, and Aquaman 2 in 2022 will offer DCEU audiences a sense of direction.
For the time being WB is forging ahead with the DCEU, but releasing one big-budget superhero movie after another isn't enough to emulate the MCU's success. WB needs someone with a passion for DC comics and characters to oversee their universe. If the DCEU is going to last, it needs to find a Feige.