Note: For this article, we’re only focusing on live action films and will ignore entries in the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) and the DCUAOM (DC Universe Animated Original Movies)-which also includes standalone animated films, DCAMU (DC Animated Movie Universe) films, and the Tomorrowverse films. managed to completely squander their chance at creating a successful and cohesive MCU-style shared universe of characters and stories.īefore we get into the mess that is the DCEU and the (hopefully) bright future ahead in the DC Universe (DCU), let’s wind the clocks back and take a look at the history of DC Comics on the silver screen. Somehow, with properties like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman at their disposal, Warner Bros. Unlike the various non-MCU Marvel Comics adaptations-where the rights of different characters were under the control of different production studios-all DC properties were under one roof: Warner Bros, which meant that they had full access to any characters or storylines they wanted to adapt. On paper, the DCEU should have been a massive success. Read more: Guide to Marvel Cinematic Universe Kevin Feige, CCO of Marvel and President of Marvel Studios, built the MCU from the ground up using obscure or unknown characters by focusing on good storytelling and consistent worldbuilding.

Up until the late 1990s, films based on DC Comics once fared better both financially and critically than those by Marvel Comics, but the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from 2008 and onwards has completely changed this dynamic. How DC Comics movies were outdone by Marvel Starting with Man of Steel in 2013 and ending with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in late 2023, the DCEU franchise has had a rough time this past decade in establishing any long lasting cultural impact. With The Flash release right around the corner, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is almost at a close- ushering in a new era known as the DC Universe.

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