Right now, the DC universe seems to be failing miserably. Fans haven’t reacted the way they have over Marvel. Films haven’t lived up to expectations. Box office numbers are down. Even though there have been great moments, they’re not what they could have been. So why is DC ultimately failing while Marvel runs away with the cinematic universe?
Simple.
There is one simple fix that would heal the DC world. One thing and one thing only. Stop half-a**ing your characters. DC owns the rights to some of the biggest names in comics. Why are they still dragging themselves down with half these characters back stories? Wonder Woman is the only character they’ve set up properly. She was absolutely the best part of Batman v Superman and now they’re going back to give her back story. It baffles me that they’ve yet to do this properly with other characters.
[Rick]
With Superman, we’ve seen the social outcast, dark and unsure side of Kal-El. Where’s the gee golly, All-American, do-gooder that is Clark Kent who shares an unbreakable bond with the human race? We’ve only seen the one side of his character. We’ve seen his love of Lois Lane but have come nowhere close to any other relationships.
The same can be said of Batman. Most of the problem fans had with BvS was the way Batman was portrayed. Bruce Wayne is in a very dark place. However, unless you’re a hardcore comic book fan you have no clue how we got there. We all saw the Robin suit and speculated. There was no confirmation in the movie of which Robin it was. Maybe instead of the 100th time we’ve seen the death of Bruce’s parents, that could’ve been the opening to the movie. How about the death of Robin is why Bruce is so cold and distant. Again, another half story.
So much of DC could be fixed by putting whole stories together.
Another reason Marvel is crushing them is they’re showing their hand. Marvel doesn’t need to keep a poker face with their intentions. There’s no maybe we’re going this route or not. Marvel takes you down the path, teases a character, and sets up their next project. A project you’re already excited for because you know how they arrived at this point. DC has had all the same teases. Unfortunately, we get the will they or won’t they? Is that character going to be part of a future story? Should we expect more or was it just an obscure easter egg for the fans? Their movies waste so much time building on things as fans we’ve already known. Even the fans who aren’t die-hard who just enjoy the movies know these things. Dig deeper into the stories that have kept the comics around for years.
The DCEU has too much potential to be wasted on half-hearted decision making. It’s time to push the chips all in. The studio has alienated hardcore fans by not portraying the character as they were intended. When they do stick to the script, they rob the average fan of the whole story. Why aren’t Batman/Superman the characters we’re used to? I’ve had many conversations on how these stories match up with the comics. Unfortunately, most people don’t understand why things are the way they’ve been portrayed. DC needs to stop trying to hit the fast-forward button on their characters and bring them to life on the big screen. Until then, the needle will aways favor Marvel’s side.