To Create a DCEU Continuity or Not?

With the Marvel cinematic universe becoming what might be the greatest achievement in film history, it begs the question, why has DC failed or decided to abandon film continuity? I know films like The Joker have achieved Oscar caliber performances, but it some ways it hurts the DC brand at the theaters in light of Marvel’s successful continuity. The Joker will no doubt be part of the upcoming ‘The Batman’ franchise at some point, and the general audience will have questions as to why Phoenix is not playing the character. I really think that Warner Bros. should blow the whole thing up, and commit to making a unified continuity.

Maybe Jim Lee has some big plan up his sleeve (seeing as he spearheaded Ezra Miller playing The Flash in a scene during the CW crossover event), and we just don’t know what that is yet.

Anyhoo, which way do you think the DC theatrical releases should be handled? Single continuity, or separate films that don’t connect in any way?

  • Yes - DC movies should exist in the same universe
  • No - Give me films that are separate from each other

0 voters

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the current slate of animated films they’ve been putting out, at least since Justice League: War have some semblance of continuity. I like it, but it is not top of my list

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@AntLeon the animated films are awesome, but not the same as live action films. Live action gives it a bit of weight to me.

Both…?

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@AlexanderKnox (nice name by the way), I didn’t include both because in my opinion, that confuses the average movie goer. Let’s be honest, the average movie goer is what drives sales and makes or breaks a film.

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The average moviegoer seemed to figure out that Joker wasn’t a sequel to Suicide Squad.

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Probably, but it has become such a big hit, when the character next appears, what will they think?

It really depends on how The Batman positions itself. I really hope that the film won’t be part of the DCEU. (Frankly, I’d prefer that it didn’t exist at all, but it’s too late for that.) If it’s a standalone movie, then it won’t have to use Phoenix or Leto any more than it would have to use the Joker(s) from Gotham.

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Maybe I am wrong, but I could have sworn I read somewhere that The Batman was going to be a trilogy.

Hollywood says everything will be a trilogy nowadays. And then the movies flop, and the “plans” disappear. What I meant by “standalone” is not a part of the DCEU and not a sequel to Joker.

As much as I’ve been enjoying the recent DCEU movies that aren’t all that connected to the continuity (Aquaman, Shazam, Birds of Prey), in an ideal world, I would love nothing more than a DC equivalent of the MCU. It seems like the backlash against movies like BvS, Suicide Squad and Justice League really scared WB off from pursuing this connected universe any more. W/ their more recent success, it would seem that this is probably gonna be their new approach to DC movies. That’s all well and good, but I also really wish that they’d realize they can pull off a successful DC cinematic universe if they put the proper time and effort into building it, along with getting the right people to spearhead it. The MCU could’ve been a complete disaster if it didn’t have people like Feige, D’Esposito and Alonso guiding the braintrust for so many years, and if DC can find skilled filmmakers w/ a passion for the DC universe, I really believe they could pull off something similar. Only time will tell if they’ll be able to make that happen or will even want to

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I think Jeffrey Wright’s casting as Commissioner Gordon firmly cemented The Batman’s status outside of the DCEU. I don’t think Pattinson as a younger Affleck is too much of a stretch, but something tells me Gordon wasn’t a different race when he was younger

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They should be in the same continuity, Joker is an exception as it was always meant to be excluded, however the directors should not have their hands tied as they were to an extent in the MCU. Movies like the Joker, can be set aside to allow lesser know characters a chance at low risk introductions in low budget movies and afterwards decide whether to bring them in.

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Then again, Billy Dee Williams and Tommy Lee Jones are supposedly the same Harvey Dent…

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Eh, I’m convinced that the Burtonverse and Schumakerverse are 2 separate continuities. The only actors linking them are Michael Gough’s Alfred and Pat Hingle’s Gordon. Plus in Forever, Kilmer’s Bruce talks about how he’s never been in love before - pretty sure Vicki Vale and Catwoman would have something to say about that

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Just because they are separate films doesn’t mean they all must exist on “different earths/universes”.

The MCU was great execution for a franchise, but but so far we don’t know if it will have the long, sustainable history of Star Wars, for example. Will this current run of MCU films still be relevant 30 years from now? Only time will tell.

Having completed their MCU arc, where does Marvel go from here? Will the catch lightning in s bottle again?

For DC, having stand alone films for a while is, IMO, a good idea. Build a world, decide which films are in it and which aren’t. Only after they’ve done some world building and fully developed a cast of characters, then start referencing them or cameos to bring them together into a unified earth/universe. only them start the “team-ups”.

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I think DC needs to bring to live action, what they’ve done in the animated space. Do a few “Elseworlds”. Do live action versions of Gotham by Gas Light, Red Son, and Gods and Monsters. Show that there are certain films that can be in the same continuity and ones that clearly aren’t.

Yes, X-Men is its own, non-MCU continuity because Disney doesn’t own the rights to X-Men movies. The worked out a deal with Sony to allow them to share live-action Spider-Man, but the Sony Spider-Man films are separate from MCU as well. People seem to miss this bit when talking about how all-encompassing the MCU is.

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To a certain extent I agree with @DeSade-acolyte and @AlexanderKnox. It does not have to be one thing or the other, which is why I didn’t vote. I like the current stand alone films. I like how the existence of other characters is acknowledged (Bruce at the beginning of WW, Steppenwolf in Aquaman, Supes in Shazam). That’s enough of an indication that these characters share a universe in some form. At some point, a team up or crossover is not out of the question. Also, what I don’t want is a story that takes over 10 years to tell like Marvel. Have the individual stories stand on their own merits.

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So I want them to continue with the continuity they started but instead of it leading to something bigger just create the movies that happen to take place in the same universe and every once in awhile there could be cross overs or what not but they are doing so much better right now of creating individual stories. I just don’t understand why they let zack synder take control of the series considering how much of a financial flop watchmen was. Why did they give him a second chance?

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The Marvel rewiring of our brains is evident in the two choices present in this poll. Like the comics, it can actually be both. Marvel has completely spoiled how moviegoers perceive a shared cinematic universe by making us think you have to see all of them, or they have to connect, etc. No. This is only true for Marvel.

Before the MCU, when Human Torch lit a giant 4 across the skyline, I just assumed Spider-Man could see it. I don’t need to see Spider-Man seeing the 4 to understand they’re all Marvel. (I get it, Sony and Fox and blah blah, but you get my point).

You don’t need to know what I’m up to in order to enjoy a movie about a guy who lives on my street. Like you don’t need to see Suicide Squad to keep up with Birds of Prey. You don’t need to watch Arrow to watch The Flash. This is also what Matt Reeves meant when he said his Batman is a standalone film but of course exists in the DCU…like the comics.

So to answer the poll, WB/DC should just keep making movies. Add fun things for those of us who watch every movie, but don’t make it confusing for people who don’t. The worst thing they could do is make a big announcement that their new film is in no way connected to their other films, completely separate, etc. etc., as if they’re ashamed of their own product. (Lookin’ at you, “Joker.”)

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