I’m doing a 3-part video project later this year in the wake of announced Snyder Cut Justice League, I wanted to get five people (chapters) on how they would’ve done the DCEU. Each phase being its own video.
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You’re at the helm of the DCEU Project, board is clear to build your DC universe in the Phase system like Marvel.
The Darkseid Saga is phases One to Three like Infinity, how would you craft the universe and films in 2-3 hour flicks with additional material for TV and extended cut movies.
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I don’t care much for the phase structure. That said, it’s fairly easy to shuffle around what we currently have into a model that might have worked better:
- Man of Steel
- Batman v Superman (Act IV–Doomsday section–removed)
- Wonder Woman
- Dawn of Justice (BvS’s final act expanded into a proper film)
- Suicide Squad
- Justice League (no Flash)
- Aquaman
Maybe Flash could appear in the Justice League sequel. The other films (Shazam, Birds of Prey, and Wonder Woman 1984) would not be affected.
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Oh boy have I got some thoughts on this. Using the Marvel plan has advantages and disadvantages but using it as a basis for a personal “what-if” fictional cinematic universe sounds fun so here goes.
Phase 1. Assemble the League - Much of this phase will be origin story heavy, but will also re-establish the tone the universe as a whole will use. I want this to be more impactful than the average Marvel movie but not as serious as the Snyderverse tries to be. I like to think that each character and movie should have its own distinct feel. Superman should be about hope and pulling each other up, Batman should be about loss and determination, Wonder Woman about conflict, understanding, and empathy, etc. These movies should strike the conversations that comics have been asking for decades while still making us feel elated to see such awe-inspiring characters making mistakes but growing as the movies come out.
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Superman: Man of Tomorrow - This movie should focus less on the Super and more on the Man. For this movie I would keep the elements of Clark’s origin that we usually see (Doomed planet, orphaned son, caring adoptive American family) and grow his desire to help people. The true plot would revolve around Clark going to Metropolis and becoming a reporter to not only keep close to the action, but to uncover a plot for control by the antagonists of the movie (Intergang, Lex Luthor, and a “third-party”). Lex Luthor will be a driving force for the conflict, mostly in providing tech but also in misinformation, but will not be confronted in this movie as he is smart enough to keep his hands clean while Bruno Mannheim and Intergang does their dark dealings with the “third-party” to receive alien weaponry. Supporting characters like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, the Kents, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross would be established as well as seeds for future Superman stories. Minor details would be included to provide a basis for other characters in the future, including Brainiac, Zod, Metallo, Steel, and others.
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Batman: The Dark Knight - The early years of Bruce Wayne after the murder of his parents. I would start with a montage of Bruce traveling and learning from masters of all types of combat/professions, essentially what Nolan did but more varied and with less focus on the League of Assassins, but more on them later. Bruce comes back to Gotham after years without contact. Alfred is overjoyed to have him back but he knows he is not the same boy he knew. Bruce confides that he has a mission, a drive for vengeance. At this time the criminal element is just that, but even then Bruce struggles so after a failed night he takes a bat as an ominous sign to become something more. He uses theatrics to become a creature that criminals will fear. This new symbol starts to influence others, inspiring some like Selina Kyle to create their own personas. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon, new on the scene would be struggling with corruption and organized crime from the infamous Falcone family. With desperation both Gordon and Batman team up to use their detective skills to finally take down Carmine Falcone. Supporting characters to be established would include Alfred, Lucius Fox, Harvey Dent, Harvey Bullock, and Renee Montoya. Minor details to seed the establishment of the future characters of Two-Face, Penguin, Black Mask, Riddler, and Victor Zsasz.
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Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals - A modern re-telling of Wonder Woman’s origin. A global conflict is on the rise as Ares and Eris interfere in Man’s world. The growing conflict leads Steve Trevor into a dogfight with opposing forces, resulting in the failure of an experimental new jet being developed by the US. Managing to land in the unseen island of Themyscira, an injured Steve is discovered by Princess Diana. While Steve recovers, the amazons are tasked by Athena to send a champion to stop Ares’ machinations. Diana wins a tournament to be selected as the representative and is sent in a uniform bearing the colors of Steve’s nation as a sign of good-will. Diana is also gifted items from the gods, her bracelet and lasso, as well as her ability to fly. The movie would be a globe-trotting adventure where Diana and Steve must tackle challenges akin to old myths and meet neutral gods in order to locate and defeat Ares and Eris. Mythological creatures and gods in modern settings would make the biggest appeal for this movie. Supporting characters include Etta Candy, Barbara Ann Minerva, Helena and Cassandra Sandsmark, Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis, Ferdinand, as well as the majority of Olympian gods. Minor details could be set for characters like Donna Troy, Circe, Giganta, Dr. Psycho, and Hecate, although with such a varied group it would probably be best to take their integration into Wonder Woman’s story at a slower pace.
Phew, looking back I think I’m spending too much time going into unnecessary details so I’m gonna shorten them from here on out.
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Flash: Fastest Man Alive - Flash’s origin, and he must fight against a smarter group of villains equipped with advanced technology taken from a newly established S.T.A.R. Labs. These Rogues have a code they adhere to, but even so they go all out in order to steal as much as they can take.
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Aquaman: Blood in the Water - A story of Aquaman’s origin and his mutual vendetta against his arch-nemesis Black Manta. This would focus on their reasons for their hatred towards each other. The only thing stopping Aquaman from mutual destruction is his fated meeting with Mera.
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Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn - Hal Jordan’s induction into the Green Lantern Corps and his friendship with mentor Sinestro. As the movie unfolds, Hal discovers Sintestro’s cruel methods of manipulation of his own people, leading to the fallout between the two.
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Martian Manhunter: Trial by Fire - J’onn J’onzz is accidentally transported to earth during a crisis on his home which causes the deaths of his people. J’onn must adapt to this new world while confronting white martians and his own brother Ma’alefa’ak, with the help of a young white martian M’gann M’orzz.
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Justice League: Brave and the Bold - An intergalactic threat has it’s eyes set on earth. The combined threat of Starro and Despero push earth’s protectors to work together. The group slowly comes together, combining their forces to combat the growing power of their enemies. They must even fight each other for control as they must find a way to finally push back against mind control on a planetary level.
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Great job and very well thought out, when do you think Phase Two and Three of your DCEU will be made!
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Working on it now, but it may take the rest of the day to put my thoughts in order.
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Phase 2. A New Frontier - This phase would expand on the previous by establishing more supporting and future characters. New groups and heroes will join the main roster as they inspire those around them. Older heroes will also be re-established. The Justice League may have been formed but they were not the first, nor the last, team to be created.
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Justice Society of America: A Golden Age - An older generation of heroes are retelling one of their greatest exploits during an interview. The heroes include Hour-Man, Sandman, Atom, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawman, and Hawkwoman as Dr. Fate assembles them to fight against Per Degaton who intends to use the Spear of Destiny to control the Spectre to take over the world. Hawkman and Hawkwoman’s origin will be tricky but I would establish their alien and ancient Egyptian origin to coincide with Dr. Fate to a certain extent. And who is interviewing them, why none other than Clark Kent!
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Superman: Man of Steel - After Superman has established Metropolis as his home, and after taking down major sectors of Intergang, the US military’s General Sam Lane has decided to enlist the help of prominent scientific minds, including Lex Luthor, John Henry Irons, and Emil Hamilton to create their own super-soldier capable of taking on threats on par of Superman. Conflicts ensue and John Corben is forever changed into an unfeeling metal man. Superman has not forgotten Luthor’s involvement with Intergang and must now take on Metallo.
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Batman and Robin: Dark Victory - After taking down the Falcone Family, chaos ensues Gotham as several new crime bosses begin to take over, but not the usual criminals, now the Batman has inspired the criminal element to become as strange as himself. Tragedy strikes a traveling circus as a young Dick Grayson witnesses the death of his parents after a gangster Tony Zucco attempts to extort the circus for money. A present Bruce Wayne sympathies with the young boy and leaves him under the charge of Alfred while he searches for Zucco and the criminals he works under. Dick soon discovers Bruce’s secret and searches for the same man behind Batman’s back. Conflict arises as the Penguin, Black Mask, and Sal Maroni try to take control of the city in the power vacuum created. All the while a mysterious Joker means to make a farce of everyone involved.
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Wonder Woman: War of the Amazons - After the fall of Ares, Hecate seeks to take control of the world for herself, but she knows the Amazons would side against her so she gifted Circe with more power for her help in taking them down. Circe uses her magic to discover a faction of Amazons that had separated to live in the nation of Bana-Mighdall in the Middle east. Circe plans to manipulate this nation into attacking Themyscira, and so creates an Amazon of her own, Donna Troy. Wonder Woman must reveal the lies before her home is destroyed by Artemis and her forces, all the while trying to figure out who Donna Troy is, and who is behind this scheme.
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Green Lantern Corps: Warworld - With Sinestro under arrest, Hal Jordan is promoted to Honor Guard and a new law is placed to double the forces of the Corps in order to hold members accountable so as not to repeat the mistake made with Sinestro. Sector 2814 gains two new members, Guy Gardner and John Stewart, which quickly learn the ways of the Corps along with fellow recruits from other sectors. Hal Jordan forms a group of Lanterns with the task of confronting a new menace in the form of Mongul. Stewart and Gardner, along with Kilowog and other lanterns must fight against the Warwold and take down the warriors within, including Evil Star, Fatality, Bolphunga, and Mongul himself.
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Flash: Think Fast - New super-powered criminals begin to commit crimes throughout the city, but are able to get away by manufacturing destruction that pre-occupies the Flash. The only one capable of outsmarting the Flash, the Thinker. While he formulates his schemes, other villains Girder, Magenta, and Tar Pit are instructed on how to act. Alone, the Flash can’t be in two places at once. Enter, Kid Flash. Discovering that Flash and Barry Allen are one and the same, he reenacts the accident that gave him his powers. Now lightning strikes twice as Wally helps Barry take down the Thinker and his fellow villains.
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Aquaman: The Hidden Valley - While out in the ocean, Aquaman and Mera discover a young boy alone underwater. This boy has purple eyes and acts hostile towards them, but is quickly fatigued and falls unconscious. Aquaman and Mera take the boy to Atlantis where they ask King Orm for assistance. It is there that Orm and Vulco inform them of the significance of the boy’s eyes from prophecy. The trait came from an Idyllists colony that lived in the Hidden Valley, where royalty had inherited it from a mad sorcerer and ruler named Slizzath prophesized to be released by his descendant. Garth, as the boy is named becomes a target by other Idyllists as well as Atlanteans while Aquaman must find a way to save the boy.
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Justice Society of America: Justice Be Done - After the battle between the Justice Society and Per Degaton, the group was in need of bolstering its ranks after the deaths of some of its members. Johnny Thunder, Dr. Midnight, Starman, Mr. Terrific, Wildcat, and Black Canary join the group. Now they must face the Lord of Chaos Mordru. This story will eventually lead into the current generation taking the mantles from the previous.
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Ohhh cool, this is incredibly thought out, and I can see that with this phase, your setting up titans!
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It’s something I feel is completely overlooked by DC in terms of movies. It’s also something Marvel has mostly avoided (side-kicks) as well and I think that if we’re gonna have the big-time Titans we gotta establish their beginnings at some point.
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Something different from the MCU while adhering to the MCU Phase System. Good stuff. Looking forward to Phase Three!
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Here is what I would do
Phase One:
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Superman: Man of Steel-Largely keep the structure of Man of Steel, but make it more clear focused and less destruction near the end. Make it clear the theme is that Clark should use his powers for good and that he shouldn’t be afraid to use them. Most importantly, show him being a human! Sup’s is a cool dude and we need more of that in movies.
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Batman: The Dark Knight-Based on The Man Who Laughs, fallows Bruce’s first encounter with the Joker and maybe introduce some others like Penguin, Harvey Dent, and Selina. I don’t want to repeat Batman Begins so I think it would be best to skip over the origin, have the cops not trust Batman until he brings in Joker, and have criminals unsure if Batman is real or not. Also no gadgets, sort of like Earth One and his hook malfunctioning.
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Wonder Woman: Princess of Themiscara-Would not change most of the WW movie, but will change the ending and have her currently inactive and more of a myth
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Batman and Superman: Public Enemies- This is the big one, Now that our heroes are established. Have the two who are public knowledge join together. Keep some of the things from BvS but change others. Lex is the big bad and wants to get rid of both Batman and Superman because he feels they mock human nature, they are human perfection and wants to take them down a peg. “Once you see that they are human no one will worship them” kind of mentality. So have Lex shipping robot parts in Gotham illegally, Testing them against Sup’s in test bank robberies, All while trying to figure out who they are. Have a party similar to the scene from BvS where our heroes meet and Lex figures out Clark and Bruce’s Identities. Lex will then launch his plan. Lex will release a Superman robot on Batman and attack Wayne Manor which will get his attention and he will go see Superman armed with to a tee with gear. The two will fight a bit but they will talk each other out of fighting. Lex will get angry and send the superman robot he calls Eradicator to stop both of them. They win, Lex goes to jail and both are now superfriends. Something like this.
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Aquaman: King of Atlantis-Would not change anything about the original movie. Got nothing here.
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The Flash: Fastest Man Alive-I would take influence from The Flash TV show but remove most of the filler. Opening scene is just like the opening of the pilot. However trim down the cast to just Iris and Wells. Wells is a mentor who runs the broken down Star Labs and have weather wizard as the big bad. Now that I think about, I would just do the pilot but with a trimmed down cast and a higher budget.
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Justice League-Now do Justice League. Lex is out because of a bought judge and wants to try and continue his work, but he decides to hire a few other faces. He gets Captain Cold, Black Manta, Croc, and Weather Wizard. Clark tells Bruce to be vigilant and prepared now Lex is out. The Flash hears about Weather Wizard in Kansas and goes to investigate, he meets Sup’s and has some great banter. Short fight and ends with Wizard retreating, but Superman and Flash fallow him to find out where he is going. Meanwhile in Gotham, Croc has been causing trouble for both Aquaman and Bruce so they team up to stop him, but he retreats. Bruce and Aquaman fallow him out of town towards Midway City. Our heroes arrive together where all of our villains attack the group at once. WW hears about this and see’s the destruction that is happening and joins the fight. Some group shots and defeats later, Lex shows up and he has a suit that can adapt to each ones powers (think like Amazo) they take him out, everyone goes to jail and they form the Justice League. Post Credit Scene would be Darkseid asking if Lex would like some help.
That would be Phase One. Give me a moment while I think about Phase Two.
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Phase 3. Apokolips Now - This is where things really start to ramp up. New Stories, New Worlds, New Gods. The large conflict has been hinted at, but now the menace is out of the shadows. The Justice League will need all the help they can get, and they’ll find it in the unlikeliest of places.
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Superman: Last Son - A new threat looms as an alien ship steals Metropolis. Superman must battle Brainiac to save his adoptive world, but also a part of his original world of Krypton. New knowledge and hope ignite the Man of Steel to push harder than ever before, but will he triumph over the collector of worlds?
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Batman: The Demon’s Head - Reports of a giant bat in Gotham aren’t strange, until Batman comes face-to-face with it. Batman’s encounter leads to a manhunt that involves a world-wide, secret organization with a far reach. As he learns who they are, they discover who he is too. What sinister plans does Ra’s al Ghul have for the Batman and the Man-Bat? Is his daughter Talia a friend or a foe?
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Wonder Woman: Hunt - Diana must search for her friend Barbara Ann Minerva, who has departed in search for the plant god Urzkartaga. Minerva becomes the Cheetah, and gains a bloodlust that she cannot control, and blames Diana for her condition.
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Green Lantern Corps: The First Army - Hal, Guy, and John learn the truth behind the creation of the Green Lantern Corps and the precursor of the Manhunters. This resurrected menace forces the Zamarons, a group once part of the Guardians of Oa, to finally form their own army. Will these Star Sapphires be an ally or a foe for the Green Lantern Corps against the might of the Manhunters?
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Flash: Evolutionary Race - As Flash attempts to learn more about the source of his powers, he uses the help of S.T.A.R. Labs to create a piece of technology named the Cosmic Treadmill. Trying to push the limits of his power, Flash inadvertently runs through time, creating time anomalies that scatter S.T.A.R. technology through different points in history. Back in the present, Flash tries to figure out what has happened when the country is attacked by Gorilla Grodd, whose ancestor had been granted super-intelligence due to this missing tech. Now Flash must stop an attack on his home by a problem he has caused.
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Green Arrow: Emerald Archer - Rich, spoiled, arrogant. Anything Oliver Queen asked for he received, at least until the island. Green money held no power after being stranded, the power resided in the greens of the jungles. Oliver adapted quickly, otherwise he would starve. Armed with nothing but a prop bow, he learned to hunt, learned to kill, learned to survive. Now he has been rescued, but the man that left Star City was gone. A hunter has come back to make the city his hunting ground and criminals his prey. The young are initiated by scum like Brick, but can Green Arrow save boys like Roy Harper from becoming another scapegoat.
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Black Canary: Battlecry - Dinah Laurel Lance never got a chance to know her mother. She grew up knowing of her heroics, but must now figure out what kind of hero she wishes to become. Trained by Wildcat and born with a metagenetic power she must fight against a group of assassins known only as the Twelve Brothers in Silk, as well as the mysterious White Canary.
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Zatanna: Shadowcrest - Learning magic from a young age, Zatanna must discover the truth behind her heritage as well as the disappearance of her father. The secret lies in her ancestral family home, but not as is as it seems. Something has snuck inside, and is trying to use the secrets within to keep her from finding out.
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Teen Titans: Rebellious Age - During a routine meeting between Justice League members, young side-kicks Robin, Kid Flash, Wondergirl, and Aqualad decide to venture out on their own, “borrowing” a Justice League Javelin. They set out looking for trouble, and find it in the form of H.I.V.E., an organization Batman has been keeping tabs on for months in suspicion of young metahuman trafficking. As they journey throughout the country they befriend a new hero Speedy, a new hero working under the tutelage of Green Arrow, as well as Lilith Clay and Mal Duncan, young kids kidnapped by the organization. Together they must fight against a shadowy group in order to prove they can be as great as their mentors.
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New Gods: The Fourth World - The beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega. Two worlds born from one and in constant conflict teeter in the brink of mutual destruction until a pact is made. An uneasy ceasefire born from the exchange of two sons. This story follows Orion as he learns of his heritage, his inner turmoils, and his fate. The ceasefire holds only as long as power is equal, and power is found on Earth. The Anti-Life equation. Can Orion stop the forces of Apokolips from obtaining this power? Will a God help mere mortals as their home becomes a battleground?
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Mr. Miracle: Super-Escape Artist - A story of Scott Free’s escape from Apokolips and his budding romance with Big Barda of the Female Furies. Scott must use every trick up his sleeve to escape Granny Goodness and her X-Pit. Even if he escapes, what will that mean for the rest of the universe?
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Justice League: Hell on Earth - Apokolips has invaded Earth in full force and it will take the combined strength of the Justice League, the Justice Society, the Teen Titans, the New Gods, and more to push back the might of Darkseid. Battles will be fought, lives lost, and many heroes will never be the same.
TV Series - These would be short-series in television format, most likely with just a single season for each.
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Jonah Hex
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Adam Strange
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Doom Patrol
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The Forever People
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Phase Two:
Aquaman
- Arthur Curry just saved the world alongside the Justice League, putting a global spotlight on Atlantis. When Aquaman’s brother Orm calls him home to deal with the threat of Black Manta, Arthur stumbles on a conspiracy rooted deep in the royal family that may tear it apart. Arthur finally ascends the throne after a lengthy fight with Orm, who is detained.
Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth
- The present day is full of new challenges for Diana, who must now deal with Maxwell Lord and his enhanced Metahuman task force led by Cheetah and Silver Swan. Diana learns how Man’s World is no longer the place it once was, and has to come to terms with her new role in society.
Superman: War World
- Superman has been through a lot. He’s just proposed to Lois, he’s been swamped at the Planet, but nothing could compare to his capture by interstellar mastermind Mongul, and his Superman Revenge Squad. Aided by a mysterious second Kryptonian, Superman must find his way back to Earth, no matter what it takes. Even if the entire universe is against him. (That “second Kryptonian” turns out to be Kara Zor-El/Supergirl)
Teen Titans
- Ever since the Justice League formed there’s been a massive spike in metahuman activity. Nightwing has just learned this firsthand after meeting Victor Stone, and the organization that wants to kill him. Nightwing and Cyborg team up to assemble the young metahuman Beast Boy, the mysterious Raven, and the energetic Starfire to tackle the mysterious HIVE and save dozens of young metahumans on a nationwide scale.
Batman: Court of Owls
- The Court of Owls silently waited for one hundred years for an opportunity to achieve full control over Gotham, and now they have it. Batman, Catwoman, and new recruit Tim Drake have 72 hours to unravel a centuries-old conspiracy before the Court of Owls can silence them for good.
Green Lantern Corps: The Parallax War
- Sinestro is back from the dead, thanks to the Fear Entity, Parallax. Hal and John go on a cosmic quest to dethrone Sinestro and his Yellow Lantern Corps, no matter the cost. Eventually, Hal sacrifices himself to defeat Sinestro, becoming the new host of Parallax, because only Hal’s willpower can contain the monster.
The Flash
- Barry Allen is the fastest man alive. Or at least, he thought he was. A mysterious new enemy has committed a string of murders, and witnesses say he looks like the Flash. Barry finds himself thrust into a web of deceit and intrigue when he faces the threat of Zoom.
Justice League: Doomsday
- Lex Luthor has returned, and he’s not alone. He’s brought together Cheetah, Joker, Black Manta, and newcomer Harley Quinn to create a Legion powerful enough to destroy the Justice League once and for all. In the final fight of this movie, Lex unleashes Project: Doomsday, which kills Superman. The League mourns for the Man of Steel, and in Superman’s honor, builds a towering monument to heroes. The Hall of Justice.
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I think everyone else has used up all of idea’s I would have used. Well done guys, You got me thinking about more obscure stories to adapt. 
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There are so many more characters and stories I would love to see make it onto movies or tv, but just planning out these phases makes me realize how much time and effort really would need to be put into these characters just to create the basic groundwork.
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Yep. The DCEU should’ve waited to plan this, on my YT video when discussing the Snyder Cut announcement, I said DC could’ve, using historical real world context, waited and, while getting in the game late, planned everything out with the right cast and stories.
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Marvel’s method of phasing out it’s plan is useful for obvious reasons but it also isn’t perfect and there have definitely been low points throughout the decade+. Creating a movie franchise on heroes like Superman or Batman wouldn’t be too hard since the core aspects of their characters have been in the social consciousness for decades, so creating a pre-established history like Batman V. Superman did isn’t out of the question, but the handling of said history needs to be one that the majority of audiences can agree on. I know that many people loved BvS, but overall its reception was a mixed bag. It would be great if WB could make a separate studio/film-line similar to what Black Label is doing for DC, in order to create a more experimental subsection of movies.
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Maybe they could continue this Snyder Verse, but make better decisions on what to do with it. They could try again with another reboot, but still incorperate the Snyder Verse as like Earth 3 or have there story continue in another set of movies. That way, they can get experimental with one and then keep a status quo in another.
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Plus Arrowverse had the Crisis event, that easily could’ve been the key to establishing a new DCEU while keeping the original DCEU as another Earth.
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