How DC Just Planned To Replace The DCEU
What Worlds of DC means for WB's flagging franchise...
So, it looks like those rumours that the DC Extended Universe was gearing up for a potential rebrand at San Diego Comic Con 2018 were actually true. Perhaps not to the scale that was originally implied, certainly - but true nonetheless.
Announced during Warner Bros.' Hall H panel over the weekend with the tagline 'Welcome to the Worlds of DC', the move sees the studio finally adopt an official name for their cinematic universe, which had until this week been dubbed the DC Extended Universe - or DCEU for short.
But does this potential rebrand actually offer clues as to the direction the franchise could be taking? Perhaps so. Matt Reeves' planned Batman reboot was heavily rumoured to take place outside of the franchise until Reeves clarified the matter last year, and Todd Philips' upcoming Joker origin movie starring Joaquin Phoenix will take place in a different continuity too. Considering that Justice League also toyed with the Fourth World of DC's New Gods, as well as the fact Ava DuVernay is set to direct a film set in that part of the DC Universe, and the tagline only becomes more appropriate.
The question now, of course, is whether or not audiences will feel overwhelmed at the prospect of an onscreen 'multiverse'. The idea of alternate Earths, universes and more all coexisting at the same time has been a tried and tested concept in the comics for decades now, with DC in particular excelling in that regard, but we're yet to really see any comic book franchise even attempt to translate the idea to the big screen. The Arrowverse is the only one that's come close, but that doesn't have nearly the same kind of following cinematic franchises all tend to do.
In Warner's case, the move could yet prove to be a key turning point in the fortunes of their superhero series. Further yet, the focus on the actual DC Universe itself is likely to resonate with fans, as although the publisher have never been short of fantastic characters, it's their mythos that can truly compete with Marvel on the big screen. It's the right kind of contrast to hone in on too, divesting from those lampooned Miller-isms and showcasing instead what makes the DC Universe so special to begin with.
In any case (and more importantly), the rebrand signals a departure from the DCEU of old - a franchise that's never really looked like troubling the MCU at any point - with DC's worlds set to take a greater focus. It might not be the reboot some had hoped for, but in foreshadowing a change of focus, DC's big screen venture just got a whole lot more interesting.