10 HUGE Problems Facing The Future Of The MCU

The MCU's primary competition to date has been the DC Extended Universe - but when we say "competition," it's admittedly a pretty flimsy claim.

Warner Bros.' attempt to craft their own DC-branded version of the MCU has been a spectacular mess, occasionally turning out enjoyable movies like Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad, but just as often releasing colossal disappointments like Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League, and Wonder Woman 1984.

The DCEU hasn't been able to hold a candle to the MCU either critically or commercially, though that could very well change with the new era of DC movies on the horizon.

James Gunn and producer Peter Safran were recently appointed as the Godfathers of a rebranded DCEU, now dubbed the DCU, which starting with The Flash will soft-reboot the existing franchise into something same-but-different.

Gunn and Safran have already confirmed that the first phase of the DCU will include movies for Superman, Supergirl, and Swamp Thing, with Gunn even taking up writer-director duties on Superman: Legacy himself.

Given Gunn's enormous success in the superhero realm, he could very well be the lynchpin which puts DC blockbusters back on the map. And at a time where the MCU is struggling to retain its prior glories, the timing perhaps couldn't be any better.

While it's unlikely that the DCU will enjoy the stratospheric level of success that the MCU has, if the movies are good, it'll remind fans that they have other avenues for quality superhero tentpoles, and need not cling to mediocre MCU fare for their cape flick entertainment.