10 Lessons The DCEU Must Learn From Avengers: Infinity War

In Anthony and Joe Russo, Marvel Studios have a directorial duo who understand the source material and know exactly how it should be adapted for cinema. Their record since joining the franchise with Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been impeccable and its immediate future is in safe hands.

Meanwhile, DC and Warner Bros put their faith in Zack Snyder and invested in a vision shrouded in darkness and rooted in superhero deconstruction. The end results divided fans and critics, but it wasn't the vision that was the problem.

What hurt the DCEU is the studios' loss of faith in Snyder and his way of doing things. After Batman v Superman's review scores came in, they suddenly wanted movies that were lighter, upbeat and more Marvel-like. This resulted in Suicide Squad being massacred in post-production and Justice League ending up a tonal mess, being pulled in opposite directions by two different filmmakers.

This isn't to say hiring Snyder was the wrong decision, but next time the DCEU appoints a franchise steward, it has to be a director whose ideas they are happy to stick with for the long haul. Abrupt course correction is what has hurt the series, so the filmmaker who inherits the keys to the kingdom must be given the chance to tell the stories they set out to tell, in the way they want to tell them.