10 Problems With The DC Cinematic Universe Nobody Seems To Acknowledge
3. The Entire World Depends On Superman And Batman
As mentioned in the recent Marvel Studios special Assembling A Universe, the heroes that were drafted to start Phase I were handpicked from a field of those that weren't being currently adapted by any other studio. Fox had the X-Men and Sony got Spider-Man, so Marvel Studios wanted to stay competitive and chose Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk to open their universe. Their plan worked with mixed results, but Marvel still had a strong enough start to get into their story's meat and potatoes soon enough. Heroes who were once seen as "second string" turned into viable options for entertainment and storytelling. Meanwhile, at DC Comics, Superman and Batman are the only two franchises that have succeeded enough to be considered a well to draw from. Joss Whedon almost directed Wonder Woman, Aquaman is a punchline for Entourage fans and The Flash still hasn't escaped the small screen. Yet any one of those properties could be resurrected and used to start off a new, Marvel-esque renaissance of building a universe over time, on the backs of smaller characters. Unfortunately, DC has continually ignored opportunities like these in favor of less rewarded gambles (like Jonah Hex), which make them scramble back to The Bat Cave each time something fails miserably to catch the public eye. A vicious cycle, if there ever were one.
Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.
