10 Radical Ideas To Save The DC Extended Universe

Man Of Steel gave us yet another crack at the Superman origin story - however, that film also introduced General Zod, only to kill him immediately and definitively in what’s commonly referred to as the ‘Tim Burton Joker Error’.

We didn’t need a retread of Superman’s beginnings in Man Of Steel. Superman’s origin story is entrenched in popular culture. Conversely, that pitfall may have been avoided with the new Batman... but then Snyder went too far the other way, fast forwarding right over Batman's history and presenting us with a Dark Knight two decades into his career as a crimefighter. He's lost Robin to his war and already had the best battles of his career against the Joker - none of which the cinema-going audience has been privy to.

In that same film, we were also treated to both a contrived Batman versus Superman dust-up and a version of the the Death Of Superman storyline, as well as the introduction of Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor (who might as well have been the Riddler for all the impact or gravitas he presented) and top DC hero Wonder Woman.

Justice League will be responsible for formally introducing audiences to Aquaman and the reality of the undersea empire of Atlantis, the Flash and Cyborg, and presumably bringing Superman back to life. Alongside that, rumour has it that the film will feature Darkseid’s lieutenant Steppenwolf and a few hordes of Parademons, as well as more of this ersatz version of Lex Luthor.

We don’t need all of this to happen all at once. The Death Of Superman arc was a step too far for Batman Vs. Superman, and the threat of Doomsday could have been saved for a future film: the Man Of Steel sequel, for example. Had he not been a prancing, megalomaniacal and clearly psychotic goon, Lex Luthor could have remained a clear and present threat outside of jail.

Why fast forward all of these stories? Why present a whole load of narrative and exposition all at once, and hamfistedly at that? The DCEU needs to slow down and stop shooting its bolt early. At this rate, Superman’s going to come back to life and deck Darkseid before the opening credits of Justice League have finished rolling.