10 Reasons Why DC Should Give Up On Its Cinematic Universe
9. It's Tonally Dissonant
Warner Bros.
While there's much that can be said about the ostensibly formulaic nature of the MCU, Marvel have never faced criticism that their films seem discordant or even confused. With DC, however, certain characterisations just feel really off - particularly Batman's.
In Batman v Superman, we're led to believe that this Frank Miller-esque Dark Knight is at a loss when it comes to crimefighting. He's been around the bend and then some and, having seen it all (and witnessed the death of a Robin), he's now totally chill with killing poverty-stricken criminals through both direct means (as in incinerating them), or by branding them before they go to prison - a technique that BVS itself confirms is a death sentence for those heading to a cell.
Then there's the Caped Crusader's bizarre use of firearms, which, while indeed used by Bruce (sparingly) in The Dark Knight Returns, is such a massive no for the character that it really should've been picked up on when the film was originally being drafted. Now, however, we're led to believe that this world's Batman - a vigilante content with notching a ridiculously high bodycount but a year ago - is making quips and reinstating the 'no kill' rule in Justice League?
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
