10 Things The DCEU Wishes It Could've Done Differently
3. Not Tried To Replicate The Marvel Formula
When The Avengers shocked the world by becoming the third-highest grossing film of all time during the summer of 2012, it was inevitable that Hollywood would stop, notice, and attempt to replicate that astounding success. Cinematic universes were the new hot thing, and in that, Warner Bros. saw an opportunity.
The following year they released Man Of Steel, which was littered with references to a wider, interconnected DC universe, including nods to LexCorp, Wayne Enterprises, and Supergirl. It was clear that the groundwork for a shared universe was being laid, and sure enough, BvS was officially unveiled at 2013's San Diego Comic-Con.
But the decision to launch headfirst into a cinematic universe of their own didn't exactly work out the way Warner Bros intended. BvS was bogged down by heaps and heaps of heavy-handed universe-building (Wonder Woman being emailed some snazzy Justice League graphics... really?), and this was one of the reasons why the film felt bloated and poorly-paced. The cinematic universe took precedence over a good story.
They've since abandoned this angle for the most part, and funnily enough, when you look at the DCEU today, it's the complete opposite of the MCU. Marvel's most successful movies are their gigantic team-up events like Endgame and Civil War, while DC's most lauded efforts have been Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam - standalone stories that are basically devoid of universe-building.
Had the DCEU adopted this strategy from day one - y'know, actually focusing on making good movies, rather than building a franchise - maybe it would've been on this current hot streak from the start.