11 Huge Issues That Might Ruin The DC Cinematic Universe

11. Man Of Steel Was No Iron Man

It goes without saying that an ambitious cinematic undertaking such as the DCCU needs to hit the ground running right out of the gate. Look at the movie that kick-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Iron Man opened to high critical acclaim (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) as well as a strong $585 million at the box office. An extremely firm base on which to build a franchise, then. While Man of Steel grossed more than Iron Man, pulling in a solid $668 million (albeit on a significantly higher $225 million budget), it's pretty surprising that a franchise as firmly established as Superman only out-grossed Iron Man, who was relatively unknown to casual audiences, by $83 million, without considering inflation between 2008 and 2013. Critically, MoS struggled more, scoring a divisive 55%, with pundits citing it as a stylistically ambitious actioner which nevertheless detoured too often into generic destruction mayhem seen in countless Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich films. Fans were even more unsure about the film, particularly the apparent death toll caused by the final battle, and of course, Superman's murder of Zod at the end of the film. That the DCCU is getting off to an uneasy start is a less-than-ideal way to kick things off, for though Batman v Superman will surely be a financial success on the merits of its title alone, hopefully it'll be a little more balanced and nuanced, therefore giving the franchise the jolt forward it needs.