How Warner Bros Can Fix The DC Extended Universe

2. Further Utilise DC Comics' Lesser-Known Characters

Shazam Zachary Levi
Warner Bros & Boss Logic

On the surface, BvS seemed like a guaranteed one billion dollar hit, but surprisingly, it fell over $100 million short. This proved that audiences won't flock to a poor movie just because it's got some famous characters slapped across the poster, and in fact, since the DCEU's inception, its "biggest" characters - Bats and Supes - haven't clicked with the masses in the same way that previous iterations of the characters have.

DC Comics boasts a gigantic roster of intriguing characters, spanning almost 100 years of entertainment. With the DCEU's big hitters underperforming - and Marvel proving that even lesser-known characters can work on the big screen - why not dive into that well?

Bringing more obscure characters into the DCEU would have several benefits. For one, it would give audiences something different and fresh, and that curiosity factor could drive more interest. Crazier and more unique characters also afford filmmakers the opportunity to make their movies more distinctive, a big improvement over the DCEU's generally soulless fare.

Remember, Marvel built the MCU on the back of B and C-list characters. In 2008, nobody cared about Iron Man or Thor, and now they're the biggest heroes in the world. In contrast, the DCEU will be nearly six years old before we get its first truly "risky" movie with Aquaman later this year. That's insane, especially considering the MCU was doing that from day one.

These movies have to be good, mind you - there's no use just being different, as Suicide Squad proved - because the DCEU really needs a Black Panther, an Ant-Man or a Guardians to cement itself as an exciting franchise. Hopefully, Aquaman, Shazam, or New Gods can deliver on that front.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!