8. What About Solo Films?
The most interesting thing about this Justice League news is the fact that we now know Warner Bros.' plan for their burgeoning DC universe. We were wondering if the studio would follow the Marvel-pattern of releasing solo films that led into a team-up film, but now it's clear WB is jumping right into their team-up. This has been a huge point of contention among fans who aren't happy about this news, but there are a few things that need to be considered. First of all, Marvel Studios
needs to produce multiple superhero films a year in order to stay in business. That's why they're a studio. Warner Bros., on the other hand, doesn't have that necessity. They release dozens of films a year, and the DC properties are only a portion of their business plan. Secondly, it should be noted that the DC characters are far more iconic than the Marvel characters were in a pre-Avengers world. The likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America are beloved amongst the comic-book crowd, but were barely known to general audiences. If Marvel had made Iron Man, then jumped straight into an Avengers team-up, it wouldn't have made a lot of sense because we hadn't gotten to know those characters yet. When it comes to DC, characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are pop culture icons, and have been for decades. The outer characters, like Flash, Green Lantern and yes, even Aquaman, are far more popular and widely recognized than the second-tier Marvel heroes were at the beginning of the Marvel cinematic universe. While it is important to tell solo stories, it isn't a necessity to do them before making a Justice League film. We'll get to exactly
how they should introduce these characters a bit later. In the meantime, let's take a look at what happens
after Justice League. Will we then jump into solo movies? Probably. We've heard that Gal Gadot signed a three-picture deal, meaning a Wonder Woman film is a possibility. When asked about whether or not one was in the works, Warner Bros. president of marketing said,
That is our hope. With the right script, that could be viable. The world is ready for her.
So, while that isn't a ringing endorsement, it is on the table. As for the other characters, they could easily get their own films that spin-off after Justice League, showing solo adventures and fleshing out their own origin stories and supporting characters.