The Art Of The Perfect Crossover Movie

3. Be Wary Of Too Much, Too Soon

Batman v Superman Wonder Woman
Warner Bros.

Seriously, just when you think you've established your crossover properties enough, give genuine consideration as to whether you need to do another movie or two to further flesh out the fundamentals of the franchises that you're bringing together.

To rush into a crossover too soon? Well, that could be catastrophic for all involved.

When it comes to 'too much, too soon,' it's hard not to hone in on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In a clear case of Warner Bros. trying to rush through the establishment process as they looked to play catch up with the world-sharing excellence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in just the second of WB's DC Extended Universe the call was made to go all-out and bring a whole host of DC Comics characters into the realm of Henry Cavill's Man of Steel... rather than introducing these characters in their own movies first.

Due to the so-so response to Man of Steel, tentative plans for a straight-up Man of Steel 2 were rejigged so that that sequel instead became a crossover with Batman. And thus, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was born - with the Dark Knight being brought in to try and save the day for this planned shared universe.

Not only did the DCEU rush too quickly to Batman, that second DCEU offering brought in Wonder Woman in a major way, and then also briefly introduced audiences to Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg. Holy 'too much, too soon,' Batman!!!!

The result was a Batman v Superman movie that was decent in parts, yet ultimately a disappointment - with Warner Bros. being their own worst enemy.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.