Superman is bringing hope. A refreshed but original version of the character is on its way to theaters in a matter of weeks. With each day that passes, with more footage revealed and more news shared about Superman, fans and audiences are highly anticipating Superman’s arrival. Because James Gunn’s previous success with superhero movies and his choice to bring Superman back into the hopeful lens, Superman has potential to be great. Projections are hopeful that it will deliver on everything that a Superman should be. With that type of potential success comes high expectations for what’s to come. One character in particular may have a higher bar to clear just to been seen on the same level of success as Superman. That character is Batman. With success coming from Superman, all eyes will then shift to Batman, even though some projects will come out prior to his. But being the huge character he is, high expectations will be put on Batman. The success of Superman will lead the movement toward the DCU’s Batman movie.
Of course, Batman and Superman are not the only DC characters. And are not the only two receiving projects. Lesser-known characters are getting the spotlight. However, there is no taking away the impact and presence that Batman and Superman have over the DC universe. Wonder Woman has some say, but the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel possess a certain domain in the universe. They may seem as if they are complete, drastic, and separate opposites but they are not far from each other. Seems as if when one of them receives a film treatment, one thought in the minds of many is ‘where is the other?’. Batman and Superman are separable but when they share the same panel or screen, their status, their images enhance. There is a link between them that holds many factors. When Superman performs as many people are predicting, that level of success will be expected for Batman. Attention will shift to Batman. And fans will want it to deliver. If one side of DC’s dyad could perform well, it will only be expected for the other side to do the same. Since this will be the first time that it’s confirmed from the start that Batman and Superman will exist in the same cinematic universe, the anticipation from Superman going to Batman will be high. That alone brings in a lot of hype. But since Batman will have to follow success from Superman, anticipation and expectation will be magnified.
The first step in dealing with that type of pressure is getting this Batman movie right. And not only right but make it feel fresh, as Superman is kind of doing. James Gunn has shared that he does not want this universe’s Batman to be campy. He does go on to say that this Batman will still have to be different from Matt Reeves’ Batman. That opens the door for a version of Batman that has never really been adapted to film. A ‘supernatural’ version of the Dark Knight. With each passing live action treatment for Batman, directors and writers want to put him in a realistic world. It could and has work but that does limit him and his lore. Some parts of his character and supporting characters can’t fully blossom into the version they are in the books. So, to finally break away from this idea of ‘let’s make Batman real’ and to put him in a more fantastical world, his own world could stand alone among Matt Reeves’ Batman. It provides something new but familiar at the same time. Fans of Batman’s corner of the DC universe know that some of his stories do tend to venture into the more mystical side. General audiences of his films don’t see that as much. By offering something that is new but familiar to Batman is similar to what James Gunn is doing with Superman. Superman in recent years has been removed from his hopeful side so much that bringing it back does seem new. By including the mystical side of Batman, it brings in that same flare. It’s been an overlooked and ignored aspect of his character that films don’t want to tackle. If that trait is finally used, it’ll stir interest, curiosity and perhaps relief. Instead of the DCU releasing a movie that they hope will live up the success of Superman, it’ll be a movie that fans have been asking for.
Many people are predicting Superman will do well among critics and the box office. It will be a movie that will bring renewed life back to DC and continue to launch a rejuvenated cinematic universe. That success will have ripple effects. The one character that will see most of it is Batman. Since he is the other side of the coin for DC, his movie in the DCU will have to be just as good if not better. Fans will expect Batman to have the same success as Batman as attention will slide to him, despite other projects on between both films. However, if handled correctly, Batman could rise to that level of success. By using elements of his world that have not truly been seen, Batman could be successful if the restrictions of realism is left behind and the freedom of the fantastical is embraced.
