Without a doubt, the MCU hasn’t just left its mark on cinema but on history. The way that they properly used characters and a shared universe, made an obvious impact. The MCU’s success became a blueprint for other franchises that had potential to have a shared universe. From a humble beginning in the form of the first Iron Man film to being a global event in the release of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU had the success that other franchises wanted. One franchise that has tried, and is in their second attempt, is DC. Marvel’s friendly rival tried to reach for the stars but it did not thrive. But now, DC’s second attempt does have promise. So far, the DCU has Creature Commandoes and Superman. Both ended up being successes, among fans and critics. With a mix bag of iconic characters, fan favorites, and unknown characters being the center of films, series, and even games, there is some potential for the DCU to rival the MCU. As of now, with just two projects, the quality is there for the DCU. But will it continue to rise to properly rival the MCU?
What the DCU has from the start that the MCU did not, is instantly recognizable characters. For many fans, it might be a little confusing to tell them that when the MCU started one of the biggest questions and concerns was how will Marvel thrive with characters that are relative unknowns. At the time, Iron Man was not nearly at the level of popularity as he is now. That was a big hurdle for Marvel to jump over. The DCU does not have the problem…for the most part. The universe got its cinematic start with the most popular and recognizable superhero of all time in Superman. Then the next film will be Supergirl, still a character that has some fame. Then Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern will be sprinkled in the first chapter of the DCU. Fan favorite characters will also have their time. Characters such as Lobo and Swamp Thing have projects attached to them. But since James Gunn is involved, of course there will be a handful of unknown characters thrown in the fray. But since the MCU had success in bringing unknown characters to high fame, the DCU could replicate that success. But DC has larger than life characters on their roster. And that could at least help the universe get in better position in its infancy compared to the MCU’s early life.
Before the DCU officially, it was revealed that film, shows, and games will all be a part of creating, establishing and maintaining the universe. It took Marvel some time to include shows in its universe. Then took the MCU even longer to create shows that were about established characters or demanded characters. The DCU got its official start with a show. And despite the MCU’s success on the big and small screens, they have yet to attempt to include games. That is something that the DCU wants to try. So, with films, shows (animated and live action) and games, it gives fans of the DCU a variety of ways to partake in this universe. Different ways to tell stories gives the DCU something that the MCU does not have. Again, it took time for the MCU to get to shows, took time to get to animation and seems as if they are leaving video games out of their formula. All of this is something that the DCU is doing and embracing. It makes it feel like the DCU has more shiny toys to play with than the MCU. And since these franchises make audiences relive the days when they were young, those shiny, plentiful toys may lead to something positive for the DCU.
Another fresh route that the DCU is taking to compete with the success of the MCU is making sure their stories differ from each other when it comes to tone. Creature Commandoes started the DCU with violence, gore and monster voiced profanity. Then Superman was hopeful and family friendly. With Supergirl showing flashes of heaving drinking and Clayface being described as a body horror movie, the DCU will be painted with different tones of color. Something that the MCU still struggles to move away from. Many MCU projects share the same formula with a few tweaks. As of now, it seems the DCU wants and is moving away from that. Perhaps a way to entice people to go over to the DCU side which will bring a level of success.
But if the DCU wants to get anywhere near the success the MCU got, the DCU needs to lead up to something. That is what made Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and a bit of Captain America: Civil War as successful as they were. Those movies, particularly the Avengers films, had many stories leading up to them. Those stories set up the players, the field and the Infinity Stones. So, when those movies came, fans just had to sit back and experience what all that was leading up to. It pushed these stories from being mere movies to global events. The run that the MCU had from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame was superb. No doubt in how triumphant it was. The DCU needs to do that. Must do that. From what James Gunn is saying though, it doesn’t seem to be a part of the plan however. It seems that all these stories will just exist in their own bubble which are laid out over the same table. All the stories are scattered without it being linear and leading to something. That could be detrimental. Could cause disinterest. And fans have already seen this. The lowest time the MCU got was post-Endgame. Why? Because everything that came out did not lead into anything. No build up at all. Every story was just thrown out there, for what it felt, served no purpose. That was a bit of a frustration for fans. And how James Gunn is describing the trajectory of the DCU, the universe could be in the same low territory that the MCU got itself in after Endgame.
There must be a shared destination for the DCU. There must be a thread that intertwines within a handful of stories that set up something big down the line. That keeps the interest present and high. Fans would want to see what happens next and that puts them in theaters to find out. If the DCU just does what the MCU did post-Endgame, fans would view that strategy as quantity over quality and the interest and the hype for the DCU would be in danger of fading away. Now, the DCU does not need to have a single event that everything is leading up to. Gunn has said that the DCU will run a bit more like Star Wars. Within the Star Wars Universe multiple stories happening at once which all lead to something themselves is common. So, if there are multiple stories that have Batman and Superman teaming up which leads to something or multiple Flash stories with different Flashes that lead to something or even multiple Justice League movies that lead up to something, that would actually make the DCU stand out from the MCU. But there has to be stories that bottleneck into a singular story. That’s what fans are accustomed to, that’s what fans want. It creates demand, interest and curiosity from fans. It has the potential to lead into fans wanting resolution. And if fans are given the enticement from the beginning and knowing that it will in fact get somewhere, success will easily follow.
The DCU has the components to become something great. Those components are their players. Still to this day, DC has some of the most iconic characters ever. However, the MCU got their start with characters a bit down the barrel. So, the DCU must be absolutely perfect when it comes to portraying these icons to get into a flow from the start. But to get to the level of the MCU, the DCU must execute on many levels. Two factors may have huge influence on that. One is put the right characters out there and make audiences care for them. The other is to make stories that could and will carry momentum to others, including a story on the large scope. As of now, the expectations are on the DCU to get somewhere near the MCU due to similar material. On the other hand, it might be too much to ask from the DCU to get to that level as of now. But, it will be a herculean and titanic effort for the DCU to get anywhere close to the success of the MCU. For it to equal, much less, eclipse it may be an impossible task. The DCU will and is doing its best to be the one and only DCU but it possibly may not carry the same weight as the MCU.
