Can the DCU go the way of Star Wars Legends canon?

As Gunn, Safran and company work to reshape the DC Cinematic Universe into something that could eventually rival the likes of the MCU, it seems that more and more of the Sniderverse heroes won’t be seen again, at least not in the form in which they are. currently. In fact, there were rumors that Aquaman star Jason Momoa can be recast as the anti-hero Lobo, a character admittedly would suit the former Game of Thrones a star is better than the king of Atlantis. Similarly, despite Henry Cavill being fired as Superman, James Gunn has stated that they are open to casting Cavill as a non-Superman. This is, of course, all on the tail Ben Affleckupcoming return as Batman in Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomthough it seems like Gunn would rather see him straight than go back to the cloak and hood.

What the DCU does is not innovative

Corporate and creative restructuring is nothing new in the Hollywood world. Studios do this all the time, and even successful franchises often change their name to appeal to new audiences. With the insane amount of reboots and remakes we’ve seen even since the turn of the century, it’s almost a miracle that the DCEU hasn’t been rebooted sooner. Damn, poor thing Terminator During this time, the franchise has rebooted twice! Other franchises in recent years have hit the reset button after commercial and critical failures such as the last one. Worse than ever film, soft reboot for live action G.I. Joe series and 2018 bumblebeewhich began a new era for Michael Bay transformers the franchise will continue Transformers: Rise of the Beasts this summer. How Netflix is ​​working on a revival The Chronicles of NarniaHasbro writes a new Power Rangers reboot and even Harry Potter There are rumors of a reimagining, it’s clear for good or bad, but that’s how the movie business works.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm, all star Wars The expanded universe of comics, video games, novels, and more has been stricken from mainstream canon. This meant that everything outside George Lucas’original star Wars saga and Star Wars: The Clone Wars obsolete, allowing Disney to rebuild a large star Wars universe from scratch without worrying about breaking continuity in preparation for what will be the trilogy’s sequel. But just because the Expanded Universe was renamed Star Wars Legends doesn’t mean it didn’t affect the franchise’s development. In fact, just the opposite has turned out to be true, especially over time and shows how The Mandalorian became popular.

Because Star Wars: The Clone Wars existed years before the buyout, parts of the Expanded Universe canon had already infiltrated the Cartoon Network series, which meant that even if Legends the brand was no longer canon, parts of it still were. How does it show how Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian extended to what clone wars began, more and more material from the original EU was inserted back into canon, albeit with new twists. Among these reintegrations was the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn, an Imperial warlord who hailed from a highly Timothy Zahn novels set post-Return of the Jedi. In recent years, Thrawn has become a mass spokesperson for Disney. star Wars canon, parts of his original backstory remained intact. In fact, Timothy Zahn even wrote a new Thrawn a trilogy of novels to reintroduce the Grand Admiral in continuity (with a follow-up) and the character should reappear in the upcoming Ahsoka series after his arc on Star Wars Rebels.

But what does that have to do with what’s going on at DC Studios? How is Star Wars Legends canon related to Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe? Don’t worry, we’re getting there.

James Gunn can take a page from a Disney book

James Gunn has made it clear that in the future, DC Studios plans to explore as a new shared cinematic universe - somewhat inspired by how the animated series Justice League Unlimited and Young Judge functioned - as well as individual stories of “Other Worlds”. Gann recently confirmed that Matt Reeves’ Batman, and the spin-offs associated with the latest release of Caped Crusader will not be part of the larger DCU and will remain separate Other Worlds stories. Also, Joker and its upcoming musical sequel (starring Lady Gaga) can still be considered their own thing. So what does this mean for the shared DC Universe?

Admittedly, we don’t yet know what Gunn and Safran’s plans are for a bigger DCU, but just like Disney has reset the board when it comes to sequels. star Warsseems like DC Studios is doing something similar with their cinematic universe. We also know that the coming Flash the film was inspired Geoff Johns’comic Flash point, in which the Flash changes the entire universe by time traveling, only to return to a new, altered reality different from his own. This seems like the perfect starting point for Gann and Safran to rewrite the DCU, although only time will tell exactly how that will look. The multiverse is big right now, and so even if the reality of the Snyderverse is rewritten or ignored, there is always hope that these characters will one day return, as will Brandon Ruthsuperman from Superman Returns appeared in the Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths. Ironically, Ezra MillerThe Flash also appeared in this crossover.

But just like star Wars The Expanded Universe (now Star Wars Legends) is still a fan favorite today. Justice League Zack Snyder and a host of other DCEU projects continue to be valued in the future. While Henry Cavill no longer wears the red cape, Ezra Miller may be leaving after The Flash, and Jason Mamoa may be recast, it has been confirmed that not every member of the Justice League is leaving the universe or their roles in it. At the moment, Ben Affleck is still partially involved in the role of Batman, and Shazam! star Zachary Levy, a friend of James Gunn, claims he’s not going anywhere either. Although a third amazing woman function has been cancelled, Gal Gadot hasn’t officially announced whether she’ll be returning for future projects or not - and the whole thing is completely ignored Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and John Cena (Peacekeeper) who seem to remain nearby for now.

Having multiple universes in a franchise could help the DCU

While the DC Universe may change, as will star Wars before him, not everything changes for the worse. It seems that some of these heroes, like Batman, Shazam, and possibly Wonder Woman, will stay. While Superman, Aquaman and the Flash may be rebooted, it’s not unlike how Thrawn continued to exist in star Wars continuity with some minor tweaks, different versions of Snyderverse heroes can be alive and well in James Gunn’s new DCU. While many, including this author, are heartbroken that Henry Cavill’s Superman will never have a standalone sequel and Zack Snyder won’t get a chance to complete his epic. Justice League trilogy, now it’s inevitable. And maybe that’s not bad.

In truth, the newly formed DC Universe will allow for a cohesive, well-integrated story to be told that will hopefully focus on individual characters as much as the building of the universe. If Justice League Unlimited and Young Judge indeed models of how Gunn and Safran are approaching the new cinematic universe, there is still hope that individual characters such as Batman, Superman and a host of others will emerge. Also, DC comics are known for alternate timelines and universes, so there’s no reason to believe the Sniderverse will be completely dead and buried.

However, if DC Studios wants to tell well-crafted character-driven stories, its focus on Elseworlds films as well as shared universe films will set it apart from Marvel Studios. Having both Robert PattisonX Batman universe and massive Batman DCU could actually work wonders for DC Studios. And again, who said old stories can’t be revisited anyway?

DC Isn’t the Only IP Giant Doing This, MCU Is Doing It Too

As well as star Wars managed to successfully incorporate elements from some of the greatest non-canon stories back into the main narrative, much like Marvel Studios has done in recent years. Miraculously, Marvel successfully brought the former Spider-Men back to Spiderman: No Way HomeX-Men’s alternate universe Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madnessand even spilled Charlie Cox as another version of Daredevil’s She-Hulk. Somehow they were able to use the old Marvel Legacy movies and characters to better expand their universe (and more are rumored to be), and if they were able to do that, then there’s no reason DC Studios couldn’t. do. let the old college try it out. Especially since the CW shows already pulled this off a few years ago when they revived characters from Smallville, Predator birds, Batman90s Flash series and even Superman Returns.

Without a doubt, there is still hope that James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios can recreate that same magic in the future. Whether it means restoring the best parts of the Snyder universe in the upcoming Cinematic Universe, or just being able to explore that world again through the DC multiverse, there is still hope. To this day, the old stories from Star Wars Legends are still in print and adored by fans around the world. For many, these star Wars the stories for them are more canon than anything Disney has done, and the same is likely to be true for some of the old DC Extended Universe. But until we know anything for sure, we’ll just have to wait and see and hope for a better tomorrow.