The DC Universe is set to repeat a big early mistake of the DCEU, but this time, it could pay off for the franchise. Since witnessing the ending of the Superman movie, the attention of audiences has turned to the future of the DCU. Superman‘s DC Easter eggs were a factor in this, with the franchise now in full swing.

In terms of upcoming DC movies, many are wondering where the Man of Steel is set to appear next. The DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters has plenty of opportunities for this, yet it seems DC Studios chief James Gunn has already solidified the franchise’s next Superman appearance.

Gunn has confirmed that he is currently writing another DCU movie, which he also intends to direct. When quizzed about this recently, Gunn gave an interesting answer that raised some similarities between the DCU and the DCEU. Specifically, the former seems to be emulating the latter’s early mistakes, though this time in a way that could be a springboard for success.

The DCU’s Next Superman Movie Is Similar To The DCEU’s Batman v Superman

Superman’s Next Movie Is Not A Direct Sequel

The similarity between the DCU and the DCEU is that the former’s next Superman movie will not be solely about Superman. Gunn recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and somewhat clarified this. When asked about his caginess over whether or not the script he is currently writing is a direct Superman sequel, Gunn simply made a few noises to indicate it both is and is not.

Gunn goes on to say that it is “totally fair to say” that the script heavily involves Superman, and that “Superman is very important” to the upcoming movie. Interestingly, this brings the second installment in the DCEU’s movie timeline to mind: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

After Man of Steel introduced Henry Cavill as the DCEU’s Superman, his next appearance came in Batman v Superman. This movie was just as focused on Bruce Wayne as it was Clark Kent, all while setting up other members of the franchise’s eventual Justice League movie. In some ways, Gunn’s next DCU movie shares attributes with Batman v Superman.

The main one is that the film, whatever it may be, is not strictly a Superman movie. The film will include the character, but David Corenswet’s Superman does not seem to be the sole focus. This is exactly like Batman v Superman, which included Cavill’s Superman, despite focusing on many other characters, too.

Based on Gunn’s comments, the story of the mysterious upcoming DCU movie will seemingly be split between Superman and either one other character, or several other DCU heroes. Despite Gunn’s insistence that it is not Batman v Superman or World’s Finest, the idea of Superman being one of many characters in focus could replicate an early DCEU mistake.

Batman v Superman Was The Start Of The DCEU’s Downfall

As The Film Was Too Unfocused

The mistake in question was how Batman v Superman began the DCEU’s downfall. It did this by focusing far too much on setting up future stories, thus underserving several DCEU characters in the process. Superman and Batman were just two of these characters, with others being The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman.

None of these characters got individual focus in the DCEU before coming together in 2017’s Justice League, making each hero feel underwritten. Zack Snyder’s Justice League fixed some of these issues, but even if that version of the film had been released in 2017, it likely would have felt too soon given the lack of character work for its central heroes.

Beyond that, Batman v Superman resulted in Zack Snyder leaving DC, causing a creative split in the franchise. From then on, the DCEU did not know if it wanted to be a continuation of Snyder’s universe, a series of mostly standalone stories with differing tones, or a completely rebooted superhero franchise.

The DCEU became fractured, with Batman v Superman now being considered the beginning of the end for the franchise. For these reasons, it can be retroactively said that the DCEU made a big mistake in rushing into Batman v Superman and Justice League without first fleshing out the former’s two тιтular characters and their allies from the latter.

I Have Faith That The DCU Will Repeat The DCEU’s Early Format Without The Same Mistakes

The Signs Are Better For The DCU

With all that being said, I think the DCU can take the DCEU’s flawed format and implement it in a much better way. The first reason as to why I think this is that the concept of Batman v Superman works on paper. Having a compelling movie about two distinct DC heroes to flesh out a wider universe makes sense.

It was simply the rushed execution of Batman v Superman, the hasty introduction of Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, and the subsequent scramble to Justice League that rendered the 2016 film’s concept a mistake. If the DCU can do a similar movie, one in which Superman appears yet is not the sole main character, in a better way, the franchise could really benefit from it.

After all, having Corenswet’s Superman appear in another DC movie in which other characters are also a focus goes a long way to making the DCU feel like an interconnected universe. Also, Gunn has made it clear that future set-up comes secondary to the script at hand in any DCU project, meaning he will not fill the upcoming movie with rushed teases for a team-up movie.

If Gunn’s next DCU movie does include characters like Batman or Wonder Woman, there is also no worry about repeating the DCEU by rushing into Justice League without these characters being fleshed out first. Projects like The Brave and the Bold and the DCU’s Wonder Woman movie will avoid this, both of which will happen before a big team-up project.

Overall, I am convinced the DCU will avoid the DCEU’s early mistakes as the former has a much clearer creative vision and direction. The DCEU did under Zack Snyder, but Batman v Superman fractured that. With this in mind, I have faith that the DC Universe can repeat the DCEU’s early format, only without the mistakes that undid the latter franchise.