Superman May Be Setting Itself Up To Make the Most Common Mistake For Superhero Movies

Superhero movies have been around for quite some time, and many have found plenty of success. The first X-Men and Spider-Man films showed that these characters could find a massive audience, while The Dark Knight Trilogy proved they could also tell stories that garner high recognition. Marvel Studios would take the genre to the next level by connecting and tying several superheroes together in a shared universe. The superhero movies have seen as much evolution as any other, and now another pivotal moment is on the horizon.

James Gunn’s Supermanwill be the first film from DC Studios and attempt to reboot the Man of Steel for a modern audience and get a new DC Universe off the ground on the big screen. It will be the first time a studio will reboot a character and an entire universe at the same time, which raises the stakes higher than any other ongoing franchise. There’s plenty of excitement about the upcoming film with its talented cast and crew. Based on what we know, there’s also some cause for concern since it could easily repeat the mistakes of other superhero films.

Superman will mark the DC icon’s first solo project since 2013’s Man of Steel, and many are eager to see the character receive the spotlight after the DCEU placed him on the sidelines. However, as more details surrounding the project have emerged, it’s been revealed that Superman will also feature other heroes. The film will include Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho. The news of other heroes appearing in the solo film quickly worried some fans, but Gunn addressed the concerns, saying that Superman will still be the focus. Set photos have captured David Corenswet’s Superman interacting with these other heroes, and it’s unclear how big of a role they will have.

“I’ve never used one movie to set up another movie. The characters are there because they help tell Superman’s story better, not so we can set up separate projects in the franchise. Superman and Lois are the very clear protagonists.” — James Gunn on
having multiple heroes in
Superman
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There’s speculation that Gunn will use these heroes to prop up Superman and showcase why he is one of the most iconic superheroes in all the comics. The film is also expected to introduce Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr., Krypto, and Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord. Reports also recently revealed that Creature Commandos star Alan Tudyk will appear in an unknown role. Regardless of how Gunn plans to involve these major DC characters, the film must get its message across clearly and not sacrifice any time with Superman. Gunn has handled other superhero projects well, but they’ve also been team-ups with the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad films. Peacemaker is the closest fans have seen to how Gunn might handle a solo project, and that also featured some other masked characters like Vigilante.

DC and Spider-Man Have Made This Mistake Before

Instead of making a proper sequel to Man of Steel, Warner Bros. would go on to make Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to quickly establish a connected DC universe. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 featured Electro as its main villain and also included Harry Osborn’s Green Goblin and Rhino while teasing other members of the Sinister Six.

While Gunn has a strong track record with the superhero projects he’s been behind, there’s still a dangerous path Superman can follow. With Marvel Studios finding success with the shared universe model that proved itself with The Avengers, other studios were quick to replicate it and have failed. Sony’s attempted to reconfigure The Amazing Spider-Man franchise into something bigger, hoping to set up the Sinister Six. This led to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 doing a lot of heavy lifting by including various characters and turning its final moments into Sinister Six teases. Sony went big with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and all the setup never led to the Sinister Six film the studio desired. Sony would eventually launch a Spider-Man-less universe and put Peter Parker in the MCU. Still, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 suffered from thinking too much about the future and has become a cautionary tale for studios.

The same mistake happened with DC as Warner Bros. looked to quickly unite Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to set up a Justice League film. Like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice certainly has its fans, and both have plenty of enjoyable aspects. However, both films are prime examples of a studio putting the cart before the horse and not looking to do the proper setup the MCU did with its solo films that eventually led to The Avengers‘ success. Superman is in a similar position as the “true start” of the DCU; it can easily fall into the same boat as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with much on its plate to reboot the DC Universe.

Superman Must Stand Alone Like Iron Man To Succeed

Creature Commandos will be the first project from DC Studios that’s part of the DCU. The DCU will look to tell a shared universe across film, TV, animation, and video games in the vein of the Star Wars franchise.

Many Superman stories involve other heroes in their narratives, but they still focus on the Man of Steel. Given Gunn’s extensive knowledge of Superman and DC lore, it’s safe to say he will look to emulate this in his Superman film. Gunn has also stated that while the DCU will be a shared universe connected from project to project like the MCU, the stories will stand alone, and they must. Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel has its fans, but it failed to deliver a film that audiences could universally get behind and part of that is because Superman is a difficult character to crack in today’s world. Superman Returns also missed the mark in accomplishing this. Gunn feels he has the right take to finally produce a Superman film that’s a hit for the studio.

No upcoming superhero film has as much on its plate as Superman and from afar, it might look like Gunn is trying to balance making a good solo film while also setting up what’s to come in the DCU. The director has gone on record to say that won’t be the case and hopefully that rings true. What audiences need is a good Superman film, and if DC Studios can deliver it, it will put the franchise on the right track to success like the first Iron Man film did for the MCU. Quality is paramount, and all the setup can come later.

The MCU was groundbreaking for the superhero genre and Marvel Studios’ success caused studios to not only hope for sequels but also for spin-offs and other tie-in material to make a franchise reach as many as possible. The problem is that not every franchise can support a shared universe. DC can since it also comes from the world of comics with endless crossovers. While superhero movies naturally lend themselves to a shared universe model, this hasn’t always led to success because it does require some patience. DC Studios is taking a similar approach to Marvel Studios in its universe by focusing on standalone projects first.

Solo films like Superman can easily lose itself in their importance and aim to set up far too much and lose sight of their mission to deliver a good film. While there are similarities, DC Studios will establish its world a little differently than Marvel Studios did with the first Iron Man, since it’s a world already full of heroes. When Iron Man and Man of Steel came out, audiences viewed them as solo films Gunn’s Superman will waste no time in seeing him interact with other heroes. Superman will either fall into the trap of other failed comic book movies or it will accomplish something that could revolutionize the genre once more.