I’m Certain There’s 1 Major Thing Holding The Batman Saga Back

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DC Studios’ approach to making comic book movies shares many similarities with what Marvel Studios has been doing for over a decade with the MCU. However, one major question fans had before the rollout of DC Studios’ slate was how it would fit Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga into its plans following the film’s success in 2022. The answer came from the comics and it’s a major way DC Studios will distance itself from Marvel Studios with the adoption of the Elseworlds label. This means DC Studios will create films and shows set outside of the new DCU continuity that includes Creature Commandos and Superman.

Despite the slate announcement two years ago by DC Studios, the plan has started to evolve with the addition of new projects and the slow development of others. So far, The Batman sequel is the only upcoming DC Studios project that will carry the Elseworlds label. To get the most out of the classic DC concept for the big screen, I think DC Studios’ Elseworlds should be bolder than what Matt Reeves is doing with his saga.

Robert Pattinson’s Batman Isn’t Drastic Enough From the Traditional Portrayal

Warner Bros. might’ve made The Batman as the DC Extended Universe was ongoing, yet the studio decided to keep the film separate from the shared universe.

Both Batman and The Penguin explore a more grounded side of Gotham City, similar to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Part of why DC Studios will use the Elseworlds label for its film and television projects is so it can have two different versions of Batman. Robert Pattinson plays the Elseworlds version of the character envisioned by Reeves, while DC Studios plans to cast another actor for the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold film. While Reeves’ Batman exists in a more grounded setting that makes it hard for some to believe superheroes exist, his version of Batman is still pretty definitive.

One of the best aspects of The Batman is that it finally delivered a live-action portrayal of the character that leaned into the detective angle of his comic book history. The depiction of Reeves’ Batman is also pretty faithful to what’s been traditionally part of the character for years, like the no-kill rule. While Reeves takes some creative liberties with the character, such as making Bruce Wayne a recluse, at his core, Pattisnon’s version is as close to a definitive version as audiences have seen in live-action. The problem with that is if the story is to fall into Elseworlds, then it should be more of a radical take on the mythic hero. Since DC Studios plans on having two different versions of Batman, it could become an issue if the DCU also plans to stick close to the comics since there might be too many similarities for simply getting the character right.

DC Studios Should Lean on the Success of the Absolute Comics

Gotham By Gaslight was DC’s first Elseworlds title, published back in 1989

DC’s Absolute Batman #1 was the best-selling comic book of 2024 after selling over 400,000 total copies.

DC’s Elseworlds began in 1989 with Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola’s Gotham by Gaslight. The premiere Elseworlds title depicts Batman during the Victorian age hunting down Jack the Ripper. Gotham by Gaslight found as much success as it did because it was a drastically different take on The Dark Knight since the setting changes a lot about how the character operates. Other Elseworlds stories like Superman: Red Son would also put a drastic twist on these iconic characters that proved to be successful.

While the Elseworlds label recently returned to DC Comics, it would also go in a similar direction with DC Black Label and, most recently, the Absolute line, tasked with telling stories set outside of the main continuity. So far, DC’s Absolute line has been a major success and taps into what made Elseworlds interesting. Absolute Batman, in particular, imagines Bruce Wayne without wealth and his mother still alive. Because there have been so many versions of Batman that have stuck to the traditional origin story of the character, DC Studios should take a page out of what the comics have done with Absolute line for its Elseworlds stories to make it far more experimental and different from what Reeves has envisioned.

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Superman Project Is What Elseworlds Should Strive To Be

DC Studios signaling to audiences that Elseworlds stories are meant to be more experimental could allow for stories in the future Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Joker: Folie à Deux to find better success.

Comic book movies will need to add more wrinkles to engage audiences and being bold enough with Elseworlds can help with the label front and center as the selling point.

Around the time of The Batman‘s release, Warner Bros. was also developing a Superman project in the vein of it with renowned writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and producer J.J. Abrams. Not many details about the project have been outed but the major rumor was that it would follow a Black incarnation of the Man of Steel. Gunn shared recently that the Superman project remains in development and its rumored approach might be the better way to launch DC Studios’ Elseworlds banner.

“I’m committed to both telling stories in the DCU and telling Elseworlds stories. I want the freedom to tell Elseworlds stories. We want to be able to tell a story about Superman [that’s different]. A Red Son story. Whatever. We want to be able to play with these characters in different ways. … I think that’s part of the fun of DC.” — James Gunn on DC Studios’ Elseworlds stories.

Unlike The Batman, a Black Superman film has the opportunity to go in a much different creative direction with the character would make it more in line with a classic Elseworlds story like Red Son. In the 2003 Elseworlds story, Mark Millar imagines a Superman born in the Soviet Union instead of the United States. This is the same type of intriguing premise Coates’ Superman might ask with the character being portrayed as a Black man in the United States, especially if the film is a period piece. Reeves’ The Batman doesn’t have a strong enough “what if” premise other Elseworlds stories have had to fit under the label. Reeves’ take simply imagines the character in a real-world setting, which isn’t as groundbreaking of an idea since Nolan went down a similar route and that approach doesn’t change the character too drastically.

Characters like Batman have thrived for over 80 years and comic book creators like Frank Miller have put their stamp on the hero that have stuck. However, there have also been approaches that have gone out of their way to experiment with the Dark Knight and other heroes who have told stories just as compelling. Comic book movies have now become the norm for cinema when that wasn’t always the case and there’s no sign of that going away anytime soon. Due to popularity, Batman and other characters will continue to receive rebooted versions that make slight alterations for general audiences. Since the DCEU finally brought other major characters to the big screen like Wonder Woman and Aquaman, DC Studios has a chance to capitalize on the familiarity audiences now have and follow in the footsteps of the comics to create something more refreshing.

DC Studios’ Elseworlds label can mean far more than just a story outside the DCU continuity. By harkening back to the title’s roots, DC Studios can push the boundaries for what’s possible with these iconic superheroes in film and television. The Batman wasn’t initially conceived as an Elseworlds title and that could set a bad precedent for what it can mean for audiences down the line. If DC Studios moves forward with another Batman in the DCU as Reeves completes his trilogy, it could become too much for audiences. Making an Elseworlds film in the vein of Red Son can give DC a chance to repeat the same success Sony has with the Spider-Verse films by doing a story that’s different enough from the familiar tale audiences have come to know. Therefore, DC Studios either needs to make Reeves’ Batman different enough from the DCU version or simply make him part of it.

“}]] The Batman Epic Crime Saga has one problem DC Studios should address soon since it falls under the Elseworlds banner.  Read More