How can the DCU upstage the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

[Tg11]

This is the question I pose to all of you, just how can the DC Cinematic Universe go one better? How can the DC Cinematic Universe upstage the Marvel Cinematic Universe especially to the point of building up towards an eventual Justice League movie?

Considering Marvel built up their cinematic universe remarkably well certainly to the point where everything was in place that an Avengers movie could even happen especially when no one ever thought that it could happen and when it did it paid off so how can DC top that?

 

[Protar]

They can't, not in the way they've decided to do it. Their debut movie was poorly received and they're rushing to the Justice League rather than introducing all of the characters first. That was the whole reason the MCU did so well, because when Avengers came around we were invested in all the characters. They've also taken too long to get things running - waiting 3 years after Man of Steel to do BvS.

What they should have done imo, is follow the tried and true Marvel formula, but improven upon it. Prop up the lesser known properties by sandwiching them in between the big characters. Put in BM vs SM as a sort of taste of the cross over potential of the JL. My ideal slate for the DCCU would have been something like:

2015: Batman; Martian Manhunter
2016: Man of Steel; Aquaman
2017: Batman vs. Superman; Flash
2018: Wonderwoman; Green Lantern
2019: Justice League

I think it would have been good to start with Batman. Start the universe small, with just street level threats, non-superpowered heroes and villains. Establish a fragile, struggling world which needs a saviour. Manhunter and Aquaman are doing their own thing in their own realms so Batman doesn't know about them. Then Man of Steel drops and that sparks the conflict in BvS.

 

[Tg11]

I actually like your formula and I think this would have been the proper way to build up the films of DC to build towards Justice League, really good formula no seriously but then how would you build up Phase 2 and Phase 3 films for DC then?

 

[metaphysician]

Basically, they can't. At this point, the best they could do is "be as good as Marvel, but as johnny come lately." Even if they pull out movies just as good as what Marvel does, that won't "upstage" anyone, it will just make it competitive. And that's assuming they somehow manage to turn around from the terrible creative decisions in Man of Steel, which they show no evidence of doing.

 

[Protar]

I'm not super familiar with DC so I'm probably not the best person to fancraft that. I'd certainly move to a three films a year system for phase 2 and beyond though. Give sequels to each of the heroes, though DC would have a harder time of it than Marvel because they have more solo franchises. So maybe one or two don't get sequels in Phase 2. And of course introduce new franchises and characters - Shazam, and Power Girl seem like good possibilities.

Maybe each phase could have a mini-crossover event part way through. Like in Phase 1 it's BvS, maybe at one point Wonderwoman joins the Star Sapphires and crosses over with Green Lantern.

 

[Decepticonus]

Just because it worked for MARVEL does NOT mean it will work for DC. Give them some credit for attempting something original here. So it's taking them a while, it doesn't bother me for I do not see MARVEL's history to be flawless.
2008 - Iron Man, Hulk
2009 - nothing
2010 - Iron Man 2 (ugh, that piece of ****)
2011 - Thor, Cap
2012 - Avengers (ugh, finally)

It always bothered me they wasted our time with a Iron Man sequel and in general a crap movie. It always made more sense that all 4 get a solo film and THEN do Avengers and THEN give their solo films sequels. That is not to say DC won't do sequels but I'm more interested in non-sequels (can't deny I'm hyped for Civil War and Guardians 2) but c'mon I want my Dr. Strange, my Black Panther and so on.

I don't know if DC can UPSTAGE Marvel, but they do offer different characters, different settings, themes and have a edgier and darker telling which I think is good. Why do the same as MARVEL just because it worked? We don't need knock off of some sort, I want two different products not substitutes like Coke & Pepsi.

 

[Greens]

The DCCU is always going to remain the "underdog".

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

They most likely won't, but that doesn't mean the movies can't be good.

Wrath of Khan didn't upstage Star Wars. Doesn't mean it's not a classic.

 

[MadVillainy]

Make widely liked films.

It's not that out there of a concept. If DC puts out quality films they'll be fine. Upstage MArvel? Then their just going have to make movies that are seen by the public as being better than Marvel's

There only 1 movie in. However, that one movie gets a very mixed response.

 

[John Locke]

It's possible however improbable but they are on the right track. Following Marvel's example is not going to work. They have to be different than Marvel. Look at Twilight. Twilight was a hit and suddenly there were movies about love triangles featuring every supernatural creature. It wasn't until the Hunger Games, a movie that took a similar concept but a different approach came along that it was upstaged. DC's taking a different approach both in tone and how they handle the movies. They have the luxury of the GA knowing their characters so they can start with a JL type film. All these characters in BVS is also a natural progression in the story of MOS. Can DC upstage Marvel? Theoretically yes. Will they? Probably not. Do they need to? No.

 

[Harley2004]

I'm still waiting for Marvel to make a movie that even comes close to what the Dark Knight, was.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I'm still waiting for Marvel to make a movie that even comes close to what the Dark Knight, was.

yeah this. if DC continues to put out movies of the same quality as TDK, then that is how they will upstage the MCU.

BvS and JL provide great opportunities for Snyder and WB to make a movie as good as the Dark Knight

 

[smallville fan]

In my books, they can do so by taking an overall different story direction. For the MCU, all roads lead to Civil War and Infinity War. DC can take a different path which some people can like over the other. If they adapt Kingdom Come eventually, then that tops some Marvel movies for me then.

At the end of the day, it's all a matter of personal opinion if something got upstaged.

 

[dude stannis]

Their best bet would be to keep their films as self contained as possible. Let each character's film tell its own stories, don't overstuff each film to make it an advertisement for the next film.

 

[Link]

I'm still waiting for Marvel to make a movie that even comes close to what the Dark Knight, was.

Indeed. But the thing is, that was Nolan, not Snyder. Snyder used to be one of my favorite directors, but Man of Steel just simply wasn't a good movie and the BvS teaser didn't do much for me even as Batman is my favorite superhero. Obviously that doesn't indicate at all the movies quality, but i remain cautiously excited.

 

[Doc Ock]

This is somewhat of a fan dream answer so here goes.

Marvel beat DC into creating the first superhero shared universe on the big screen, but DC could beat Marvel into creating the first superhero shared MULTIVERSE. Crossover the Flash TV show with the Flash movie at some point and all other sorts of multiversal variations through the current running DC shows and films, don't build towards a Justice League film but a Crisis film.

 

[I Am The Knight]

The DCCU is always going to remain the "underdog".

While having the two biggest comics characters ever

yeah this. if DC continues to put out movies of the same quality as TDK, then that is how they will upstage the MCU.

You make it sound like they have been putting out TDK level classics since well, TDK. They haven't.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

I'm not super familiar with DC so I'm probably not the best person to fancraft that. I'd certainly move to a three films a year system for phase 2 and beyond though. Give sequels to each of the heroes, though DC would have a harder time of it than Marvel because they have more solo franchises. So maybe one or two don't get sequels in Phase 2. And of course introduce new franchises and characters - Shazam, and Power Girl seem like good possibilities.

Maybe each phase could have a mini-crossover event part way through. Like in Phase 1 it's BvS, maybe at one point Wonderwoman joins the Star Sapphires and crosses over with Green Lantern.

People are already burnt out on Marvels 3 movies a year approach and it'd be wise for DC to NOT do that.

A lot of people didn't like or even know about Batman Begins yet they flocked to The Dark Knight. Why maybe because of the Joker.

Well in Bvs Batman is Man of Steels "Joker"

If written well the addition of Batman into the MoS universe will kickstart the DCCU like nothing ever could. Even though MoS was the official beginning.

 

[smallville fan]

This is somewhat of a fan dream answer so here goes.

Marvel beat DC into creating the first superhero shared universe on the big screen, but DC could beat Marvel into creating the first superhero shared MULTIVERSE. Crossover the Flash TV show with the Flash movie at some point and all other sorts of multiversal variations through the current running DC shows and films, don't build towards a Justice League film but a Crisis film.

This.

 

[Flint Marko]

I'm still waiting for Marvel to make a movie that even comes close to what the Dark Knight, was.

In my opinion they've come closer than some would like to admit, on more than one occasion.

yeah this. if DC continues to put out movies of the same quality as TDK, then that is how they will upstage the MCU.

BvS and JL provide great opportunities for Snyder and WB to make a movie as good as the Dark Knight

You make it sound like putting out movies on par with TDK is easy. Let's look at their DC film output since then: Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, TDKR, Man of Steel.
The first two were bombs, TDKR was successful but universally viewed as inferior to it's predecessor, and Man of Steel was incredibly divisive.
That's a pretty bad track record. And with Nolan gone, it appears they aren't in a great position to be able to reach the heights that TDK did.

People are already burnt out on Marvels 3 movies a year approach and it'd be wise for DC to NOT do that.

How is that the case? First of all we have yet to get a year where we have three (real) Marvel movies in theaters, and secondly, the fact that all of their films keep making incredible amounts of money show that, no, people aren't burnt out on anything.

 

[MrsKent26]

DC simply has to figure out how to make more films of Dark Knight quality and Marvel is beat, IMO. I don't care about complex multiverses and seeing every obscure character realized on screen. I just want a well-written, intelligent movie and I'd wager a lot of people would appreciate that as well. The MCU movies don't come close to TDK (the Dare Devil TV show does though). If that kind of writing was combined with the intense action people seem to expect from blockbusters nowadays, we'd have a game-changer.

 

[Greens]

While having the two biggest comics characters ever

Sounds weird but it's true. DC's detractors are always going to be the most vocal.

 

[wampa1]

Wonder Woman. If DC could deliver the first solo female led superhero movie (in the MCU age) fans and the media would take notice.

 

[dude stannis]

Another thing would be casualties. Stack JLA with all the Bloodwynds, Steels, Geo-Forces, Metamophos, etc you can get your hands on and kill them off. The only major superhero Marvel has killed off was probably for legal reasons.

 

[Snow Queen]

Just make good films. Don't worry about upstaging anyone, just make good films.

Also, a good idea would be to tap into audiences constantly left out of this craze with a diverse group of films in terms of style, tone, target audiences and of course diversity in the race/gender/sexuality/etc... of the leads. Looking forward from their announced slate Birds of Prey, Batwoman, Vixen, Katana and Power Girl could be good to use. Also perhaps some smaller films, not making any major impact on the universe but self contained ones. Diversify the market a little instead of everything being with huge budgets. A good option for that kind of film is Gotham City Sirens.