Should DC Films Pretend Batman v Superman Didn’t Happen?

Does DC Films Need A Fresh Start By Pretending Batman v Superman Never Took Place?

It seems like the final nail in the coffin of what many called Zak Snyder’s “muderverse” of the DCEU took place today. The signs were there little by little over the last few weeks. Rumors of troubles already on the set of Justice League: Part One. Ben Affleck, being “humilated” by the reception of Batman v Superman, which didn’t perform to anybody’s expectations, critically or financially, etc.

But the message that Warner Bros. no longer wants to go along with Zack Snyder’s vision was made very clear by not just the recent announcement of a new DC films division, but that Geoff Johns, who is running the division with producer Jon Berg, stressed that he wants to bring “positivity and optimism” to DC films, something Batman v Superman was lacking in spades.

But then the problem of course remains, that Batman v Superman happened. Batman is in a dark place. Jimmy Olsen is dead, Robin is dead. SUPERMAN IS DEAD. It seems like a hard place to inject “optimism and hope”. So then is the solution a soft reboot? Pretend the events of Batman v Superman didn’t even happen?

It’s actually easier than you would think. I mean granted, they could really pretend Batman v Superman didn’t happen, but given that we still have the same actors playing the same parts, it might be hard for audiences to buy that. But what if it was a prophetic vision? Zack Snyder seemed like he was a real big fan of those. Batman (or Superman for that matter) just had a real bad premonition, and wakes up in Justice League, determined to make that NOT happen. Or hell, Superman busts out of his grave in the first five minutes of Justice League and is just like “psych!” (or something better, this is why I’m not a screenwriter).

But there’s two big question marks with that. Wonder Woman and especially Suicide Squad. Without some drastic reshoots and delays, they are coming out before Geoff Johns will really have a chance to do anything with them, and while they both seem like more promising films than Batman v Superman, the question remains of how much either is affected by that film.

With Wonder Woman, it seems far less of an issue. That movie seems to mostly take place well before the events of Batman v Superman, but with Suicide Squad, it might actually be far more integral. I mean, the opening scene in the trailer is for Suicide Squad is basically Batman v Superman-What if Superman turned, who would stop him? And it seems unfair that these films, which might be awesome, might be forgotten in the wake of trying to desperately do an about face and make the future of the DC film universe pretty much the opposite of what Zack Snyder wanted (sorry Zack, no Batman getting raped in prison for you).

Next: Geoff Johns & Jon Berg To Run DC Films

There is no question that the newly created “DC Films” division has a lot of work to do ahead of them, and there’s just no easy answer on how to uncouple the rest of the DC film universe from the events of Batman v Superman. You may leave other worthwhile films twisting in the wind, and what will Justice League even look like with Snyder still directing, but handcuffed? That could be even messier.

I don’t think you can completely dismiss Batman v Superman, and I don’t think “be more like Marvel”, which many seem to be saying, is necessarily the answer either. DC films can be the darker, more mature alternative, but yes they still need hope and optimism. If Batman is broken, why the hell is he even fighting? Look at the Nolan films. Dark, grounded, serious. Batman is still the light and hope of Gotham, and he believes in the people in it (that’s the whole goddamn crux of Dark Knight, which Zack Snyder clearly only read bad cliff notes on). Batman can be a guy surrounded by darkness, but he doesn’t succumb to it, that is what makes him a hero. Ultimately, I think DC films can go on while acknowledging Batman v Superman happened, but it might be best if they at least pretended like it didn’t matter. It may come down to Justice League: Part One undoing everything that happened in Batman v Superman, and then actually really starting fresh in part two. What do you think DC Films needs to with Justice League and their future comic book movies? Let us know in the comments!