The Batman should be the catalyst of the DCEU
The Batman fits right into the DCEU and has the potential to be a catalyst for the struggling cinematic franchise.
Stop me if you heard this before — the state of the Warner Bros’ DCEU is… unknown. In all fairness, the DCEU has been good to us over the last few years.
Since Walter Hamada took over as head of the DCEU in 2018, the former New Line cinema producer gave us some gems. He came on at the tail end of Aquaman, but under his watchful eye, we got David F. Sandberg’s Shazam, Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 84, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Hamada was also responsible for the critically acclaimed Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker. Of course, there was also Todd Phillips’ Joker — despite Hamda’s lack of support.
Each film provided fans with something different. Some were critically acclaimed, others were box office, and some films were both. Even with those gems, the DCEU is missing something — a connected universe. In fact, since taking over, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed his desire to have a Kevin Feige-like figure over the DCEU. Say what you want about shared universes, but comic book movie fans have the expectations of a shared universe. Disney’s MCU spoiled fans with its shared universe.
However, it’s not like fans of DC aren’t accustomed to a shared universe. Those of us who watched DC’s live-action content on CW know all about the Arrowverse. So, we should expect the same thing from the DCEU. Of all the DCEU films, Matt Reeves’ The Batman serves as the perfect anchor for a shared universe.
The Batman fits the existing tone of the DCEU
Zack Snyder kicked off DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel nearly a decade ago (2013). And his dark, serious, somewhat grounded tone was a fresh alternative to what CBM fans were used to from the MCU. MoS set the tone for DC films like Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman, and Aquaman. Shazam came much later, and while it was a bit more lighthearted, it kept a similar theme that was familiar to fans.
The Batman fits right into the DCEU. The critically acclaimed box office film gave fans a side of Batman we haven’t seen depicted on the big screen. Its detective, problem-solving narrative was refreshing. Yet, the grounded nature felt familiar. We saw the growth of a hero through the focused lens of Gotham City. Which was something we saw in Shazam. As Bruce continues to grow, so should the universe around him, which spans to the other heroes.
Reeves didn’t express the desire to include other heroes — he didn’t say no either. There is no indication that Superman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Aquaman don’t exist in The Batman. Robert Pattinson’s evolution as Bruce Wayne and Batman could grow into the brooding anti-social counter to the heroes of the Justice League. He could capture the beats missed (to no fault of his own) by Ben Affleck’s Batman.