Wonder Woman 3’s cancellation sent shockwaves through the world of entertainment, but it isn’t the first DC property to meet an untimely end this year.
It’s been a rough year to be a DC Comics fan. While there has been some good in there to be excited about, such as the releases of The Batman and Black Adam, there has also been some unexpected losses for the DC community.
Among those losses was the controversial cancellation of Batgirl. The DCEU movie was supposed to stream on HBO Max at some point this year or next year, but it was announced last week that Warner Bros. Discovery had opted not to go ahead with the movie – in spite of the fact that the $90 million flick had already been filmed.
But Batgirl wasn’t the only DC casualty this year. Here is every major DC property that was unexpectedly canceled in 2022.
Wonder Woman 3
This is perhaps the most shocking of them all. Something that nobody saw coming, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the third Wonder Woman movie from Patty Jenkins would not be going ahead – or at least not in its original capacity.
What that means yet, we do not know. But it seems that Jenkins’ vision for the character does not match with what James Gunn and Peter Safran, the new heads of DC Studios, have in mind for the DCEU. And given how incredible the first Gal Gadot-led Wonder Woman movie was, that’s a damn shame.
Here’s hoping that the vision for the future of the DCU does involve Wonder Woman in some capacity.
DC’s Stargirl
There are few shows on TV as high quality as DC’s Stargirl. Unfortunately, the new owners of The CW are no longer interested in making new seasons of the show and decided to add it to the long list of axed CW shows this year alone.
Any other year, HBO Max would have picked the show up (especially since it saved Stargirl‘s fellow DC Universe shows Titans and Doom Patrol) but with the new leaders at Warner Bros. Discovery, that seems unlikely now.
The show’s season 3 finale served as its series finale, and like the rest of the show it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. If you’re in need of a good show to binge, make Stargirl your choice.
Batgirl
Designed as part of the DCEU’s next stage, Batgirl was intended as a HBO Max-exclusive release. Starring Leslie Grace in the title role, it was to see Barbara Gordon don her own Batsuit and face off against the dastardly Firefly (Brendan Fraser). It was also set to see Michael Keaton reprise his iconic role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and J.K. Simmons reprise his DCEU role as Commissioner James Gordon.
It’s hard to talk about Batgirl in the past or future tense because, unlike the other projects on this list, the HBO Max film had completed production. It may not have been finished and it sounds like it would have required reshoots, but some version of it exists out there. And the truth is that fans deserved to see it.
Strange Adventures
There had been very little updates about HBO Max’s Strange Adventures series since it was first announced back in 2019, but fans have now received the worst kind of update from co-writer Kevin Smith, who confirmed that the project had been cancelled.
Described as a new superhero “anthology”, it was set to be produced by Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti. Unfortunately, it seems that it was just another casualty of the changes brought on by the Warner Bros./Discovery merger.
The Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins had just a few weeks of life in the headlines before it was unceremoniously cancelled by Warner Bros. It was to star Riverdale‘s KJ Apa and Yellowstone‘s Isabel May as the titular DC heroes and stream on HBO Max, but it was the first major casualty of the Warner Bros./Discovery merger.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly preferred the budget of HBO Max movies to stay under $35 million, and with The Wonder Twins‘ $75 million budget, he didn’t see the value in it. He also reportedly preferred for DC movies to remain theatrical releases. And yes, it’s clear that both of these factors also played into Batgirl‘s cancellation.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
One of the most unexpected cancellations of 2022, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow was one of the original Arrowverse shows in existence – a franchise that The CW built over a decade. That should have been more than enough to earn it a final adventure before it bowed out, but even though The CW wanted to renew it, Warner Bros. reportedly didn’t want to pay the lease on the studio space any longer, leaving them with no other choice but to prematurely end it.
Legends became something of a cult classic the longer it went on, with its bonkers and outlandish storylines resonating with fans. The most disrespectful part of its cancellation is that it ends on a huge cliffhanger – and it goes without saying that, after seven seasons of pure entertainment, Legends of Tomorrow deserved so much better.
Batwoman
Batwoman met its demise on the same day that Legends of Tomorrow was cancelled, ending an era for the Arrowverse’s two “little shows that could”. Like Legends, The CW planned on continuing the show but Warner’s reluctance to pay the studio lease resulted in the network having to end the Scarlet Knight’s adventures.
Batwoman had a turbulent time on air, losing its original star Ruby Rose after just one season, but it had found its footing in its third season after Javicia Leslie breathed a whole new life into it. And, in spite of its solid ending, that makes its untimely cancellation that much more upsetting.
Naomi
Another victim of The CW’s cancellation purge of 2022, Naomi explored the origins of one of DC Comics’ most popular new characters: Naomi McDuffie. The show got off to a strong start, with its pilot episode bringing in 800K viewers, but unfortunately ratings slipped throughout its 13-episode season.
Naomi was full of potential, but it wasn’t performing consistently enough for The CW to add it to its “keep” list when it was forced to cancel half of its programming earlier this year – a side-effect of the network’s sale.
The Flash
Okay, technically this may be a cheat entry as the decision was made to end The Flash after its upcoming ninth season, but its conclusion will mark the end of such a monumental era for DCTV that it simply has to be mentioned.
After initial reports revealed that Grant Gustin would cap his involvement in season 9 at 15 episodes, speculation that it could be the final season soon made its way around the internet. That was subsequently confirmed when The CW announced that the Arrowverse’s longest-running show (and the last one standing) would end with a shortened 13-episode season.
While the end of The Flash was inevitable in the coming years (and we can take comfort in the fact that it will remain on-screens until 2023), the fact that the legendary series will conclude after such a traumatic year for the Arrowverse and DC in general makes it hit that little bit harder.
Which DC cancellation hit you the hardest? Do you think Batgirl should have been released? Should Wonder Woman 3 have been made? Let us know in the comments below!