10 questions we have about James Gunn's new DC Universe

10 questions we have about James Gunn's new DC Universe
Director James Gunn poses at the premiere for the film The Suicide Squad in Los Angeles, California, US, on Aug 2, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters

James Gunn and Peter Saffan have finally revealed their plans for the DC Universe, roughly three months after the duo took over and spent time mapping out the future of DC Comics adaptations. In between though, the new co-CEOS have made several notable and often time, controversial changes and decisions that haven’t been popular.

From losing Henry Cavill as Superman to cancelling Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s Black Adam sequel, fans have been lost little lambs in search of their Bo Peep. But even with the new slate announced, filled with reboots, prequels, live-action and animated movies and TV shows, there are still some questions that fans have. 

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If you’ve not watched the announcement, have a quick watch and come back because we have loads of questions starting with…. 

1. DC has two Batmans now? 

In his announcement video on Twitter, Gunn emphasised that his and Safran’s intention is to combine all DC movies, tv shows and games under one banner. Actors who come on board will not only be expected to appear in live-action projects or just voice an animated character – they’re to do both so that there is continuity in every project. 

All of this made sense until Gunn revealed that there will be a new Batman and live-action film. 

This new Batman is NOT Robert Pattinson, and it is definitely not Ben Affleck. Affleck has left the role for good, and Pattinson will still be Batman in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman sequel, which is still under Warner Discovery, but also parked under the Elseworlds banner, so as far as Gunn’s concerned, Pattinson is not his Batman.

This directly contradicts what Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said last year, that there will not be multiple versions of the same character running around.

Yet, here we have two live-action Batmans. 

So DC will now have two Batmans because hey, some rules don’t apply to the rich and privileged, so what’s new? 

2. How old is this new Batman/Bruce Wayne?

Batman will appear in the new film The Brave and The Bold, which will not only see a new actor take on the role of the Dark Knight, but it will also mark the live-action debut of a new Robin aka Damien Wayne. Young Damien Wayne is the son of Bruce and Talia al Ghul, and if that name sounds familiar, she’s the daughter of the Demon’s Head aka Ra’s al Ghul, one of Batman’s deadliest enemies. Damien al Ghul made his comic debut relatively recently, in 2006 and subsequently became the fifth person to take on the Robin persona.

This means Batman in this universe is much older, having gone through four Robins. So how old is Batman supposed to be in this new DCU? 

Plus, if this is a 10 to 15 years long plan by Gunn/Saffan, would the actor hired for the role still be able to throw punches and speed in the Batmobile 10 years from now? We don’t know. We’re all for a much mature Bruce Wayne – it’s something we’ve not seen before in the history of DCU films! – but we’re just curious to see how this will all play out. 

3. Batman is older, but Superman is younger?

When Gunn revealed plans for his new Superman movie last year, one thing was clear – this will be a much younger Superman, which means beloved star Henry Cavill will not reprise his role as the Last Son of Krypton, and fans got very upset, and why wouldn’t they? While Cavill’s debut as Superman was not that well received, he has grown into the role and his cameo in Black Adam was THE highlight of that film.

Fans grudgingly accepted that this was a younger Superman but in the comics, the World’s Finest of Batman and Superman are meant to be of the same age, so why have a young Kal-El and an older Bruce Wayne? 

And the one reason actor Dave Bautista gave, about not pursuing the role of Batman villain Bane was that Gunn was looking for younger actors to play younger characters, so what gives? Does Gunn want his heroes younger, or older? Or did he just not want Cavill?

4. Will any existing actor playing a DC hero take on the same role in the reboot, or play another character? 

Gunn made it clear that in this reboot, he’s going for fresh, but what does it mean for movies that were greenlit and made under the old regime, including the new Aquaman, Shazam and Blue Beetle and The Flash movies? Granted, these can be tweaked to fit some new continuity but if it’s a full-on reboot then….

Well, what happens to current actors already cast? Is there an option for them to return to the same role, or in a different role? Aquaman star Jason Momoa has been vocal about wanting to play DC Comics’ fame anti-hero, Lobo, and frankly speaking, we want him to play Lobo too. Momoa is undoubtedly more fitted to play the anti-hero than his current take as Arthur Curry aka the King of Atlantis. With all these changes, will Momoa finally be able to play Lobo? If so, what happens to Aquaman – which, in case you forgot, is releasing a sequel this December? 

If we can have two Batmans, why can’t we have two Momoas? The more the better. 

5. So… Ezra Miller is still The Flash? 

NEWS FLASH! If you haven’t heard, Ezra Miller is not so hot right now.

Despite plenty of assault charges, DC Studios is still adamant about keeping Miller around. Bad reputation leads to bad publicity, it’s PR 101! Whilst Amber Heard got burned during her infamous trial with ex Johnny Depp, Miller is seemingly off the hook since The Flash is still moving forward. If there’s any character who needs to be re-cast right now it is definitely Barry Allen, but it looks like Gunn is sticking with Miller, calling The Flash “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”

ALSO READ: James Gunn's new DCU and Matt Reeves' The Batman universe to be kept separate

6. Is the rebooted DC Universe part of a larger multiverse? 

If we can have two Batmans and (fingers crossed) two Momoas, does this mean the DC Universe is a multiverse? Safran said in a separate interview with Gizmodo that the DC Universe is still a multiverse but it’s also not because they’re only going to focus on one universe, and that “if something isn’t DCU, we’re going to make that very clear.” 

What does this mean? That Michael Keaton, who played Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, and is set to return as the same character in The Flash, still exists? So why can’t Henry Cavill return as the Superman of the Snyderverse?Please tell us if you’re just as confused as we are – IS IT OR IS IT NOT?

7. BRING BACK HENRY CAVILL?!?!? 

Which brings us back to… 

HENRY CAVILL IS MY SUPERMAN. BRING HIM BACK IN THE MULTIVERSE. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP EZRA MILLER BUT PUSH HENRY CAVILL OUT THE DOOR? THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

8. Where does The Suicide Squad fit in the DCU? 

Poor Harley Quin and gang. The Suicide Squad were first introduced in Suicide Squad in 2016 before being rebooted in 2021. The film then spurred the spin-off series Peacemaker and it looked like the gang would be having their own thing and space in the DC Universe moving forward. But now that Gunn and Safran are bent on connecting all characters and titles, we can’t help but wonder where these misfits are going to fit within the whole of the DC Universe? 

Gunn hasn’t been too helpful with answering this query either, replying “Some things are like a rough memory of what happens in the DCU, but once we hit Superman [:Legacy] anything can be changed.” What the f*** does that mean? 

9. If ‘adult fare’ like Todd Phillips’ Joker is not DCU canon… does that mean The Authority will be a PG-13 movie? 

When it comes to kid-friendly, The Authority are NOT where it’s at. The Authority is a team of superheroes with extreme methods. In simple words, these folks are VIOLENT and prone to severe acts of destruction in the name of good, where the end justifies the means. 

If ‘adult’ films like Joker aren’t canon, then how do Gunn and Safran intend to bring The Authority to the screen and still remain faithful to the source material? We’re not expecting something edgy like the Warren Ellis run, but that was clearly written for mature readers. If we’re going to have to sit through a PG-13 The Authority movie – we’d rather the movie not be made at all. 

10. What’s happening with Wonder Woman? 

The new lineup will have a Game of Thrones-style TV drama prequel set in Themiscyra, titled Paradise Lost. The series will take place before the events of the Wonder Woman movies so we’re not expecting Diana to pop up in the series (as much as we would love that). 

However, we can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to Wonder Woman. Is she going to appear at all? Does the reference to the earlier Wonder Woman films mean they exist…. or don’t they?

Gunn confirmed that Gal Gadot is still sticking around, but the two haven’t really gotten a plan for her yet. In the same interview with Gizmodo, Gunn said, “We’ve talked to Gal [Gadot]. She’s up for doing stuff. We’re not sure what we’re going to do with that. All I can tell you really right now is Henry [Cavill] and Ben [Affleck] are not part of this universe.” 

We don’t know about you, but they don’t even seem convinced or determined to have Wonder Woman or Gadot around. How are you going to treat one of DC’s most beloved legendary characters like that, Gunn? 

ALSO READ: New The Authority film could introduce first Singapore hero in James Gunn's DC Universe

Bonus question: How is the DCU going to connect with the general audience? 

Actually, we have two bonus questions and you can read about the first one, which is related to the Singapore link to The Authority. 

As for the second bonus question, it is technically the big question – would anyone care?

Gunn is notably a huge fan of the DC Comics. His work with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker proves that he’s spent a huge chunk of his childhood reading comic books and falling in love with complex characters who aren’t famous like your standard Justice League characters, or even the Justice Society of America for that matter. 

This is supported by his newly announced lineup that brings The Authority, Booster Gold and Creature Commandos to the screen but truthfully speaking, how many of these characters are actually known by the general audience? Or even younger, casual DC fans? 

Aside from being unknown (lesser known is a bit of a stretch), these characters aren’t exactly the ones you would turn to when you think of ‘superheroes’. It’s going to be hard selling a superhero film to a general audience when your main character isn’t exactly a superhero and isn’t familiar to them.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.

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