The DCEU has been around for nearly a decade now, beginning all the way back in 2013 with Zack Snyder’sMan of Steel. Since then, characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and more have all joined the universe and formed the Justice League, the team that received its own movie(s).
Despite the universe appearing to be fully formed, to the point where smaller heroes like Shazam are receiving their own solo movies, the mixed or poor reception to many of the films in the franchise has leftDCin a state of unknown, with attempts to patch up any and all flaws that audiences see.
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2023’sThe Flashis being touted as the solution to these issues, with the movie said to be the start of a new universe for the franchise’s characters, this time with Michael Keaton as Batman and Supergirl effectively replacing her cousin as the Kryptonian on Earth, alongside a young Batgirl. These new leads are set to join the already existing Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Shazam, and possibly more characters like Harley Quinn and other villains (or anti-heroes) continuing as well. Despite this new start, the solutions found seem to be only temporary or half fixes, and won’t solve many of the long-term problems. However, aCrisis on Infinite Earthsadaptation could plausibly be the project to successfullyreboot the DCEU to set the franchise up for true success in the future.
As stated, Michael Keaton is returning as Batman in what will be a blast of nostalgia for fans, particularly those who watched the actor in his two Tim Burton-directed solo films in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In all likelihood, Keaton will not receive his own solo movie once again as he is set to have a mentor-type role going forward in what is described as similar to Nick Fury in the MCU,where he appears in supporting rolesin other character’s films. This is already the case with Batgirl, as Keaton was seen filming the film earlier this year.
This solutionmakes a degree of sense, especially as fanshave gone wild for nostalgic reappearances in recent years, withSpider-Man: No Way Homean excellent example of this. This also allows Matt Reeves to craft his Batman world free of any interference or obligations to match what the rest of the franchise is doing, a situation which will arguably bring the best results for the quality of upcoming Dark Knight films starring Robert Pattinson in the title role. Still, Reeves has spoken of a trilogy at many points, as has Pattinson, meaning that it’s unlikely that the English actor will continue playing Batman for decades to come, as is arguably what these massive franchises (rightly or wrongly) are looking for in the modern-day.
Eventually, Pattinson will hang up the cape and cowl, and the DCEU will still exist in whatever form or iteration it’s in at that time. This means that they will need to look to bring a new Batman actor in as studios likeWarner Bros. don’t seem to enjoy keeping their biggest assetson ice for too long. Given this, more Batman solo movies will come after Pattinson and Reeves, which is an odd yet true topic givenThe Batmanonly released last month, and it’s highly unlikely that Keaton is going to be that actor to lead. The franchise will then need a new Batman and, therefore, yet another reboot. This time, they can’t rely on Flashpoint to change things, meaning they will have to look elsewhere and, in particular, bigger in order to completely fixed this fractured universe.
There’s also another situation not exactly unlike Batman’s role in the DCEUgoing forward in the form of Superman. Henry Cavill has played the role since 2017, butSuperman & Loison the CW has proven to be some of the only content featuring the hero since both versions ofJustice League. Warner Bros. seems confused and undecided on how to move forward with Superman, hence the bringing in of his cousin, Supergirl, to fill his role in the franchise, at least for now.
This gives a real opportunity to include some much-needed diversity in the franchise and focus on a character that has rarely been seen on the big screen. Still, Superman is one of the biggest characters in DC’s locker and essentially erasing him from the universe would be a disservice to the universe and the character. Again, while it might be acceptable to sideline the Man of Steel for the time being, long-term issues are bound to crop up significantly in the future.
All of this stands to reason thatCrisis on Infinite Earthsis the most logical solution to fix the universe and bring everything together in one cohesive way. In the comics, this series came to be from adesire to streamline the vast and confusing multiverseinto one coherent universe, something that the current DCEU could do with. Eventually, with a thrilling and large-scale story, the new universe was created in the comics and there was labeled a “pre-crisis” and a “post-crisis”.
This plot could essentially be the full reboot that the franchise desperately needs. Warner Bros. has often been stuck in the difficult situation of having some actors in these roles that fans enjoy, like Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, and Margot Robbie, but with mixed or outright negative feelings on other characters and movies. It would arguably be an easier decision for the studioif every aspect of the universe was disliked, meaning they would be forced to completely start over. Now, the presence of positive elements like Aquaman and Wonder Woman means it’s not wise to scrap everything, meaning a more creative solution must be found.
Crisis on Infinite Earthscould very well be the problem solver, ending any and all confusion with the DCEU and making this universe finally whole once again.
