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DC Universe has only recently launched with the release of Creature Commandos, and year-old comments from James Gunn on the universe"s difference from the MCU are beginning to make sense.
The new universe will launch in full with the release of Superman. However, Creature Commandos has served as the first taste of the new universe. With only a handful of episodes released so far, this first look at this world and the characters that inhabit it have clearly proven right much of what Gunn has said previously.
James Gunn is one of the most successful comic book directors of this era, and his style and his movie needle drops contributed significantly to shaping the current MCU.
Bringing his ability over to a new universe, which he is building from scratch, is such an exciting prospect. Now that pieces of that have finally begun to be shared with the world, a closer idea of the trajectory and shape of the universe is beginning to come together. The new DCU is clearly much different from the MCU, and in ways that are exciting for its future.
The MCU & DCU's Different Trajectories Make James Gunn's Comments About Their Differences More Right Than Ever Marvel And DC Are Being Treated Very Differently, And That's A Good Thing Close Last year, James Gunn appeared on Michael Rosenbaum"s podcast Inside of You to discuss what he saw to be some of the differences between the DCU and the MCU. Having worked in Marvel, Gunn had firsthand experience with making a Marvel movie, and knew the ways that he wanted to deviate. Much of this is summed up by Gunn"s comment:
"What both the MCU and the DCU need to do is to have a wider range of tones than they presently do." This idea has clearly been a driving force behind the diverse range of DCU projects.
Continuing on,
Gunn explained how he saw the undertaking of building a new universe as being akin to building a fantasy world like Westeros. This distinction is important for how Gunn sees this new universe, which is not intended as being only a sequence of projects featuring different comic titles. Instead, each project needs to fit into the new, larger world and build upon the same lore. Despite this, the tone and feel of each project, such as with Creature Commandos, can feel distinctly fresh and different.
Why It's A Good Thing That The DCU & MCU Are So Different Like The Comics, DC And Marvel Should Not Feel The Same Close While Marvel has been an incredible force in filmmaking for more than a decade, comic book stories can now go in new, different directions.
Marvel has struggled with this a bit, with most of their films feeling quite similar to one another. Even non-MCU Marvel movies feel different from their MCU counterparts, speaking to the consistent tone and feel across the MCU. While this has many upsides, including audiences knowing what to consistently expect from a Marvel film, it is also a bit limiting.
Having another studio attempt to build its own universe while diversifying its tone across different projects is a fresh, new, and exciting way to reinvigorate DC, especially after their recent box office disasters.
Marvel has a place in the cinematic landscape, and it seems that this new universe is looking to find its own place, rather than to replicate Marvel"s success. If this works, the two studios could complement one another, crafting very different superhero experiences for the big screen.
The DCU & MCU's Differences Are What Can Allow Them To Co-Exist Perfectly Marvel's Dependable Tone And Feel Can Contrast Successfully With The DCU Close Superhero films are not going away anytime soon, although they have faced some challenges in recent years. Fortunately,
there is hope that Marvel may have found its footing again after Deadpool & Wolverine, which will hopefully continue with Captain America: Brave New World and its iconic villains. Marvel has deviated in certain projects, including Werewolf By Night, although the franchise has only pushed itself so far away from its core tone and feel. This is important in retaining the feel of a Marvel movie.
Having the other big comic book studio be more experimental would be an excellent complement to this. Marvel has built a tone and feel with fun, colorful action and light humor and,
while audiences clearly respond to this accessible tone, DC trying to replicate it in films like Justice League was mostly unsuccessful. Instead, it is important that DC finds its own voice that differentiates it as a studio. If both studios find a way to have their own niche, audiences will be the ones that win.