What to Know About marvel Has Just Given the DCU Its Biggest Opportunity Yet, And So Far They’re Winning
The DCU is still in its very early days, with only a handful of movies and TV shows having been released since the franchise properly kicked off with the launch of Superman last year. While some projects have been retconned into the DCU, like The Suicide Squad, Blue Beetle, and Creature Commandos, the only officially DCU projects so far are Superman, Peacemaker season 2, Supergirl, and Lanterns. Most of these projects have been hits, starting things off with a bang across the franchise’s first two years.
While Superman and Supergirl have undoubtedly been the biggest tentpoles of the DCU, the franchise has made a surprisingly big deal of TV shows in its first few years. As mentioned, Creature Commandos and Peacemaker are retconned DCU shows from HBO joined by the recent release of Lanterns. Together, they each introduce major elements to the franchise such as Rick Flag Sr., Salvation, Hal Jordan, Manhunters, and more. This approach seemed risky at first, but it has wound up being one of DC’s biggest strengths.
The DCU’s Partnership With HBO Is Great While Marvel’s Disney+ Shows Begin Winding Down
While DC had prior success on TV (with Smallville and the Arrowverse, in particular) the previous DC shared universe, the DCEU, experimented in TV with projects like Peacemaker season 1, the behind-the-scenes issues with the franchise led to it never taking full advantage of streaming’s potential. Meanwhile, its more successful competitor, the MCU, was all over it. Previous projects of Netflix, broadcast, and cable television, like Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., had already been big hits, but with the release of WandaVision, the MCU kicked off an all-new era of Marvel adaptations. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, and more were also successful for the studio to varying degrees, showing the promise that the expansion into TV could provide.
While the later years of Marvel’s Disney+ shows had occasional hits, such as Daredevil: Born Again, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Some series weren’t the critical hits that the MCU had become known for, like Secret Invasion and Echo, while other shows didn’t have the impact that the movies were having, like Ms. Marvel, Agatha All Along, and Wonder Man. This has led to Disney winding down its output of major Disney+ shows, with a streak of cancellations making headlines lately. Wonder Man season 2 was cancelled, and the Nova and Armor Wars shows have seemingly been reworked into movies. Outside of the MCU, the Gargoyles and Power Rangers shows were scrapped, and Disney ended its deal with Doctor Who.
While VisionQuest and Daredevil: Born Again season 3 are on the way, the future of MCU Disney+ shows seems uncertain. Meanwhile, DC is only ramping things up. Its partnership with HBO has led to incredible DCU projects like Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and Lanterns, as well as non-DCU DC projects like The Penguin. Meanwhile, The People v. Gorilla Grodd and Booster Gold are in development, as well as an animated Mister Miracle show and various continuations of already-released DC series.
DC’s collaborations with HBO have been incredible so far, leading to a much stronger catalogue than the MCU projects that can be found on Disney+. The financials of major shows like this going straight to streaming are definitely a factor in the MCU’s pivot, so only time will tell if the shows continue to be worth it for DC. For now, though, this is an incredible opportunity for DC to dominate the superhero television space, finally giving the franchise a leg up over the MCU after years of falling behind.
DC’s HBO Track Record Is Spectacular, & Much Better Than Marvel’s Disney+ Library
The MCU has some good Disney+ shows, but DC’s HBO output absolutely decimates it when it comes to quality. The Penguin, Peacemaker, and Lanterns so far are better than almost any MCU show, with Loki and Daredevil: Born Again being the only ones in the same conversation. HBO has a reputation for making quality television, with shows like The Sopranos and The Wire basically starting the Golden Age of Television. So, it isn’t surprising that Disney+ is a mixed bag compared to HBO Max.
On top of that, the DCU’s animated output is much more exciting than what the MCU has cooked up so far. Creature Commandos is far better than rival shows. While What If…? and Marvel Zombies are intriguing and have pulled decent viewership for the studio, they have been criticized for a less than flattering animation style that doesn’t quite hit the same bar as the upcoming Mister Miracle show. The MCU’s Disney+ shows started out strong before a steep decline in quality, and with the DCU so early in its life, it is possible that the same could happen to it. As of right now, though, the DCU is in an incredible position for its original series – even if Marvel does continues to invest in television.
