Would You Care If The DCEU Got Hard Rebooted?

[Amadeus Arkham]

With the recent rumors of Gunn/Safran starting over again from scratch with the DCEU I wonder if you would care? I wouldn’t really since while I do enjoy some films in the DCEU I have no attachment to the universe or this particular version of the DC Universe to care if they got rebooted or not. I can see both negatives and positive things about a potential hard reboot so I’m wondering where the CBR community stands on the idea of Gunn recasting/rebooting everyone.

[bat39]

The only thing I'd feel bad about is Henry Cavill's Superman being wiped out. As the 10th anniversary of MOS approaches, I feel increasingly more nostalgic for that film. Don't get me wrong, I love and respect Donner's Superman (though my Superman is better represented in STAS and Post-COIE comics), but MOS was my Superman movie - the one which resonated with me the most as a DC fan and got me to care for Superman as a character and person, and not just a brand or an icon. I swear to God I almost teared up in the scene where Superman returns to battle Steppenwolf in Zack Snyder's JL!

So yeah, I'd feel sad about that iteration of Superman being wiped from existence in the DCEU. And to a lesser extent, I'd feel sad about Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman not getting her last hurrah. I like Ben Affleck's Batman but he's not my favorite take on the character. I suppose I have a bit of nostalgia for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but that's mainly because she was around a lot.

The DCEU lasted through my twenties, so I'll always cherish it in some way, but mostly for what it could have been. MOS and Cavill's Superman in general are the only things I'll really feel a sense of loss over. And if, 5-10 years from now, Cavill's Superman pops out of a multiversal portal Spider-Man: NWH-style, my cheers will be the loudest in the theatre

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I'd feel bad about Cavill leaving the Witcher for Superman. But I'd be fine. I got used to the idea after the Snydercut hullabaloo.

[superduperman]

I think it kind of needs it. At the risk of sounding ageist, I think Snyder's desire to do DKR kind of clouded his judgement when it came to hiring Batman. I want most of them around the same age. We're nearly a decade out from MOS and there's no real sequel on the horizon. Marvel had something like two dozen movies by now. DC has maybe half a dozen? And it's not clear what "counts" and what doesn't anymore. Batman has his own universe that has no connection to the other movies? And a Joker movie that's the same way? If they weren't trying to build a shared universe, that might be fine. But supposedly that's not what they want.

[MajorHoy]

On a positive note, it would be an excellent reason / excuse to shed itself of Ezra Miller . . .

[Riv86672]

I mean, as comics fans we should all be used to DC rebooting itself every few years.

[bat39]

I think it kind of needs it. At the risk of sounding ageist, I think Snyder's desire to do DKR kind of clouded his judgement when it came to hiring Batman. I want most of them around the same age. We're nearly a decade out from MOS and there's no real sequel on the horizon. Marvel had something like two dozen movies by now. DC has maybe half a dozen? And it's not clear what "counts" and what doesn't anymore. Batman has his own universe that has no connection to the other movies? And a Joker movie that's the same way? If they weren't trying to build a shared universe, that might be fine. But supposedly that's not what they want.

Yeah, I get what you mean. But I think things would have been different had we gotten to see his original vision play out. I have no problem with a 40-something Batman and exploring that world...we just never got a chance to.

The lack of an MOS sequel is a real shame. Superman got sacrificed at the altar of a shared universe that ultimately didn't quiet materialize the way it was supposed to.

As for what ''counts'' and doesn't...well the Reeves Batman movie and Joker were products of Hamada's Multiverse approach and were very explicitly meant to be ''out of continuity''. No problems with that - this approach produced two of the best comic-book related movies of all time in my book! The problem is what counts, or doesn't, in the DCEU itself - notionally MOS, Gunn's The Suicide Squad, Black Adam and Wonder Woman '84 all exist in the same universe but tonally, and to an extent continuity-wise, its hard to picture them all together. Is a particular film or filmmaker following on from Whedon's JL or Snyder's JL? Hell, until Henry Cavill returned in Black Adam it wasn't even clear who Superman was in this universe - Gunn himself didn't know which version of Superman it was that Bloodsport shot!

[bat22]

I strongly disliked MoS but I do like Henry Cavill and feel he should have had another Superman movie under different management.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Care? I'm rooting for it for years. Snyder's taka doesn't support a shared universe.

[blunt_eastwood]

Reboot it.

The foundations of Snyder's DCEU didn't make for an ongoing universe. He seemed to have a set storyline he wanted to tell and then that was it.

Additionally, the insistence on making the heroes gritter, while understandable, just didn't work. If you watch Man of Steel, the tone wildly clashes with the movies that would come later as part of that same universe.

Model the rebooted universe on the Post-Crisis DC or DCAU. And skip the origin stories. These characters are iconic enough that we don't need them. Do something like the first JL arc of the New 52 where the established heroes meet for the first time and take on a major threat. That will set the tone and introduce everyone.

It's a shame to lose Cavil's Superman, but people will get over it the same way they did going from Brandon Routh to Henry Cavil.

[BlackClaw]

At this point I’d say yes, though I’d personally port over some of the newcomers like Blue Beetle, Shazam, and the JSA as I think it would be unfair to kick the actors to the curb when they just got here. But man it would really suck for Henry Cavill though, I really want to see him finally play a traditional Superman.

[Gaius]

At this point no not really. I'd only see a DC movie if was something that both got good reviews and was something I'd be interested in, which is pretty small at this point honestly. Current or reboot, it doesn't matter.

[Guy_McNichts]

Mixed feelings.

My biggest disappointment is we wouldn't/won't get a third Gadot Wonder Woman. I would've liked to see her trilogy gets closed before they start rebooting and recasting and ideally end her run on a high note. As it is, aside from cameos in Flash and Shazam 2, the last we'll see of her is WW84 and Snyder's Justice League. And that's pretty depressing.
But, as much as I liked Gadot's Diana, I didn't agree with some of the choices they made with her character. A reboot would offer a chance to see alternative decisions. Of course, they could just as easily screw her up worse. That would depend on one's faith in Warner...which I have none.

Aside from that, I don't really care all that much, as there isn't much in the DCEU as is that I'm attached to. Mamoa's a fun Aquaman, and I liked Huntress & Black Canary. But I'm indifferent to Cavill's Superman. No interest in Affleck's Batman. I like Margot Robbie, but I can't stand Harley Quinn. I never liked Ezra Miller's Flash. Crap Lex Luthor. Crap Joker. They bungled Cassandra Cain. Overall, the DCEU just had a poor foundation for a universe from the start. There's little worth holding onto.
But a reboot isn't going to necessarily change my opinion on a lot these things. I'll hate Harley no matter who they cast. I'm done with Batman. And I'd be shocked if we ever see Huntress or Cassandra ever again. So I'm breaking even there.

The thing is I'm also not looking forward to another shared DC universe. Personally, I think most of these characters are better off on their own. So I can't say I'm enthusiastic about starting over just so we can get another shitty Justice League movie.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Care? I'm rooting for it for years. Snyder's taka doesn't support a shared universe.

I disagree about that. Outside of the Darkseid plot, they would've adjusted the league to fit other directors. Same way that they changed their minds about WW being incognito after Steve's death. So if Aquaman and Flash happened in between BvS and the League they would've followed suit.

Batfleck is set up for a redemption story while Cuborg and Aquaman work as pseudo replacements for Superman.

[Digifiend]

They botched it from the start, honestly. Green Lantern was a flop, so Man of Steel became the first DCEU film and GL was missing from Justice League. They also did JL too soon. Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman should've had their movies first (Cyborg could've debuted in The Flash like how Black Widow debuted in Iron Man 2 and Hawkeye in Thor). Establish the individual characters before doing the team film. That's how Marvel handled Avengers.

So reboot, and follow Marvel's successful model, and maybe they'll become as successful as the Marvel Studios films. The Shazam franchise can be kept separate.