To say that the DCEU is in trouble would be the understatement of the century. Warner Bros. jumpstarted a franchise that was too young to carry over its shoulder the immense weight of the DC Universe. DC has so many characters and with such depth, it could put Marvel to shame.
Yet it was not the movies but the Studio itself that spelled the franchise its doom. Constant meddling and interference led by last-minute changes to already perfect cuts of the DCEU movies led to worldwide ridicule of the DCEU movies.
Man of Steel provided a decent start to DCEU and fans were on board with the cinematic universe but the movies that followed up were rushed, had bad CGI and were shoddily directed that it dashed the hopes and expectations of DC fans. Suicide Squad was much hyped but it fell totally flat except strong performances by Will Smith (Deadshot) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was supposed to be game-changer as it brought two of the biggest DC superheroes up against each other, but the movie ended up faltering at the box office.
The only exception in the DC’s slate of movies is Wonder Woman which smashed not just the box office but glass ceiling as well. It is the highest grossing DCEU movie till date and when everything is said and done, it could well enter into the Billion dollar club. The movie broke the losing streak of DCEU and showed the fans and studio what they can accomplish if they just give autonomy to a talented director. It was directed by Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman. This power duo is coming back for a sequel.
And then came Justice League, WB’s most ambitious project which was expected to mark the phase 1 of DCEU and set the stage for individual spin-offs. But alas it bit the dust prematurely. It picked up the pieces of Batman v Superman where we saw Superman died in the end, but the events awakened a monster named Steppenwolf. Bruce Wayne and Diana built an elite team of superheroes comprising of Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg to take on the larger threat to humanity and save the planet. Steppenwolf is the military general of Darkseid whose mission is to collect Apokoliptian motherboxes and restore dark order. But despite a stellar cast and Snyder’s script, the movie fell way short of the massive hype. This was a deathly blow to DCEU and its future.
But wait!! Not everything is just smoke and mirrors in the superhero world. An unlikely superhero could finally save the DCEU where even heavyweights like Batman and Superman failed. And this hero is someone whose name almost no one has ever heard.
Can you guess which DC Superhero are we talking about?
Since the DC Extended Universe is in big, big trouble, it needs a miracle to save itself from utter doom. That miracle could be in the form of a janitor from the future who comes back to the past to live the superhero life. That’s right folks. It is Booster Gold we are talking about. The unlikely ally that could save the DCEU also happens to be a pompous, self-absorbed, narcissistic superhero that comes clad with futuristic technology adorned in gold and blue along with a robot companion.
It has been a long-standing demand of DC fans to have a solo Booster Gold movie. In fact, in an Arrowverse show ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ when the show-runners teased in season’s finale “a beloved superhero from the DC canon” boasting of “a mysterious past and equally mysterious agenda”, fans of Booster Gold latched onto the news and started speculating that this could be the entry of a time-travelling athlete into the Arrowverse and maybe a solo movie is in the works. But it turned out to be Rex Tyler aka Hourman of the Justice Society of America played by Patrick J. Adams (of Suits fame).
With the failure of the Justice League to help Warner Bros. top the Box Office and open up new possibilities for the DCEU, it stands to reason to believe that there will be some downsizing by the higher-ups. Justice League was supposed to give rise to a whole new genre of DC Superhero movies. Since Justice League failed, most of the movie projects have been scrapped. Shazam, Flashpoint, Aquaman and Wonder Woman 2 are the only projects that escaped the axe. The rest of them all bore the brunt of it. So is the Booster Gold movie a go-go or has it too been shredded away??
Earlier the studio was planning a buddy cop movie with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold but Greg Berlanti recently revealed important details about the Booster Gold solo movie. The DCTV Producer shared some significant updates regarding the Booster Gold project, something that he had been attached to and working on for two years now.
According to him, since Warner Bros. has issued the DCEU to become a clean slate again, the Booster Gold movie is still trying to find its place in the DC Extended Universe. It’s still now confirmed if Booster Gold movie will be part of the larger DC cinematic universe.
The Superhero shared universe is already facing too many problems. The Booster Gold movie could finally help it alleviate some. And since the DCEU has been flattened out, Booster Gold could be the start of a new beginning for the shared universe.
A desperate change of pace is the need of the hour
Since Zack Snyder is no longer attached to the DCEU, Warner Bros. is free to redefine the shared universe as it pleases. Although most would say WB has a horrible track record of mismanagement when it comes to the DCEU, it could be a good thing too. Wonder Woman 2 and Shazam are being fast-tracked for a 2019 release. They are desperate for a change in how the audience perceives the DCEU.
Booster Gold is a story about a 25th-century man who travels back to the past along with his robot sidekick to live the ‘luxurious’ life of superheroes. He then realizes that being a hero is not about the fame and money but being able to tow the line when nobody else will. He then gives up on his dreams to become a true people’s hero. It is a fun, simple story that could be just what the DCEU needs right now.
Let Booster Gold and not Flashpoint change the DCEU
Since Flashpoint is a story arc that has been already done and dusted in The CW Arrowverse show – The Flash, the audience would be looking for something new and unexpected. Booster Gold could be the answer. He is a time traveler and also happens to have a personality similar to Ant-Man and Iron-Man. Not only would he be fun to watch on screen but also help explain the changes in continuity.
WB wants to erase BVS and Justice League out of existence. What better way to explain it than use a freaking time traveler to be the face of it all?!?!? Besides, Fox has already shown that multiple continuities under one banner could also work. The DCEU could go a similar route.
The DCEU needs to be decentralized
The first five years of the DCEU have been grueling. Trying to force characters into a shared universe without proper explanations doesn’t work. Booster Gold could help decentralize the DCEU in the same way Iron Man did to the MCU back in 2008.
We are not saying the DCEU must copy the MCU all the way as that would be absurd. But it needs to introduce the characters it wants to explore further in the future movies. Booster Gold doesn’t have to be DCEU’s Tony Stark. He just needs to give the banner a Kiss of Life.
Hoping for a great future for DCEU. CHEERS!
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