Open Forum Friday: Should All Upcoming DC Comic Book Movies Exist in a Single Universe?

Posted by on January 7th, 2011   Filed under: Open Forum Friday

Over the past few years, Warner Brothers and DC Comics have been missing out on some big opportunities with their various comic book movie franchises. Aside from Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, they’ve had a lot of trouble getting any other marquee superheroes up on the big screen, while at the same time Marvel is continuing to rake in crazy amounts of cash on their second and even third-string characters. It’s clear that the WB needs to adapt and learn from what Marvel has done, and one of the keys to Marvel’s success thus far has been integrating all of their movies into a single continuity. But is this something that can and should be done for DC Universe?

As we all know, there is a new Superman movie in development with Zack Snyder directing, and in a recent interview with producer Charles Roven, he revealed that there are currently no plans for any sort of crossover between the Superman and Batman franchises: “That may be in somebody’s mind but right now the Batman lives in his world and the Superman lives in his world. Those stories are those stories and we haven’t thought beyond each individual picture.” Clearly there is a possibility for it in the future, but they don’t seem to be placing much importance on it, and they certainly don’t seem to be setting things up for an eventual Justice League team-up. I think for the most part this is preferable, as people seem to be getting tired of all the cross-pollination in the Marvel films. It only seems like an advantage when you’re trying to promote standalone movies for lesser-known characters. However, on the other hand, I know comic book fans get a kick out of having multiple characters overlap and storylines intertwine.

What do you think? Should Warner Brothers be thinking about a single consistent universe for their comic book movie franchises? Would you like to see Superman and Batman together on screen together, or are they better off on their own? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.



  • Darrell taylor

    I think it would be better for the movie franchises to be in z more connected universe as opposed to it all being separate. I think being able to have cameo appearances of other superheroes is more appealing to more movie goerrs

  • Colin

    You will lose any A-List director you approach if you tie them to a single universe. Seems like a bad idea to me, but I don’t care very much for comic book movies in the first place.

  • Captain N

    I think the solo hero films shouldn’t even mention it, period. These films do not need to elaborate rather or not these characters co-exist in the same universe. This way you can keep the solo films focused on those particular characters and stories, and if you’d like, eventually do a Justice League film or a cross over of some kind.

    WB does not need to follow Marvels lead to allow these characters to co-exist in the same universe. While watching Batman Begins I never sat around thinking the only way I’d believe Superman existing in this universe is if he had a cameo. I just assumed he does or eventually will.

  • Cy-Ed

    I’m happy with the idea that a larger universe exists within these movies even if we don’t get to see it. I still remember a line in Batman Forever where Val Kilmer offhandedly mentions something about the city of Metropolis and that was enough for me to know that there’s a rubber clad Superman somewhere in that fucked up Joel Schumacher world and I am in no rush to see rubber nipples on Superman.

  • Crossovers are lame. No thanks.

  • J.G.

    Why wouldn’t anyone want to see a movie with Batman and Superman duking it out? I’m not talking about Nolan’s Batman of the 70s Superman but versions invented just for a movie, I mean they’ve done cartoons like that and no one’s head exploded about how a guy in a cape could exist in a universe with some other guy in a cape. I say after Nolan’s 3rd Batman and this new Superman movie they should try it. It could be fun.

  • Xidor

    Marvel has a leg up on their universe. I would like to see Batman/Superman w/ some other Justice league characters thrown in and filmed as trilogy like lord of the rings.

  • Maopheus

    I didn’t even like how there was a brief reference to Superman in Batman: Year One. I thought it was kind of unnecessary. I have always that Batman and Superman always put up the best argument over whether you should have a single universe or not. In a world where Superman exists, it seems kind of stupid for some guy with no powers at all to be considered a credible crime fighter. Plus the tone and look of the different titles makes it hard to blend them together. However when John Byrne redid Superman I really liked how he did the inevitable Superman-Batman meeting. They were antagonistic, and only reluctantly working together to solve a crime. Even at the end, they disagreed over the other’s motivations and methods. I don’t want a world where Superman and Batman are buddy-buddy. I think it kind of diminishes both characters. These supergroup concepts are always tricky affairs, just like in rock music. Does the whole that is created end up being bigger than the sum of its parts, or is each part somehow diminished? For example, we know Iron Man will be in the Avengers. This makes a solo Iron Man 3 movie somewhat diminished in my eyes. The filmmakers have to manufacture reasons why the Avengers cannot come and help out Iron Man in his own movie.
    I suppose the main difference is if the group and its members are created at the same time (i.e. X-Men) versus a group that is formed after the introduction of its individual members (Avengers, Justice League).

  • TheAllKnowingGod

    Having Batman and Superman in the same universe is the most fucking retarded things ever. Even in the comics.

  • rob

    people who dont read comic books and whose exposure and interest in super heroes only goes as far as the films do no know that many of these characters cohabit the same world.

    Im sure many people dont appreciate this as everyone in their circle of friends know but im sure most people who see the films wouldnt know there are barely any links if any in most films

  • Rick

    some of the best most entertaining stories (not to mention the most successful) to come from DC are teh Batman Super man cross overs. It’s great because they are made to play off each other. bat’s is dark, superman is light. one is positive, one is negative. one is pussy, and batman is a bad ass. and even though they disagree with each other’s methods there is a closeness that ties them together. I think you’d be missng out on huge ammounts of money if you don’t cross over the two. but we know there will be a Justice Leauge movie. SO i’m not to worried about it.

  • Mike

    agree with kasper

  • Hugh

    The Superman/ Batman dynamic is always good.

    I am not a total stickler for continuity though as the most important elements are the storyline and the perspective that is offered on the main character.

    There have been lots of unconventional and interesting takes on characters such as Superman that exist only in their own universes. A good example of this is Superman : Red Son.

  • scott

    Bottom line it’s about money. Marvel knows (as does FOX and Sony) that their characters can make a profit. They know and trust the material enough to know that concepts as varied as Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Ironman or Blade will bring in the cash. Now they want to link several together, bouncing concepts off each other and making money from stars like Robert Downey Jr and Sam Jackson in multiple movies. I think it’s great. We don’t know what Chris Evan’s Captain America is like but we know it will be fun to see Downey’s Ironman deal with him.

    Warner’s Brothers doesn’t trust their DC Comics material the same way. If they did, we’d have seen it by now. Marvel has put out X-Men and Fantastic Four with FOX, Spider-man with Sony and Ironman with their own studio. Warner’s never tried Wonder Woman or Flash on the big screen. They didn’t try anything new from their main line or even Vertigo. They keep doing Batman and Superman. Now we finally have a Green Lantern movie and maybe they’re start to trust the material but time and sales will tell.

    Once Thor, Captain America and Avengers all make money, they’ll either ignore it like they did when X-Men and Spider-man made money, or they’ll adapt. They lack the ability to plan ahead and see how to make the cash at the same time.

    Marvel is bringing the Avengers and they will do very well with it. Sure, Spider-man, three of the Fantastic Four and two X-Men have been Avengers, but they’re not known for that. In fact John Q Public doesn’t know most of the Avengers. They’ve never heard of the team. Marvel is introducing the public to Ironman, Cap America and Thor and the public is eating them alive with their cash.

    Warner Brothers has a bigger name with the Justice League. If you surveyed a large cross section of people, most would recognize Wonder Woman and maybe even Flash and Green Lantern (they will know GL after this year at least). They know Aquaman too, even if it is as a joke. Captain Marvel and Plastic Man (not known for their League membership) also are known by quite a few non-comic fans. If Warners trusted the material, if they’d trusted it when Marvel raked in the cash with X-Men, Spider-man or even Ironman, most these characters could’ve been out by now.

    Ok, The Dark Knight was “all that and a bag of chips”. But Batman isn’t their only hero. Spider-Man did very well, too, but that’s not the only property. I do realize the Losers and RED were DC Comics, too. But Marvel has their Punisher and Blade movies as well.

    The point? Until WB trusts and red lights multiple projects, until they trust their properties and the material, they will continue to lose money while Marvel releases more characters, cross-pollinates them into several movies and makes all the cash.

  • Phil

    The difference is that Marvel’s characters have equivalent force and powers; you can have Captain America fight Dr. Octopus and Spider-Man fight the Red Skull and it works…

    However, what problem does Batman encounter that Superman could not solve, at least when it comes to combat?

    Also, which one of Superman’s enemies would not flatten Batman?

    The power balance is just too different, it’s a differnet universe for Superman and Batman

  • Kyle

    Phil, how many Superman villains can you name?

    Batman could take every Supes villain from Bizarro to Toyman, from Parasite to the Cyborg.

    Luthor, Braniac, Zod and Doomsday would be a challenge and I agree, they stand a chance of winning, but sometimes the match isn’t just power, but skill and brains.

    Superman and Batman have been in the same universe, working off each other since the 1940’s. It’s already fact. Just do the research.

    It’s all in the writing. If you have a creative writer, anything could happen and be done well.

  • tony

    Ok am I only one who read batmans hush. They do exist in same universe and it works. They have comics together and animated movies. Why not live movies too. I know I’m not the only one who loved seeing the batman superman movie logo in I am legend

  • Nico

    -We have a Superman movie coming
    -A third Batman
    -Green Lantern
    -Wasn’t there a possible Wonder Woman?

    All we need is a Flash movie, and I’m pretty sure some writer or producer will be all over a Justice League movie.

  • Triple6

    Well Dc should do three things in my opinion

    Make an animated movie of Goku vs Superman
    Live action movie of batman and superman
    Annnnnnnd dont fuck em up :) lol.

  • jack

    LMAO at the idiot who said Zod and Doomsday would be a “Challenge” for Batman. He was a challenge for fucking SUPERMAN, you know, the guy with the highest power attributes.

    They would fuck up Batman like I eat a side of nachos at shitty taco bell.

  • Kyle

    I think it would be a little strange if batman and superman both appear in a movie.

  • Neil

    As much as I would like to see a crossover I don’t think it would work.