The DC Universe is in peril after Supergirl’s failure. To right the ship, DC must admit that the 10-year plan is built on broken promises and start taking action to fix it.
When Warner Bros. brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to revamp DC, it was seen as an upgrade from the previous regime. Gunn and Safran touted a 10-year plan of movies and TV shows to build an interconnected universe. On paper, it was DC’s answer to the MCU.
The first movie under this new regime was 2025’s Superman. Directed by Gunn, Superman received mostly positive reviews and grossed a respectable $618 million worldwide. Overall, it was a good start.
Then, disaster struck with Supergirl, the second movie in the DCU. Released this past June, Supergirl was rejected by many fans and critics. The movie is a massive box office flop, grossing $126 million on a rumored budget north of $170 million.
On Warner Bros. Discovery‘s most recent earnings call, CEO David Zaslav noticeably did not address Supergirl’s failure, nor did he mention DC’s 10-year plan. Instead, he hyped up two projects: Man of Tomorrow and The Batman: Part II. Zaslav’s silence about the future of the DCU speaks volumes. So far, the new DC has been all bark and no bite.
The DCU can’t keep running on hype
In January 2023, Gunn and Safran held a press conference to announce the first slate of DC projects in development. Movies mentioned included Superman, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl, and Swamp Thing.
Two of those movies, Superman and Supergirl, came to fruition. The Brave and the Bold has been in limbo as DC decides whether to introduce another Batman in addition to Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader. There has been no movement on James Mangold’s Swamp Thing, and The Authority movie is no longer in active development.
During that same press conference, Gunn and Safran spoke about Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold. Creature Commandos Season 1 aired in 2024, while Lanterns finally premieres on August 16. However, Waller has been delayed, Paradise Lost has no updates, and Booster Gold won’t be moving forward.
If you’ve been counting, four of 10 projects have materialized. That is not a good hit rate for a studio trying to become an MCU competitor.
At this point, why would fans believe any project is coming out? Unless cameras start rolling, take everything with a grain of salt. There is nothing on the movie front besides Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, and Batman: Part II. For television, no show has been dated past Lanterns.
Relying on hype to hold fans over is over. Now, it’s time to deliver. Cast actors in projects and put release windows on movies and TV shows. If not, don’t even bother announcing them.
