DC - Whats going on there?

 As some of you may have seen; DC held their own mini Comic-con last weekend, showcasing a wide variety of new projects ranging from live action blockbusters to animated adaptions to two ( yes TWO !! ) next generation video games. However what I want to talk about is the upcoming movies they have announced. Over the weekend we got two trailers for Wonder Woman 1984 and Zac Snyder's Justice League, a teaser for The Batman, a look into The Suicide Squad and a conformation intro that Black Adam is still happening in the not too distant future. I want to talk about all these individually in this post, and also what this means for the ongoing DC cinematic universe.

The Batman

My personal favorite reveal from the event, we got the first reveal of Matt Reeves' the Batman, which looks amazing might I add! I love this new gothic take on the character - delving mroe into dark and gritty crimes with real detective work and a feeling not too dissimilar to David Finchers Se7en. My inital thoughts on the villain were that it was Hush - a yet unused villain in the films however on further reveal in the trailer it could be the Riddler? I'm not totally conviced by this in that one: it would be great to hide this character til release and two it just looks more like Hush. We also get the first look at Catwoman played by Zoe Kravitz which looks very nice, and The Penguin played by Collin Farrell ( which in all fairness I didnt actually see - got it from Mr Sunday Movies Video on the Batman Trailer - check it out for much more detail ). It looks like it could be a 15 rated movie ( or R for our American readers ) simply from the brutality in the fighting style - no remorese or holding back, he simply bludgens a criminal to a pulp, which indicates this is not a childrens movie to me. finally lets get to the stand out - Robert Pattinson. Suit: Great. Wayne: Great. Wayne in Suit but no Cowl: simply sublime. I love his look his Wayne voice, his car, his cave, everything. It gives me so much confidence in this movie only multiplied by the brillaint new logo.

left to right:  Under the mask, Is that you Riddler?, Caped Crusader on the scene

Justice League - The Snyder Cut

Well - its happening. After mixed to bad recpetion on Justice League, fan rage has brought us the old cut of the film from the original shoots creating Zac Snyders true vision. from the trailer we got a btter look at big badie Darkseid - who looks ok I guess? its not the best but at least the Steppenwolf design is so much better than before - actually having texture and life. We get a good look at black suit Superman - a more true take on the ressurection of Superman - as well as a lot of other unseen footage compared to the last film. Am I exctied? Yes, in all honesty I was excited for the orignal cut and feel like there is a lot of improvement that can be made. This is the true sequel to Batman V Superman, which wether you hate or love it you can certainly admit it set up intersting themes which will explored here. It will go straight to HBO max which will mean you don't have to rush to cinemas again and will hopefully easily accessable from home.

left to right: Darkseid is here, less silly red filters, BvS Steppenwolf - Snyders vision

Wonder Woman 1984

In all honesty - I dont have much to say about this one. I think it's a pretty solid trailer - looks like a great sequel to the last one. Kristen Wigg looks amazing as Cheetah in human form, however I am less sold on the big CGI Cheetah. Maxwell Lord - less of him in this trailer, however Pedro Pascal looks great as the big bad of the film, the behind the scenes villain much like in previous DC films. I think Tonally it should work really well - Patty Jenkins is a brillaint director and I'm confident it will be a good watch.

left to right: Kristen Wigg as Cheetah, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord

The Suicide Sqaud

The last big reveal I want to discuss is James Gunn's the Suicide Squad. We got two looks into this, one that introduces new and returning characters of the film, the other shows an insight to the producion of the film. Gunn has said this is his biggest movie so far and , unlike David Ayer, has been given free reign to create his vision for the film. This looks........... Great! we have a load of new unknown characters to mainstream audeinces, and new desings of previous characters that not only look more comic accurate but they look so much better and more engaging. The tone fo this film is a 70's war movie combined with James Gunns comedy style, which sounds enticing for sure. We get a look at the new Harley Quinn design which looks like the best one so far - as well as a look at Idris Elabs Bloodsport, John Cenas Peacemaker and Peter Capaldis Thinker. Overall it looks bright and comical and the right direction for these characters and boy am is it intersting. 

left to right: John Cena as peacemaker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Idris Elbas as Bloodsport The Squad back together

What this all means for the Cinematic Universe :

Its no doubt that marvel are certainly more comprehensive in their cinematic creation, with DC struggling to find a decent footing for what they are doing until recently. With the new Batman arriving, a new take on the Suicide Squad and a new timeline for the Justice League the question can be raised to what an earth actually happens in this universe. The answer: A Multiverse. Fan of the comic will be well aware of this concept but for those unaware what it basically means all these characters and takes of these stories can exist in the same continuity but in different timelines or dimensions. This isn't just some wild speculation from fans, nor should it be a " you're getting that idea from Doctor Strange! ", there are a lot of points, some which have only come alight more recently that suggests this is what they are doing.

1. The Arrowverse - Fans of the CW shows will be well aware that this concept already exists in that universe, where in some of the latest seasons of each of the shows they chose to crossover and bring back fan favourites such as the animated Batman actor and the 2006 take on Superman. The concept heavily exists not just in the comics but DC are willing to use it on screen, but that's not all that points to this use.

2. In the same show ( The Flash in particular ) we get a glimpse of Ezra Millers Flash from the justice league film meeting the shows own Grant Gustin, meaning that, yes, each exist in the same continuity. This ties the shows use of the multiverse to the films now, meaning that DC are most likely setting up for much more use in the future, which is shown in......

3. Just this month we have had confirmation that in the Flash movie Ben Affleck will return as Batman alongside Michael Keaton as the 1989 Batman, showing again that the movies aren't just sprinkling this tuff onto the fans, they intend to use what they've shown, and we can expect alot more dimensional things in the Flash Movie

What does this mean? Well first off it means that all you're favourite DC properties can exist at the same time, meaning Snyder's Cut and the original can both have happened, however which turns out to be the true timeline will be a mystery until its release. It also means that in the future you could have an Endgame styled fight but with characters from across different DC properties which would certainly excite fans. 

Overall - good show from DC, they seem to be learning from their mistakes of the past and I for one am looking forward to everything they have shown. If you have enjoyed reading this please do comment what your thoughts on the properties are and please do share this article with those who would also enjoy it.

All images subject and copyright to DC and Warner Bros. pictures. I do not own these images.