The New DC Universe Slate Is Weird As Heck, And That's For The Best
When you think of DC Comics, what comes to mind? Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, perhaps Aquaman or The Flash. That's to be expected, as they are largely considered the marquee characters of the brand. You probably wouldn't put characters like Booster Gold, G.I. Robot, or arguably even Swamp Thing next to them, if you even know who they are.
However, as we have learned from the newly-announced DC Universe slate, both classic and overlooked characters will be getting their time to shine on-screen. Co-CEOs and co-heads of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, seem eager to explore the weirder side of the esteemed comic property with these new titles. Among the newly-revealed projects in development are a "Swamp Thing" feature film, a movie centering around the anti-hero team The Authority, and an animated series focusing on the Creature Commandos. Even legacy characters are getting a new spin, with Green Lantern Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart getting a "True Detective"-styled show called "Lanterns" and Wonder Woman receiving a prequel series called "Paradise Lost."
It would be easy to write off these projects as being too strange for general audiences, but that might not be the case. Rather, the DC Universe can distinguish itself from its Marvel counterpart by truly embracing the unique weirdness of comic book storytelling.
In order to survive, you must take risks
When looking at the upcoming slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, you might find a lot of the same names repeated over and over. Furthermore, the same storylines are arguably being represented to audiences in different packages. Instead of Thanos trying to conquer the galaxy, we'll have Kang trying to conquer the multiverse. It's getting repetitive and predictable, and it's possible no amount of so-called fresh voices behind the camera will be able to change this.
These new titles being produced for DC, however, are far from repetitive and predictable. We're sure that The Authority wasn't anywhere on your DCU bingo cards, and that's exciting. From the sounds of it, audiences aren't going to be watching the same movie with the same characters over and over again. We can't say any of this for certain, as so many details on these projects are being kept under lock and key. However, the current DCU slate really does seem to be honing in on how strange, weird, and unpredictable comic books can be.
By trying to distance themselves from their inherently weird origins, many post-"Endgame" comic book movies have become indistinguishable from each other. Writers and directors shouldn't be ashamed of these comic books, so the idea that DC Studios is embracing these different characters and stories moving forward could finally make them a force for Marvel to reckon with. All of this is to say that it's a really, really good time to be a Swamp Thing fan.