Warner Brothers and DC Comics‘ quest to form a viable cinematic universe over the past few years hasn’t exactly been a smooth road. Starting with Man of Steel in 2013—which officially began the DC Cinematic universe (and not the “DC Extended Universe,” as we’ve recently learned)—the films have a much grittier, darker tone than the massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. So much so that even Superman himself, Henry Cavill, is admitting as much in a new interview.
In an interview with The Rake, Cavill said the following about where things started with the DC films, and where they’re going now, post- Wonder Woman:
“Even if Marvel didn’t exist, we’d struggle. There was a style they [DC] were going for, an attempt to be different and look at things from a slightly different perspective, which hasn’t necessarily worked. Yes, it has made money but it has not been a critical success; it hasn’t given everyone that sensation which superheroes should give the viewer. I feel like now the right mistakes have been made and they haven’t been pandered [to], and we can start telling the stories in the way they need to be told. It is even better to come back from a mistake or stylistic error into the correct vein because it will make it seem that much stronger. Wonder Woman was the first step in the right direction.”
While I personally really like Man of Steel, I’d be lying if I didn’t think Zack Snyder’s film made its share of wrongheaded decisions. Unfortunately, WB doubled down on those choices for Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, only making matters worse. Having this admission from the man who plays DC Comics’ flagship character is a pretty big deal, and hopefully means great things moving forward for DC Films.
The need to make a drastically different tone for DC movies over Marvel movies was always wrong headed, in my opinion. While DC and Marvel Comics may have started in very different places with their approach to superheroes, the truth is, the past 40 years of superhero storytelling from both companies has been very similar, with only minor differences left. The movies should absolutely reflect that.
What do you think of Henry Cavill’s comments? Do you think it’s not too late to make DC a cinematic universe capable of competing with Marvel? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.
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Images: Warner Brothers
