The DCEU Has “Nothing” To Change About Its Characters

The DC Extended Universe is still in its beginning stages, but its characters are already taking shape. Recently, Wonder Woman received one well-rounded look into her characterization when the icon saw her first live-action standalone hit theaters. The film was praised for its optimistic take, a note that pushed back on criticisms of Batman and Superman. Fans have wondered if the DCEU will try to walk back on its grittier character takes, but it seems DC isn’t interested in doing such a thing.

Recently, the co-heads of Warner Brothers’ DC Films division opened up about the future of the DCEU. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg spoke with Variety about the franchise’s current setup, and Johns stressed none of its characters needed to change.

“‘Wonder Woman’ celebrated exactly who the character is, but looking at it, it’s not like we should change everything to be about hope and optimism,” the executive explained.
“There’s nothing to change. That’s what these characters are.”

In the past, Johns did say the DCEU needed to have characters with “heart, humor, hope, heroics, and optimism” at their core. Critics struggled to see how Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent fully represented those virtues during their time in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the pair have room to grow. Wonder Woman’s presence in the Justice League will push them to reevaluate their own world-views moving forward but also show fans how they instinctively approach heroics. Batman has never been known for his light-hearted optimism, and Superman has struggled to understand his almost godlike powers.

As the DCEU moves forward, each of its key characters will be asked to evaluate why they became heroes. Wonder Woman was born to be a savior, and the princess learned the downside to such a title in her standalone feature. Justice League will continue the grounded exploration of the DCEU’s biggest heroes, and fans just need to give the franchise enough space to do just that.

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and is written by Allan Heinberg, Geoff Johns, and Zack Snyder. The film stars Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Robin Wright (General Antiope), Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta), David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis (Etta Candy), Danny Huston, Ewen Bremmer, Doutzen Kroes, Samantha Jo (Euboea), Florence Kasumba (Senator Acantha), Said Taghmaoui, Eleanor Matsuura (Epione), Emily Carey (Young Diana), and Lisa Loven Kongsli (Menalippe).

Wonder Woman is in theaters now, followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash, The Batman, Dark Universe and Man of Steel 2 are currently without a release dates.

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