The First DC FanDome Was Two Years Ago Today

The pop culture space has evolved in some unique ways over the past few years, with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way that audiences can engage with media that they love. A number of conventions moved all or part of their programming online, with the trend also seeing the launch of new virtual conventions — including DC FanDome. The eight-hour livestream event, which set out to celebrate the newest upcoming DC movies, TV shows, video games, comics, and more, kicked off exactly two years ago on August 22nd, 2020. In the process, the event provided an interesting snapshot of what the DC world could be capable of — one that has only taken on a whole other meaning as of late.

Anchored around a series of virtual panels, FanDome spotlighted the casts and crews of Warner Bros' forthcoming DC films, giving fans a new trailer and virtual panel for Wonder Woman 1984, a tease of the plot of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the reveal of the title of Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, the first look at concept art for The Flash movie, a cinematic sizzle reel for Black Adam, a cast reveal and behind-the-scenes featurette for The Suicide Squad, and highly-anticipated trailers for Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Batman. The event provided updates for a trio of TV shows, first look trailers for both Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and comics from across the publisher's imprints.

At the time, DC FanDome was one-of-a-kind — and it proved to pay off, with the livestream itself had generated 22 million global viewers, and trailers from the event earning a combined 150 million views. In the months that followed, a version of the magic was recaptured with a  "DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse" on-demand event that following September, a virtual premiere for Wonder Woman 1984, and a 2021 FanDome. The October 2021 event brought more ways to livestream and a slew of new trailers and first looks for highly-anticipated projects like Black Adam, The Flash, The Batman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Peacemaker, The Sandman, Batman: Caped Crusader, and Young Justice: Phantoms. It ultimately exceeded previous expectations, tripling its audience with a total of 66 million global viewers.

So, on the two-year anniversary of DC FanDome, what does this year have in store? The recent Warner Bros. Discovery merger put DC under a new parent company — and has resulted in some headline-making decisions in recent months, as the company works to cut a reported $3 billion from its budget. Perhaps the most shocking was the scrapping of the Batgirl HBO Max movie, which had already completed production and was on track to be released. This decision has led many to worry about the future of other projects in the DC pipeline, from planned theatrical projects like Blue Beetle to in-development projects like Black Canary and Static Shock. The fate of the upcoming The Flash movie has also become nebulous, following the real-life legal controversy surrounding star Ezra Miller. Over on the television side, The CW's crop of DC shows have largely been met with cancellations or final season announcements, and many of HBO Max's established DC shows have currently-uncertain futures, with even the already-released Aquaman: King of Atlantis exclusive series being removed from the platform entirely. (As this article was being written, it was confirmed that the Batman: Caped Crusader animated series will not be moving forward at the streamer, and will be shopped to other platforms.)

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav has indicated that the studio sees DC projects as a priority, and is working on a ten-year plan for what the future holds. But amid recent headlines, and with no DC FanDome event confirmed for 2022 so far, we might have to wait a while longer for the opportunity to celebrate that future in a similar way.