The Batman and Peacemaker Show the Potential of the Live-Action DC Multiverse

We're only a few months into the year, but we've been treated to some pretty buzzworthy installments within the world of superhero storytelling. In addition to countless comics, 2022 has already brought the launch of two wildly-different DC properties: the HBO Max television series Peacemaker, and the theatrical film The Batman. Both projects could not be more different in concept and execution — Peacemaker is a violent, foul-mouth action comedy that spins directly out of the events of The Suicide Squad and stars a largely-obscure antihero; while The Batman is a noir-fueled crime drama that is set in its own continuity and surrounds some of DC's most recognizable heroes and villains. Still, the two properties DC has released thus far this year have been illuminating in some surprisingly similar ways, particularly in showing how its multiverse of programming can turn into a truly successful franchise.

First and foremost, Peacemaker and The Batman set out to tell the best possible story for their respective characters, without trying to fit into the tone established by other existing properties. While DC had already been ahead of the curve with that mindset (for example, the neon-hued R-rated bonanza of Birds of Prey felt wildly different from the Amblin-inspired family adventure of Shazam!, and both felt leaps and bounds away from the gritty drama of the self-contained Joker movie), some fans had still regarded that as a bug instead of a feature, especially when compared to the crowd-pleasing cohesion of franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with both Peacemaker and The Batman, that distinct sensibility is taken to the most extreme extent — the former peppers its story with glam metal needle drops, NSFW jokes, and genre-bending action sequences; while the latter builds its tone around a lesser-known Nirvana track, gallows humor, and grimy rain-soaked set pieces. Those qualifiers not only stand out in the larger world of superhero adaptations, but they're rooted in a deep appreciation of the distinct ways their characters have been portrayed in the source material, with both Peacemaker creator James Gunn and The Batman director Matt Reeves citing countless comics as direct sources of inspiration. Like the G-rated and R-rated superhero comics that can be published within a single week of new releases, neither project is worried about fitting within the expectations of "a DC story" — and instead focuses on telling the strongest and most entertaining DC story that it can.

To do that, both Peacemaker and The Batman put their individual narrative, and the impact it has on their ensemble of characters, first and foremost, instead of operating as one cog in the machine of a larger universe. Larger stakes are established with each project, as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker (John Cena) and his cohorts have to vanquish the swarm of mind-controlling alien butterflies, and Bruce Wayne / Batman (Robert Pattinson) has to outsmart Edward Nashton / The Riddler (Paul Dano) before his twisted conspiracy literally destroys Gotham City. But at the heart of each story is a profound emotional beat, one that makes audiences feel rather acquainted with the characters after a short amount of time. In Peacemaker's case, that includes (but certainly isn't limited to) Smith processing the toxic masculinity and emotional trauma that have been the bedrock of his life, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) becoming more emotionally vulnerable with her new teammates, and even John Economos (Steve Agee) admitting to the insecurities at the heart of his facial hair choices. The Batman also packs satisfying emotional arcs into its three-hour runtime, with Bruce realizing he needs to operate as a hopeful symbol in Gotham City, Selina Kyle / Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) coming to terms with how the patriarchy of Gotham has impacted her life, and Riddler realizing his parasocial relationship with Batman isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Just based on the response to the two projects, those emotional beats have paid off, with audience members being invested in future installments to the point of eagerly awaiting the debut of The Batman's Penguin spinoff show, and speculating at length about when we might see Harcourt on screen again. The specifics of that hype would have seemed unheard of at the early days of the DC Extended Universe, but it's allowing the universe to ebb and flow with elements fans are resonating with, as opposed to defaulting on the most bankable or recognizable characters. It's something the franchise is already beginning to do across the board, between spinning a Black Canary film off of Birds of Prey, and using the platform of the upcoming Black Adam movie to turn characters like Atom Smasher and Cyclone into household names.

Both installments also take a unique approach to acknowledging larger DC canon that, while completely different in context, ultimately serves their respective stories incredibly well. Peacemaker is littered with homages to DC canon, whether in the form of absurd conspiracy theories Smith believes about other DC heroes, or in casual references to bizarre characters like Doll Man, Bat-Mite, and Matter-Eater Lad. But, given Peacemaker's low standing in the DC hierarchy, there is no expectation that those references will pay off in a significant way, something that only made the surprise cameo appearances from Jason Momoa's Aquaman, Ezra Miller's The Flash, and other members of the Justice League in the season finale all the more rewarding. The Batman, meanwhile, keeps its story incredibly self-contained to the Gotham Renewal conspiracy, and is too concerned with establishing its own "Batverse" to acknowledge other obvious DC pillars. Any potential Easter eggs or references that do pop up in the film, particularly allusions to Batman-related elements like Hush, Bane, or the city of Bludhaven, also aren't set up with any assumed payoff — but if they do get followed up on later on, that will surely only delight fans more.

These approaches feel decidedly more intentional when compared to the in-universe references that used to be DC's bread and butter (particularly at the height of The CW's Arrowverse of shows), which often manifested in wink-and-nod references with little to no narrative payoff, outside of making a comic-savvy viewer recreate the pointing Leonardo DiCaprio meme for a split second. Instead, these projects capture the experience of reading an individual issue of a comic, where you might recognize certain concepts being thrown around, but you're left with a comfortable ambiguity about where things will go next. You're also left feeling like you just experienced a complete narrative, as opposed to being surprised with a gratuitous tease for another adjacent installment in DC's release calendar. Peacemaker isn't going to have any significant indications of what to expect in other DCEU projects like Black Adam or The Flash, and The Batman barely lays the bedrock for its own possible sequel, much less anything beyond that.

Yes, the way that DC is operating its live-action franchises is vastly different from how Marvel has been melding its various films and television shows together for over a decade. And yes, it seems inevitable that we could eventually get another "Crisis"-style crossover event, with the various disparate parts of DC's movies and television shows crossing paths on screen in some capacity. But instead of needing that event to "fix" or "reset" the direction of the live-action canon, the recent track record of The Batman and Peacemaker prove that DC can craft its own roster of distinct, self-contained, and character-driven movies and television shows, not unlike the wide variety of titles available in a spinner rack of comics. If DC keeps up this track record (which, given its crop of upcoming projects, it very well could), it would establish a live-action superhero multiverse with no shortage of entertaining and accessible stories — and make the idea of any of them crossing over something that audiences truly have to see to believe.

The Batman is now playing exclusively in theaters. Season 1 of Peacemaker is now available to stream exclusively on HBO Max, with Season 2 arriving at a later date.