Superman has flown to the top of the box office in its opening weekend, and now there are a lot of questions about the future of the DC Universe franchise. James Gunn and DC Studios took a big swing with Superman, setting the film in a world where metahumans (i.e., superpowered people) have been around for hundreds of years, while Superman himself already has years of experience as the most powerful superhero in the world – but is far from being the only one. Superman makes it clear that the DCU has heroes who are operating by way of corporate sponsorship (The Justice Gang), some work in partnership with the US government (PlanetWatch) with some unfortunate freaks caught in between (Metamorpho), and a clear early hint that one hero definitely likes to keep to himself (Batman).
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However, as eagle-eyed DC fans noticed, Superman did make a clear Easter egg nod to the fact that Metropolis and Gotham City are indeed neighbors. Combined with some of the cryptic messaging coming from Gunn in regards to plans for Superman sequel, it’s now looking more and more like a World’s Finest movie teaming Superman with Batman is in the near future of the DCU.
SPOILERS: During the climatic third act of Superman, Lex Luthor finally sheds any semblance of restraint in his obsessive quest to destroy Superman. Lex uses his rogue portal technology to open a portal between Earth and his pocket dimension lair big enough to threaten all of Metropolis (and the world). Lex does it to create a threat big enough to draw Superman into the fray – and it works. It’s during the chaotic panic, where citizens of Metropolis are desperately trying to flee to safety, that one shot reveals traffic on the freeway heading out of town, with one off-ramp clearly marked as leading to Gotham City, the home of The Batman.
Don’t Hold Your Breath For Superman 2
Speaking with EW during Superman‘s press run, Gunn was somewhat demure when addressing whether or not Superman actor David Corenswet’s next appearance would be in a direct sequel. According to Gunn, “[…] Is it a straight-up Superman sequel? I would not say necessarily.”
There are only so many deviations that the DCU could take with Corenswet’s next Superman film (beyond brief cameos in other DCU projects). The two main choices are pretty much some sort of crossover event film (like World’s Finest) or a larger team-up film (like Justice League). The former option would seems like the obvious path of least resistance to major box office success; the only big hurdle would be getting people past the fact that the previous DC movie franchise walked a similar (and still infamous) path.
World’s Finest Wouldn’t Be Another Batman v Superman
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will likely remain the most divisive DC movie ever made (and one of the highest-grossing). However, Zack Snyder’s deep literature approach to Superman and Batman’s characters and their mythological signficance is not at all representative of what it typically looks like when Batman and Superman get together. In case it must be outright stated: having versions of Superman and Batman who are teaming up years into their respective careers is very different from the experience Snyder created in his film.
DC Comics has a long history of Batman/Superman team-up story arcs, which have evovled into full-fledged World’s Finest and/or Batman/Superman comic book series featuring both heroes working together, and having to navigate friendly tensions and deeper philosophical differences about crime and heroism. Gunn’s Superman is being compared to Superman: The Animated Series brought into live-action; that animated show had its own (beloved) World’s FInest crossover event with Batman: The Animated Series in 1997, which for many fans remains the blueprint on how to do the crossover right.
And in this specific case, the DCU World’s Finest movie would allow Gunn and Co. to accomplish several goals all at once. First, the film would put Corenswet’s Superman back in the spolight; now that we know the actor’s good-natured (goofy) take on the Man of Steel, we can see how that persona plays off of Batman’s, which is always the main allure of their teaming. Secondly, the team-up would be a clever backdoor introduction to the DCU Batman and the actor playing him. It would streamline the introduction process by skipping the origin and world-building elements and allowing fans to get to “know” DCU Batman (his similarities to, and differences from past versions) through the more intimate form of conversations and battles alongside Superman, as well as Bruce Wayne’s interactions with Clark Kent and Lois Lane – and Clark’s interactions with Alfred, Robin, or other Bat-Family we meet.
World’s Finest would also be means for the DCU to rapidly expand upon its world, showing us more of Metropolis, what the DCU Gotham City looks like, plus any of the more fantastical elements of lore Batman and Superman often share (Justice League headquarters, Cadmus, the Batcave, etc.). Considering that Superman is a powerhouse that can beat any threat, we have to presume World’s Finest would require Batman’s prowess as a detective to help Superman – an aspect of the character more fans want to see in films. There’s also the matter of having to course-correct the lingering disappointment that Batman v Superman wasn’t the team-up many DC fans had long hoped for.
Finally, the timeline of making a World’s Finest film would not only have it arrive as a fulfiling alternative to a Superman sequel, but also give DC Studios the much-needed off-ramp of launching the DCU Batman onscreen without stepping directly on Matt Reeves The Batman: Part II sequel film. A Batman and Superman team-up would be distinguishably different (but just as enticing) to the average moviegoer, and stretch out the runway past Reeves’ sequel for when the DCU would need its Batman solo film, The Brave and the Bold.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but World’s Finest seems like a safe bet for where the DCU could be headed next – as the road signs in Superman are literally pointing us there.
Superman is now in theaters.
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