A Brief History of the DC Extended Universe (Wonder Woman Prologue)

The DC Cinematic Universe, (or DC Extended Universe; as it’s now called, which I think is a dumb name) has been driving along a bumpy road since its conception. Originally, this universe was going to start with the 2011 Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately, due to the film being a massive failure; it was later considered a standalone film (and the butt of various jokes from Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool).

In 2013, the cinematic universe officially started with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. The film served not only to reboot and retell the origin of Superman, but it also served as a launching point for a shared universe (similar to what Marvel had been doing since 2008’s Iron Man). Man of Steel received mixed reviews such as a 55% on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic (I certainly liked it, but I can understand the flaws it had), but it was a box-office success for Warner Brothers. As a result, plans for a sequel were underway only months after the film’s release.

The sequel was finally released in 2015 under the title Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The purpose of this film was to introduce Batman and Wonder Woman to the DCEU, along with paving the path for the oncoming Justice League movie (the latter of which I am looking forward to when it releases in November of 2017).

The film achieved the intended purpose, but I feel it was released a bit too soon since the only previous movie was a Superman solo film. I feel this movie should have come later in the series, and if you have seen it you will know why (but I digress). The film was praised for Ben Affleck’s role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, but it was slammed by critics for the sluggish pacing, lack of action sequences, various plot holes, depressing tone, and the overall mischaracterization of Superman. However, as the film was once again a “box office success” for Warner Brothers and DC, another entry would soon follow.

In 2016, it was time to let the villains take the lead in Suicide Squad. This movie (despite winning an Oscar for Best Makeup), is considered the worst entry in the DC Extended Universe, thus leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans and critics. As a result, the future of this franchise was uncertain until July 2, 2017… the release date of Wonder Woman.