There’s a reason why the DC experiment is very confusing at the moment and it has a lot to do with the fact that they want to take a very hands-off approach when it comes to each movie and show being made according to their own guidelines, but they want to make it clear that there’s a central theme that is being followed. But that central theme appears to be more of an idea than a solid, concrete anchor that’s bound to keep each story moving in the direction that it might need to go. In a sense, it feels far more chaotic, which makes it hard to think of how Jim Lee, who is the Chief Creative Officer of DC comics, keeps it all together. He’s essentially the same as Kevin Feige of the MCU when it comes to his position, but as mentioned, Lee is already taking a very hands-off approach that allows each movie to be made as the director sees fit, without adhering to such a strict superhero formula, as it’s been stated that the MCU has done. It’s easy to understand that idea since the fatigue that has set in concerning superhero movies has been very real and it’s had something to do with the fact that a lot of the MCU movies have in fact gone by the same routine of building up one hero at a time instead of taking off on a different tangent. But there’s a big difference between the DC and MCU universes, which is obvious but still in need of an explanation now and again.
Both companies are running their movies and shows like comic book stories, there’s no denying that since the basis of every movie and show does come from the comics. But where DC has been running most of their stories as episodic, which can be compared to running each one issue by issue, the MCU has been running much of their material in an effort to build up to something comprehensive and capable of pulling their many properties together for one massive push, which has managed to grab at the fans in a big way since the spiraling technique that eventually led to Thanos did suffer some fatigue as various movies did kind of deviate from the main point, but the overall arch that led to Infinity War and Endgame continued to reveal more and more of the Marvel universe as fans were taken into space with Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, they were taken into other dimensions with Doctor Strange, and they were kept grounded by the Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, and various other heroes as the range was set between earthbound heroes and cosmic entities that were intent on the domination of entire worlds. In other words, the MCU has been building things up slowly, meticulously, as they’ve moved towards a final outcome, while DC feels like it’s been trying to copy that formula but hasn’t been able to do so. Those making the movies and shows for DC might have a lot more creative freedom under Jim Lee, but at the same time, a lot of their material feels as though it’s bound to be slapped together without as much continuity and with a great deal of need for a serious retcon.
So far, DC has been making a serious turn and has been coming back to gain a lot of the respect that it apparently lost after Batman vs. Superman and Joss Whedon’s Justice League. People are still trying to convince themselves and others that the Snyder Cut is worth that much and should be where the DC starts its run of success, but as of now, it sounds as though the Snyderverse, as some have dubbed it, still isn’t getting off the ground. If it does then DC might be in some serious trouble, which means that Jim Lee might need to head that idea off at the pass quickly and without hesitation. The fact that Lee is going more hands-off than Feige is simply evidence of how both companies are run and not much more since if anyone wants to debate how successful they’ve both been in might be a short argument since both companies have been experiencing a decent amount of success, but the MCU has been cashing in quite a bit on their properties while DC has had to play catch-up a couple of times and is still appearing to push one movie after another that doesn’t necessarily have a lot to do with any other movie in the franchise. The hands-off approach isn’t the worst way to go, but at the same time, it does feel as though it might backfire. Hey, I could be way off base, or I could be one of those that wants DC to succeed but is well aware that the potential they possess feels like it’s going off in many directions at once.
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