Comic books have some of the craziest stories and timelines. Most of our favorite super heroes have been around for decades, each with their own complicated histories and backstories. Sometimes those stories become entirely too complicated and everything needs a little reboot.
Even though I don’t read its comics, I know that DC has done this recently with “The New 52.” The New 52 relaunched DC’s most popular titles, giving new readers an easy entry point into each book. I can see the appeal of starting off fresh, not needing to remember one or two panes from a random book from three or thirty years ago.
Another way that DC has attempted to retcon its universe has been through the Multiverse. The Multiverse refers to any number of infinite universes existing within DC Comics. Each universe has its own version of DC’s heroes, creating the opportunity to create or explain away universe-altering situations.
Earlier this week DC’s Chief Creative Office, Geoff Johns, shared that DC is bringing its Multiverse to the big and small screens. Instead of having a cohesive universe like Marvel, DC sees its movies inhabiting one universe and each of its television series inhabiting different universes. The Multiverse explains why the Flash on TV is going to be different from the Flash in the movies.
While this explanation could be seen as DC remaining true to its comic book roots even in television and film, I think it’s just an excuse for not having a complete plan.
It’s no secret that I love Marvel. I’ve only ever read Marvel comics and I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’ve said time and time again that my favorite part about the MCU is its continuity. Marvel had a plan and they have been working that plan to perfection.
DC does not appear to have a plan. DC is trying to cobble a universe together on the fly. If DC had a larger plan, then it would have used the success of Arrow and The Flash to help launch its cinematic universe. Instead we’re getting a Multiverse where movies and television shows act completely independent of each other.
In the end I don’t really care that much. I only have so much energy to invest in trivial things like movies; most of my energy is reserved for the MCU. I’m sure I’ll watch every one of DC’s movies. That doesn’t mean I have be as invested as I am in Marvel’s movies.
What are your thoughts about DC’s Multiverse?
“While this explanation could be seen as DC remaining true to its comic book roots even in television and film, I think it’s just an excuse for not having a complete plan.” – No, sorry, them’s just fightin’ words. If DC is having success with mutliple more-or-less standalone TV series, why not embrace that route, especially since, as you point out, it has been part and parcel of how DC tells stories since the 1960s?
Because I’m a hater. 😉
I personally hope that DC does not follow Marvel’s lead. Marvel had great success with Blade, Spiderman and X-men in stand alone films. Now they’re writing stories that only make sense if people go out an watch a new Marvel film every three months. Eventually people who aren’t used to the intertwining nature of comic stories are going to get bored with it. If we’re lucky, that will happen BEFORE the actors get tired to playing the same roles for the next five years.
DC’s releases have been hit and miss, but the hits have been amazing and I didn’t have to sit through the misses to understand what was going on in the movies that I actually enjoyed. Also, the independent TV universe means that shows like Gotham, the Flash and Arrow can continue long after the current super hero trend has run its course. Agents of SHIELD will not have that luxury.