Yes, SUPERGIRL is a flop.
Despite what some of y’all may assume, I wasn’t pulling against it, hoped it would do well, and thought it was…OK.
But it didn’t…and this isn’t some DC on Film flop one-off either.
Warner’s DC shared universe failures began WAY before this film, and they are the result of a multitude of mistakes: leadership turnover, brand confusion, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what works best (other than Batman…for the most part), with DC cinema. SUPERGIRL is just the latest casualty of a decades‑long pattern of Warner Bros. not understanding what DC is, what DC isn’t, and what DC should never try to be.
And here we are…again.
The ironic thing is that Warner Bros./DC pretty much started the modern “Superhero Movie Genre” with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE in 1978 and BATMAN just over a decade later in 1989. While each spawned successful sequels, both franchises ultimately ran off the road and into a ditch. But make no mistake, this paved the way for the beginning of the “Golden Age of Superhero Cinema” starting with BLADE, X-MEN, and Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN.
Thus, Warners knew that Batman was too valuable never visit again on the big screen. After years of trying to get the Batman franchise out of that ditch and up and running, they lucked the hell out (bigtime) by hiring a young filmmaker named Christopher Nolan to jumpstart Batman on film.
With THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY (2005-2012), Nolan proved that DC on film thrives with filmmaker-driven, standalone storytelling. Instead of hiring and empowering auteurs with other DC properties, they instead went the route of getting their own MCU ASAP. No real plan, just reactive panic/greed.
2013’s MAN OF STEEL was supposed to be Superman’s BATMAN BEGINS. Warner Bros. had turned to Nolan to help get the Superman film franchise going again. CN agreed, came up with a story with TDK TRILOGY vet David Goyer (who wrote the screenplay), and served as producer after giving directorial duties to Zack Snyder. It did OK-plus at the box office despite being hammered by critics. Yet, instead of doing a true Superman sequel to follow up, they switched gears and decided to bring in Batman so they could get to their DC version of THE AVENGERS, released a year prior, NOW.
Thus, the DCEU/Snyderverse commenced, crashed, and then burned…spectacularly.
After the bomb that was 2017’s Frankenstein’ed JUSTICE LEAGUE, Warners tried:
- A shared universe
- A non‑shared universe
- A multiverse
- Soft reboots
- Hard reboots
- “It all counts”
- “Nothing counts”
- “Some of it counts if you squint real hard”
- “220, 221, whatever it takes”
I’m not going to go through the entire DCEU slate of films, but while there were some hits, such as WONDER WOMAN and AQUAMAN. All the others? Even the few that were good, didn’t really do squat at the box office.
See, it goes way back before SUPERGIRL and James Gunn came on board to co-head up this new DCU. To the general audience, it’s simply been a decade-plus of mostly crappy and forgettable DC movies.
Hey, I know many of y’all grew up with the animated JUSTICE LEAGUE TV series and y’all want to see it recreated in live-action as an adult. But here’s the thing: The success of the MCU, specifically THE INFINITY SAGA, just…happened. It was organic and can’t be recreated; even Disney is dealing with that right now with…wait for it…the Friggin’ MCU! You cannot manufacture lightning in the bottle.
Here’s what Warner Bros. (and many fans) refuses to acknowledge: DC Comics historically were never as “shared” as Marvel. Marvel was built on interconnected storytelling — characters constantly crossing paths, reacting to each other’s events, living in the same world and centered in New York.
DC’s history is way different.
DC’s biggest icons — Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman — traditionally operated in distinct worlds, with distinct tones, and distinct storytelling philosophies. Crossovers happened, sure, but they weren’t the backbone of DC’s identity.
Trying to force DC into Marvel’s model is trying to force a square peg into a round hole…and then blaming the peg when it doesn’t fit! BUT…
Warners/DC has something that Marvel doesn’t: Batman.
The general audience loves Batman. A grounded Batman. A filmmaker‑driven Batman. A Batman who exists in his own world.
Batman is cinematically Teflon (as is Marvel’s Spider‑Man). He survives reboots. He survives tonal shifts. He survives studio chaos. He survives everything (like BATMAN RETURNS, BATMAN & ROBIN, BvS, and both versions of JUSTICE LEAGUE).
Batman works because he doesn’t need a shared universe…and never has.
Right now, WB has a tremendously successful live-action Batman with THE BATMAN EPIC CRIME SAGA guided by a true filmmaker in Matt Reeves. Here’s hoping they don’t fuck that up by turning to a DCU version of Batman to save this fledgling DCU. Again, if a shared DC universe needs Batman in it to be a success, then there’s no point in a shared DC on film universe. Just make Batman stuff.
I am not advocating that Warner Bros./DC Studios only make Batman, well, stuff (I am 100% on board with continuing this current Superman film series). But they need to realize that DC characters are mythic, iconic, work best in standalone worlds. When it comes to non-comic book DC, audiences have historically responded to solo, filmmaker/showrunner-driven visions (THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, THE BATMAN, WATCHMEN, THE PENGUIN). When they’ve tried the MCU-style connectivity, it feels forced.
I’ve said it for years and I’ll say it again: What “works” in comics and in animation doesn’t really work in live-action projects aimed for the mainstream. Time to let go of that tired argument…and the “It’s all about the execution!” one too.
Here’s an idea: How ’bout simply making DC projects that don’t…connect?
GASP!
Stop chasing Disney/Marvel Studios, stop the rebooting every few years, and stop with contrived and forced connectivity.
Hire filmmakers with a vision and passion and let them to their thing. Let Batman be Batman. Let Superman be Superman. Let DC be DC. Win back the audience with consistency and quality. Embrace being the studio that doesn’t need shared universes to succeed.
No, SUPERGIRL didn’t break DC on film. Warner Bros. broke DC on film…slowly, repeatedly, and long before this latest flop. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
