Shocking DCU Announcement Has Fans Outraged

in DC, Movies

Credit: DC Studios/Warner bros.

There’s been a lot of anticipation and criticism surrounding Warner Bros.’s shake-up of DC Studios.

When it was first announced that Marvel alum James Gunn was leaving one comic book giant for the other, fans were curious to see how the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director would tackle an entire studio subset. Gunn was partially blamed for the failure of The Flash, which was released earlier this year and became one of Warner Bros.’s biggest flops, when it was announced that he would essentially be retconning the entire DC Universe up to that point.

Knowing that nothing that had happened in any of the previous movies would matter going forward, The Flash became a disappointing addition to an already troubled franchise. Fans were even more outraged to learn that Henry Cavill, who has portrayed Superman since Man of Steel in 2013, would no longer play the Kryptonian superhero going forward. Ben Affleck, who had played Batman through the Justice League lineup of the DCU, never received a solo movie and was also dropped from the new DCU. While Matt Reeves’ Batman would be allowed to continue with its sequel, it would be considered separate from the new DCU under James Gunn.

Recently, more controversy has come out as it was announced that Gal Gadot would reprise her role as Wonder Woman for a third installment of the franchise. Wonder Woman (2017) has been contentious for the last few years, with many criticizing Gadot as an actress and complaining that Wonder Woman wasn’t nearly as popular or successful as Man of Steel.

Now that it’s become clear that Gunn will be keeping Gadot and her version of Wonder Woman in his new DC Universe, fans are outraged by the disrespect they believe has been shown to Cavill’s Superman, taking to Twitter to complain about the decision. “Imagine recasting Henry Cavill’s Superman but keeping Gal Gadot as WW,” said @shadowknightdk, “No one loves her, she’s a terrible actress.”

“This is ridiculous. I thought the whole point of the ‘reboot’ was to avoid audience confusion and start fresh? If this is true it really makes it look like Gunn just didn’t like Henry at all. Almost everyone is apparently staying except Affleck & Cavill,” said @AaronBaileyArt. Others pointed out that Gunn’s previous comments about wanting a younger Superman don’t make sense while keeping Gadot on as Wonder Woman. “Gal Gadot is 38. Robert Pattinson is 37. Henry Cavill is 40 Gunn booted Cavill because he wanted a younger Superman while he kept Gadot Pattinson portrayed a year 2 Batman just last year MAKE IT MAKE SENSE,” demanded @UsUnitedJustice.

However, as @SsjKDot18 pointed out, “She had the only good Snyder Era DCEU film that fans and critics enjoyed. She had a bigger impact than Henry and Ben,” citing the film’s high scores from Rotten Tomatoes, iMDB, and Cinema Score.

Wonder Woman 3 has been in development for a while, and had expected to start filming earlier this year prior to the Hollywood strikes. According to @CanWeGetToast on Twitter, a script had originally been written by Patty Jenkins, who had directed Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), with her set to return to direct the third movie as well. However, Gunn had reportedly scrapped Jenkins’ script, wanting to take Wonder Woman’s story in a different direction for his DCU. Now, Gunn, Gadot, and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran are expected to work on a completely new version of Wonder Woman, essentially rebooting the character while keeping Gadot as the star.

While a new Superman has already been cast, DC is still looking to cast its Batman for the upcoming Brave and the Bold adaptation. Jensen Ackles and Cillian Murphy are top fan casting options, although there’s been no official update from the studio. The Flash director Andy Muschietti has previously mentioned that he would like to have Ezra Miller return to portray the character, although any further development on a Flash sequel is unknown. Aquaman 3 is also still in development with Jason Momoa maintain his role as the titular character even as the troubled production faces delays and other issues.

What do you think of James Gunn keeping Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Jessica is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member, a major theme park fan, and a nerd at heart. When she's not reading, writing, or planning her next adventure, you can find her watching horror movies or spending time with her family.