The DC Universe franchise that DC Studios launched has been in a bit of flux over the last year. The success of James Gunn’s Supermanwas a big first win, but since then, the franchise has been a bit scattered, it seems. Projects have been cancelled (The Authority movie, Sgt. Rock), other projects came out of left field (Clayface), and in general, the initial plan Gunn and Peter Safran presented to us three years ago seems to have been greatly revised.
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That includes the overarching theme and title of the DCU’s first arc, “Gods and Monsters”. We’ve barely heard that title uttered since the first DCU slate reveal, and now, we’re hearing James Gunn starting to use a whole new title, and shockingly (sarcasm), it’s much more brand-specific than “Gods and Monsters.”
James Gunn Explains DCU Standalones vs “Superman Saga” Projects
James Gunn was doing PR maintenance on social media today. While Clayface won its opening weekend box office and has already earned back its production budget, some fans have criticized how little it does to acknowledge its DC identity and ties. Batman is never mentioned in the film, and no other franchise lore gets referenced. That’s especially confusing since an experienced and fully-powered Clayface already made an appearance in DC’s Creature Commandos animated series – which is directly connected to Superman. But according to Gunn, the same plan is guiding things.
“You can look at my quotes from January ’23 when we started and I said we were going to do exactly what we’re doing,” Gunn explained on Threads. “I said some stories would be standalone like the Guardians movies were (which is what Clayface is) and some stories would have part of a larger narrative structure, which is what the Superman Saga is. All that said, each piece of the larger story should work on its own with or without having to see everything else.”
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While that’s a fair explanation, we can’t help but hone in on the fact that Gunn mentions “The Superman Saga” as the arc of interconnected projects within the DCU. That term started popping up after Superman‘s release, as projects like Supergirland Man of Tomorrowwere announced. It was clear that DC Studios had changed focus and wanted to strike while the franchise’s core character is hot.
Now a project no one ever expected, The People v. Gorilla Grodd, is in the works, starring Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen. Even Lanterns, a show with its own unique tone and corner of the franchise, ties back to Superman. At this point, it seems clear that the first DCU arc is The Superman Saga, which then begs the question: Do each of the DC Trinity Characters get a “Saga?” Because millions of fans are eager to see that ‘Batman Saga’ begin sooner before later. Just saying.
“It’s exciting seeing things START to come together and all that makes me even more excited for what we have in store for everyone in Man of Tomorrow,” Gunn concluded in a later post.
Man of Tomorrowwill continue “The Superman Saga” on July 9, 2027.
Clayface Is Hiding Only a Few DC Easter Eggs, But Here’s Where You Can Spot Them
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