Invader Joker
Superhero
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So the way I see it, the DCU doesn't really have that many good options when it comes to Batman, especially if they want a "cohesive universe" that replicates the MCU as Zaslav himself has said he wants.
Here's their options, going from what I perceive to be their best to their worst:
1. Bring Battinson into the DCU after Flashpoint.
PROS:
-They get to have one singular, definitive Batman for at least the next ten years, just like how the MCU has one singular definitive version of their characters. In my opinion, this alone is gigantic, since this mean the general audience will have one Batman they'll get more and more attached to via solo films, spin-offs and eventual Justice League crossover movies making any appearance from him increasingly valuable. Ever wondered how the MCU managed to transform a character like Iron Man from a C-lister to an A-lister worth billions of dollars? This is why. Only in their case Batman might get even bigger because he's already starting off an A-lister in his own way.
-The DCU gets to garner brand reputation from Reeves Batman projects, which again, I also think is highly valuable since the DCEU so far has had a gigantic quality reputation problem.
-A creative like Matt Reeves would be at the helm of whatever is done with Batman going forward, which I think it's a good thing, since it'd ensure that the character doesn't get oversaturated and devalued with pointless cameos all over the place.
CONS:
-This posibility is probably the least likely of them all because it completely depends on the premise of Reeves agreeing to it, which he most likely won't.
-It kinda limits what other creatives in the DCU are able to do with Batman and Batman characters, since they'd all fall under Reeves jurisdiction. Margot's Harley Quinn for example is either gone or rebooted.
-Everything in regards to Batman's history with the other superheroes would have to start from scratch.
2. Kill Batman off in the DCU after Flashpoint. There is no Batman in the DCU.
PROS:
-This might be the most controversial option on the list at first glance and I can understand if people don't agree to it, but I feel the positive for this is also gigantic, because again, Batman's character doesn't get devalued and oversaturated with cameos to a wider universe and instead everything Batman related falls on Reeves hands on a separate universe.
-With Batman gone there's more space to explore other types of characters. Maybe even the Bat-Family in the DCU picking up his mantle.
CONS:
-It's obvious. The DCU doesn't have a Batman, and yes, that'd kinda feel wrong if the idea is to make a definitive DC Universe.
3. Recast Affleck. Bring in a new actor to play DCU Batman.
PROS
-They won't have to do as many retcons to the new DCU while at the same time having more freedom to make a new take on Batman.
- You get a new Batman actor that has absolutely no previous baggage to him.
- You get the opportunity to get a new Batman actor that doesn't have a history of being tired of the role
CONS:
-The audience has no connection whatsoever to this new Batman.
-You still risk devaluing the character since you'd have a version that has the sole purpose of being cameo man and a supporting character while Pattinson gets his own solo films and spin offs.
4. Keep Affleck.
PROS:
-They won't have to do as many retcons to the new DCU.
-They have a Batman that's already recognizable to the audience and liked enough by a chunk of it.
-The foundation for this Batman's dynamics with the rest of the League are already established.
CONS:
-Affleck is already tired of the character and has made that clear multiple times. I don't think he'd be too thrilled about the idea of coming back as Batman to be second-fiddle to Robert's Batman (since make no mistake, I genuinely think the audience would look at a DCU Batman as second-tier compared to the one getting his own Batverse and own movies)
-An annoying army of fans that will beg for a stand-alone Batfleck movie that will never come to be.
-Kinda keeps you stuck in the past.
- Risk devaluing the character.
5. Replace Affleck with Keaton.
PROS:
-The audience gets a version of the character they know.
-They don't have to reshoot The Flash ending
-Since it's an old Batman it'd be extremely distinct from Pattinson.
CONS:
-The thought of Keaton's Batman interacting with Cavill's Superman and Gal's WW is extremely, extremely bizarre. His take on Batman was way too idiosyncratic and married to Burton's own take on Gotham to suddenly imagine him hanging out with more mainstream and modern versions of the character. It completely changes the vibe of the Trinity.
-Keaton is old. Is a 10 year plan really that viable when by the end of it he'll be 80?
-This might be my hottest take yet but I don't think modern audiences care about him anymore, even the nostalgia is not in the magnitude of people like Maguire and Garfield. DC Fandome 2020 released a whole teaser with a voice over from him and a tease of him and it got completely eclipsed by The Batman. Even the first teaser of No Way Home that only revealed Molina's Otto caused a bigger impact than Keaton's reveal in The Flash teaser. And after The Flash the novelty of him will wear off even more, especially since again, he won't have the Burton idiosyncracy that made him a great version of the character in the first place.
- The character still gets oversaturated.
- The DCU would have to get completely retconned in ways that are frankly bizarre. So this means that the Burton films happened there? What happens with Margot's Harley? It's too strange.
Here's their options, going from what I perceive to be their best to their worst:
1. Bring Battinson into the DCU after Flashpoint.
PROS:
-They get to have one singular, definitive Batman for at least the next ten years, just like how the MCU has one singular definitive version of their characters. In my opinion, this alone is gigantic, since this mean the general audience will have one Batman they'll get more and more attached to via solo films, spin-offs and eventual Justice League crossover movies making any appearance from him increasingly valuable. Ever wondered how the MCU managed to transform a character like Iron Man from a C-lister to an A-lister worth billions of dollars? This is why. Only in their case Batman might get even bigger because he's already starting off an A-lister in his own way.
-The DCU gets to garner brand reputation from Reeves Batman projects, which again, I also think is highly valuable since the DCEU so far has had a gigantic quality reputation problem.
-A creative like Matt Reeves would be at the helm of whatever is done with Batman going forward, which I think it's a good thing, since it'd ensure that the character doesn't get oversaturated and devalued with pointless cameos all over the place.
CONS:
-This posibility is probably the least likely of them all because it completely depends on the premise of Reeves agreeing to it, which he most likely won't.
-It kinda limits what other creatives in the DCU are able to do with Batman and Batman characters, since they'd all fall under Reeves jurisdiction. Margot's Harley Quinn for example is either gone or rebooted.
-Everything in regards to Batman's history with the other superheroes would have to start from scratch.
2. Kill Batman off in the DCU after Flashpoint. There is no Batman in the DCU.
PROS:
-This might be the most controversial option on the list at first glance and I can understand if people don't agree to it, but I feel the positive for this is also gigantic, because again, Batman's character doesn't get devalued and oversaturated with cameos to a wider universe and instead everything Batman related falls on Reeves hands on a separate universe.
-With Batman gone there's more space to explore other types of characters. Maybe even the Bat-Family in the DCU picking up his mantle.
CONS:
-It's obvious. The DCU doesn't have a Batman, and yes, that'd kinda feel wrong if the idea is to make a definitive DC Universe.
3. Recast Affleck. Bring in a new actor to play DCU Batman.
PROS
-They won't have to do as many retcons to the new DCU while at the same time having more freedom to make a new take on Batman.
- You get a new Batman actor that has absolutely no previous baggage to him.
- You get the opportunity to get a new Batman actor that doesn't have a history of being tired of the role
CONS:
-The audience has no connection whatsoever to this new Batman.
-You still risk devaluing the character since you'd have a version that has the sole purpose of being cameo man and a supporting character while Pattinson gets his own solo films and spin offs.
4. Keep Affleck.
PROS:
-They won't have to do as many retcons to the new DCU.
-They have a Batman that's already recognizable to the audience and liked enough by a chunk of it.
-The foundation for this Batman's dynamics with the rest of the League are already established.
CONS:
-Affleck is already tired of the character and has made that clear multiple times. I don't think he'd be too thrilled about the idea of coming back as Batman to be second-fiddle to Robert's Batman (since make no mistake, I genuinely think the audience would look at a DCU Batman as second-tier compared to the one getting his own Batverse and own movies)
-An annoying army of fans that will beg for a stand-alone Batfleck movie that will never come to be.
-Kinda keeps you stuck in the past.
- Risk devaluing the character.
5. Replace Affleck with Keaton.
PROS:
-The audience gets a version of the character they know.
-They don't have to reshoot The Flash ending
-Since it's an old Batman it'd be extremely distinct from Pattinson.
CONS:
-The thought of Keaton's Batman interacting with Cavill's Superman and Gal's WW is extremely, extremely bizarre. His take on Batman was way too idiosyncratic and married to Burton's own take on Gotham to suddenly imagine him hanging out with more mainstream and modern versions of the character. It completely changes the vibe of the Trinity.
-Keaton is old. Is a 10 year plan really that viable when by the end of it he'll be 80?
-This might be my hottest take yet but I don't think modern audiences care about him anymore, even the nostalgia is not in the magnitude of people like Maguire and Garfield. DC Fandome 2020 released a whole teaser with a voice over from him and a tease of him and it got completely eclipsed by The Batman. Even the first teaser of No Way Home that only revealed Molina's Otto caused a bigger impact than Keaton's reveal in The Flash teaser. And after The Flash the novelty of him will wear off even more, especially since again, he won't have the Burton idiosyncracy that made him a great version of the character in the first place.
- The character still gets oversaturated.
- The DCU would have to get completely retconned in ways that are frankly bizarre. So this means that the Burton films happened there? What happens with Margot's Harley? It's too strange.
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