David S. Goyer, the writer of Man of Steel, offers an explanation why the DC Extended Universe has failed to catch up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Launched in 2008, Marvel Studios released its first film in Iron Man, putting its hopes of building an interconnected franchise on the backs of director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. Luckily, it became a hit that allowed them to continue growing the MCU to the known franchise that it is today. It's not perfect by all means, with several recurring criticisms throughout the Infinity Saga. However, due to the massive popularity that it now enjoys, almost every single studio is looking to emulate it.
That includes Warner Bros. who owns the DC properties — Marvel's comic book brand competitor. Their friendly rivalry goes back to their days in print. Now that superheroes have successfully broken through the screens, they continue that dynamic with their movies. The DCEU kickstarted in 2013 via Man of Steel — a year after Marvel Studios culminated Phase 1 with The Avengers. Instead of following its predecessor's suit focusing on individual films, Warner Bros. fast-tracked the development of their universe. But, it was plagued with various issues such as production woes, particularly with Justice League, as well as, studio's meddling.
As the DCEU approaches its 10th anniversary in a couple of years, Goyer offers his two cents as to why despite its best efforts, it was unable to catch up with the MCU. In a new interview with THR, he cites the consistent leadership over at Marvel Studios as the reason for its steady growth — something that the DCEU has struggled with. The writer also noted that MCU characters feel true to their comic book counterparts.
"I think one of the issues is that Marvel’s had consistent leadership for the last 15 years or more, whereas DC hasn’t. There have been all of these changes in terms of who is running DC. That is fundamentally very hard. It’s hard to make any headway when leadership is changing. One of the other things that’s made Marvel incredibly successful is all of their adaptations are true to the source material. Ant-Man feels like Ant-Man. The Hulk feels like the Hulk. They don’t try to change things up. I would say, try to hew closer to what was the original intent. So, it’s having a consistent universe, having consistent leadership and staying true to the source material."
While Goyer didn't name drop Kevin Feige, he's referring to the producer's leadership over at Marvel Studios. After working on other Marvel films in the 2000s, he was a major proponent to produce their own films. Even when the company was bought by Disney, he remained hands-on with the franchise's creative side. It also helps that his small team of producers has mostly stuck throughout the years. Meanwhile, DCEU has struggled to find someone who can function the same way for them. Both former head honchos Geoff Johns and Jon Berg were embroiled in the Justice League controversy. Somehow, even its current president Walter Hamada has been involved with it.
This doesn't mean that DCEU has nothing good to offer. Goyer was mainly pointing out how the lack of overall direction from DC Films has derailed their plans to directly compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Warner Bros. has smash hits like Wonder Woman and Aquaman — both franchises are set to continue in the universe. But, perhaps the DC Extended Universe may be in a more stable state if there was clear and competent leadership from its executives.
Source: THR
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