The DCEU was reportedly heading toward a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie before the Warner Bros./Discovery merger, yet another example of the franchise's fatal flaw. As both the DCEU and the DC brand are being reworked following the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, tidbits about the franchise’s future and also about scrapped plans are being revealed. The Batgirl cancellation seems to have been the first of a series of drastic changes in the DCEU, and although Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has promised a 10-year plan for the DC films, not much else is known about the future of the franchise and how the plans laid out by the old regime will be incorporated – if at all.
From when Man of Steel director Zack Snyder was announced as the director of Justice League to the Batgirl cancellation, the DCEU went through several different planned slates, announced strategies, and course corrections. However, more than a year after the Snyder Cut, which many believed would be a closing chapter from the Snyderverse and the beginning of a new DCEU phase, DC’s future on the big screen was still up in the air. For example, had The Flash not moved to 2023, 2022 would have seen three live-action versions of Batman on the big screen – Robert Pattinson in The Batman and both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton in The Flash.
Recently, it seemed that the multiverse would be DCEU’s new focus, most likely as a way to rework the franchise’s canon after Justice League. The status of Henry Cavill is still Superman or who is Batman would have been another example of the DCEU rushing things – a fatal DC flaw that has been present ever since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The DCEU Was Reportedly Heading To A Crisis On Infinite Earths Reboot
As reported by THR, the DCEU plans before the Discovery merger involved a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie. In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a redefining story that saw different corners of DC coming together to stop a threat to the multiverse. In many ways, Crisis on Infinite Earths was used to reorganize the DC comics way before reboots were a common thing for Marvel and DC. The reports of a scrapped Crisis on Infinite Earths make sense considering how the DCEU was promising to dive into the DC multiverse starting with The Flash, a movie that was confirmed to have an impact on the franchise as Michael Keaton’s Batman would have been in Batgirl. It’s difficult to say when and how the planned Crisis on Infinite Earths would have happened as it was most likely an early plan, but, similar to the comics, it could have been used to reboot some aspects of the DCEU.
However, after the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, all of the studios’ plans for the future are being reworked – including the ones for DC. Warner Bros. Discovery has specifically mentioned the DC brand as something that needs a reset, although not necessarily in the sense of a complete reboot. One of the things The Flash and perhaps the planned Crisis movie were supposed to do was write Ben Affleck’s Batman out of the franchise in an organic way. Now, not only is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Therefore, as of now, the idea of a DCEU reboot with a Crisis movie seems to have been scrapped completely.
The Arrowverse Already Had Its Crisis (And Involved The DCEU)
What is curious about the scrapped Crisis on Infinite Earths movie is that the CW already had its own version of the event in the Arrowverse – and it technically involved the DCEU. Ezra Miller’s Flash met Grant Gustin’s Flash during Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it turns out the CW Barry Allen is the one who inspired the DCEU Barry to use the name Flash. In theory, if the DCEU Flash was involved in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths, that means it was all part of the same multiverse – thus it would not make sense for there to be another Crisis on Infinite Earths now in a movie. Obviously, the DCEU and the CW shows were never as connected as the MCU and the Disney+ Marvel series, but if DC wanted to sell the multiverse idea, then it had to try keeping some consistency with what the Arrowverse was doing.
It’s Way Too Soon For A Crisis On Infinite Earths Movie
More than a reboot device, the Crisis on Infinite Earth comic was a celebration of DC’s legacy up until that point. All corners of the DC universe were featured in the story, with cameos and moments that referenced all the way back to the All-Star Comics. Therefore, a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie should be a massive crossover event the likes of the MCU’s Avengers: Endgame. Something like that would only work after the DCEU had established its main universe, which so far hasn’t happened. For example, the interactions between different Supermen were one of the most important parts of the Crisis comic, but in the DCEU, Superman has been a no-show ever since Justice League.
The DCEU’s Crisis On Infinite Earths Should Be More Than Just A Reboot Gimmick
Should a DCEU Crisis On Infinite Earths movie ever happen, it should be a celebration of DC’s legacy on the big screen and not just a reboot gimmick. Granted, rebooting the DC universe was the Crisis comic’s main purpose, but the idea of a multiversal crossover is way too interesting to be restricted to a reboot tool only. Even if a DCEU Crisis on Infinite Earths were to be used to reboot the franchise, that is a trick that should be saved for later when there is actually no way of moving forward without a reset. Right now, it makes much more sense for DC to try to resolve its Batman and Superman issues, either confirming that Affleck and/or Cavill will continue or recasting the roles. WBD. CEO David Zaslav mentioned Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios as an inspiration, and in the MCU, the Marvel equivalent of Crisis, Secret Wars, will only happen at the end of Phase 6 in 2025. That’s 17 years and dozens of movies and shows after Iron Man, a long path of build-up the DCEU has yet to walk before a Crisis on Infinite Earths event.
