The DCEU Can Still Adopt Snyder’s Darkness (Without A Canon Problem)

Despite many newer DCEU films having a more jovial vibe, there is an easy way to have everyone fully embrace the darker Zack Snyder side of the franchise. Zack Snyder’s more serious look at the world of DC heroes with films like Justice League has received divided reviews – partially because of the chaos surrounding the production of Justice League itself, and partially because many consider the grim atmosphere of these films as not reflective of the original comic material.

But not all comics share the same ambiance, and this is doubly true for DC, whose comics range from the likes of the cartoony and cute Lil’ Gotham, to some of the darkest comics to hit the printed page. In fact, the company appears to have wanted a darker version of their main universe so bad that they spawned the hit video game and comic series Injustice, which details a story wherein Superman loses his moral ideals when the Joker tricks him into killing his pregnant wife, which results in a war between DC’s biggest names, hero and villain alike.

Given Zack Snyder’s movies are somewhat jarring when compared to the other DCEU installments like Birds of Prey or Shazam!, it stands to reason that utilizing the Injustice storyline and having his version of the world take place in an alternate universe akin to it would appease both Snyder’s fans and detractors. Injustice is entirely in line with the “Do you bleed?” level drama that Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice raised, and would arguably allow for even more mayhem and misery should it be deemed necessary. This is the same storyline that contained a super-strong Alfred Pennyworth punching out the Man of Steel, after all – so there’s little that could be off the table should the series be used as inspiration.

With the DCEU The Flash film on the horizon, the timing would be perfect to alter the current DC movie universe without making the change feel natural by merely having it “split” into two worlds – a darker, more dramatic Snyder one, and one wherein the likes of Shazam and Aquaman take place. In this vein, it could even work to flesh out the DC multiverse, as the “Injustice verse” could be as manic as a blockbuster film budget and human decency will allow, and merely be explained as what happened in this darker version of the main universe, which could remain unscathed. This would mean surreal and iconic moments like Superman revealing Batman’s secret identity via social media could still happen, and happen in dramatic and unchangeable form, while not risking the actual fate of a multi-million film franchise by taking such risks.

The DCEU could easily continue successfully whilst still having films with dissonant tones take place in the same universe. But using Injustice would not only allow for some insanely entertaining storylines that would otherwise never see the light of day to be adapted, but also appease everyone, regardless of their individual perspective on the Zack Snyder DCEU films.

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