The comic fans may not agree on the success of DC's Movie Universe, but one thing's for sure: those in charge of it don't seem anywhere near as panicked as the rumors would have fans thinking. And while some have gone so far as to suggest that Wonder Woman's box office and critical success is BAD news for DC's other properties, every report of scrambling or internal trouble seems to be quashed within hours (as soon as it was suggested that Wonder Woman would need a bigger role in Justice League, DC confirmed they were ahead of the curve).

Even when the critics, pundits, and bloggers agree that Wonder Woman shows what DC must become, Geoff Johns says the DCEU heroes don't need to change. If you didn't know any better, it might seem that DC's failures in keeping pace with the competition weren't being treated as 'failures' at all. Old assumptions are hard to change, which means the DCEU's determination to not simply copy Marvel's MCU formula remains widely seen as a mistake. But the truth is: the DCEU is following its own strategy for success.

And when viewed outside of the most hyperbolic review scores and nonstop news cycle, it's clear that strategy is working better than most ever expected. And it should, since it's the one that DC Comics has been following for half a century.

"Fans Won't Care About Heroes They Don't Know"

It was the basic idea upon which the building of Marvel's Cinematic Universe: you can't just throw superheroes into one big adventure and expect an audience to be interested. No, in order for the average moviegoer to truly embrace a team of superheroes, they must be introduced to them all, one by one, through solo origin stories explaining and outlining their powers, motivations, and personalities. When Marvel's 'Phase One' was carried out in that fashion, and the payoff Avengers film proved a bigger hit than any film previous, it seemed a flawless equation - a theory soundly proven.

Although, one example isn't enough to prove a law, theory, or rule - no matter how successful. Still, to introduce Batman without first establishing this new version on his own-- and to also introduce Wonder Woman without so much as an origin story?! That, many decided, was naked greed on WB's part. A desperate scramble to catch up to the competition.

Greed and doomed foolishness, to be more exact. In the end the rumors of a Justice League follow-up to Man of Steel weren't exactly right, instead bringing DC's 'Trinity' to life in Batman V Superman with only surveillance video teases of The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Which made it all the more shocking when DC's formula - their 'shortcut' to an ensemble story - worked. While critics apprehensive of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel ambitions let his sequel have it (some escalating to torch-wielding-mob territory), the mass audience responses averaged out to the middle of the road. Yet the people turned out to see it for themselves, pushing the global box office to $873 million.

What's more important, though, is that the success and follow-up Wonder Woman movie released this year seems to have finally shown the strategy being pursued by Warner Bros. and DC Films all along. Unsurprisingly, it's a strategy set up by the comic books decades earlier.

DC's Mission Was Misunderstood

Batman V Superman Wonder Woman Trio

None of this is to suggest that DC's way was "better," or even that Marvel could have pursued a more accelerated path towards the kind of ensemble, cross-pollinated movies that now comprise the Captain AmericaAvengersThor, and even Spider-Man brands. But in hindsight, those resolving Marvel's way into the only way failed to properly give credit to the problem Marvel's approach solved: the mass audiences needed to know why Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Black Widow were major league, marquee superheroes. In contrast to that challenge, DC Films was counting on the fact that with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman... mass audiences already did.

The numbers proved that assumption to be correct, while clearly lacking the marketing hype and momentum of "The MCU." But the challenge tackled by Batman V Superman wasn't just to defy the odds (read: Marvel's path to success), but solve the same problem as Marvel... in reverse. Because as much as audiences can be relied upon to turn out for a movie starring Batman and Superman, selling them on the rest of the Justice League was a make-or-break proposition.

We actually outlined this potential motivation behind DC and WB's decision long before the Man of Steel sequel was revealed, with a team-up of a half a dozen DC heroes seen as the most likely plan. That all changed... but the reasons we gave back in 2012 of how Justice League could fast-track DC's movie universe have proven to be surprisingly accurate.

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Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman team up in Batman V Superman

It's Simple: Use Your Stars To Expose Supporting Heroes

Warner Bros. wasn't selling the audience on some government program to recruit Earth's heroes, but selling the audience on the characters in their stable. It seemed at the time that DC was doing for film what had always worked for the comics: use the company's biggest, most popular stars to launch supporting character titles, or introduce readers to characters and worlds they may be less likely to seek out on their own. Rather than telling comic readers to make sure to buy Cyborg #1 or Aquaman #1 because they tell you it's good, use a comic like Justice League - with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on the cover - to introduce them. It's not a groundbreaking solution or strategy, since it's part of the reason for team titles, and back-up features to showcase potential leads.

In a more social sense, it also offered DC a chance to overcome negativity, prejudice, and sexism. It began with Batman V Superman, released at a time when Hollywood studio executives and entertainment pundits doubted - we're not kidding - doubted that a female-led superhero movie could be profitable. Following the same rationale we applied to the merits of a Justice League film, Zack Snyder set to delivering a version of Wonder Woman in a supporting role that would be so well-executed, audiences would instantly demand that she get her own film. And perhaps convince the executives that a woman could stand next to Batman and Superman without seeming out of place.

Just like comic readers putting down their books, moviegoers left the theater with mixed reviews of Dawn of Justice... but nearly all of them agreed that Wonder Woman had proven she deserved her own movie. It was the first case of DC's comic-esque strategy of world-building working as planned... but far from the last.

The DCEU is Taking Shape in Response To What Works

Banner for Justice League featuring Flash, Superman, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman

Fast forward to today and few will ever remember that Wonder Woman movie franchise was ever in doubt, let alone in need of a proof of concept. But the overwhelming excitement of the fan base created by Batman V Superman made Wonder Woman a box office hit, proving all audiences needed was an appetizer in an ensemble to be convinced. In fact, audiences and critics alike completely defied the assumption that an origin story given after a character's introduction was flawed thinking, with Wonder Woman among the best-reviewed superhero movies yet released.

The thinking can even be seen with Suicide Squad, using Ben Affleck's Batman and Joker in marketing to cast a wide net of potential moviegoers. Throw a variety of characters at them and see which sticks - and next thing you know, you've got a potential Deadshot spinoff movie, and a budding Gotham City Sirens series led by Harley Quinn. Where other studios may seemingly ignore fan outcry for ensemble characters to be given solo movies, spinoffs, or simply for greater representation, DC is moving fast to double down on the successful parts of even critical failures.

So far Justice League looks to be the same: the idea that Aquaman is a "silly" superhero will be addressed when Jason Momoa debuts as (what looks to be) the fun-loving, badass bruiser of the team. Not long after, fans intrigued by the glimpses of Atlantis and longing for a bigger story will have the Aquaman movie continuing Arthur's story to look forward to. No concerns about Ezra Miller's version of The Flash feuding with The CW's, since Justice League marketing shows a completely different, visually compelling approach. An approach that, if fans only had the unmade Flash movie to consider, would be shrouded in uncertainty.

Then there's the chance that Justice League will reveal the new Green Lantern and blow fans out of their seats in the process... making it harder than ever to claim DC's strategy differing from Marvel's is still a flawed, doomed decision.

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For all the skepticism, excitement, concerns, and confidence back before the DCEU was actually taking shape, the landscape has changed - as has the audience's understanding of it. The next few years of DC films are still taking the idea of audiences 'needing to meet heroes before caring about them' to heart - they're just making an introduction, before seeing which ones fans would like to get to know better.

NEXT: Every Character Confirmed To Appear in Justice League

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