DC has enjoyed a stellar week in terms of its movie and television output, arguably its best for a long time. Over the decades, DC and Marvel, the two titans of the comic book industry, have been relatively even in terms of their successes. Overlapping, overtaking and overpowering each other with regularity, both companies have enjoyed spells on top of the pile, and this close battle carried on in the live-action realm. Although DC struck first with huge Superman and Batman Hollywood adaptations, Marvel fought back with groundbreaking Spider-Man and X-Men franchises after both Supes and the Caped Crusader had been tarnished by less-than-great third and fourth movies. After so much back-and-forth, Marvel scored a huge win with its MCU franchise, leaving their rivals very much behind in the 2010s.
Despite strong solo movies in Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Man Of Steel, DC's attempt to replicate Marvel's shared universe success backfired after the likes of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League fell flat, while Suicide Squad also received a critical battering, despite making tons of cash. Although DC and Marvel were still fairly equal on television, where the Arrowverse shows received as much acclaim as the likes of Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil, the gulf between movie franchises put Marvel ahead by some distance in terms of financial income and mainstream exposure.
Fortunately for DC, things seem to be very much on the up, and the company has just experienced a hugely positive week for its live-action dealings. Most prominently, the trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 dropped to a hugely positive reaction online. With Patty Jenkins' original Wonder Woman considered by many to be the best DCEU entry, excitement was already palpable for the sequel, and the trailer has only nurtured that early buzz with confirmation of Steve's return, a glorious new superhero costume for Diana and a bright, garish 1980s setting that's a million miles away from World War I. Elsewhere, the Birds of Prey embargo lifted, allowing all manner of interviews and juicy details to be made public about Harley Quinn's definitely-not-a-solo-movie solo movie. Although perhaps not to everyone's taste and tainted by the Suicide Squad negativity, Birds of Prey's weird and wonderful approach combined with the enduring popularity of Harley Quinn looks sure to make the film a hit.
Moving from theaters onto the small screen, DC has delivered an undeniably huge 7 days. The ambitious Crisis On Infinite Earths Arrowverse crossover on The CW has finally kicked off after many months of hype and an exponentially expanding cast list. Bringing together a host of DC alumni from movies, TV and even animation, the Supergirl, Batwoman and The Flash parts of the mammoth tale have now aired to widespread praise and Crisis is one of the biggest topics of discussion among superhero fans at present, attracting fans with no previous knowledge of the franchise. Away from DC's standard fare, HBO's Watchmen is coming to the end of a very impressive debut season and released two mammoth episodes that changed the face of the franchise entirely thanks to a major Dr. Manhattan twist and a time-bending penultimate installment.
Clearly, DC are ending 2019 on the best of notes, but this is perhaps only the tip of a Bat-shaped iceberg, as the company has already had plenty to shout about this year. Joker didn't just turn out to be a surprise critics' favorite, but laughed its way to becoming the most profitable comic book movie of all time. Furthermore, the support for the campaign to release the Justice League Snyder Cut has made massive progress, with Snyder posting proof of the alternate version's existence and several cast members even joining the calls. While not necessarily what Warner Bros. might want, the fact that fans still have faith in a film that bombed at the box office is an encouraging sign for DC, proving the strength of their characters and brand.
With The Batman shaping up promisingly and Titans making improvements, the immediate future looks bright for DC. Since Marvel are in a phase of transition after the completion of the Infinity Saga and the transfer of their television operations to Disney+, it could be time for a changing of the live-action superhero guard once again.
