Doom Patrol could be Warner Bros. most unlikely but not unprecedented opportunity to reboot the entire DCEU. The team has long been a name that lurks on the fringes of both the comics community and the TV community when it comes to DC - so much so that it's arguable it could only come to the forefront by doing something as bold as a total reset for the DCEU.
Though many fans are only aware of Doom Patrol as a result of Beast Boy being in the group in the comics, and Cyborg featuring in the show, there is a general lack of awareness of anything further than this when it comes to the franchise, despite Doom Patrol season 1's weird and wonderful ending being one of the most intriguing season endings in DC adaptations so far. And this is understandable, as one of the ultimate tragedies of Doom Patrol is that it almost demands being kept in the background due to its surreal nature and meta storylines not matching the kind of content DC is typically expected to produce. The TV adaptation of the Doom Patrol comics has been loyal to the weirdness of the comics, and this may explain why it too is a relatively obscure addition to the world of DC shows. In fact, it's possible that without the Titans show briefly featuring the Doom Patrol, very few would even be aware this hidden gem even exists.
Though it may seem a dramatic way to fix this, having the Doom Patrol reboot the entire DCEU or at least be involved in an overarching storyline that does so could be a clever way to put an underappreciated show on the map. And rather than being to the DCEU's detriment, this could be done while still benefitting the larger DC franchise overall by creating more variation in the multiverse, appealing to new audiences that otherwise may critically say that the DCEU is "too dark".
Doom Patrol's Place In The DCEU
At first, it had appeared that DC would ignore the Marvel model (and avoid its continuity issues) and have the TV shows and film franchises be two separate entities, each following their own different path. But thanks to the biggest crossover event in superhero adaptations, it has been made abundantly clear that much of the Arrowverse is now to be considered part of DCEU canon as a result of the establishment of the multiverse, which allows for different actors to still canonically be Batman or Cyborg (or other characters) by explaining they are merely in different universes.
The Crisis event actually also confirmed that Doom Patrol is officially a part of this multiverse, specifically designated Earth-21 (and not the same Earth as Titans despite early suspicions). That removal allows for the more eccentric franchise to exist on the edge of the multiverse without changing anything for any other show or film. Crucially, even despite its removal from the main Earth in the Arrowverse and from the DCEU itself, Doom Patrol exists adjacent to both.
Does The DCEU Need A Reboot?
Strictly speaking, the answer to whether the DCEU needs a reboot is a paradoxical yes and no. For all that it has been said that DC's foray into the world of film and TV has been fraught with issues, the structure of the universe has not because illegible. Balancing all the various events and timelines of both the DC films and shows isn't an easy task, and yet, as time has gone on, much of the DC universe has been made clearer to use, rather than more confusing and vague. This is doubly true since the DCEU utilized the multiverse idea for its shows and movies, as this allows for everything to be canon, and yet not necessarily part of the same universe at the same time. Crucially, that means that crossovers are possible but not expected or necessary in the same manner as the MCU.
That said, the initial negative reception of the DCEU's films could still mean that cleaning the proverbial slate is what is best for the overall franchise. Making an extra effort to separate the likes of Shazam! and Aquaman from Batman V. Superman as two distinct and different universes may allow for greater clarity of direction and the existence of content for both sides of the DCEU's fanbase. One universe could still house the grittier and more serious Snyder-influenced side of things, and the other could contain the brighter, more conventional superhero films. In short, while a reboot isn't necessary - and indeed previous concerns a DCEU reboot would happen were proved to have been exaggerated - it could allow for extra organizational structure that allows clarity for both creators and audiences.
Why The Doom Patrol Can Reboot The DCEU
With Flash being the poster boy of DC universe retcons, there will no doubt be some question as to why such a small, strange franchise as Doom Patrol would be allowed to be a key part of this reboot., After all, other larger name brands could surely take this role instead. But, put quite simply, the reason Doom Patrol is the ideal franchise for the job is that they've already rebooted the entire DC once before, and it was one of the most strange and unforgettable things in comic history - somehow even more strange than all of Crazy Jane's 64 personalities combined.
The bizarre event was known as the "Milk Wars", and detailed a fairly meta-story wherein a villain known as Retconn stole the stories of major DC characters and revamped them to be more profitable and appealing to the market. As the name of the event should suggest, this largely led to the likes of the Justice League being restyled into 1950's milk-obsessed characters, most surreally resulting in Superman being replaced with "Milkman Man". It was purposefully strange to generate curiosity in the Young Animals line and the comic Doom Patrol itself, piggybacking the team on the back of bigger DC names in these issues.
While having the Milk Wars appear in the televised DC is an unabashedly terrible idea, having a storyline covering a potential reboot that isn't dependent on serious time travel plot-twists from start to finish would be a welcome idea. Technically, it could even work in parallel with an event like the 2022 Flash (even if that Flash film may not be titled Flashpoint after all). Where this impending film is clearly set out to be a serious and epic feeling, the Doom Patrol's simultaneous storyline could provide comedic relief for those who don't enjoy overly dramatic reboots.
Doom Patrol Could Make A Wackier DCEU
One of the best reasons to have Doom Patrol involved in the reboot is that realistically, having this installment in the greater DCEU has other possibilities. It's entirely fair to say that the more whimsical and surrealist storylines and characters of Doom Patrol wouldn't mesh well with the majority of the other DC shows and films - but nowadays, it doesn't need to. Allowing for shows and films with a more "silly" cast and plot opens the field for many DC titles that otherwise would have never seen the light of day as part - or linked to - the DCEU either on the big or small screens.
As Doom Patrol and other more wacky and less realistic shows like The Umbrella Academy have proved successful, there is less and less reason for more unconventional comics to not see adaptation, and having Doom Patrol officially be involved in something as huge as a DC reboot would massively legitimize shows and films that aren't as serious as the wider franchise counterparts. In a world in which Deadpool is a huge box office hit, Doom Patrol has real potential to shine, so long as the spotlight is at least briefly put on it.