With the upcoming Disney expo D23 set to reveal huge Marvel and Star Wars news, Warner Bros. was set to do the same thing for DC with its DC FanDome event, but it has been canceled amidst a slew of movie delays and controversies. New CEO David Zaslav has been pretty cavalier when it comes to canning movies and series, so the expo's cancelation probably doesn't come as a surprise to those who have been following the drama.
But the cancelation has also left a lot of DC fans disappointed, and many have very conflicting opinions and genuine complaints about it. But between some worrying about Warner Bros.' stability and others believing there's absolutely nothing to worry about, Redditors are quick to jump to the most extreme of conclusions.
No The Batman 2 Villain Reveal
Shadow_129 is disappointed at the event's cancelation because they'll now have to wait even longer for information on the The Batman sequel. The Redditor comments, "So much for my dream of the title and villain being announced then."
Ever since the 2022 movie hit theaters, fans have speculated which villains will appear in The Batman 2. And the film set up so many possibilities, whether it's one as theatrical as Mr. Freeze or as grounded as the Court of Owls. However, even if FanDome wasn't canceled, it's extremely unlikely that there would have been much news about The Batman 2, if any at all. The sequel is still in the writing stages, as writer-director Matt Reeves is still in the process of writing the screenplay.
It Was Canceled Because Warner Bros. Has Nothing To Show
ProfessionalGoober thinks that the reason why the event was canceled was that Warner Bros. simply has nothing to show. The user explains, "It’s almost like they have literally nothing to show at this point. I wonder if the people at WB who agreed to the merger with Discovery are starting to have buyer’s remorse."
The Redditor is not wrong, as most of the upcoming movies, such as Black Adam and Shazam: The Fury of the Gods, have been promoted to no end, and further promoting those films could potentially do more damage than good at this point. The studio will also likely want to stay quiet about The Flash during all the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller. And now that Warner Bros. canceled Batgirl, that leaves absolutely nothing left.
It's For The Best After Last Year's Disaster
The 2022 DC FanDome would have been the third one, and it would have followed an incredible and exciting debut and a rather questionable second year. Fdbryant3 points out that the cancelation isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering how bad last year's FanDome was.
The Redditor posits, "Well given the disaster that was last year's FanDome, maybe it is for the best." FanDome delivered some huge news in 2021, such as the Batman: Caped Crusader announcement, but, for the most part, it was totally lackluster when it came to DCEU announcements and reveals.
Discovery Is Going To Have A Yard Sale
Where Warner Bros. was once considered the gold standard of movie studios, that hasn't been the case in recent years, which has been made clear by the fact that Zaslav has been canceling projects for tax purposes. Ever since Discovery took over the movie studio, Zaslav and company have been trying to save money and pull Warner Bros. out of bankruptcy, with Batgirl's cancelation saving them $15-20 million alone. And now, because of the DC FanDome cancelation, JFeth believes it'll lead to Discovery selling Warner Bros.'s most bankable IPs.
The Redditor explains, "I think they are going to start selling off properties. Adult Swim. Hanna Barbera. I think they are going to have a yard sale." Given that some properties are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and some of them even billions, a yard sale would quickly pull Warner Bros. out of the deep end.
There's Nothing To Worry About
While the FanDome cancelation and the death of Batgirl and many other movies have caused so much concern amongst fans of DC, Kvasiraus thinks everyone should keep calm and carry on. The Redditor argues, "He has made DC its own entity by forming DC studios and is searching for a head of studios."
The user is not wrong, as Zaslav is currently on the hunt for DC's own Kevin Feige-type character who can oversee the entire universe in a more coherent and entertaining way than how it's unfolded so far (via Variety). While it'll be hard to find someone as great as Feige, Zaslav has approached the likes of Todd Phillips and Dan Lin.
It Should Have Evolved Into WB FanDome
El_Gato93 has a great pitch for what Warner Bros. should have done instead of canceling the DC FanDome. The Redditor explains, "Was hoping to see it expand into a WB fandom event someday that would not only include DC but also Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Conjuring, Looney Tunes, animation, games."
If that was the case, the event would have been its very own D23, and it'd arguably be even more exciting than the Disney expo, as Warner owns the rights to so many huge properties. If the studio did that instead of canceling the 2023 event, it would surely have had enough to pad out a two-hour expo with information and teases for Dune: Part 2, Wonka, Furiosa, and even Barbie.
It Should Have Focused On Animated Projects
This Redditor thinks that instead of canceling DC FanDome, Warner Bros. could have focused on animated projects, noting, "There is still more dismantling to come, but so far I haven't heard any of it has to do with the animated films. If not a physical event, it wouldn't be much to restrict it to its initial online approach."
Though Caped Crusader was canceled, the Redditor makes a good point because if there's anything that Warner Bros. is great at when it comes to DC, it's animated shows and movies, especially when compared to Marvel's What If?. Warner Bros. has made top-quality animated DC movies ever since 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and even now, the greatest and most consistent DC project is the animated Harley Quinn, which has just been renewed for a fourth season.
Comic-Con Didn't Even Make Up For It
Most DC fans will undoubtedly be disappointed by the news of the cancelation, but they at least have the San Diego Comic-Con news keeping them excited for future DC content. However, Coreytiger notes that DC's presence in San Diego was ghost-like.
The Redditor argues, "It was a truncated presentation at Hall H that did not cover all upcoming film/tv projects (mainly just Black Adam). There was no comic presence at NYCC last year, and none at last month’s Emerald City." The user makes a great point, as almost the entirety of Warner Bros.'s presentation at the event was surrounding Black Adam, and it was lacking in anything that fans didn't already know about.
The Rumors Were Definitely Not True
Skandosh refers to a couple of rumors and apparent leaks that DC fans were praying were true. The Redditor rhetorically asks, "So what about Henry Cavill back as Superman and Ayer's Cut announcement at DC FanDome scoops?"
However, Warner Bros. has always been clear about how it has no intention of releasing a director's cut of Suicide Squad, and it's even less likely, given that the studio regrets Zack Snyder's Justice League. And it's, unfortunately, looking less and less likely that Cavill will return as the Man of Steel, even though a small pocket of fans think he may appear in some capacity in Black Adam.
Warner Bros. Wants The Hate
HeyItsOtis thinks that Zaslav might be intentionally antagonizing fans of DC, noting, "I feel like WBD is doing whatever it takes to make people hate them" The Redditor might be half-joking, but it certainly seems like the studio wants fans to hate them after everything they've done. Not only has Zaslav canceled major movies and canned some beloved TV series on the CW, but the CEO has just recently canceled the in-development animated Batman series, too.
The show, which was titled Batman: Caped Crusader, wasn't just any animated project, but it was going to be influenced by the 1990s' Batman: The Animated Series. The show pushed the envelope when it came to animation and storytelling in morning TV and has a huge cult following, and Caped Crusader could have been a great spiritual successor.