The Snyderverse is a bygone era for the DCEU and Henry Cavill’s future as Superman seems uncertain, but the Wonder Woman movies already revealed how the franchise can have a future. A contingent of DCEU fans had high hopes for DC’s film announcements at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con, but what was ultimately revealed is that there are no plans to continue Zack Snyder’s vision for the franchise and the much-rumored surprise appearance by Henry Cavill to announce a renewed focus on Superman didn’t come to pass. While this is disappointing to some, this leaves room for another part of the DCEU franchise to shine, and can ultimately present a better way forward.
Although the DCEU has always been a collaborative effort by numerous talented creators, Zack Snyder directed the franchise’s first two installments, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder worked with fellow DCEU directors Patty Jenkins and James Wan to maintain consistency among the franchise’s superheroes and overarching narratives. After a lackluster theatrical cut of Justice League by Joss Whedon and a far better-received director’s cut, interest in Zack Snyder’s DCEU plans significantly increased among viewers, leading to a demand for WB to continue the “Snyderverse.”
For better or worse, these planned DCEU films will likely never see the light of day, and while there is no word on Henry Cavill’s return to the DCEU franchise as Superman yet (or how involved Ben Affleck will continue to be as Batman beyond immediate roles), Gal Gadot is set to return to the Wonder Woman role in one last solo movie, allowing her and her supporting cast to potentially headline the future of the DCEU. Wonder Woman 3 will be Patty Jenkins’ final Wonder Woman film, but this doesn’t mean that Gadot’s portrayal of Diana Prince will no longer be part of the DCEU. If anything, the DCEU can use Wonder Woman’s many ties to the various corners of the universe as well as her supporting characters from the comics to launch a plethora of new properties and reinvigorate the ideas behind the Snyderverse.
How The DCEU's Future Can Benefit From Wonder Woman
The planned Snyderverse would have set up a series of solo films and Justice League sequels that advanced the characterization of the team’s heroes (particularly Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), culminating in an epic final confrontation between Earth and Apokolips. In lieu of this, WB should use Wonder Woman and her supporting characters as a springboard for new properties, as Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince is the only member of DC’s “big three” whose continued participation in the franchise is certain and her supporting characters have astounding potential for new stories. The Amazons, a spinoff film presumably starring Connie Nielsen’s Hippolyta, is already in development, but a Wonder Woman-centric DCEU can go even further.
Wonder Woman 3 could introduce new characters like Nubia, Donna Troy, and Cassie Sandsmark, with each heroine branching off into future properties. Nubia could star in her own solo film (tying into The Amazons) while Donna Troy and Cassie Sandsmark could be the catalysts for DCEU iterations of the Teen Titans and Young Justice, respectively (each of whom would draw in new versions of other DC Comics characters). The overarching narrative of Wonder Woman and the new stories set up by her supporting characters would serve a comparable function to the now-defunct Snyderverse, as the members would expand the DCEU while keeping its characters connected, ensuring an epic future for the franchise.