DC Studios' DCU reboot is a bold move, even if it is necessary. However, whether this new DCU turns out to be a brave new venture for the studio in terms of the stories to be told onscreen will be determined by the version of the characters they allow to lead those film projects. A wide-scale reboot for the DCU is the perfect opportunity to challenge what fans have come to know and expect from their favorite DC superheroes.

With the advent of digital media and streaming, fans have more access to the various offerings from DC Studios. The conventional DCU stories of their most popular heroes have been repeated onscreen. Over time, this can lead to stagnation of a franchise. It can start to feel like it's living in the past instead of embracing changes. New spins on old stories can surprise fans, as well as connect to the new generation that DC Studios hopes to inspire and empower. Rehashing the same old stories with new actors isn’t what makes a good superhero film. But, DC Studios has an opportunity to challenge those conventions if they’re brave enough.

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The Classic DC Heroes Stories Are Stale

Long-time fans of DC's most iconic superheroes know that the cinematic stories and portrayals of these characters have remained relatively similar with every reboot. The style and tone, however, have generally progressed from lighter to darker. Superman, for instance, has changed from Christopher Reeve's wide-eyed, lighthearted portrayal to the darker Man of Steel played by Henry Cavill. But the story of the classic cinematic Superman is all too familiar for most.

He's a human-like alien originally from the destroyed planet of Krypton, who grew up on a farm in Smallville to later become a journalist at the Daily Planet. He wears his supersuit under his business suit, and depending on the decade, he likes to wear his undies on the outside of his tights. Retelling the same story with new actors only makes the movie-going experience predictable and less attractive to those looking for something fresh from their favorite superheroes besides a new face and suit. Fortunately, there are a plethora of different versions of these characters in the comics that DC Studios can adapt for the screen.

New Possible DCU Stories

Eschewing the conventional origin stories and characteristics, James Gunn's new DCU should journey down a different path onscreen. They should aim to produce a new film that satisfies a younger audience or new fans, who are already familiar with the conventional tales, while trying to meet and subvert the expectations of long-time fans. This, of course, is a difficult balancing act. It's also a risk to the vertical integration of the franchises to depict a completely different version in film than the one most promoted in comics or other media. Nonetheless, if DC Studios wants to tell stories more representative of and appealing to the diversity of modern audiences today, they cannot keep producing the largely unchanged narratives from the 1940s.

Alternative Superman Versions

The new story should start with James Gunn's new DCU Superman. Superman's continuously short-lived narrative in films between reboots could be leveraged as an opportunity to build on the conventional narrative rather than replace it. Just as Tom Welling's older Clark Kent story paves the way for the mantle to be passed on to his children in a potential Smallville spinoff, a DCU Superman story could serve audiences better as a soft reboot that pits the new hero as a descendant of Henry Cavill's Clark Kent.

Superman has many children in the comics who could debut as the new Superman, including his bisexual son Jon Kent. Alternatively, there are the Superman versions from different Earths and other storylines that could be adapted:

• Electric Superman
• Anti-hero Bizarro
• Val-Zod
• The Super-Man of China, Kong Kenan
• Realworlds Eddie Dial, the powerless Superman
• Superboy
• Earth-11's Superwoman

These are only the more heroic versions, not to mention the growing list of evil Superman characters. James Gunn has revealed that the Black Superman movie featuring Calvin Ellis is being developed for DC Elseworlds. But, he seems to be continuing the tradition of the conventional Clark Kent/Superman story and type-casting with Superman: Legacy.

A New Justice League For Modern Times

The Justice League's Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman are no different from the Superman cycle, unfortunately. Batwoman, for instance, has proven capable of being a successful series, and she deserves to debut in her own film in the DCU if not also replace Batman's spot in the Justice League.

Although DC Studios has a vast array of alternative versions of their leading superheroes to pursue for live-action film projects, presenting these heroes the same as usual is a less risky route to box office success. Their reluctance to pivot from these conventional stories continues to exacerbate the superhero diversity problem as well. Relegating more inclusive stories, such as the above Justice League Queer comics, to other, less mainstream media is disempowering to the people of those communities. Their identites and lived experiences become further marginalized onscreen.

Limiting the image of who can be a superhero also stymies the creativity of how those stories are told. The impact of these alternative stories on those told in games will remain unknown until DC Studios grants these opportunities in films. Fresh stories lead to new movie-going and gaming experiences. The new DCU could usher in a new era for superhero movies with meaningful and inclusive stories of their most popular franchises. Despite fans' longing to see the Bat-family reunited onscreen in live-action films, better representation among superheroes, or for fresh takes on the conventional superhero formula movie, DC Studios seems intent to both rest on their laurels with their most iconic DCU heroes and offer something different for DC Elseworlds. But at least there's more progress in television.

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