Is it time for cinematic universes to be retired?

By Alex Wiggan

Shared universes are nothing new – movies and TV shows have been crossing over for a long time. Whether it’s for the purposes of a huge story or a quick guest role, there has been a great deal of back and forth between characters and storylines.

And since 2008, the development of shared universes has become increasingly popular thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU has seen many iconic Marvel characters share screen time, and the popularity of it has convinced the film and TV industries to lean into the concept wherever possible.

Of course the MCU is nothing particularly original, as Marvel had been doing the same thing in the pages of its comics for decades, but never on screen has a shared universe worked so well or been so connected. As such, many shared universes followed, from the MonsterVerse and The ConjuringUniverse to the DC Extended Universe and the ill-fated Dark Universe, which didn’t get beyond one film.

At times some of these connected worlds were a lot of fun to watch. One of the best to follow was the Arrowverse, which began in 2012 with the TV show Arrow, and continued through shows including The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman, amongst a few others.

Problem is, while the Arrowverse started off enjoyable, it soon became so expansive that it started to feel like a chore to follow if you didn’t keep up with every episode every week. With at least five regular shows in play, if you missed a couple of weeks due to prior engagements, you suddenly had ten episodes to catch up on before the next five dropped.

I watched the shows, week in, week out, but over time it felt unmanageable. And when it stopped becoming enjoyable I tapped out.

To this day I’ve still not watched the finale of Arrow, or the final few seasons of The Flash, Supergirl, et al. I just lost interest.

Maybe one day I’ll dip back in, but it won’t be an easy task. The various shows now stream on different platforms, the crossover episodes don’t work well without their corresponding parts, and it all requires homework to piece it all back together again.

And this is a big sticking point: I don’t want homework to be entertained. I also don’t want to feel the pressure of having to watch multiple, seemingly endless things just to keep track of what’s going on. I’m looking at you, MCU.

As much as I enjoy the MCU, this universe has felt like hard work at times – especially since it expanded considerably following the arrival of Disney+ in 2020. So many shows to watch, some of which were not great or felt pointless, and once again it has become a bit less fun to follow.

And all of this has made me wonder if it is time to retire shared universes? Or at the very least, trim them back somewhat.

One of the most recent shared universes to get off the ground is the DCU. Rising from the ashes of the DCEU, this new-look universe has included Superman, Supergirl, and Clayface, as well as a few television shows, and has been trying to establish itself as an interconnected space for DC heroes and villains.

Problem is, since its inception the DCU has been a bit of a confusing universe for general audiences. Between the Arrowverse, the DCEU, the DCU, and some standalone projects it can be difficult knowing what belongs where – especially since the DCU has kept hold of a few elements of the DCEU (Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, etc).

Too many plates are spinning, and unless you’re well-versed on these things, it can be a minefield. Warner Bros. (now Skydance) has done themselves no favours with their approach and the novelty is wearing off.

So, could we maybe go back to more standalone projects? Shared universes can be fun, but not everything needs to be connected.

2019’s Joker worked fine as a standalone movie. It should have remained a standalone film, and certainly didn’t need a misjudged sequel, but at least these two films exist on their own.

Likewise, Matt Reeves’ The Batman and The Batman II are fine on their own. Incorporating the PenguinTV show was OK, but let’s not overcomplicate things.

Clayface should have been a standalone movie and I’m not sure why it was brought into the DCU. And on the subject of DC villains, I’d happily watch more villain movies, I just don’t need them tenuously tied together.

Give me a Poison Ivy movie. Give me a Scarface and the Ventriloquist movie. Give me Scarecrow. Give me the Parasite, Toy Man, or Metallo.

Give me films and movies which I can easily dive into. Make them stand on their own two feet, make them creative, and make them accessible for audiences without the need to watch 12 other movies and have a subscription to a streaming service.

Yes, the MCU worked well and still continues to rake in money, but not every studio needs to do the same thing. So… can we have more standalone films and shows? Please.

There are rumours swirling around that the DCU might get rebooted. If the current course of action is to be abandoned (and at present it is only speculation), then please don’t make audiences go through the motions of watching yet another cinematic universe take its first steps.