DC’s new cinematic universe has jumped in headfirst where theMarvel Cinematic Universeonce stepped too cautiously. Whilethe MCU timelinehelped reshape superhero cinema, it did so with a level of restraint. Now, as James Gunn begins to roll out his vision forthe DCU reboot, it’s clear that the franchise is taking a very different and bolder approach.
James Gunn and Peter Safran have rebooted the DCEU timeline, establishing a new interconnected universe alreadyfilled with DC’s iconic pantheon of characters. Rather than favoring grounded worldbuilding and slow-burn expansion, as previous superhero franchises had, the DCU has already presented a fully-formed universe. Even some of DC’s strangest characters have already been established.
The MCU Didn’t Fully Embrace The Weirder & Wider Side Of Its Lore For Many Years
For much of its first decade, the MCUplayed things relatively safely. The earlyIron Man, Captain America, andThormovies rooted themselves in real-world logic, even when touching on fantasy or sci-fi. While Marvel had a treasure trove of cosmic, mystical, and downright bizarre characters, it took years before these weirder figures and deeper lore even got a mention.
Marvel only truly began embracing its stranger side withGuardians of the Galaxyin 2014. It leaned further with shows likeWandaVisionandAgatha All Along,but even then, manydeeper cuts remained unexplored. The MCU’s commitment to general audience familiarity often sidelined its more surreal or lesser-known characters until Phase 4, and even then, with noticeable hesitation.
The DC Universe Has Immediately Leaned Into This Side Of Its Comic History
By contrast, James Gunn’s DCU isn’t wasting any time. TheCreature Commandosanimated series introduced not just a squad of monster-like antiheroes, but key DC magical characters like Circe. It showeda clear willingness to dive into supernatural and horror elements.
Superman(2025) wasn’t content with just Clark Kent and Lex Luthor – adding Krypto the Superdog and Metamorpho, a shape-shiftingdeep-cut from DC’s weirder archives.Meanwhile, theClayface(2026) solo film (centered on a literal shape-shifting mud monster) shows that the new DCU is unafraid to lead with bizarre, genre-bending characters. Rather than building toward the strange, the DCU is starting there.
The DCU is setting itself apart as a comic book universe ready to explore every colorful and chaotic corner from day one. Rather than slowly teasing its more obscure or cosmic elements, DC isdiving deep into its stranger and more eclectic lore right from the start.The confirmed upcoming DCU projects only cement this.
The DCU has confirmed aSwap Thinghorror movie and aGreen Lanterncrime procedural. The DCU isunapologetically embracing the wild cornersof its universe. That fearless dive into weirder mythology might just become theDCU’s greatest strength – and one of the things the MCU took the longest to fully explore.
