The DC Extended Universe made some enormous strides for the franchise, since Warner Bros. had traditionally focused on Batman and Superman prior to its arrival. While the defunct shared universe was far from perfect, it not only launched Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam! films, it also proved that other characters could successfully lead their own franchises. In many ways, the DCEU laid the groundwork for what audiences are now getting with the new DCU, with more obscure characters like Booster Gold and Clayface set to receive the spotlight in their own solo projects.
DCEU produced many films during its decade-long run, but several promising ones never came to fruition. From a Nightwing film to a long-awaited Man of Steel sequel, the DCEU was full of missed opportunities, which eventually led to its end in 2023 with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As much as the DCEU struggled, the franchise also came close to regaining momentum with films like Shazam! and The Suicide Squad. There was also another project that would’ve been a welcome addition, and could’ve potentially saved the franchise before it got the axe from Warner Bros.
Ava DuVernay Was Developing a New Gods Film
In March 2018, Ava DuVernay joined the DCEU to direct a New Gods film. At the time, DuVernay was coming off the critically acclaimed film Selma, adding a level of prestige the DCEU needed to earn the respect of audiences burned by previous outings. DuVernay was also a self-proclaimed fan of the Jack Kirby material, and later co-wrote the script with Tom King, responsible for the beloved Mister Miracle comic book.
With a talented director like DuVernay and a writer like King with a strong connection to modern DC Comics, New Gods was shaping up to be a much-needed addition to the DCEU. A New Gods film would’ve built on the DCEU in a significant way, similar to the billion-dollar hit Aquaman and its expansion of Atlantis, with Darkseid as the main villain, the Female Furies set to appear, and characters like Mister Miracle and Orion also poised to play a role. Despite plenty of sci-fi elements in various DCEU films like Man of Steel, none were full-on to the extent of what a New Gods film would’ve been, and it could’ve also had major story ramifications for the future.
Jack Kirby’s Fourth World introduced the New Gods in the 1970s and has since become a seminal piece of DC lore, featuring the conflict between the planets Apokolips and New Genesis. In many ways, The New Gods film could have been the DCEU’s spin on other beloved franchises like Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars with its political, religious, and fantastical undertones. Furthermore, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had already proven at this point how successful a cosmic corner of a superhero shared universe could be with Guardians of the Galaxy, and the DCEU had the chance to explore a very different side of it with the New Gods.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League Killed The New Gods Film
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In 2021, Warner Bros. revealed the promising New Gods project was no longer in development, making it one of the biggest disappointments during the DCEU era. With the MCU successfully adapting the big bad Thanos, the DCEU planned to go in a similar direction with Darkseid. The Justice League film featured one of Darkseid’s minions, Steppenwolf, as the main villain to set up a future appearance by Darkseid.
However, the Zack Snyder version of the film, later released on HBO Max, featured Darkseid’s first film appearance during the History Lesson and Knightmare sequences, as well as at the end after Steppenwolf’s defeat. Darkseid was shaping up to be a formidable foe worthy of a Justice League follow-up, and the film would’ve delved far more into his backstory and purpose.
Following the controversial release of the Snyder Cut and Warner Bros.’ attempt to move on from the franchise’s previous era, the studio decided not to move forward with New Gods. The decision remains confusing, since Darkseid barely appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a film that earned favorable reviews on top of it. Furthermore, Snyder’s version of the Justice League film wasn’t part of the DCEU canon, so DuVernary was never beholden to how Snyder presented Darkseid in his director’s cut.
“I loved New Gods, which is the project that got axed. The studio decided that they did not want to pursue a certain part of that comic world based on some things that were going on with another film in that world. So, before I even was able to kind of complete my script with Tom King, they axed it. But I already had two projects going.” — Ava DuVernay reflecting on The New Gods film in 2021.
Keeping Darkseid out of a New Gods film would’ve been a strange decision, but including him wouldn’t have been the primary focus either. The Fourth World is a universe in its own right, and it could’ve stood apart from the already established DCEU. Moreover, it would’ve introduced many new characters to the universe, including Big Barda and Mister Miracle, who could’ve become fan favorites.
The New Gods Will Have a Presence in DC’s Future
The DCEU may not have gotten around to The New Gods film as promised, but there’s still hope for the project to reemerge now that the DCU is in full swing. While it’s unlikely that DuVernay would return to direct a New Gods film for the DCU, King is still very much involved with the current franchise, as a writer on Lanterns and part of the shared universe’s brain trust.
However, the DCU plans to go in a different direction than the DCEU, with James Gunn recently revealing that Darkseid won’t be the big bad of the universe. Peacemaker Season 2 recently set up Salvation Run, which in the comics is a training ground for Darkseid’s Parademons, but in the DCU, that won’t be the case. Moreover, Darkseid bears some resemblances to Marvel’s Thanos, so it makes sense why the DCU wouldn’t want to make him an overarching villain.
“Using Darkseid as the big bad now is not necessarily the thing… because for a lot of reasons. Zack [Snyder] did it so cool in his way, and because of Thanos and Marvel.” — James Gunn on Darkseid’s role in the DCU.
With that being said, DC Studios still plans to explore the New Gods lore, with an upcoming animated series set to adapt King’s Mister Miracle comic book series. The comic book series not only centered on the New Gods characters and lore, but Darkseid also played a key role. As of now, it remains unclear if the animated Mister Miracle series will be a DCU or Elseworlds title, but regardless, the New Gods are still set to play a role in DC’s on-screen future, and it could pave the way for a live-action expansion down the road.
As much as the DCEU failed to deliver a universe as successful as the MCU, it still featured plenty of highlights and finally built out the DC Universe on the big screen that fans had long wanted to see attempted. However, in addition to some of the franchise’s lackluster installments, a major disappointment was its lack of a cohesive plan and the many canceled projects that emerged from it. If the DCEU had been as planned out as the MCU was, a film like New Gods would’ve become a reality. Instead, it clashed with another corner of the franchise handled by another filmmaker with his own distinct vision.
The New Gods film would’ve been an incredibly refreshing addition to the DCEU with a ton of upside; the fact that it didn’t happen under the old regime is probably a good thing in hindsight. With a project like Mister Miracle in the works, it’s clear DC Studios sees the potential for the New Gods side of the universe. Not to mention the DCU is already far more planned out than the DCEU ever was.
The DCU has already established that anything is possible in its universe, so a proper New Gods film doesn’t feel far behind. As bright as the future of the New Gods and DC franchise as a whole appears, it’s still hard not to imagine how much the DuVernay film could’ve been a game-changer for the DCEU, and ultimately, its cancellation will forever be intertwined with the franchise’s complicated legacy.
The DCEU lineup of characters featuring the Flash, Aquaman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman
Cast
Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Zachary Levi, John Cena, Dwayne Johnson, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman