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The DCEU is no more . Or , rather , the DC Extended Universe name is . And so , withJustice Leagueapproaching , we ’re force to necessitate what we ’re meant to call the DC Films franchise now?It flex out that the title the entire pop culture area has been using to describe Warner Bros. divvy up universe based on DC Comics characters is n’t - and never was - official . or else , " DCEU " was all the result of a joke made in a 2015EWcolumn that caught on thanks to an ironically placed trademark house . Nobody inside WB or DC uses the " prolonged Universe " moniker and , by all accounts , actively discourage its proliferation . So what ’s the alternative?This is n’t just something for the company to consider and decide on finally . With the franchise climax itsinaugural Superman arcin November’sJustice Leagueand a dozen different projects in various stages of development , there ’s going to be a lot of press and devotee discussion in the coming months and years that requires a consolidative name . Sure , there ’s wad of fun jest titles to be made - Marthaverse , the DCNU , the " Justice League But Also Suicide Squad Especially Joker And Oh So Many Bat Family Movies"-verse - but if we ’re going to take the enfranchisement as seriously as it takes itself , there ’s demand to be something decipherable .
We ’ve dove deep and fare up with some serious prompting - as well as stress to break how DC officially regards the world .
Can We Still Use “DC Extended Universe”? (This Page)
Can We Still Use “DC Extended Universe”?
While it ’s been divulge the DC share universe of discourse franchise is n’t formally called the DCEU , does that still mean we ca n’t call it that ? It ’s sly . Obviously , cognise it ’s not approved by the creators is a nose candy that make it hard to apply genuinely , especially when it comes to reporting official developments ; and , after all , it only aim off because everyone assumed it was the prescribed title and begrudgingly got used to it . But that terminal concern foreground one thing " Extended Universe " has that any other replacement wo n’t : integration .
" DCEU " may be a gag , but it was an accidentally effective one . EWgave us a partake stenography for the dealership , and - after the center - rolled reaction period had come about ( " Extended Universe " is a rather derisory phrase ) - DCEU has become the default . It ’s what we ’ve used here atScreen Rantand according to Google Trends has only increase in usage in recent months ( both the phrase and shortened interlingual rendition were more prevalent during this yr ’s SDCC than they were at the sack ofSuicide SquadorWonder Woman ) .
That sorting of widespread awareness means that many fans are certain to keep on with it regardless of the in vogue development and further suggest that it may be in the best interests of DC Films to just embrace it . Ignimonious origins away , it ’s provided two years of consistency to something rather fundamental . Given how long DCEU ’s now been in circulation , it ’s unlikely anything introduced now would n’t be fit with similar upturned noses .
So , yes , DCEU remains an choice should you desire . But , nevertheless , the motion stay - can we bring home the bacon a warm alternative ?
Alternative #1: DC Films Universe
Given that the subsidiary of DC Entertainment in charge of the series is DC Films , that seems a pretty obvious place to set off . The DC Films Universe is a moment on - the - olfactory organ in terms of how it immediately draws attention to the company side ( it ’d be like calling the MCU the Marvel Studios Cinematic Universe ) but is no matter quite striking . At least , it is in its full signified . The present moment you abbreviate it , you realize why they ca n’t have it ; DCFU invite just too many easy jokes , especially given how notoriously dissentious the series is .
indisputable , DC Films by itself is a good tachygraphy , but clunky when describing both studio and franchise , so something else is needed .
Alternative #2: DC Cinematic Universe (DCU/DCCU)
In hisVulturepiece on the genesis and current state of the dealership , Abraham Riesman call in the series " the DC cinematic cosmos " . This is only ever conversational - it ’s all downcast case with no clear sign that this comes from WB - and evidently just the best fit solution to the discovery the DCEU has no backup . but is the neatest , most obvious solution ; and until we hear otherwise feels like a desirable one . Indeed , it ’s what most reportage defaulted to before we had the lengthened Universe and turn better than " shared universe " because DC Films is , unlike other multimedia mega - franchises , strictly cock-a-hoop screen and apart from the television set and games .
The job with this one is , ironically , branding . It ’s the same language as the Marvel Cinematic Universe , a comparison WB obviously do n’t want to beseech up , although perhaps more problematically it does n’t lend itself to a neat abbreviation . DCEU may have been weird but it at least roll off the tongue fairly easily . With DCCU we either have a stammering cytosine or crush the Comics and Cinematic into one . A side - solution is the DC Universe or DCU , but that ’s already in usage as the streamer name for the whole comic endeavor .
Alternative #3: DC Movie Universe (DCMU)
The final established alternative we have is the DC Movie Universe . It stumble all points of the DCCU but is so much more synergized . Not only does it experience like a proper initialisation ( if it feel weird to say contract , that ’s just introductory bother - think of how strange DCEU was at first ) but it actually fits into the big picture . DC has its fingers in many Proto-Indo European and has shorthand version for all of them : the TV wing is DCTV , animate moving picture DCAU . DCMU fits aright into that naming convention . It ’ll just be tough for it to get picked up without DC stepping forward and officially using it , but if they do it ’s prosperous to back .
Alternative #4: Snyderverse
apart from DCEU , the other phoney name that ’s really stuck for the enfranchisement is the Snyderverse , obviously in honour / derision of primogenitor Zack Snyder . He ’s not only direct three of the five movies so far , but has essentially form the tone and deconstructive approach ; whileSuicide SquadandWonder Woman(which Snyder has executive manufacturer and producer credits respectively ) have their own distinct styles , they ’re inform by his choices ( consciously or not ) .
Why this is a tough idea should be obvious : Snyder is divisive . In fact , the name itself make up that . Being so key to the franchise means he is given adequate praise and criticism by separate section of the hearing , and so while fan may use it with a sense of endearment , for everyone else it ’s evidently derogatory . Further , withSnyder stepping away from the dealership afterJustice League , sticking to this name would engage it in the past tense , treat everything ( and there is a lot ) to do as somehow less substantive .
These are , of path , all solutions coined by the press or devotee , and so while they ’ve all contract advantage and will likely witness themselves rising to prominence now the DCEU has been depict null - and - void , we need to reckon the official line . And here ’s where it really gets mussy .
What Have Warner Bros. and DC Been Calling It?
One of the weirdest part about the wind that the DCEU is n’t prescribed is that the clew were there from the start . Never , in any affirmation from Warner Bros. or any wing of DC Entertainment has " DC Extended Universe " been used . That it stuck besides is obviously a banner example ofthe dealership ’s continuing PR trouble . And , delving deeper to find out what their actual naming alternatives are makes matter even weirder .
The Only Official Name Is “Justice League Universe”
The closest we ’ve got to an official partake universe claim from DC derive in The CW ’s prevue extra from early 2016,Dawn of the Justice League . present by Kevin Smith and center on on a serial of interrogations with Geoff Johns on succeeding projects , it in the main reiterated known information for a mainstream hearing - thatBatman v Supermanwas starting the road to a innkeeper ofJustice League - colligate movies . The only veridical breaker point of interest was that , throughout the show , the banner franchise was repeatedly called the " Justice League Universe" . Suicide Squadwas even describe as an anti - Justice League , tying them to the ethos despite a narrative disconnect .
So , should we begin calling it the JLU ? Perhaps , although a year - and - a - half later that show remains the only prominent use of the name and so it ’s now easy to chalk that up to an endeavor to transferBatman v Supermanexcitement into the world theDawn of Justicesubtitle was opening up . And , like with the Snyderverse title , it locks the dealership in the past . While theLeagueis evidently a lynchpin of the universe ( indeed , it ’s now the key connective decimal point between characters ) it does n’t quite fit big film likeJoker & HarleyandBatgirl . So we must count at what ’s been used since .
The Truth Is They Call It Nothing
SinceDawn of the Justice League , The Shared Universe Formerly Known as the DCEU has been formally visit … nothing . In fact , tracing it right back to the origins , DC purposely debar even relate the flick together into a share universe . The 2014 ticket announcement called them " DC Entertainment motion-picture show " and this twelvemonth ’s SDCC panel kick the bucket even further by get rid of any shared link , with the description only saying " the expectant superheroes of the DC cosmos , united for the first time on the big CRT screen . " There ’s a concerted attempt to avoid providing a name .
That you could get four year into a franchise without give it a rubric is unexpected , especially in contrast toUniversal trying to mint " Dark Universe"beforeThe Mummyeven hit , but may be symbolic of the wide of the mark plan . TheVulturearticle that led to the DCEU reveal made clear that the goal of the DC shared universe was tocreate a worldthat could hold standalone story , in stark contrast to the MCU which is building consistently towardsAvengers : eternity War(although may be step away from the overarching narration in Phase 4 ) . It is a universe , but the central pitch of the dealership is n’t the potential for crossover . A grand rubric danger losing that preeminence .
The Best Fit Is DC Films - But That Can’t Last For Long
rather , how WB and DC relate to the series is , at good , the Cartesian product DC Films . Yes , we ’re back where we started , albeit with no public lecture of universe and just the production studio apartment ; essentially , a step above no name . And this does work temporarily , although begins to get mussy when you consider the future .
DCF will be producing both theJustice Leaguecanon picture and the out - of - continuity stories ( already known informally as Elseworlds , inspired by the comic depression ) that begin with thein - serious - development Joker origin moving picture . That these are separate canon will demand to be clearly pass along to some level ; even if moving-picture show do n’t have conventional share universe intersection , there ’s still an arithmetic mean of world - building .
So , formally , we have no indication of what we ’re intend to call the Warner / DC enfranchisement . With all this in mind , maybe it ’s ripe to keep with DCEU for now .
Next:Justice League Projected For Second-Best DCEU Box Office Opening
