Is DC just a tease or can they go all the way?

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about the current state of DC’s planned movie universe. I say planned because the only insight into this universe thus far has been MAN OF STEEL (2013) and the teaser that was forcibly released two weeks ago.

On a side note, I have to say my heart hurt for Zack Snyder, having to release a teaser in the shadow of the Millennium Falcon. Star Wars is probably the only movie that can overshadow such an epic superhero mash-up like BATMAN V. SUPERMAN.

These articles from Forbes.com and The Hollywood Reporter are good reads if you want to delve a bit deeper than what I’m going to do here.

But here’s my take.

DC is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, and we won’t know which until March, 2016.

It’s easy to imagine this whole thing going south, with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, all trying to pass through a narrow door and getting stuck. If BATMAN V. SUPERMAN doesn’t balance these characters and give audiences a movie they can rally behind (which MAN OF STEEL failed to do) then the DC Cinematic Universe will be swallowed by a black hole that only animated features can pull away from.

And that should concern every comic book movie fan.

I’m a Marvel man. My DC-loving girlfriend, Amanda, can attest to that. But Marvel shouldn’t be the only game in town when it comes to comic book movies. And I would be lying if I said DC doesn’t have some of the most complex and captivating characters in comics. They deserve to be treated with respect, and I fear that Warner Bros. will fail to give each character their due.

DC has taken a decidedly more rushed approach to a cinematic universe than Marvel, and I can’t tell you why — although greed and impatience are likely culprits.

Marvel took several calculated risks to get to where they are now, and it’s paid off. And for all we know, DC’s plan might pay off, too. But what if it doesn’t?

If DC has to go back to the drawing board and adopt Marvel's approach, we might not see a satisfying live-action Justice League movie until 2030.

I think there’s a lesson to be learned here from Spider-Man. Sony let greed cloud their judgment, and Spider-Man paid the price. One of the most beloved comic book characters is now the victim of the worst audience fatigue ever felt in comic book movie history. Now, Sony is doing what so few studios ever do: sharing a character with another studio to get a property off the ground.

If you can’t do it right the first time, you probably won’t get another shot. And audiences suffer the most. (Okay, fanboys suffer the most. We’re always suffering.)

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Let’s look beyond BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and consider Marvel Vs. DC, the oldest rivalry in comic book history. Having that conflict makes the comics better because it makes loving the comics more of a commitment. It reifies our love for the characters because we know we have choices.

But when it comes to choosing comic book movies, we’re forced to choose between good Marvel movies and bad Marvel movies. And for every great indie adaptation like SNOWPIERCER and KICK-ASS, we get a dozen misfires and cheap sequels, like THE SPIRIT and 300: Rise of an Empire — I had to Google it to remember the name. I genuinely can’t remember that movie!

If BATMAN V. SUPERMAN doesn’t quite cut it, there is still hope. Certain characters might make enough of an impression to carry on into another movie. And SUICIDE SQUAD could still flesh out an interesting new world for Ben Affleck’s Batman to explore — although they seem to be stuffing a lot of characters into that movie, too.

Take it from someone who has Marvel branded on his heart — no matter how badly or how often DC screws up a live-action movie, their characters will survive.

Let’s just hope we’re not old and grey when they figure out how to do them justice.