With the announcement of “The Suicide Squad: Is it Canon? The Official Podcast” earlier this week, the DC Universe Franchise as soon as once more revolves not round films or tv, however across the unending query of canon. If the reply have been easy, it’d be one factor. Nonetheless, these questions plague the DCU and present no indicators of stopping.
What was as soon as an annoying quirk in regards to the DCU has turn into the worst factor about it. James Gunn continuously feels on the defensive, consistently fielding these questions as a substitute of specializing in what’s essential — the films and reveals.
The Canon Continuity Entice
Because the MCU pulled off the Infinity Saga, there’s been an emphasis on the prolonged, shared universe. Audiences now suppose that each one films and tv reveals ought to be transferring the broader story alongside, and that in the event that they don’t, then it isn’t price seeing. James Gunn himself got here out in opposition to the notion, with the latest Clayface launch.
In comparison with Superman and Supergirl, Clayface makes little try at transferring alongside the bigger story. There aren’t any supernatural forces at play — no intergalactic traffickers or Lex Luthor-level baddies — or grand romantic love story to root for like Lois and Clark. As an alternative, there’s some refined worldbuilding with Gotham, however in the end Clayface is barely about what the title suggests. It’s about Clayface. When audiences go to the film, they are going to get a film about Clayface, and that’s it.
Gunn is making an attempt to argue the advantage of standalone tales like Clayface, and in the end, he’s proper, however the extra highly effective transfer can be to cease arguing. If followers can be taught to understand Black Label comics for DC — comics that exist exterior continuity and canon, and thus are allowed to be extra experimental — then film and tv enjoyers ought to be capable of embrace an analogous ethos. Being exterior of canon doesn’t mechanically make the story unhealthy or much less precious. It simply means it gained’t be adopted up in the principle string of films.
Maybe the most effective argument for a non-canon film is the success of the Spider-Verse franchise. Made by Sony Animation, Spider-Verse is aware of they’re telling a distinct story from the mainline reside motion movies and embraces the plethora of variations inherent in storytelling. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man Noir all come from totally different variations of New York however none is essentially extra canon. It’s simply their canon. Spider-Verse was broadly profitable with followers nonetheless anticipating the discharge of the third movie, and proved that animation may very well be simply as prestigious as reside motion.
The Films Will Reply the Questions
James Gunn supposedly already has a script performed for the subsequent Superman movie after Man of Tomorrow, however even when he didn’t, he doesn’t need to discipline questions on X or Threads like this. Is The Suicide Squad canon? Wait till a personality from the film reveals up once more within the DCU. If it’s the identical actor, and if the character references occasions from The Suicide Squad, then, sure, it’s most likely canon. If the actor modifications — or if the character is noticeably totally different from how they have been in the Suicide Squad — then no.
Regardless that neither Batman nor Joker has been launched into the franchise, Gunn went out and clarified Harley Quinn’s DCU standing. It’s unclear once we’ll see Harley Quinn in a film once more — there are such a lot of items to arrange — however nonetheless Gunn ended up answering that he’d like to preserve Robbie within the function if it really works for everyone, however that if not, they’d recast her. As an alternative of counting on widespread sense — as uncommon as it could be in fandom areas — a podcast must be made to make clear and as soon as once more, Gunn is answering every of those questions individually.
These posts could also be nice for immediate gratification, and for clicks, however in the end, there’s no actual worth in them. When the films come out, and folks watch them, they’ll discover out if it’s canon. Audiences know the Reevesverse Batman movies aren’t canon — that has been express for some time — but it surely doesn’t cease the world from being attention-grabbing. It doesn’t cease Gunn from having fun with it and maybe taking bits and items and seeing how they may work within the DCU.
On the finish of the day, the DCU doesn’t need to be identical to the MCU, and it’s better for comedian guide franchises, and storytelling typically, if it isn’t. Let films diverge from one another and never need to be adopted like homework. Let characters change from one adaptation to a different. Most significantly, let James Gunn get off X and do what he does greatest — make television and films.
Are we judging Gunn’s posts too harshly, or ought to the DCU transfer away from this fixed canon-clarification? Tell us within the feedback beneath.