On Monday, DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran announced the first wave of titles that will make up their new DC Universe, the most concerted effort yet to connect movies, television shows, and video games inspired by the publisher’s characters. The initiative of storytelling, which is being dubbed “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters”, will consist of five films: Superman: Legacy, the Batman-centric The Brave and The Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority; and five HBO Max-exclusive television shows: Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, the Wonder Woman prequel Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold. While Gunn and Safran’s studio is far from the first or last to unveil their “slate” of storytelling, and we’re at least a year away from beginning to see the fruits of their labor, something about this announcement felt unique. It wasn’t just the months of anticipation from diehard fans, or the years of ill-fated attempts to create a cohesive universe before it — it was what happened after the announcement.
