In what will probably come as a disappointment to many comics fans, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns downplayed the idea that the comics publishers superheroes would appear in a shared cinematic universe the way that rival Marvel Comics’ characters have.
Speaking at a panel at the New York Comic Con last night, Johns stated that he felt that the roster of DC characters currently being developed for films stood on their own.
I think our characters are bigger than Marvel characters. I like the Marvel characters a lot, but our characters are bigger because they’re icons that stand for morality and inspiration. I think it is very important that we introduce these characters and rather than trying to smash everyone together, I think these characters deserve to be spotlighted and treated equally.
This drives a stake in the heart of the current fan theory that DC was looking at constructing a shared cinematic universe in much the same way that Marvel has with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and the upcoming Thor and Captain America.
Speculation that DC was planning something similar began when Angela Bassett was cast in their upcoming Green Lantern film as Amanda Waller. In the comics, Waller has been involved with various clandestine spy organizations and has appeared in a number of various titles over the years. Since she is not necessarily considered a “Green Lantern family character,” conjecture was that the Waller character could be a piece of connective tissue between various movies to anchor them in one coherent universe. Fans were hoping that this would lead to a live action Justice League movie similar to Marvel Studio’s planned The Avengers.
