"For the Season Finale of El Fanboy, host Mario-Francisco Robles is thrilled to bring on the legendary writer of Old Man Logan, Marvel's Civil War, Kick-Ass, Wanted, Red Son, and Kingsman: The Secret Service, MARK MILLAR!

MFR goes one-on-one with Mr. Millar about a wide range of topics, including:

- The Exciting Plans for Millarworld Now That It's Been Acquired by Netflix
- The Pros and Cons of the big Disney-Fox Deal
- His Thoughts on The Superman Movies He Wanted To Get Made With Matthew Vaughn Back In 2008 And What He Thinks of Vaughn Being Back In The Current Mix To Direct MAN OF STEEL 2
- His Thoughts On STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

But that's not all!
For this jam-packed final episode of the year, MFR also brings on his old Latino-Review chum (and current cohost of both the STORM OF SPOILERS and FIGHTING IN THE WAR ROOM Podcasts), Dave "Da7e" Gonzales for a spoilerific THE LAST JEDI chat that should give you plenty to think about for the next three weeks until the show returns.
​
Along the way, he covers all of the week's top geek entertainment news, and offers his own unique analysis on what's going on out there."

Listen here or, better yet, subscribe today by CLICKING HERE and selecting the podcast app of your choosing!

I can now officially reveal something I've been sitting on for weeks... Tomorrow, for the Season Finale of the El Fanboy Podcast, I'll be having a discussion with the legendary Mark Millar about Fox/Disney, his 2008 Superman pitch with Matthew Vaughn, and Star Wars!

Don't miss it.

And yes, we touch on his good friend Vaughn's latest dance with DC Films, some of which is covered HERE by my friends at JoBlo.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY BY CLICKING HERE!

It's STAR WARS WEEK here at El Fanboy. As such, I bring on two special guests from very different places. One is RICK SHEW from BATMAN-ON-FILM, the other is longtime listener and die-hard STAR WARS freak Aaron Virola for a deep dive on the magic of that galaxy far, far away.
​
As always, I also cover all of the week's top stories, taking special care to discuss those BOBA FETT rumors, those DC shake-ups (and what the slate for DC's future looks like), and the big Fox/Disney merger that should be announced any day now.

Listen here or, better yet, subscribe today by CLICKING HERE and selecting the podcast app of your choosing!

Batman-On-Film has launched an excellent Vlog Series. I was fortunate enough to appear on episode #2 two weeks ago. Bill "Jett" Ramey invited me back for #4 last week, but some technical snafus led to him not getting any workable footage of our spirited chat.

Thankfully, I was able to get what we shot/discussed into workable form here on my equipment! The topic was Variety's report about the apparent shake-ups taking place behind-the-scenes after Justice League's less-than-stellar performance. Bill and I agree on a lot, but we have distinctly different outlooks about the future of the DC Films Universe, and whether or not these changes are changes at all...

Enjoy!

When Geoff Johns was officially named the President and Chief Creative Office of DC Entertainment in July of 2016, it capped off a feverish few months of behind-the-scenes shake-ups. The underperformance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at the box office, combined with the critical drubbing the film took and the so-so B CinemaScore given to it by fans, had left Warner Bros. rethinking everything.

Earlier that year they had lost faith in Zack Snyder as the unofficial creative architect of their ambitious DC Films Universe when BvS started testing poorly, and so they would eventually turn to Johns, who had done some great work alongside Patty Jenkins on Wonder Woman- which was now in post-production. At the time of his elevation in the DC ranks, Justice League was three months into principal photography. As outlined by the Wall Street Journal, one of the first things he was tasked with was tweaking the shooting script for the film. Executives didn't want another BvS situation, and Johns was asked to lighten the tone of the film and make it more palatable for fans than Snyder's interpretations of these beloved characters.

It's important to note that, up until this point, Johns had been kept at arms-length from Snyder's two prior DC efforts. An insider told Vulture, back in September, that Snyder and the "current administration [at that time] didn't care that much about what Geoff Johns thought" when he raised concerns about the portrayal of Superman in Man of Steel. The Vulture piece, which features plenty of quotes from Johns and Diane Nelson, describes a situation where he was marginalized during those early years, and points out that the only real example of what he's capable of is Wonder Woman. He did uncredited work as a writer on that film, and cultivated a strong relationship with director Jenkins as they collaborated on what would be the greatest success in the DC Films Universe.

Justice League, on the other hand, was a somewhat thankless situation. He and Jon Berg were promoted within the DC Entertainment ranks once that train had already left the station, and they were asked to fix the engine without stopping the locomotive. With a release date that was fixed in place, a ballooning budget, and concerned executives breathing down their necks, they worked hard alongside Snyder to create something that would please everyone involved without the benefit of a production delay. It was a tall order.

At the time, I noted on LRM that the DC Films Universe was in a peculiar place. They'd installed a new hierarchy at DC Entertainment, yet we wouldn't see a movie developed completely under the new regime until the end of 2018 when Aquaman comes out. This was in late July of 2016; Meaning that it'd be two years before we could actually see what a Johns/Berg/Nelson DC Entertainment can do. Prior to that, we'd have Suicide Squad (which opened a week after Johns was promoted, meaning he had nothing to do with it), Wonder Woman and Justice League, which were technically products of the old regime.

My big questions at that time were: "How would SS, WW, and JL be received?" and "If one- or all three- of them falters, will Warner Bros. have the patience to wait until 2018 to see how Aquaman does before making further changes?"

Well, we now have answers to both questions: Suicide Squad was viewed as another creative low-point for DC Films, Wonder Woman was received beautifully, and Justice League was a box office disappointment that was only slightly better-received than BvS. As for the WB's patience with getting past those films and firmly into the Johns/Berg era post-Justice League? If you believe what Variety reported last week, it's virtually nonexistent.

According to the iconic industry outlet, the studio is once again making changes to the DC Entertainment hierarchy following Justice League- despite the fact that we haven't yet seen a full-on production from Johns and Berg yet, and despite the fact that the closest thing we've seen of what that would look like (Wonder Woman) was a stunning success in every conceivable way. The report claims that Berg is moving on to produce non-DC films with a different partner at Warner Bros., and that Johns has- essentially- been demoted. While they note he'll stay on as CCO, referring to his role as evolving and becoming more "advisory in nature" means he's likely heading down the ladder.

At the time, I noted in a vlog with Bill "Jett" Ramey of Batman-On-Film that these changes seemed somewhat minor. Variety had noted that Berg had actually requested the move of WB President Toby Emmerich six months ago, and the mere fact that the studio wants to go back to being filmmaker-driven means Johns was always just going to be a glorified advisor anyway. So these changes seemed somewhat cosmetic and pointless to me. 

But I reached out to my WB insider, and what they had to say turned my take on its head. They paint a picture of a staff that is pissed at the top executives for seemingly hanging Johns and Berg out to dry- particularly Johns:

"It's higher up the ladder. Berg and Johns seem to be scapegoats, as all issues [with Justice League] were execs."

That's what they said last week, essentially pointing out that the executives that opted to rush Justice League into production rather than delaying it to retool things and thus forcing Snyder, Johns, Berg, and- eventually- Joss Whedon to "fix" it on-the-fly are the ones to blame. This week, I reached out for further perspective on the matter, now that the dust had somewhat settled. I pointed out my aforementioned take on the news, and that WB seems to be staying the course after they trotted out the same slate of films at a Comic Con in Brazil (CCXP) this weekend that they had at SDCC last summer.

The insider begged to differ.

Regarding the slate discussed at CCXP:

"Just marketing. It’s all booked in advance. The PR side is push-forward. They can’t go to an event like that and say 'It’s all f*****d!' It’s a bit of a cluster right now."

On the hierarchy shakeups:

"People are upset about Johns and Berg. That came out of nowhere."

Johns, in particular, has become a very sympathetic figure behind-the-scenes:

"The rollover of Johns is messed up. I think it’s just a lot of us were pulling for Johns to be ELEVATED in his role [post-Justice League], and this kind of came out of nowhere. Kind of putting the blame on Johns when it really was an executive issue."

Ouch.

There's hope that Berg could eventually lend Johns some protection at the studio, since his move seems like more a lateral one than a demotion. Emmerich seems quite high on Berg, as per what he told Variety. So there's a chance Berg could stick his neck out and make sure Johns doesn't slide too far down in the power rankings at DC Entertainment. 

We shall have to wait and see. For now, it's looking like the wrong person has been scapegoated, and it's painfully obvious- both to people who worked on the film, and to anyone who's been paying attention.

I discussed this matter on this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In and everywhere else premium podcasts are found. And I'll be working on digging deeper these next few weeks as things continue to evolve.

Maybe if we make enough noise, we can help Johns get a fair shake. You can make your voice heard by sharing this report, tweeting @WBPictures that they've blamed the wrong person for Justice League's failings, and shining a spotlight on this injustice.

On our own, we're just individuals shouting into the void. Together, we are legion. Let's make them hear us.

You all in?

MFR

Ever since I started using this space to break stories a couple of weeks ago, I've been inundated with questions for follow-ups and updates. I try my best to respond to questions sent to me on Twitter, but the very nature of that platform means I often have to repeat myself since answers only to go the specific folks asking the questions. So I'm going to answer all of the FAQs you guys keep sending me, right here:

This is a biggie. Ever since I posted some exclusive details about the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman movie, people have been clamoring for more intel.

I've been digging as hard as I can, and so I just need to note: No one's talking.

Remember, I broke that story just as Justice League was opening. Following that ho-hum opening weekend, DC Entertainment seemingly went underground. My sources at Warner Bros. have made it clear that DC is, essentially, hibernating for the winter. They're taking time to assess exactly how to proceed on everything, and they don't want to discuss anything that may leak to the press until Justice League's theatrical run is over. 

This means that anything related to Ben Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the solo Batman movie is on the back-burner for now. The film isn't likely to come out until 2020, meaning they don't need to have a finished script for another year, and they don't need to have the Affleck situation sorted out until then either. 

While I can comfortably share with you that, at one point, Warner Bros. was pushing to film The Batman last April and were even setting aside the stages for it at their California studios, there's currently no urgency to get the film made. They learned, the hard way, what happens when you rush things. They're giving Reeves whatever time he needs to get this done right.

As stated in the video report (from February) above, Reeves now has Nolan-era control over The Batman. I bring this up because one of the other questions I've gotten is about whether or not WB will "approve" of his pick to replace Affleck as Batman, should the actor officially decide to break ties with DC, Jake Gyllenhaal. The answer is: Yes. They promised him autonomy. If he wants Gyllenhaal, he'll get Gyllenhaal.

And if he can't have Affleck, Gyllenhaal is who he wants.

Something I've alluded to, both on the El Fanboy Podcast and with Bill "Jett" Ramey on his Batman-on-Film Vlog #2, is that there had been momentum for a Man of Steel 2 prior to Justice League's opening weekend. I had it on good authority that the studio was feeling so high on Superman after the most recent JL test screenings, that they were getting ready to make a formal announcement about MOS 2 as soon as this coming January.

But now, similar to what's going on with The Batman, the information trail has gone cold.

This doesn't mean MOS 2 is off the table. It only means that DC Entertainment has cooled off on discussing things for now. They're taking in all of the feedback and data regarding Justice League's performance, and they're taking time to carefully assess the situation.

It calls to mind what LucasFilm did last year, at this very time. Kathleen Kennedy said publicly, prior to the release of Rogue One, that the company would convene in January to determine the future of the Star Wars franchise. At the time, they had just invested in an expensive- and extensive- overhaul of Rogue One. They wanted to see how that film was received, then use that information to course the path for future SW films- i.e. Would they kick off another Trilogy after Episode IX? or Would they move into a Standalone-Only model after Episode IX? 

It took some time, but we now know what LucasFilm decided after those January meetings- with Rian Johnson getting hired to oversee a whole new Trilogy, and no announcements about other standalones beyond Solo: A Star Wars Story.

With Man of Steel 2, we're going to have to take that wait-and-see approach.

Personally, I hope they still pull the trigger on fast-tracking it. I want to see Cavill get another shot at Superman, now that the theatrical cut finally introduced us to a version of the character that's clicking with mass audiences. And, considering he's one of only two things that have received universal praise about Justice League​, I don't think the studio will punish Superman by rebooting him. 

Last week, I wrote about Zack Snyder's Cut of Justice League. This week, I tweeted about an Extended Cut that Warner Bros. is mulling over releasing, along with a Superman Trilogy set that includes MOS and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I've gotten several questions about this.

1. How much of an Extension are we talking here?

At this point, it's too soon to tell. They haven't started editing the Extended Cut yet, so there's no way of knowing if it'll 5-10 extra minutes of additional material, or something more substantial.

2. Will it be Snyder stuff or Whedon stuff?

As I said in the tweet, it's an extended version of the Theatrical Cut- which means it could very well have more Snyder stuff! I'm sure that should excite some of you, and I hope it does. Because everything is fair game here. Any Snyder material that is deemed to enhance the film, will be included in the Extended Cut. Remember, the movie currently in theaters is a patchwork of both Snyder and Whedon's work, so the Extended Cut will be more of that. 

3. What about things like Darkseid and Superman's Black Suit?

See, this is where the Snyder stuff ends. The material of his that absolutely will not be included is anything that outright contradicts the theatrical cut. That means that anything related to Darkseid will remain on the cutting room floor, for the simple reason that Darkseid is no longer the plan (as I outlined in this exclusive report). 

Think about it. It would make absolutely no sense to continue dropping hints about Darkseid if there are currently no plans for him to be the antagonist in Justice League 2. Heck, there aren't even any plans for a Justice League 2 at the moment! All of that team-up stuff, outside of Flashpoint, is in limbo now. It's likely to happen someday, just not any time soon. Their focus right now is on giving us a few years of solo movies.

So including anything that sets up things that may never happen would be foolhardy. And you should be happy about that, because otherwise you'd end up with a bad case of cinematic blue balls!

When it comes to the black suit, that's another thing we're unlikely to see. Since Superman's return was totally reworked, there's just no place for it in the film anymore. It would only work if they showed us an alternate version of his rebirth, but that's not what this is. This is an Extended Cut, not an Alternate Cut. 

I've gotten loads of fantastic feedback from you all, ever since that Batman scoop. And you seem to want more, more, more. I love hearing that many of you now check ElFanboy.com on a daily basis for more news and analysis. That was the first scoop I ever wrote for myself, after years of writing for Latino-Review and The Splash Report, so it's intensely gratifying to see how many of you are now willing to come directly to me for information.

The problem is, as I stated in the Foreword for that Batman scoop: That's not really what this site is about. These days I'm a podcast host, not a writer. So I'd love it if you just subscribed to the show.

BUT!!!

You guys have gotten me thinking. You really have. I'm considering making this site a place you should check on a daily basis, by giving you more regularly-scheduled content. So I'm working on things right now, behind the scenes, to see what I can do to reward your curiosity about what I've got to offer.

The logistics aren't easy, I'll tell you that. I'm a one-man operation. Every single thing you see here, I do myself. I write, produce, book the guests, and deliver the weekly podcast myself. I write, film, edit, and execute the videos you see myself. And I do all of the digging, writing, and research you read in this blog section...by myself. All while trying to cultivate relationships with sources and studios...and managing my actual full-time career...and being a guy who's married with two small kids!

No one's paying me to do this, outside of a few wonderful Patreon Patrons who help support me. It's all out of pocket. So, considering that so much of this is nothing more than a glorified hobby these days, it's hard for me to justify the amount of work it takes to create all of this for you.

Just know that I'm working on it, and I have major ambitions for a very exciting 2018. But any support you can offer, be it Patreon, writing 5-star reviews for the El Fanboy Podcast, subscribing to the YouTube channel, or even just sharing my work with your friends on social media, is greatly appreciated. The more noise you help me create, the higher the likelihood I can turn this into a respectable, self-sustaining enterprise for years to come.

Cause I'm not El Fanboy. WE are El Fanboy.

Thanks!

​MFR

PS. There won't be a hard reboot of the DC Films Universe.

On this week's episode of El Fanboy, I start things off by posing an unexpected question. It's not one I recommend you answer without first listening to the brief DC History Lesson that leads up to it.

In this particular case, context is everything, because I'm sure I know what 95% of the answers will be without context. What I'm interested in is, knowing what you know, and factoring in everything else, do you still feel the same way?

You can listen to this week's episode right here or, better yet, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or where ever premium podcasts are found!

Before we get started today, let me preface this with something:

I have no horse in this race. In fact, personally, I would love to see Snyder's version of Justice League released on blu ray. As a cinephile, I think it would be fascinating to see it, compare it to the theatrical cut, and figure out exactly where he and the studio butted heads. 

I'd love it. So none of what I'm about to say comes from a place of "Screw Snyder! Screw you!" All I'm really doing is trying to be helpful. As a lifelong Superman who has spent literal decades in Kryptonian Limbo waiting for WB to get their acts together, I know what it's like to be in limbo. The gap between Superman IV and Superman Returns was 19 years (with SEVERAL stops and starts on various Superman projects in the interim). The gap between SR and MOS was seven years. And don't even get me started on the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II. 

So I know what it's like to wait and wait and wait for Warner Bros. to quit dragging its heels and just give me what I've been obsessing over. It's like being in the Phantom Zone!

But ok, let's get to this:

The internet's hearts are currently aflutter with discussions about whether or not a "Snyder Cut" of Justice League exists. I know there are plenty of people who'd like to see it if it, in fact, exists. And there are certain sites that are fueling that fire by promising their readers that such a thing exists and that it's possible Warner Bros will release it if we all make enough noise. 

The problem is: That's not true.

Now, I'm not going to call these people liars. In recent days I have, perhaps, been too harsh when speaking about these folks so I'm going to walk back some of my recent comments. No, they're not lying. What they're doing is misrepresenting. Big distinction.

Last week, I posted a pair of tweets that actually got picked up and turned into stories by a few sites, and I wasn't going to say any more on the matter, but here they are and now I am going to elaborate on them since this is still- apparently- a thing:

This Assembly Cut, aka Rough Cut, was shown to the studio earlier this year. It had progressed past the Initial Assembly phase, and had gone into the next one. Before we proceed, here's a breakdown of the editing process on a film courtesy of WikiPedia:

1. Initial Assembly: The selected shots are moved from the order they are filmed in into the approximate order they will appear in the final cut.
2. Rough cut: More shot selection, approximate trimming. The sound is untreated, unfinished, and will require sound editing. Often dialogue and sound effects will be incomplete. Titles, graphics, special effects, and composites are usually represented only by crude placemarkers. Colors are untreated, unmatched, and generally unpleasant.
3. Final cut: The final sequence of images and sound are selected and put in order.

Back in February, nine months prior to the release of the film, Snyder showed an early version of Justice League to the studio. It definitely wasn't the third option (the Final cut) because the film hadn't completed post-production, and was still nine months from its November release date. Upon seeing the rough cut, it's been widely reported that the studio took major steps to change the film; Steps that included bringing on Joss Whedon to write- and eventually direct- a load of new material.

This means that Snyder's version stayed in whatever form it was left in back in February.

Now, technically, that second cut (the Rough cut) counts as a movie. The scenes are all in the right order; It has a beginning, middle, and end; It has some effects and music; So, if you felt so inclined, you could sit down and watch it. But that doesn't mean it's done. 

Anything short of a Final Cut would require resources.

The fact of the matter is, Snyder's Cut would require:

• More editing
• More filming (pickups and additional scenes to round out the edges)
• Junkie XL to finish the score
• More FX work to complete the crude, placeholder effects used in the rough cut

Simply put: Warner Bros won't foot the bill for any of that, and good luck trying to get the actors back for more filming.

Whether it would cost $5 Million, or $70 Million (as has been reported), the studio simply refuses to throw another dollar at this film. They haven't even broken even on the version that's in theaters, so why would they want to get further in the hole completing a version that's going straight to blu ray?

Please keep all of this in mind when you read rumors that "a workable cut exists." They're not lying! They're misrepresenting. The Rough Cut is, technically, a viable cut for all of the reasons I cited earlier, but it's nowhere near a finalized film and WB is not going to invest any of what it takes to turn it into one. Especially since the studio is at peace with all of the changes, as I outlined in yesterday's video. 

​They're thrilled to have moved on from the "old DCEU." Why do you think Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill have been allowed to publicly refer to some of Snyder's decisions as mistakes in recent weeks? Everyone has moved on from the idea that Snyder's take was worth protecting.

Something startlingly similar to all of this happened back in 1978 when the Salkinds took Superman II away from Richard Donner. He had already shot a ton of it, as part of a massive shoot that was meant to include Superman I & II as a two-part epic, but then he clashed with the suits and another director was brought in to finish the sequel. It's deja vu, I tell ya!

I waited around 25 years for The Donner Cut of Superman II. Ultimately, I got a cute, bizarre patchwork of a movie on DVD- One that combined Donner's footage, Richard Lester's footage, alternate takes, and some reconstituted footage from Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder's SCREEN TEST (Audition!!!).

​Listen, I understand where you're coming from. You want that Snyder Cut, but the question is:

Are you ready to spend 25 years waiting for a gimped version of it?

[Earlier today, I gave my Twitter followers a chance to vote on a topic for me to rant on. They chose this one. Enjoy!]

Lots of people are trying to figure out who's to blame for why JUSTICE LEAGUE is such a disappointment. Few are blaming the right person. It's time to set the record straight.

Look, with the arrival of the trailer for Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War today, everyone's going to be all-too-happy to pat that studio on the back. And that's fine. Marvel Studios deserves a ton of praise. But today I find myself thinking about DC fans. It's been a bruising couple of weeks, and I'm sure that- for some- the Infinity War hype feels like salt on their wounds. The internet has become an endless cavalcade of "How Could JUSTICE LEAGUE Have Bombed So Hard?"-type stories, with everyone and their mother suddenly an expert on how a studio should do things (and I, myself, practically wrote a book about that very topic). So I figured I'd go against that trend and point out what the DC Films have gotten right​ so far.

It's been said that when it comes to the two top dogs in the realm of comic books that "Marvel is about humans trying to play God, while DC is about Gods trying to be more human." Zack Snyder took this ethos quite seriously when he helped shape the first round of DC Films. He made these characters God-like, and he treated their mythologies with respect, heft, and gravitas.

For proof of this, you need only watch the first chunks of both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In MOS, every aspect of that sequence on Krypton was treated with great weight, thought, and care. The way that beast lets out a primal roar that startles the bird-like creatures and sends them flying into the horizon, signaling the arrival of Krypton's last son; The beautiful, poetic words spoken by Lara and Jor-El about their son and his future; Hans Zimmer's sumptuous score. 

While some may doubt how fully Snyder truly understood the character of Superman, no one can deny that he took the arrival of DC's greatest champion seriously, or that he established a mythological tone for the DC Films Universe in these opening moments of its first chapter.

The same can be said for Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman. The opening moments of that film take us back to that seminal moment in the DC Comics lore- the moment when a Dark Knight is born in the blood of his murdered parents. We see Bruce at their funeral, we flash back to that fateful night, we feel his terror and disbelief, and we see him reborn amidst the swarm of bats in that underground cave.

The careful attention to detail in that sequence set the stage for an incredible new Batman. The words and actions of his parents during their tragic final moments were powerful, and the impact they have on young Bruce tells us so much about what drives this man. 

That tradition continued in Wonder Woman. Every moment spent on Themyscira cements the idea that Diana is an otherworldly force for good. Her mythos, as depicted in the film, reveals her to be the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. There's great talk of her destiny, her untapped power, her mysterious conception, and the story her mother reads her before bed conjures images of Greek Gods battling over the very fate of the world. 

Diana's first villain, Ares, is a mythological figure that transcends comic books! He's the God of War, spoken of in ancient texts for centuries. In the film's third act, Diana is fighting the very idea of war itself. It's Love vs Hate. The film, based on a story by Snyder, managed to be both lighter in tone yet heavier in its ideological pursuits. 

Wonder Woman accomplished something rather remarkable. It had way more humor, fun, and innuendo than previous DC efforts, yet- when it mattered- it was iconic and majestic. 

One of the reasons Wonder Woman connected so gloriously with audiences was that it made people feel what some of the greatest superhero tales ever have made them feel. It begged the question:

"Wouldn't the world be a better place if these heroes existed?"

Some may not realize it, but that question- on a subconscious level- is something that attracts us to these characters when we first lay eyes on them as children. They give us hope and an ideal to strive toward.

In its finest moments, the first wave of DC Films accomplished this. Whether it was Clark saving those kids on the bus, despite the potential consequences; Bruce darting around on the streets of Metropolis getting people to safety as Zod and Superman battle in the sky above; or Diana conquering No Man's Land, these heroes were treated like the mythic, heroic figures that have endured in pop culture since their creation. 

While Justice League was, admittedly, a step in the wrong direction, there's still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about DC's future. The WB brass, and the folks now running DC Entertainment, have known for months that Wonder Woman was going to be the template moving forward. Unfortunately, by the time that became clear to them, JL was already mostly in-the-can. They were unhappy with where Snyder had taken things, but they couldn't dump the movie at that point, so as the old saying goes, "They put lipstick on a pig."

We can debate the quality of what we ended up with from now into eternity, but it doesn't change the fact that Warner Bros. is not using Justice League as its proof-of-concept; That's what Wonder Woman is for.

And what does that mean? It means stories that strive to find that unique balance between mythology, humor, heart, and heroics; And movies that celebrate these characters, rather than deconstruct them.

For now, while we wait 13 agonizing months for Aquaman, let's just remember what DC has gotten right so far:

They treated our heroes like the Gods among us that they are. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this. I plan on exploring this a little more on next week's episode of the podcast. Looking back on Man of Steel also got me thinking again about what my perfect Superman movie would look and feel like. Thinking of creating something I could share with you all that would serve as my "Superman Pitch To The Universe" since so many people have either wondered what it would be, or have assumed incorrectly what it was I didn't like about Man of Steel. 

If you'd like to keep up on the content I create, be sure to subscribe to my show where ever you get your podcasts, and follow me on Twitter (@I_AM_MFR).

~ MFR