Hero Worship: What DC's New TV Slate Means for a Shared Universe

Well, this week threw a wrench in that whole “DC already has a shared universe” theory, huh?

With the announcement of the development of Gotham (at FOX) and Constantine (at NBC), Warner Brothers has me doubting the possibility of them taking advantage of their opportunity to make Man of Steel and their various TV properties all share the same world. Though all of the shows are indeed still being produced by WB, the multiple networks make it a much harder sell for a crossover. It could be that the shows could act independently of Man of Steel in their own little universe, much like Smallville did with Superman Returns; sort of a supplement to the big screen properties.

With Gotham starring a younger Jim Gordon and Batman vs. Superman featuring an older, more experienced Dark Knight, it’s possible that the show could be considered the early canon for that universe without ever overtly expressing it. Instead of confirming it, they could simply never contradict it, and I would think most fans would be happy to connect the dots themselves. We’ll never see Batman in the show, but that doesn’t mean hints could never be dropped about a vigilante operating in the shadows. An urban legend as told to Gordon by the suspicious and cowardly lot known as criminals.

And if Guillermo del Toro’s Justice League Dark/Dark Universe film is still a thing (though I would suspect the Constantine TV show is confirmation that it’s not), having the character on TV as well could be good brand recognition for a movie that’s got no real name value outside of del Toro himself. It’s unlikely that both projects will coexist for such a non-mainstream property, but maybe that’s just what the property needs. Two relatively high profile projects – one from a big Hollywood director and the other from a big Hollywood screenwriter – to let everybody know that this Constantine fella is a big deal.

Who Should Play Jim Gordon in Gotham?

It’s also possible that the shared universe thing is still on the table for the CW shows, which would make it a pick-and-choose sort of approach in terms of what’s canon and what isn’t. More likely at this point it seems as though WB might just be trying a wholly different approach from their competitor. Perhaps instead of trying to force an interconnected universe just to play catch up, they are taking an approach that will simply put them everywhere they can possibly be in front of as many different demographics as possible. If that means multiple versions of, say, The Flash running around, then so be it. It looks likely that, at least as far as WB is concerned, movies and TV are separate entities.

We won’t really know until Arrow finally returns for its second season, but this slate of network-wide development doesn’t bode well for a multiple medium DC Universe. Still, if that’s our only complaint about any of these projects, we’re golden. The very idea that DC Comics properties could have that wide of a reach, even if they don’t all interact, is truly a feat.

Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks Catwoman is swell.

Source : ign[dot]com