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While Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is still going steady in its 16th year, the recent dip in quality (admittedly alleviated by the release of Deadpool & Wolverine) suggests that the largest cinematic universe is suffering under the weight of its own success. Building on the franchise’s overwhelming success with the Infinity Saga, Disney adopted an aggressive expansion strategy, producing a relentless stream of content that ended up diluting the quality of the MCU releases, killing the original magic of the entire franchise.

The post-Infinity Saga of the MCU has seen a mix of success and perceived flops, with releases such as Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Secret Invasion failing to impress the MCU fanbase the same way previous releases did. Just over a year ago, Disney publicly announced that it was shifting its strategy and prioritizing quality over quantity once again. At the same time, former MCU director James Gunn, who set out to start his own cinematic universe under Warner Bros, revealed his plans to steer DCU clear of MCU’s biggest pitfalls.  

It’s no secret that Disney’s extensive expansion of the MCU pushed the boundaries of audience engagement and content saturation—right off the cliff. To avoid this issue, James Gunn has revealed that DC Studios plans to avoid the over-saturation seen in the superhero genre by spacing out the release of its films and shows. Additionally, the new DCU will take a completely different approach to the interconnectivity between the movies and avoid strictly dedicated releases that culminate in a single cinematic crossover event.

When the new DCU was announced, Gunn confirmed that the new cinematic universe would include more than ten cinematic and television projects included in the Gods and Monsters chapter, which began with Creature Commandos and the 2025 live-action movie Superman. So, the interconnectivity between DCU releases starts off as early as these two projects. The former introduces Amanda Waller and Rick Flag Sr., while the latter introduces the Engineer, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl.

While this sounds like the MCU’s recipe on steroids, Gunn confirmed to a fan on Threads that the DCU won’t follow the MCU’s model of releasing up to three movies a year and that its slate won’t be announced like Marvel’s. According to Gunn, nothing at DCU is greenlit before the script is complete — which means that it went through as many rewrites as necessary to ensure quality. There will be no announcements, no casting for any potential projects, and perhaps most importantly, no delays.

This will avoid the issue Marvel is currently having with Blade, a movie that was announced in 2019 and has been delayed and rewritten multiple times, risking the erosion of audience interest. Not to mention that too many cooks can end up spoiling the broth, given the number of writers and directors the project has shed. A different approach by Gunn means that the DCU can start, change, delay, and even cancel entire projects without ever alerting the audiences or having a project’s troubled development turn into its biggest talking point.

As for crossover events, it’s far from the fact that the DCU won’t have any. The first chapter, Gods and Monsters, will cover a wide variety of famous superheroes and characters from DC comics. This also includes some lesser-known characters. Additionally, the DCU will extend to television and animation from day one. However, the key here is the longer timespan between releases; it will grant fans enough time to absorb the material instead of overwhelming and fatiguing fans with tons of low-quality content.

Given the struggles Warner Bros. had with establishing its own cinematic universe, James Gunn’s approach seems much more grounded. Warner Bros is a reactionary company that’s sometimes completely devoid of vision and creativity, and it rushed to establish its now-dead DCEU to compete with Disney and Marvel. As seen, it failed miserably, but a good thing about reactionary entertainment companies is that they learn from their mistakes — or at least it seems like they do.

The new DCU, under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s guidance, seems to be built on a much more solid foundation compared to Marvel’s, and the approach DC Studio is taking with its releases would allow them to keep things simple and easy for diehard fans and casual audiences to digest. It is far from the fact that the new universe isn’t facing any challenges, but even those can be addressed. We don’t really need a new Superman film detailing his origins, and the Multiverse, while important in DC Comics, doesn’t need to be rushed.

The simplest solution is often the most elegant one, and this applies to Gunn’s approach to a new cinematic universe. Keeping things simple and manageable will allow audiences to once again engage with their favorite superheroes on the silver screen, and avoiding the pitfalls of the MCU (such as churning out low-quality content for profit) has the potential to set up the emerging cinematic universe as the next big thing in superhero cinema. If nothing else, having a little competition will finally make Disney and Marvel think before they deliver something similar to Secret Invasion or She-Hulk.  

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With the arrival of the first official DCU entry Creature Commandos, DC Studios’ James Gunn has been making the press rounds. And he’s dropped a few tidbits about what to expect from the greater DCU, which really gets into gear when Superman and Peacemaker season two arrive in 2025. Gunn of course was a key figure in Marvel Studios’ earliest phases. But while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via IGN) Gunn stated the DCU slate won’t totally resemble how the MCU did things. And it will look much more like how modern Star Wars does it. Here’s what he had to say:

This is about a connected universe. We’re world building. We’re not story building. We’re not writing one story that has a beginning, middle, and end. We’re creating a universe in which people can go and join into this universe and experience it. It is much more like Star Wars than Marvel in that respect. There are some things you gotta be kinda loose about. There are lots of product names in Peacemaker. He’s mentioning celebrities all the time. Superman’s a different sort of world. It’s not about real people in a real world. It’s about this mythical DC universe. Those are two stories created by the same person in the same universe and even those are different in terms of the vibrations they’re giving.

Fans of DC Comics recognize this as very in keeping with how the publisher has handled their universe for decades. In DC Comics, the gritty Gotham of Frank Miller’s Batman lives in the same world as the supernatural Swamp Thing. Not to mention the goofy original Teen Titans comics, or the fantastical Aquaman. DC books each have their own storytelling flavor, much more so than Marvel, which all tend to gel together in tone. And yet, they all co-exist in the same universe (or rather, the same multiverse). Gunn is smart to take this same approach for the DCU. This has worked pretty well for Star Wars. After all, Andor couldn’t be more different from Skeleton Crew. Both co-exist in the same galaxy, and the audience never questions it. If that’s the blueprint, we’re here for it.

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Chef Tayo’s Ebi-Ayo Supper Club brings together Nigerian and Italian influences to create a unique dining experience that goes beyond the plate. In this Q&A, Chef Tayo shares the inspiration behind his dinner series, the role storytelling plays in his menus, and how his events foster meaningful connections in an increasingly virtual world. Get a glimpse into his creative process, his challenges as an entrepreneur, and what’s next for this innovative chef blending culture, community, and cuisine.

The first episode of Creature Commandos introduced the first new villain into the DCU, the immortal sorceress Circe. Based on the witch of the same name from Greek mythology, Circe has immense magical powers. Considered a minor goddess, her most famous account came in Homer’s Odyssey, where she lured men to her island of Aeaea, turning them into animals. Naturally, this spellcaster from eventually became one of Wonder Woman’s most notorious foes. Thanks to her appearance in Creature Commandos, she’s also now officially DCU canon. But how does she differ from her DC Comics counterpart? Actually, there have been a few versions of Circe in the comics, going back to 1949. Before we get into her cinematic future, let’s dive into her comic book history.

Circe in DC Comics’ Golden and Silver Ages

Circe first appeared in DC Comics in the pages of Wonder Woman, but spent the better part of the next three decades as a villain for various DC heroes. In 1949’s Wonder Woman #37, the sorceress/demigoddess of Greek myth fought Diana Prince. This interpretation, a blonde bombshell, was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist H.G. Peter. Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta had banished her to an uninhabited planet for using dark magic. Once she escaped, she sought revenge on the Amazons. Ultimately, Circe was taken to the Amazonian Transformation Island to be reformed, after a battle with Wonder Woman. That was her last appearance as a Wonder Woman villain for over 30 years. In the ensuing Silver Age of comics, she mostly fought Superman and Supergirl, with never a mention of Wonder Woman. All of that would change in the early ’80s.

How Circe Became a Primary Wonder Woman Enemy

In 1983, Circe returned to the pages of Wonder Woman as a major villain. It was presumably the same Circe that plagued Superman and his allies years earlier, although they never explicitly say that she is. Her hair color and overall design were certainly different, suggesting a different character. Upon learning an ancient prophecy saying Diana would kill her, she’d spend several issues trying to take Wonder Woman out first. DC positioned Circe to be a major Wonder Woman villain like the Cheetah or Dr. Psycho. However, the universe-altering event Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985 deleted this version of the character from continuity. But the best and most influential version of Circe was yet to come.

Circe in the Modern DC Comics Era

In the post-Crisis DC universe, writer/artist George Perez reinvented Wonder Woman lore, tying her far more closely to Greek mythology. As a result, Circe became a major foe for Diana. In this version, Circe is still an immortal and powerful sorceress, powered by the goddess Hecate. She’s not an Amazon herself, but instead has a lifelong animosity towards the warrior women. She spent many centuries sowing discord between the sexes, and viewed Diana’s preaching of equality as a threat. And like in previous versions, Circe adhered to prophecies that suggested Diana would be her end, creating built-in animosity.

From that point forward, Circe became Diana’s most persistent foe. Even more so than the war god Ares or the Cheetah. Circe often used her magic to empower Diana’s other enemies, and even took on another identity pretending to be Wonder Woman’s mortal friend to get close to her at one point. This version was sassy, sexy, and psychotic. She even inspired a memorable animated version in Justice League Unlimited. In the New 52 continuity, Circe became a part of the magic-based Injustice League Dark. She continues to plague Wonder Woman in comics to this day.

Creature Commandos‘ Version of the Immortal Witch

In Creature Commandos, Circe is described as a rogue Amazon sorceress who claims to be the rightful heir to the throne of Themyscira. This is a total departure from the comics, where Circe was never an Amazon, evil or otherwise. Interestingly, the news footage in the first episode of Creature Commandos says that she’s raising an army of men to conquer Themyscira. With this DCU version of Circe, we’ve learned a few key things about this Wonder Woman’s lore. For starters, one of her biggest enemies is now an Amazonian sister, which she was not before. In addition, we now know the world at large is aware of Wonder Woman’s homeland—even if not everyone believes it’s a real place.

With both of Wonder Woman’s two other most famous villains, Cheetah and Ares, already done in the old DCEU, it makes sense that Gunn would position Circe as her new “Big Bad.” Gunn has insisted that he wants animated actors and their live-action counterparts to be played by the same actor, so we may be seeing The Witcher actress Anya Chalotra casting spells against Diana Prince eventually. We don’t know who will play Wonder Woman yet, as it’s looking more and more unlikely that it’s Gal Gadot. But when she does appear, we think a battle with the ancient Greek witch is almost certainly in the cards.

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