There is NOT such a thing as the "DCEU"
Warning: This is in no way a critique against the series of films DC Films have been releasing lately. The objective of this article is to clarify and "extended" confusion among movie-goers.
The "DCEU" is an unofficial term, that is, neither Warner Bros, Dc Films or even a spokesperson has ever used that term... and I mean EVER. That name was made up by the press to relate it to the MCU, and EVER since, there has been the biggest misconception in modern films. Big mistake.
The franchise's intention, said by the very Geoff Johns and Diane Nelson (Editor in Chief and DC's president, respectively back then), was not to be compared with Marvel Films by any means. They didn't want to create these series of movies connected with a single, overarching plot to end up everything in a massive, epic brawl (Infinity War, Endgame). They wanted to release movies in the same universe (or multiverse, said by Johns himself when interviewed by Kevin Smith), but these films were supposed to be sort of independent from each other so the director's vision would prevail. The idea was, is, and has always been to explore the "Worlds of DC." That's why, after Suicide Squad, they grenlit Margot Robbie's personal project (Birds of Prey), even though it isn't suppose to add anything to any larger narrative. Even Jason Momoa pitched his idea for Aquaman 2's script and was accepted.
That's why the whole universe isn't as structured as Marvel's: because that was never the intention. Marvel has phases, stages, divided by the different Avengers films. People seem to think the "DCEU", as they call it, is not going well because it's not following the Marvel formula (which works for Marvel, but it isn't supposed to be used by every superhero or comic book franchise). Even though saying that is not going well is an inaccuracy. Out of the seven films DC has released, they have grossed more money than Marvel with their first seven. And overall, and considering the level of hype Marvel has gotten through the years, their average levels aren't so different.
And no one called Marvel franchise a "failure" in the beginning. DC's film universe is more alike to their animated films universe that started with Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox and that will soon release Batman: Hush. Those movies' plot happen within the same shared continuity, but it's not like they are heading to final battles in the form of Avengers-like kind of films. Batman's films go on their own; Teen Titans', too; and more recently, Superman's films.
Point is, franchises are different. Stop calling this the "DCEU" because that is not even a thing. And in general, it goes beyond that, don't compare DC with Marvel. They're different and doing things great on their own. Both are. Not every superhero film or comic book-based film needs to follow Marvel's style in structure or tone or even genre. Otherwise, we would be watching the very same movie each year, wouldn't we?
