DCU vs MCU in 2025: David Corenswet’s Superman Won’t Be Enough for James Gunn to Beat MCU’s Lineup for This Year
- Both MCU and DCU are looking to make a strong comeback this year.
- MCU's schedule for the years is much more packed than DCU's.
- The DCU only has David Corenswet's Superman to depend upon.
2023 was a great year for movies in general considering the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomena that took over the world from the month of July. However, the same cannot be said about the superhero world, MCU and DCEU to be precise. 2024 was much quieter at least for DCU. This year, David Corenswet’s Superman might become the franchise’s savior, but will that be enough?
This year is going to mark DCU’s rebirth and Corenswet’s Superman will be the one leading the charge. Despite the initial criticism, the anticipation for this movie is high, but it does not seem very likely that it will be able to compete with the MCU which has a much-occupied slate.
MCU has multiple projects scheduled for release this year
2023 saw two of the three MCU movies turn out to be colossal failures, which was very damaging for the franchise’s reputation. The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed terribly at the box office and even received pathetic critical reception. The only movie that did well was James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Last year was a comparatively less busy year for the franchise as it released only one movie, Deadpool & Wolverine and two shows, Echo and Agatha All Along. The movie turned out to be a blockbuster and Agatha All Along impressed the fans and critics. This stabilized the situation, but did not completely salvage the franchise’s goodwill.
2025, on the other hand, is going to see 9 new Marvel projects. To be precise, three movies (Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and three live-action TV shows (Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, and Wonder Man), as well as three new animated series (Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda, and Marvel Zombies).
Now, it is an established fact that the success or failure of the animated series has little impact on the overall performance of MCU. That leaves half a dozen projects. There is some hype around Captain America: Brave New World but keeping in mind the number of times of it has been reportedly rewritten and reshot by now, there is no telling what the final product will be like.
Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are likely to do better, thanks to the star cast and the amazing team of writers behind both of them. As far as the TV series are concerned, Daredevil: Born Again has an established fanbase. Ironheart and Wonder Man will have to strive to win the fans’ favor.
Can David Corenswet’s Superman alone save James Gunn’s DCU?
When James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed their positions as the co-CEOs of the DC Studios, DCEU’s reputation was beyond repair. So, they took the daring decision of rebooting the entire franchise, naming it DCU and starting from scratch. Gunn, for the most part, has taken a very hands-on approach for this reboot.
The first installment of DCU’s Chapter I: Gods & Monsters was the animated TV series Creature Commandos, which was received well. However, its earnest start will be facilitated by the live-action film, Superman‘s release. Gunn has not only directed the movie, but also given his best to the casting efforts as David Corenswet will be playing the titular hero and Rachel Brosnahan will star his love interest and journalist, Lois Lane.
This film will not only give moviegoers their new truly mainstream superhero but also introduce several new DC characters. Given Gunn’s expertise in adapting superhero comics and the record-breaking response to the first trailer, it is likely that Superman will stick its landing.
That said, the only other DC project set to be released this year is Peacemaker Season 2, which is more of a continuation of the DCEU than a new addition to the DCU. So, Superman now bears the sole responsibility of winning over fans and restoring their faith in the DCU. Its release in July will show just how capable it is. Not to mention that it also faces threat from MCU’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set for release that same month.
