Warner Bros’ DC Comics franchise is in dire need of an industrial-grade fumigation.
When Christopher Nolan peaced out with the wildly uneven “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2012, the studio asked Zack Snyder to quarterback its DC Extended Universe answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Avengers” initiative.
Unfortunately, Snyder’s “Man of Steel” not only fell short of commercial expectations, it cheesed off a sizable portion of the hero’s fanbase (who were furious over Superman’s out-of-character killing of General Zod).
Rather than play the long game and focus on nailing the other main characters, DC panicked and greenlit “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a cart-before-the-horse debacle that dampened reasonable people’s expectations for a stirringly epic superhero saga.Despite solo successes with 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and 2018’s “Aquaman,” the stink clung to Snyder’s “Justice League.” A family tragedy forced him to leave the calling-all-superheroes production, and his replacement, Joss Whedon, could not…
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