The Batman Should Lead To More Stand-Alone Superhero Movies
Not everything needs to be an interconnected universe
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These days, superhero movies are more than just movies. They’re episodes in an endless TV show where you need to buy a cinema ticket for each individual episode, as well as keeping up with all the actual TV shows released in-between the movies. They function relatively well-enough as their own things, as in you’ll be able to keep up with the plot even if it’s your first time, but you’ll likely miss a lot of Easter Eggs, callbacks, and references, plus you’ll miss the story within the story. Individual superhero stories see the bad guys lose and the good guys win – what’s more interesting is what that means. For example, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I already know before it happens that Strange will win. What’s more interesting is where the movie leaves Scarlet Witch, and whether the likes of Captain Marvel, Shang-Chi, Kate Bishop, or Yelena Belova turn up. If you’re just in it for the one movie, those questions don’t mean anything to you. You don’t even know who those characters are.
This is why The Batman works so well. It’s not part of an interconnected universe, and no prior knowledge is required. It’s likely to get a sequel, but even the tease of a one at the end isn’t a traditional post-credits scene, but is laced into the movie to help build up the wider world. I love the MCU, and sure, I’ll turn up for every episode on opening weekend still, but that doesn’t make it any less refreshing to see a superhero movie that’s allowed to just be, instead of needing to pick up the baton and hand it seamlessly to the next in order to keep the perpetual movie machine running.
My favourite superhero movies, certainly post-MCU, are Birds of Prey, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and now The Batman. While only The Batman is truly stand-alone, the rest of them reject the typical tropes in their own ways. Birds of Prey uses Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, a character who previously appeared briefly in Batman vs Superman and who starred in Suicide Squad before going on to star in The Suicide Squad. If you haven’t been keeping up, yes, Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad are different movies. Because the DCEU has constantly stuttered, it’s far less cohesive than the MCU, but BoP is clearly the outlier allowed to completely do its own thing and aside from Harley it’s entirely divorced from the wider story being told.
Thor: Ragnarok is somewhat similar. Though still part of the MCU, the first two Thor movies were poorly received misfires. Ragnarok completely rebooted the character and, while it ties up a loose end for Hulk, introduces Valkyrie, and relies on some knowledge of Loki and Strange, it’s the least reliant on both the Marvel formula and the wider MCU story. Avengers: Endgame is the opposite – it’s very obviously part of the connected story, but it also offers a pay off, finally, for keeping up with each episode so far. The bad guy still loses, but do the good guys win? Black Widow and Iron Man die, following on from Vision’s death in Infinity War, while Captain America heads to another timeline, effectively ending his role in the MCU. Hawkeye bowed out shortly after via a miniseries, but Endgame was essentially the end of the line for him too.
We’re not getting away from this any time soon. Interconnected universes don’t just apply to superheroes – the Fast & Furious series has tried to get in on the act, while there has even been talk of a Squid Game Universe. Jurassic Park is set to end this year, but if it lives up to box office expectations we’ll probably get a spin-off about the tailor who makes Bryce Dallas Howard’s pantsuits. The Batman may not even be standalone for long – there has been talk of a planned GCPD spin-off expanding to cover Arkham, and after the success it could not only get a sequel, but someone somewhere will be having a meeting about the viability of a spin-off movie for Catwoman.
For now though, The Batman is a lungful of fresh air in a sea of endless franchise flicks that serve as filler stories until we get to the next big team-up. The Batman is a movie all of its own, and more heroes should be afforded that opportunity.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/the-batman-stand-alone-superhero-movies/