Vince Russo's The Brand

How many of you have seen Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice? How many of you liked it? I saw it. I liked it enough. Could it have been better? Well, to quote Stone Cold, “Oh hell yeah!” Could it have been worse? Absolutely.

How many of you saw Green Lantern? It’s the same thing. It could have been better, it could have been worse. The same goes for every Batman movie ever made and all of the other Superman movies, even the original. Marvel understands their movies. They make superhero movies for fans. Warner Brothers has no interest in doing that.

To illustrate my point let me share a story from a long time ago: Once upon a time at Wizard World Chicago, Jeff Lane and I went to a DC panel that had Geoff Johns on it. At the time he was just a writer on The Flash. He wasn’t who he is today. He recounted a tale of his days working for Richard Donner, the man who directed Superman. He said they were in a meeting at WB discussing a Green Lantern movie and the execs said, “We love everything about it except the ring. Can we lose the ring? Can we make it something else?”

Geoff Johns had the same reaction you are having right now: that’s the whole point of GL, morons! That’s WB’s problem. They aren’t interested in making movies about comic book characters. They have such amazing people in charge of the TV side of things, but they handcuff them and don’t let them play with all the toys in the toy box.

Earlier this year WB said there wouldn’t be humor in their movies. After watching Batman V Superman I see they weren’t kidding. They just don’t get it. To me the difference between Marvel and DC has always been evident. DC comics are mythical beings, there’s a sense of legacy and continuation. Heroes die and retire, their mantles picked up by those they inspired. Marvel is the everyman, they are you and me if we got an injection or a spider bite or built a suit of armor.

From a comic standpoint I always preferred DC to Marvel. I loved the universe more than anything. It was all connected. Their TV crews understand that. The heroes may be modern day gods, but they enjoy helping people. Flash is excited every time he runs. Superman could do nothing, he could just be an alien, but he’s more human than anyone else. Batman, for all his brooding and self-loathing loner attitude has created himself an entire family to fight by his side. Yet WB just can’t get it.

Why? Why is it so hard to understand? Clark Kent is a person raised in Kansas by loving parents. Superman is what he can do. It’s what he has to do. With all that power he can’t just sit by. He loves what he can do, but it takes a toll on him when he fails. He’s very much a Christ figure. He tries to help everyone because he loves everyone, even his enemies. He’s full of optimism and hope, that’s who he is. Batman, for his gruff exterior, fears being alone. He has Alfred, Gordon, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robins galore and his friendship with Clark. He wants to be a loner, but he still sees the good in those around him. He’s pessimistic and gloomy.

The Flash loves life. He can help and he does. First as a CSI then as The Flash. Again, it’s just in his nature. And I HATE his mother being killed by Zoom. Not every hero needs to come from a dark, broken home. GL is a soldier and a space cop. He does it because he feels a sense of duty. He chose the Air Force and he was drafted into the GL Corps. Wonder Woman is literally a goddess. She chose to come to man’s world and fight for peace. A skilled warrior who longs for peace she isn’t afraid to kill during war or do what must be done. Aquaman is torn between two worlds. He’s the King of the Sea, but he was raised by humans. He wants both worlds to coexist in peace. He helps both people because he can, not because he has to. Green Arrow is a rich playboy who uses his money to fight for the little guy. He gives a voice to those who aren’t heard.

The problem is these aren’t the characters you get in the movies. Batman is dark and alone. Clark is a goofy mask Superman wears while he’s brooding and indifferent. GL was…well, I don’t think that movie knew what he was. He was not Hal Jordan, that’s for sure. DC TV gets it. Just look at Arrow or Flash. Look at Supergirl and Martian Manhunter. Even Atom, Firestorm and the other supporting cast are given logical reasons for being heroes and their motivations are understandable. Who cared about Vibe before The Flash? There are some odd choices and mis-steps to be sure, Laurel Lance? Flash’s costume? But, for the most part they understand what people want and that they are making comic book TV. It feels like a comic come to life. You don’t get that feeling in the movies.

I think Heath Ledger’s Joker was talking to WB when he asked, “Why so serious?” Perhaps they will learn from the mistakes they made with BVS. They missed a chance to show the dichotomy between Clark (hope, the light, humanity) and Bruce (pessimism, the dark, no faith in humanity). Instead they chose poor decisions, flogic (flawed logic) and GAPING plot holes to get the story where they wanted it to go.The movie clearly suffered for it. Of course fans went to see it because it was Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all in one movie. The special effects were incredible and the actors did the best they could with what they had. It’s sad when a cartoon movie made for DVD told the same stories only better.

One day someone at WB will understand what they have. They will understand that they can make mythic stories about modern gods while still having humor. They will look at when their comics were successful and why. They will align their comic and movie universes to that vision. The New 52 and the DC Movies don’t get it. Pre-New 52 and DC/CW TV get that. Though you don’t want to get me started on Zoom!! I just hope WB realizes what they have, what fans want and how to get it done before they kill the comic movie market, miss the boat or ruin their characters even more.

Can you imagine a Batman movie with Robin and Batgirl? One that’s written well, with no bat nipples! Imagine: a teenage Robin (Dick Grayson) meeting a late teens, early 20’s Batgirl. Sparks fly as they crack skulls (not in the literal sense, they aren’t the bad guys). Batman smiles as he watches the two fight by his side. It can be dark and still have light.

Imagine a Superman who loves people, doing good and helping any way he can. He puts out a huge fire by the docks then rescues a kitten from a tree for a little girl. He saves a plane from crashing and then rescues a family lost at sea. It’s the little things with Superman. Then when he’s not flying around he’s writing stories to help people, fighting corruption or giving the man on the street a voice. Imagine a GL movie with Hal, Guy, John and Kyle fighting side by side against an unstoppable army. Each of them with their own personalities, not a mashup. Just Guy and John alone would be like Lethal Weapon. Add in the older hothead Hal with the rookie Kyle who makes mistakes and you’ve got a goldmine.

The point is the characters make DC great. You can tell an epic story, but you can’t lose your heart or your humor doing it. You can’t start at the end and cobble a half-a** story together to get there. I don’t know if it’s just a yes-men culture or if they really think the things they do are awesome. What I do know is that if they don’t get someone in there who understands they will fail. Somehow Geoff Johns failed with the New 52 and BVS, so I don’t know if he’s the right man for the job, although the Hollywood Reporter reports that WB seems to think he is. In a year and a half we will find out. Let’s hope they listen and understand for once. Although Barry Allen having a pony tail is not a good start…