Ever since Nick Fury waltzed into Tony Stark’s living room in 2008’s “Iron Man,” fans have been salivating at the prospect of a fully connected cinematic universe featuring Marvel’s greatest heroes. Ten years and 18 films later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the current highest grossing film franchise of all time, surpassing everything from “Star Wars” to “Harry Potter.” We now live in a world where even C-list heroes like “Ant-Man” and “Doctor Strange” can prove to be successful properties.

However, Marvel’s success has not gone unnoticed. Every major Hollywood studio wants a franchise, and the “hottest” way to achieve that goal in today’s film climate is through the use of a cinematic universe. Despite many jumping on this potential cash cow, no studio has matched the heights of the MCU for two very big reasons: leadership and planning.

Strong Leadership vs. Strong Ineptitude

Every scripted television series has a showrunner. These individuals act as the creative control behind the show and set a distinctive feel for the program. This job can be attributed to film franchises as well. Every cinematic universe needs an architect to keep everything on track and set a definitive style for the franchise.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has Kevin Feige, who acts as both producer and president of Marvel Studios. Under Feige’s eye, the MCU has moved along rather smoothly. Rival cinematic universe, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), has struggled with this.

“Batman v Superman”: Turn Off the Dark

At first, DC’s “Kevin Feige” appeared to be director Zack Snyder (“Justice League”), who helmed both “Man of Steel” and “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Snyder’s direction with the DC universe was divisive to say the least. Many fans were turned off by his style over substance delivery. After “Batman v. Superman” failed to connect with both critics and audiences, Snyder was gradually removed from his position, and parent studio Warner Brothers created DC Films, its answer to Marvel Studios.

After the shakeup at Warner Brothers, Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics) and Jon Berg (former WB executive vice president) were brought in to take the reigns of the DCEU. Despite DC Films claiming to have a “director-driven” mandate, the productions of its next films would prove otherwise.

“Suicide Squad”: The Scorned Smash Hit

In light of the criticisms faced by “Batman v. Superman” for being too dark, studio heads pushed director David Ayer (“Bright”) to make “Suicide Squad” more light-hearted and humorous. This signaled film pundits everywhere that Warner Brothers wanted to craft its own response in the wake of the success of  “Guardians of the Galaxy.” In short, “Suicide Squad” was going to be about a group of lovable misfits that go on adventures, bond and beat baddies to a soundtrack of classical hits. “Suicide Squad” was a success for the studio, but once again, the film was met with negative reception. Margot Robbie’s (“Peter Rabbit”) performance as Harley Quinn became a cultural icon, while Jared Leto’s (“The Outsider”) Joker was ridiculed in the shadow of Heath Ledger’s (“The Dark Knight”) superior portrayal as the Clown Prince of Crime. But hey, the film did win Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars.

“Wonder Woman”: The Diamond in the Rough

The next film in the DCEU was “Wonder Woman,” directed by Patty Jenkins (“Monster”). Despite being helmed by a rather talented filmmaker, “Wonder Woman” was met with initial skepticism. To many, Gal Gadot (“Justice League”), while beautiful, is no Meryl Streep (“The Post”), and past female superhero films (“Supergirl,”“Catwoman,” “Elektra”) are usually the kind of cinematic vomit one would find in a dumpster behind a Taco Bell rather than on the silver screen. To the surprise of many, “Wonder Woman” was not only a fantastic superhero film, but it was also a fantastic film on its own merits. It was the film adaptation Princess Diana of Themyscira deserved and needed. Director Jenkins worked with the best she had and created one of the best films of the summer and a film to inspire women everywhere. “Wonder Woman” reignited audience’s interests in the DCEU again, or so people thought. The next film in the cinematic universe was “Justice League,” and the tower came crashing down.

“Justice League”: $1 Billion or Bust

Once again directed by Zack Snyder, “Justice League” was meant to be the culmination of everything built up over the past four films. This was going to be DC’s answer to “The Avengers,” one of the most successful superhero films of all time. The project was met with huge setbacks. Snyder left the project, rightfully so, after the death of his daughter. Joss Whedon (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) was brought in to finish the film and do reshoots. The result was a film that critics felt was a vast improvement following Snyder’s direction, but nonetheless, audiences felt dissatisfied and ultimately disinterested. The film’s special effects were also a source of mockery, with Henry Cavill’s (“Sand Castle”) mustache removal becoming an online meme. As a result, “Justice League” became the lowest-grossing film in the DCEU with a worldwide total of $658 million. To put that number in perspective, “Black Panther” made an astounding $1.3 billion at the box office, more than double of “Justice League.” A film that had the potential to make a billion dollars was dethroned by the King of Wakanda.

The Future of DC: “Aquaman” & “Shazam!”

Finally, the key to the DCEU was left to Walter Hamada, known for producing horror films like “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle.” Supposedly now having a clear showrunner, the effects of this shakeup will not be felt until December’s “Aquaman” and 2019s “Shazam!” The future of the DCEU might seem bleak compared to that of the Marvel variety, but fans are still eager to see their favorite comics come to life on screen again.

The Secret to Marvel’s Success

Compared to the chaos surrounding Warner Brothers and its DC properties, Marvel Studios appears to be cool as a cucumber. “Avengers: Infinity War” is expected to be a smash hit, and July’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” also seems destined for greatness. As implied above, Marvel’s secret to success is strong, consistent leadership. Kevin Feige is the clear head honcho, and the fruits of his labor are ever present in the films he produces. Marvel also tends to not get quite ahead of itself. Compared to DC or even Universal’s Dark Universe, Marvel tends to be reserved in its upcoming film announcements. In short, strong leadership is everything when attempting to craft a cinematic universe.

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