The Secret Reason For Batman V Superman"s Controversial Tone Justifies The DCEU Movie Decision In The Worst Way

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The reasoning behind why Batman v Superman had such a controversial tone and place in the story might make sense for what DC was going for, but it failed to see why it would be so controversial in the first place. Batman v Superman was supposed to be the start of a grand cinematic universe for Warner Bros. and DC. Instead, it was released to scathing reviews and was divisive among audiences. The DCEU eventually ended and James Gunn's new DCU is set to officially kick off with Superman in July 2025.
Since its release, Batman v Superman has been wildly divisive. The two biggest complaints were its overwhelming dour tone, and the rushed nature of the film, with many believing a few solo movies beforehand could have helped to alleviate that issue. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, producer Jon Berg explained that the tone after Batman v Superman would always have been lighter, explaining that they "accelerated the story to get to hope and optimism faster." Given his comments, the idea makes sense, but it also highlights why the DCEU eventually ended without a proper conclusion.
Batman V Superman's "Accelerated Story" Explanation Is Painful Given The DCEU's Trajectory Close Wanting to accelerate the story by having Batman v Superman do a lot of heavy lifting to shape the overall universe is one of the biggest problems with it since the beginning. From when it first came out, it felt like DC wanted to quickly try to catch up with the MCU, but didn't want to seem to do the actual legwork needed to establish its heroes like that universe did. It's easy to see why they wanted to accelerate the story and get more hope and optimism, but it left a sour taste from the outset.
Despite it always intending to get lighter following the events of Batman v Superman, the reception to that film made WB even more reactionary. They over adjusted the tone until the DCEU was left with the mess that was the theatrical cut of Justice League. It left everything feeling mismatched despite being in the same universe. Different tones are important, of course, but a gradual ascent to a lighter tone would have worked wonders for the universe after Batman v Superman. Granted, the film being placed where it was within the DCEU meant that it would have certain problems because of it.
Batman V Superman's Place In The DCEU Timeline Meant Its Dark Tone Was Always Going To Be Divisive Close Batman v Superman was only the second film in the DCEU, three years after Man of Steel was released in 2013. Man of Steel was already divisive for its darker take on the character, but Batman v Superman doubled down on that tone, pushing it even further into grimdark territory. Because the film was so early in DC's own cinematic universe, the darker tone stands out even more despite the plans to eventually get lighter and more optimistic as the overall story unfolded.
When delving into such an oppressive tone so early into a franchise, the expectations for the rest of the universe going forward can be skewed. It's reasonable to assume that the same tone might carry on into future installments, and those who weren't on board initially might not be willing to continue with the overall narrative going forward. This exact thing happened with Batman v Superman, but then Warner Bros. quickly tried to pivot away from it, causing an even bigger rift in reception to the DCEU and leading to the entire universe unraveling before it could reach a conclusion.
A Slower & More Hopeful DCEU Opening Could Have Been What Saved The Franchise

It's been talked about endlessly for years, but there are two things the DCEU could have done earlier in the universe to help ensure it could have been saved. Rushing into Batman v Superman without giving the proper setup and then quickly moving into Justice League is one of those reasons. Batman v Superman did the best it could without the room to breathe like a Batman solo film or Man of Steel sequel would have lent it, but it still came out messy. Of course, the dark tone harmed it more than it benefited it.
Batman v Superman was supposed to usher in a glorious era for DC on film, but instead fractured a fanbase that never quite recovered
A dark tone isn't necessarily the issue either, it was the way the DCEU immediately went all in on that tone. If the Wonder Woman film came out before, as well as a Man of Steel followup, where the character was a bit more optimistic and the overall tone was more hopeful, the eventual contrast to Batman v Superman could have made a significant impact. Viewers might have been able to get on board with the film and the universe if it wasn't for those expectations from the beginning.
Batman v Superman came out over eight years ago and is still being talked about to this day. It is just as divisive now as it was on release. Despite the reasoning behind the tone of the film and how it tried to accelerate the story, it still feels like a misstep after all these years. Batman v Superman was supposed to usher in a glorious era for DC on film, but instead fractured a fanbase that never quite recovered. It could have worked, but not at the time when it came out.

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