In the aftermath of this year’s San Diego Comic Con DC did not hold back its punches. Marvel Studios opted to sit out of SDCC, but who could blame them? They have three blockbuster under their belt this year alone. DC Films has a lot of ground to cover and is playing catchup. However, it looks like DC might have their shared film universe saved from their most unlikely heroes.

Now there have been lot of setbacks that have plagued the DC Films. With the mixed reception from most of their films trying to build a cinematic universe as fast as they could. Warner Brothers biggest mistake was trying to fast track a Justice League crossover by the making Batman vs Superman the sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel. The movie was divisive, with Suicide Squad and Justice League following the same trend. Splitting fans and critics into two camps. Some are praising the direction of the films while others are crying out for a reboot of the franchise.

An Official Brand

However, this year’s Comic Con panel is taking the lessons of Wonder Woman and is rolling them out to an optimistic cinematic universe. The first change that many people are overlooking is the name change of the franchise from DC Extended Universe to Worlds of DC. Now this is a very important change because up until now this shared DC universe was not officially named. The DCEU was a term coined from fans of the films with clear inspiration from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Worlds of DC gives this film franchise legs to tell standalone stories, instead of making everything connected. The best part about Wonder Woman was the fact that it felt self contained, not tied down by any previous movies.

Standalone Stories

Aquaman and Shazam both are looking like excellent standalone films with some small references to a larger universe. Shazam is another origin story with a lot of comedic elements. The lighthearted tone is a complete sift from Batman vs Superman. Aquaman looks like Thor mixed with Black Panther underwater. This film is to going to further explore the character of Arthur Curry from Justice League. A huge compliant of that film was the lack of character development from Aquaman. Both films are focusing on telling great stories while embracing their source material.

The Future

Warner Brothers have announced many films in development. A Suicide Squad sequel, Matt Reeve’s Batman standalone, and The Flash just to name a few. Patty Jenkins is back to direct Wonder Woman 1984 and reportedly a standalone story.  They pushing for more creative driven stories, and currently moving away from shared universe. That doesn’t mean they won’t come back to the concept. Right now is taking the right steps to win back critics and audiences. Gone are the days of dark and gritty, and more of a focus of comic accurate heroes. Regardless of your thoughts of the DCEU the future of DC films is literally and figuratively brighter.