Some controversy has surrounded a recent Justice League challenge. In recent years, the DCEU has had an identity crisis, with the franchise lacking a consistent direction. With the fanbase split and the future of the DCEU uncertain, DC is in a difficult position - and the Black Adam controversy proves it worse.
From its debut, Zack Snyder was meant to helm the DCEU after it was tied to his movie Zack Snyder's Justice League (a 4-hour-long director's cut) in 2021, which audiences and critics saw as a great improvement. However, Whedon's version of Justice League is currently considered canon to the DCEU, and with a continuing movement to #RestoreTheSnyderverse, DC has some major choices to make in the near future.
Black Adam is the next film in the DCEU, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the titular villain-turned-hero. The film has caused controversy because Warner Bros has removed footage of Black Adam trailer that highlighted the biggest moments from the DCEU. The shot in question was of Steppenwolf swinging his weapon into the ground, with Darkseid being the one to do this in the Snyder Cut. Although The Rock released a "corrected" version on Twitter, the updated trailer simply removes the shot rather than replacing it with the Zack Snyder's Justice League version. This choice doubles down on the fact that the Snyderverse isn't canon to the DCEU, causing many to wonder how DC will clean up the mess they've created.
The DCEU Needs To Leave Joss Whedon's Justice League Behind
Although it is currently canon, DC really needs to distance itself from Joss Whedon's Justice League. The film's failure and the Snyder Cut's success demonstrates that there are few fans there isn't an audience that wants to see Whedon's vision expanded upon. The Snyder Cut is a much better version of Justice League, and there is an audience that wants to see the Snyderverse continued. Story-wise, the Snyder Cut and Joss Whedon's Justice League are very similar, meaning that the DCEU wouldn't have to change all that much if they ditched the Whedon version. Joss Whedon's Justice League is one of the worst-reviewed superhero films of the 2010s, and keeping it canon only hinders the DCEU rather than helping it.
Why WB Won't Make Zack Snyder's Justice League DCEU Canon
The DCEU will probably never make Zack Snyder's Justice League canon to the DCEU - and some of the reasons are valid. While the Snyder Cut is a stronger entry than Whedon's version, Zack Snyder's vision has already failed DC in the past with Batman v Superman, and they don't want to risk that happening again. Furthermore, while the Snyderverse does have an audience, it's not certain that the audience is big enough to a cinematic universe. The The Suicide Squad, and shifting directions back to their original plan (which already failed once) in order to appease an audience of an undetermined size simply isn't a risk Warner Bros. wants to take. While it might be great for Zack Snyder's Justice League to become canon, it will probably never happen.
What Will The Justice League's DCEU Future Be? Whedon, Snyder, Or Reboot?
Justice League's DCEU future has three options: keep the Whedon Cut canon, make the Snyder Cut canon, or just reboot everything - and it seems like the third option is the direction DC is headed in. With rumors that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, major players like Henry Cavill and Ray Fisher will probably never return to the franchise. On top of that, there are no known Justice League sequels in active development, meaning that the universe going through a soft reboot is likely. It seems that the DCEU will mostly ignore the events of Justice League, instead building up a cast of new characters that could make up a potential team - and Black Adam's Justice Society of America may be the first step in this direction.
