DC Entertainment 2016 Highlights

Shares

It’s that time again!! Another year in the bag, and it was an exciting one for us DC fans. Just like we did last year, we here at DCComicsMovie.com are here to give you our own run down of some of the greatest moments of this year, from the DC Enthusiast’s point of view. And while doing so, we will also see how our hopes and predictions for this year matched up with what transpired this year.

 

New Year, New Logo

When DC Entertainment announced its new logo, it was with a renewed sense of solidarity and purpose. Simple yet classic, the new logo has a timeless feel to it reminiscent of previous logo incarnations, and can now be seen on every merchandise or multimedia that DC creates and owns.

 

DC Entertainment Dominated San Diego Comic-Con

As we at DCComicsMovie.com love to say, Warner Bros put the “DC” in SDCC for the third year in a row. DC showcased a massive amount of panels, booths, previews and events at the Con, more than any other studio or franchise. Not the least of which, was the Justice League teaser trailer, as well as the Wonder Woman teaser trailer.

Each year the stakes continue to rise, and DC continues to outdo itself with the level of publication, television, animation, interactive, cinematic and merchandising content it presents at what has been dubbed the greatest multimedia spectacle the world has ever seen.

 

The AT&T/Warner Bros Merger

I don’t think anyone could have predicted this one. However, with so many studios, and media corporations merging in recent months and years, this doesn’t seem surprising. Time Warner (The grandparent company, as it were, of DC Entertainment) has always held a strong position as a media conglomerate, and this new merger with AT&T makes the most sense. What this means for DC Entertainment proper remains to be seen, but since the announcement of the merger, key individuals such as Kevin Tsujihara has already hinted at the possibility of a DC Network, which will make DC fans everywhere quite happy.

 

Geoff Johns Appointed As Co-President of DC Films

The busiest man in comic book multimedia just got a lot busier. Already serving as the CCO (Chief Creative Officer) of DC Entertainment (which encompasses the publication, television, animation, video game and merchandising wings of DC), Geoff Johns’ creative hand now touches every aspect of the DC kingdom. He’d already had a hand in shaping the DC Extended Universe, serving in an executive producer role, where he co-wrote the Wonder Woman film, co-developed the treatment for the Aquaman film, and is working hand in hand with Ben Affleck for the upcoming Batman solo film. But now he serves as head of the DC Brain Trust, alongside Zack Snyder, Jon Berg and others.

 

Wonder Woman: Honorary Ambassador Of The UN

You know you’ve reached the Big Leagues (no pun!!), when one of your characters gets appointed to one of the highest positions in the land!! Wonder Woman had the honor, privilege and prestige of being appointed as an Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations, an honor no other super hero (female or otherwise) to date has ever shared. On hand to commemorate the occasion, were Wonder Women past and present, Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot, along with DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson.

Unfortunately, this appointment was not without controversy, as a petition was created to remove the Amazon Princess from this position. However, in typical Amazon fashion, the fight for Wonder Woman wages on, as others have created a counter petition to have her status reinstated with the UN. Just goes to show the pull and inspiration our beloved Amazon has.

 

DC Rebirth

This is one that we’d definitely predicted, or at least hoped for. However, what we received, in the form of of Rebirth, was far beyond anyone’s expectations. Not only did Rebirth rock the comic book world, but it’s continuing to dominate in sales several months after its June debut, with no apparent end in sight. And for those who don’t know, Rebirth marked the return of everything that we love about DC in publication form. It’s a blend of old and new; a renewed commitment to moving forward, while honoring the legacy that has come before.

 

Injustice 2 Announced

This is yet another one that we’d predicted last year, and have been waiting for it to come to fruition. When the announcement finally came gamers everywhere were ecstatic. Boasting a massive roster of returning fan favorites as well as a slew of new characters,  Injustice 2 looks to be easily one of the top games released in 2017.

But this year, DC released the following games:

More DC Animation

As per usual, DC has been firing on all cylinders when it comes to animation. With their animated films, DC released 4 animated films this year; Batman: Bad Blood in January, Justice League v Teen Titans , and Batman: The Killing Joke in July. Killing Joke was an especially important release for DC, since it marked the first animated film to be released in the theaters. And it did so with awesome numbers–so much so, that WB/DC has promised to release other animated films in the theaters in the future, not the least of which being the The LEGO Batman Movie coming in February 2017.

Other animated features released this year were as follows:

As always, DC animated films show no signs of stopping, as the Justice League Dark animated film is slated to premiere in early 2017 (and by the way, although we missed the mark with our prediction of Matt Ryan’s return as Constantine to DCTV, we did get his return to the character in animated form), along with a new Teen Titans: Judas Contract film slated for next year as well.

On the television side, while Teen Titans Go! continues strong,  DC also announced the Justice League Action series earlier this year, and debuted late in the year on Cartoon Network.

On The CW SeedVixen received a second season, and an animated series featuring The Ray was also announced. Like Vixen, The Ray will also take place in the CW DCTV Universe.

And speaking of DC Animation…

 

Young Justice Returns

This is one that deserves it’s own category. After months of rumors, and false starts, one of the most highly anticipated animated series of all time has finally made its official return. While there is no word as of yet as to when the third season of Young Justice will debut, or on what network it will air, fans have been in a high fervor in anticipation for its return.

 

Expansion of DCTV

We didn’t predict this, but did we really need to? Not only does DCTV currently boast some of the longest-running comic book/superhero television shows ever to grace the airwaves, but they also have more comic based content on the air (8 currently, soon to be 9 series) than any other studio/franchise.

  • Arrow
  • Supergirl
  • Flash
  • Legends Of Tomorrow
  • iZombie
  • Gotham
  • Lucifer
  • Preacher
  • Powerless

With easily as many more in various stages of development:

With that much diverse content, there could conceivably be at least one DCTV show on every night of the week!

DCTV also made major waves this season, with their CW Universe (consisting of Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow) being involved in a 4-part mega Invasion! crossover, that not only still has people talking, but also comparing those episodes to the cinematic efforts of most other franchises.

 

A Successful DC Extended Universe

DC is nothing, if not controversial. And their live action films have born this point out, as the DCEU opened its second salvo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to huge box office numbers. However, those numbers were not without a backlash, in the form of mixed reviews. Still, the film weathered the storm, and continues to break all sorts of records even to this day.

But it didn’t stop there; Suicide Squad opened to great numbers as well, achieving well beyond everyone’s expectations in terms of box office gross, with standout performances from the likes of Margo Robbie, Wil Smith, Viola Davis, and Jared Leto. So much so, that the former is even getting a movie centered around her role as Harley Quinn in the near future.

Despite mixed reviews (some would say unduly so), the DC Extended Universe has managed to gross more than $2 Billion after only its first three films; something no other franchise has been able to accomplish. There seems to be no stopping the DCEU, and speaking of which…

 

More DCEU Announcements

This one was perhaps a no-brainer, but we definitely called this one. DC Extended Universe seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, with no less than SIX films being added to the original 10-film movie slate. They are as follows:

And these are just the ones that we know of, that have been officially announced. There are rumors that others may be on the way as well. With so many projects in the works, we could be getting as many as three DCEU films a year!!

 

Casting Announcements

We were 1-1 on this one. While Martian Manhunter has yet to be announced (beyond the usual internet rumors, and we are nevertheless enjoying a wonderful rendition of him on the Supergirl TV show), at the end of the summer, Geoff Johns himself announced that Joe Manganiello was indeed cast as Deathstroke for the DC Extended Universe and fans have been esctatic about the revelation.

And this concludes the 2016 year in DC Entertainment. What were some of your favorite moments? Sound off in the comments below.

In the meantime, Happy Holidays, and here’s looking forward to what DC will bring us in 2017.

Mighty Icon
Mad Max: Fury Road's Stunt Team to Work on Aquaman
Wonder Woman Featured in Empire Magazine