This obviously isn't a problem with the whole fandom, but definitely a huge chunk of it. A lot of people don't want to hear this but it's time we be honest with ourselves on the direction the DCU is heading in. Yes, some criticism of James Gunn and the DCU is obviously bad faith. There are people who were never going to give this universe a chance. But I also can't stand how much of the DC community seems to be giving the DCU a completely free pass, as if being critical of it somehow means you're a Snyder cultist. I don't want the DCU to fail, since it started I was seriously hoping for it to be good, and that's why we need to admit that major aspects aren't working. The idea that everything is fine and that it's the fans who are wrong is gonna seriously damage the DCU long term, and it must stop right now.

First, the slate sucks I'm sorry. I know we're getting Batman and Wonder woman eventually, my issue isn't having to wait a few years. In phase 1 of the MCU they also took their time and did things step by step, however they also didn't waste time on a goddamn Harry Osborn and Omega Red show. James Gunn seriously is making phase 4 content in phase 1. Now is not the time for obscure characters, now is the time to give spotlight to the popular characters that were robbed of their chances in the DCEU. Even with lanterns, what they're obviously doing with Hal Jordan I think is the last thing they should be doing with this character right now. This is just my opinion but with everything else it really doesn't help

Then there's Supergirl. Some fan's inability to take criticism is genuinely concerning. You can blame toxic fans, you can call everyone a grifter of a Snyder bro, but the jokes on us when the movie bombs as hard as it does, the jokes on us when the writer admits to everyone she didn't know what she was doing. There's always gonna be enjoyers of unpopular movies, but most of the Supergirl defenders are weirdly hostile, and make everything ad hominem. I see stuff like "why are you mad that Supergirl kills a child trafficker" or "I knew critics wouldn't like it when she kills a pedophile", or "misogynists caused the movie to fail." When people do this, it's because they know the movie's actual positives aren't enough to defend it. Maybe people don't like how the movie blatantly contradicts itself, maybe a generic ass superhero filler arc movie being played completely straight in 2026 wasn't a good idea. Yeah it's great that these movies are anti-genocide and anti-child trafficking, if only people would actually watch these movies though. Look I agree that some people were Way too happy over the movie bombing, and many were also Way too mean to Milly Alcock in particular, but for a movie to fail this bad, there has to be something fundamentally wrong with it. I'm also sick of this assertion that the box office doesn't matter, if we want this to be an expanded universe then it has to be financially viable. I believe Supergirl was the worst preforming DC movie in 20 years, and the odds that Clayface performs even worse are astronomically high. This should be a serious wake up call, but so many fans have completely learned the wrong lesson and DC probably will too. Now is not the time to pretend everything's fine, especially if we want DC to have its major comeback we were all hoping for. Unless we let them know that their current output is unacceptable, then DC won't be good again.

We should be critical of the DCU right now