Chris McKay's Nightwing Movie No Longer Happening May Benefit the DCU Hero

James Gunn has made a huge impact with his DCU taking shape. But with Nightwing's movie scrapped, this loss could be a blessing in disguise.

James Gunn's DCU has offered fans a lot of promise by wiping the slate clean of the DC Extended Universe to introduce an entirely new world of heroes and villains. As a result, movies like The Flash and Blue Beetle exist more as bookends to the past slate of movies and as a bridge into a new universe. But with change, there's also loss, which has led to the pulling of the Batgirl movie from release, as well as recent news that Chris McKay's Nightwing movie not being in development.

As many fans of Batman know, Dick Grayson was Batman's first Robin and potentially the most popular, especially after he left to pursue life as the solo hero, Nightwing. As Nightwing, he injected fun and wonder into the world of Batman and showed that a hero didn't always have to be dark and brooding to achieve the same results as his mentor. With McKay's highly anticipated Nightwing movie being scrapped, there's a natural disappointment in the missed opportunity of what could've been. However, with Gunn's new DCU looking to capture every spectrum of heroism that the comics have to offer, Nightwing's end may be the best thing for the character.

James Gunn's DCU Needs to Establish the Batman Family First

In the past, Batman was enough of a pull that audiences didn't necessarily need to see his extended world. While this is still true, to a point, it's equally true that his partners have gained just as much of a fan following even beyond Nightwing. This was sadly a direction that the DCEU failed to capitalize on from the moment Ben Affleck's Batman showed up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. When this iteration of Bruce Wayne appeared, he had already been Batman for years to the point of disillusionment. This was further bolstered by the fact that Robin had already died at the hands of Joker and Harley Quinn. While fans rightfully assumed this was going to be Jason Todd, it was actually meant to be Dick Grayson. Coupled with a seasoned Batman, it was a perfect storm of issues that made it hard for audiences to connect with a character they barely knew in this universe.

Gunn's DCU looks to be taking a page out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and offering a fresh start to its characters, with Superman being explored in his early years. Batman, however, will have been a vigilante long enough to establish a Bat-Family. What makes this important is it gives the much-needed opportunity for the DCU to establish a strong foundation for new stories not shown on the big screen. Now, fans can see Batman act as a father figure to young heroes and, more importantly, give allies like Nightwing a subtle introduction before being explored further in a solo project.

Nightwing's Director Needs a Clean DCU Slate to Work With

Though the movies of the DCEU were designed to be connected, many of its entries were anything but, as it was clear that a divide from the DCEU to the Snyderverse of movies was growing. As a result, many course corrections behind the scenes led to conflicting narratives and controversy that started with Joss Whedon's Justice League. Not only was the movie an altered and cut-up version of Zack Snyder's vision, but it also formed a divide between fans who accepted the new status quo and others who wanted to see Zack Snyder's Justice League. As the years progressed, more controversies came to light, including Henry Cavill's tragic return and departure from Superman.

Aside from a lack of cohesion behind the scenes, the lack of a roadmap for the DCEU's future was more evident with each release. As the separation from the Snyderverse was growing, it led to more recent movies taking on a colorful, MCU-style approach to its properties. The Flash, Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman were prime examples, as they were vastly different from how the characters were introduced by Snyder. Not to mention, there was a larger separation from the canon that came before, leading to confusion on whether these movies were connected to past movies. This was most prevalent with The Suicide Squad, which, save for a few actors, felt like its own world separate from everything that came before.

With so much baggage that came with the DCEU and Snyder's initial vision, it would've been hard for a character like Nightwing to be established in a way that made sense and felt connected to everything else. As a result, having his movie scrapped may be a great thing because it'll allow the character to exist in a universe that's officially a clean slate. Therefore, when Nightwing does eventually appear, his characterization can remain consistent, and his storytelling style will connect more to other movies he may appear in.

Nightwing's Movie Can Only Benefit From James Gunn's Branding

With movies like The Flash and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods failing to be box office successes, it served as a clear sign that the upcoming DCU needs more than word of mouth to be a success. Instead, it'll need the backing of Gunn, who has already proven he knows what makes superhero movies work thanks to the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. With Gunn promoting the movie, as well as the comics that it's inspired by, it'll allow fans a sneak peek into the world these characters will inhabit.

Though it hasn't been announced, a new Nightwing solo movie would also work well in James Gunn's DCU roadmap as it's a story of new beginnings, and with Batman working with Damian Wayne, it's the perfect foundation for Nightwing to go at it alone in a new world. Should Chris McKay be invited to return to the character, he'd have a chance to bring all of the fun from his original vision into a world with even more heroes and villains. With that in mind, one door closing on Nightwing could open the gates of an entire universe for him to play around in.