The DC Universe is going through a period of renewal on the big and small screen. The disjointed DCEU is out, and DC Studios' latest cinematic universe is in. Creature Commandos, the first installment in this franchise, has been released to general acclaim both with critics and with audiences alike. But that's just the beginning, and with the Superman teaser highlighting the first big screen production to come out of this creative shift, there's a lot more to look forward to. Of course, there is some confusion to be found in what is considered canon and what isn't. The likes of Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, projects that James Gunn had previously worked on, complicate matters. What's more, even Blue Beetle is said to be making a return in some capacity, while familiar actors like Jason Momoa are taking on new roles.

Needless to say, there's a lot to break down within the context of the main timeline, and audiences will have to understand the rules of this new universe before completely saying goodbye to the old one. Although James Gunn has talked about synergy across all mediums, from movies and TV, to video games, there does seem to be some ambition to walk off the track completely, and go in unexpected directions. Ideas have already been discussed that depart from the standard cinematic universe being built, which means that those out of canon narratives will have to be sold to the viewer in a very different way that separates them from what the likes of the main line Justice League is doing. That's a risky strategy and could cause issues with fatigue, but DC Studios is putting quality above quantity, meaning only the best concepts get the green light to go ahead.

Elseworlds Is Coming to DC Studios

So, it was recently announced that James Gunn is investigating creating an Elseworlds banner to play in front of DC Studios properties, whether that be a TV show, movie, or perhaps video game, that sits outside of the mainline continuity. The idea is one that has been taken straight from the comics, with major narratives like Gotham By Gaslight debuting under this banner. Whenever readers were introduced to a world where the creative choices meant they could not take the main storylines of other books into account, the Elseworlds banner was used.

This is very much the era of the Multiverse, and that idea sits comfortably within the current industry. Indeed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been slowly unveiling Elseworlds-type stories like What If...?, and the DC Universe will be following suit in the near future. The idea, within the context of DC, is for these stories to be taking place at the same time but in alternative realities. Sometimes, that could include the same cast members or perhaps introduce a new slate of heroes and villains entirely. But the Elseworlds banner will make it clear whether it's incorporated into the likes of Superman and Creature Commandos or not.

But this isn't the first time this idea has even been brought to the fans. In fact, DC tried to launch an Elseworlds banner in the past, while the DCEU was still going strong. It was around the time that the original Joker was released. It was unclear what direction Warner Bros. wanted to take at the time, but they needed to make it known that Joker would not be interacting with any other version of Batman from throughout DC's movies and shows. At a Comic Con and a couple of other events, the Elseworlds title was thus used before transforming into Worlds of DC.

Both incarnations of this concept failed to take any steps forward, though, and when Joker was released, there was nothing in front of the film to indicate its relationship with any other project. It simply wasn't discussed, and in the years since, the company moved further away from a set continuity as the timeline became muddled. A project like Zack Snyder's Justice League could have really benefited from this banner, for example, to indicate that this was not taking place in the timeline of the other DCEU films, and yet Warner Bros. essentially left it up to the fans to decide.

Some Projects Already Exist Under This Banner

The creation of the Elseworlds banner under the current DC Studios slate means that there is a need for it under the current circumstances. And that is true. After all, there have already been some projects under James Gunn's watch that have been launched that are not a part of his new continuity. Some have still had the DC Studios logo because Gunn was heavily involved in producing them in some capacity, while others have simply been released under a DC Comics banner, to represent their link to the comics but not to the current cinematic slate.

The Joker sequel is a great example of that. It had already gone through the majority of the production process when James Gunn was officially brought into the studio and exists within the same universe, naturally, as the original Joker movie. It is not set to be interlinked with what Gunn is creating in any way, and so could have benefited from the Elseworlds intro. Instead, it got a DC logo, at least to maintain that sense of connection to the very first film. But this Elseworlds banner could be very useful in a couple of other universes.

The Harley Quinn animated series is massively popular and has been running for years, but it cannot be confused with the animated content that DC Studios is producing. It exists within the same world of Kite-Man, but this version of Harley Quinn is not the Margot Robbie iteration or, indeed, whatever the new DC Universe is doing with the character. The same can be said for the other independent animated projects that are being released, from the Watchmen retelling to Batman: Caped Crusader. Each exists within its own world and would look great with the Elseworlds logo.

Moving forward, The Penguin and The Batman universe must be gifted this logo because both exist outside the main continuity but are now being produced under DC Studios. Gunn had a hand in producing The Penguin, for instance, and will be continuing to oversee Matt Reeve's future scripts as he plans out what will be happening with Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight next. An Elseworlds banner would continue to maintain that sense of separation, as The Batman is tonally far darker and grittier compared to what Gunn will be doing with the Batman character.

There Are More Releases Planned For Outside the DC Universe

There is definitely no better time to make this change, as the universe expands quickly. James Gunn has a lot of plans about how to best move forward with the DC Universe and is taking pitches on all kinds of characters. Indeed, Clayface will be getting a solo horror movie, for instance, because of the strength of the pitch. This story fits well into the main DC Universe and will take the logo to demonstrate that. But some fans may have thought it would be an Elseworlds project, and so the mere absence of that banner can also provide clarity to viewers.

Other animated projects are in the works and there is more content related to The Batman on the way. But there are those pictures to consider which have not yet got the go-ahead or those that are in development without the latest updates to hand. For instance, Constantine is supposed to be getting a sequel, and it will undoubtedly take place in the original continuity and not within this new timeline. So, an Elseworlds banner would be entirely appropriate for a Keanu Reeves' backed release.

Moving forward, the debate will become about what that banner should look like in the first place. It's so hard to craft a brand identity that can represent so many different types of stories. There are always mixed reactions to the logos that DC produces, and the most recent DC Studios one certainly created a lot of discourse. What will also be interesting to see is whether DC tries to retroactively include universes like The Dark Knight reality or the Arrowverse into the Elseworlds brand, to perhaps revisit in the future. With the Multiverse always available as a tool, in theory, the main heroes and villains could pass into any one of these alternative worlds. Regardless, Elseworlds should represent a fresh start for the studio, which is willing to take creative risks for the benefit of character and story, regardless of continuity.