To say that the DCEU timeline is currently a mess would be a pretty huge understatement. With the shuffling of directors mid-filming, Warner Bros.' constantly changing approach to building a cinematic universe, and multiple actors playing the same role, audiences can be forgiven for thinking the studio no longer cares about the interconnectivity between different films in the franchise. But in an interview with Empire, it was confirmed thatWonder Woman 1984is keeping to the canon established byBatman V Superman.
“According to #Empire, #BatmanvSuperman is still canon in #WW84, and #Diana works at the #SmithsonianMuseum to keep track of any dangerous or mystical items, and lives in the #Watergate complex, where she has a view in any direction of Washington and can monitor the US government.”
So the Princess Diana aka Wonder Woman we will get to see next will be the same character who showed up inZack’s Snyder’s DCEU trilogy. What this means is that audiences will be already aware of Diana’s backstory, and also what will happen to her in the future while watching her latest movie which takes place in 1984, decades before the events ofJustice League, which is canonically her final appearance so far in the DCEU.
In a strange bit of parallel thinking, the MCU is taking the exact same approach to theirmost popular female superhero, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. Nat’s story ended with her sacrifice inAvengers: Endgame, and now her upcoming first standalone feature will jump back in time to tell the tale of an adventure that took place between the events ofCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Endgame.
TheDCEU is giving mixed signalsto fans in terms of movie canon. While films likeWonder Woman 1984,ShazamandAquamanall seem to take place in the same universe, the one kickstarted byMan of Steel, other films likeJoker, Matt Reeves’Batmanmovie and perhaps evenSuicide Squad 2appear to exist in their own universes, with no relation to the other films.
The upcoming soloFlashmovie was supposed to set the record straight, with a timeline reset following the events ofBatman V SupermanandJustice League, which was rumored to reboot the entire franchise into a more coherent interconnected universe. But the film has been delayed for years now, and with Ezra Miller’s recent violence towards a fan, Warner Bros. is reported to be considering dropping him entirely from the movie and getting a new cast together.
Of course, the nitty-gritty of what is canon and what is not won’t bother the average moviegoer. All they care about is how much fun they’re having while watching the movie. And that is whereWonder Woman 1984appears to be winning out, with its trailer promising a rollicking, retro 80’s adventure that is as heartfelt as its predecessor. Whatever may happen to the larger cinematic universe, theWonder Womanfranchise appears to be on solid ground.
