The Marvel Cinematic Universe trained audiences to believe minor characters mattered, because they were stepping stones to something colossal: a major team-up like the Avengers movies, or at least the next link in an exciting chain of intrigue.
But when a film such as Supergirl fails to pick up momentum, the difficulty becomes apparent – and we could say the same about Marvel’s Eternals, the Sony live action Spider-Verse films such as Madame Web, or even DC’s The Flash.
Superhero cinematic universes are built to expand, with each addition contributing to the overall sense of a vast fictional Lego set.
When one of the pieces doesn’t fit, it is hard to encourage fans to bother with the next instalment.
Does Supergirl now turn up in the forthcoming Man of Tomorrow to prove to the wider world that she does care about more than Krypto and getting drunk?
That may be one way forward, if Gunn’s mooted sequel to last year’s Superman is a smash hit.
>>> Rich Eisen Retires From NFL Play-by-Play Commentary
It also makes it more likely that DC, which has already trashed one entire comic book universe, will pivot towards better-known superheroes.
Andy Muschietti, director of the It films, has been tapped to helm a Batman: The Brave and the Bold movie that will exist within the main continuity (Robert Pattinson’s version lives in his own version of Gotham, and will never meet Superman or Wonder Woman).
There will also be increased pressure on projects such as the forthcoming superhero-horror hybrid Clayface, even if the latter isn’t burdened with a large budget or any real requirement to feed into wider matters.
