Comics
Ezra Miller criminal case throws the DCEU into disarray. Which ultimately highlights its flaw
Crisis of Two Earths
Now you know we try not to be a rumour mill on here. In all honesty, between the Ukraine/Russian crisis and Will Smith slapping a comedian in the face with impunity, my faith in humanity and common sense has deteriorated drastically this year. But now a new crisis (pun intended) has hit not infinite earths, but two earths – WB and DC Comics, which ultimately adds to the pandemonium we imagine takes place every few months in the WB executive offices.
For those hiding under the proverbial rock, The Flash is set to be taking centrestage in the cinema world after years of reshuffling, Covid-19 and script-determined delays. In recent news, however, it seems the actor, Ezra Miller, has gotten into quite the compromising situation. And by that we mean getting arrested for disorderly conduct and harassment. Which honestly feels random. Bursting into a couple’s room at a hotel screaming “I will burn you and your slut wife!” Stealing a wallet and passport… absolutely drug-infused madness.
So now the LBGTQIA+ model and WB’s wokeness factor have taken the most critical of hits and it was enough to send WB execs into a frenzy of “emergency meetings” over the actor’s future as the scarlet speedster. And, by the looks of things, this was an issue brewing from the days that The Flash production was underway. The actor has been noted as having ‘frequent meltdowns’ and outbursts on set of The Flash.
And in there lies the flaw of the DCEU. To pivot slightly, the fact that Miller extra-curriculum activity, for a film that, let’s be honest, whose main selling point is… well… Batman, has derailed plans enough to have a code orange WB exec meeting is showing WB put more stock in these actors and optics than in character and narrative. Don’t misconstrue, if Miller has done what they say he has, it is disturbing and worth taking note of with the proper repercussions at the ready. But we are sure no meetings were held on this scope when the actor created a hostile work environment. Or when the actor’s rollout included making specific mention of his sexuality.
The codling of celebrity has been how much of how Hollywood has survived and forged a path to some sliver of relevance. But this ultimately works against comic book movies. Why? The character becomes tied to the actor. People often talk about the ‘Superman’ effect, how an actor becomes defined by the character he plays, to the point it affects their career and life. But has any questioned if the reverse is possible? That an actor could sully and tarnish the reputation of a character? A character and mythos that has taken years of creative equity, built on over the years, canon by canon under the guiding hands of comic book writers, artists, directors and previous actors?
WB has been playing fast and loose with DC Comics characters, pairing them with the wrong actors, the wrong directors and the wrong film universes. Forced, inorganic plans to ‘catch up’ with Marvel has led to sloppy results that happen in front and behind the camera. Ultimately, Ezra Miller’s activities have added to the mess DC finds itself in. From Ray Fisher’s discrimination experience levied at him from the higher ups in the DC/WB hierarchy. The ousting and public humiliation of director Michelle McLaren. All the devil roosters come home to roost. Bad Karma with punctuations of okay films like The Batman and Joke. Films we can’t even really analyse too criticially because 1. Batman is a cheat code and 2. out of fear WB will diverge from staying the course towards a more thoughtful rendition of DC character-driven movies.
The most in terms of this level of mess over at Marvel Studios was Scarlett Johansson suing Disney over lost profits due to the streaming of the expensive and mediocre Black Widow movie. Which was handled pretty quickly.
When your motivation is the character-driven narrative, and legacy of DC character and the joy they bring to fans the world over, I know the decisions WB makes would be much different than the ones they have been making. If their guiding afflatus was as such, they would avoid much of the mess that leads to poor working environments.
WB needs to start putting the value in the right things when it comes to DC. The narratives. The characters. And the people who genuinely love them. Instead of ticking a box to satisfy arbitrary social constructs that are super important this season just for the sake of it. When you take overwhelming stock and value in these intangibles, you will start overlooking the harrowing flaws of the over-privileged and pampered, ultimately costing you millions in the long run, with too much of future trajectories hinging on one precarious and overvalued chesspiece.
