George Chrysostomou on the importance of the universe branding…
We cannot get away from the fact that today’s cinema (and to an extent TV) is dominated by the concept of the shared universe. It seems that almost every story, film and character has to be linked in order to create a further expansive world, which can both bring new fans to different aspects of that franchise, and perhaps even made make people feel like they need to watch every instalments to really feel like a true fan. Either way, it’s a good business move, but one that has produced mixed results in terms of quality of output. However, that’s not what this article is about. What this is really about, is how crucial is this universe brand to today’s franchises?
It was revealed recently that the DC Extended Universe isn’t called that at all, with no official brand name encompassing the movie series as a whole. Warner Bros. seems to be having an issue with branding its DC properties at present, with a cinematic universe, a TV Arrowverse, an Animated Universe, a selection of standalone TV series, previous unrelated films, and future projects distinct from the Justice League movies, such as the Joker origin film. Although it is being said that the movie side of things are all connected (mostly?), it’s clear that in comparison to other models, Warner Bros. is approaching this concept differently. That’s not to say there is a right way though, with DC projects still being incredibly successful, especially with their TV and animated departments being very well received.
Universe building doesn’t stop on the big screen. The CW is using their ties to animation and CW Seed to create Arrowverse shows within this other medium. Gaming is a crucial part as well, with DC titles such as the Arkham games and Injustice proving very successful, although for the most part they are distinct from other DC projects, save for the occasional comic book tie-in or animated movie such as Batman: Assault on Arkham.
The Marvel Universe is pointed at as being one of the most interconnected. While this is true in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and some video games are loosely tied to the events of the movies, given the vast amounts of TV series, comics, animated shows and other projects, Marvel is really on the same level as DC in their brand connectivity overall, even if the quality (although varied) may be better in some areas. Really, there is perhaps only one winner to the question of a fully connected universe, and no it is not the Dark Universe…
The Star Wars universe is the only one which has successfully connected itself across every major medium. There are in-canon books, games, films, animated shows, comics and other assorted pieces. Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm, Star Wars has never been more connected. The obvious gap is in the live action TV department, but that does not stop the branding machine that is Star Wars, from reaching across the galaxy and getting into all sorts of storytelling realms. Star Wars has always relied heavily on its interconnected universe, and has done so successfully for many years.
Let’s look at how many properties are trying to achieve this, purely on the big screen alone: Transformers, J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, DC, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fox Marvel, Sony Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, and the Dark Universe just to name a few! With so many companies attempting to achieve this, the concept of universe branding is clearly very crucial; with an established universe, it is a lot easy to sell a concept or perhaps even create a story that has an already developed sandbox to work in. And going back to that very original DC point about the change from “DCEU” to an as-yet-unspecified title. How crucial is the naming aspect of this concept? Names really helps to distinguish between properties, and the true value of a name and brand can be found with Star Wars. You don’t have to quantify the universe with anything other than the name Star Wars. Nothing else needs to be attached to it – that name means canon, continuity and quality.
What are your thoughts on shared universes? Let us know in the comments below…
George Chrysostomou
Originally published October 11, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
