The DCEU has struggled to find its footing since 2013. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel polarized Superman fans from the very beginning of this burgeoning superhero landscape, and each subsequent installment has continued that trend of divisive filmmaking. However, DC is poised to return to the franchise that started it all with Man of Steel 2 within the next few years, and now it seems that Matthew Vaughn may soon join the project to replace Snyder as the man behind Superman.
To help make sense of this development, we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of reasons why Matthew Vaughn is the perfect choice to helm Man of Steel 2. Take a look at what we have to say on his matter, and let us know what you think in the comments section below. We have plenty of reasons to get to, so let's get started with one area that DC has struggled with over the course of the last few years.
Vaughn Can Effortlessly Balance Light And Dark Tone
The hallmark of a good Matthew Vaughn movie is a mixture of grim brutality with a playful sense of fun, and that sounds like a perfect mixture for a great Superman sequel set within the DCEU. Man of Steel 2 needs to be able to strike a tone that shows us how Kal-El has been affected by the devastating losses he has incurred in his life, while also depicting him as a hero who will do anything to make his adopted home a better and more hopeful place. We don't need that grim and brooding borderline anti-hero that we have seen so far in the DCEU. We need to see moments where the weight of the world genuinely rests on Superman's shoulders, while also affording him moments to crack a smile and inspire hope in the people of the world.
Vaughn Has Experience Working In Franchises Started By Other Directors
One problem that various franchises face is an overwhelming shift in style when a new director steps in. You want something that feels new, while also existing in the same universe. Although Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class arguably feels like the most tonally and stylistically distinct of all the existing X-Men movies, he still managed to latch onto the very specific themes and ideas that make the X-Men films what they are. On that note, while we can pretty much guarantee that Vaughn's version of a Superman story will likely carve out its own niche in terms of aesthetic, he has proven that he knows how to take themes established in the first Man of Steel and expand on them in a way that feels natural and organic for the existing DC Extended Universe.
He Knows How To Depict A Wide Variety Of Superpowers
When it comes to superpowers, few heroes can hold a candle to the Last Son of Krypton. Superman has a broad range of powers that extend far beyond simply flying and punching things really hard. From his heat vision and his freeze breath to newer powers such as his "solar flare" that he developed during the New 52 run of DC Comics, Clark Kent is a walking arsenal of fascinating abilities. Luckily for all of us, Matthew Vaughn has ample experience in this territory. His work on X-Men: First Class allowed him to hit the ground running by depicting an absolutely insane number of badass mutant superpowers, and looking back it feels like a perfect practice run for the heroes and villains that we may see in Man of Steel 2.
He Knows How To Deconstruct The Superhero Genre
Do you ever find yourself getting tired of the more traditional superhero adventures that seem to hit theaters on an annual basis? If you are one of those people, then the prospect of Matthew Vaughn guiding the Superman franchise from here should be a very enticing one. He is a director known for subversive takes on traditional genres, and his work on Kick-Ass very clearly spelled out the fact that he knows how to take a left turn where more filmmakers would go right in a comic book movie. Pairing him with Superman seems like an oddly perfect match-up in this regard, as it means that the most traditional superhero of all time can now receive a silver screen depiction that carefully deconstructs everything that we consider "traditional" about this genre (and this timeless character).
He Already Has A Vision For Superman
One thing that makes Matthew Vaughn a perfect choice to helm Man of Steel 2 is the fact that he has already made his vision for a Superman movie very clear, and it seems like a fantastic vision to build on the foundation laid by Zack Snyder in Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. A few years ago he took part in an interview with MTV and admitted that he has a concept for a Superman film that provides a "colorful" look at the character. The DCEU Superman already comes with a certain amount of darkness and emotional baggage that's likely not going anywhere anytime soon but adding some fun and color to Clark Kent's corner of the silver screen DC universe is a prospect that pretty much any fan can get behind.
His Previous Films Are Unlike Anything Else We Have Seen In The DCEU
When compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the X-Men universe, the DCEU has long been touted as a filmmaker-driven environment where different auteurs can put their own respective spins on their own respective movies. We've seen some of that already in Zack Snyder and David Ayer's films, but Matthew Vaughn could be a major step forward in that regard. From Kingsman to X-Men: First Class, his films are incredibly stylish across the board, and his unique touch could help the DC films continue this trend of movies that take make bold aesthetic and stylistic choices. In a Hollywood landscape where the concept of "superhero fatigue" has become a common conversation, seeing a DC film that looks and feels unlike any other DC film is a fascinating idea that's too enticing to pass up.
