When James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins of DC Studios, fans were promised a shared cinematic universe far better and stronger than the now-defunct DCEU.However, last year’s Superman (2025) gave them a modest foundation, and now, the wheels have already come off the wagon. The newly established DCU is facing something of an existential crisis following the disastrous theatrical rollout of its second film, Supergirl (2026).Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The Milly Alcock-led cosmic adventure has completely cratered, pulling in a dismal $62.6 million globally over its opening weekend. With a steep production and marketing price tag, industry analysts are already bracing for a staggering multi-million-dollar loss, cementing it as one of the biggest box office bombs of the summer.The sudden derailment has left Warner Bros. Discovery in an incredibly tight spot—especially with the Paramount merger looming in the background.But as the new DCU struggles, a familiar glimmer of hope has re-emerged from the ashes. It might be time for Warner Bros. to finally give the Snyderverse its second chance.Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Related: James Gunn’s DCU Falls Apart as Zack Snyder Confirms That Henry Cavill Is Still SupermanA Weed That Just Won’t DieDespite the studio’s best efforts to move on from the past, Zack Snyder’s dark, mythological trilogy—Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2021)—refuses to leave the cultural conversation.Fandom demand for his epic vision hasn’t waned; if anything, the recent streaming numbers prove it. When HBO Max officially rolled out on JioHotstar, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) defied expectations by rocketing straight to the No. 1 spot on the platform’s Top 10 Movies list, actively beating out powerhouse franchises like Harry Potter and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame (2019).Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The staying power of the Snyderverse is undeniable. While speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast earlier this year, Snyder himself reflected on the relentless legacy of his DC chapter—which many fans view as being separate from the wider DCEU—affectionately calling his three-movie trilogy “a weed that just won’t die,” adding that “it grows on its own.”When pressed on whether his extensive, unproduced outlines for Justice League 2 and Justice League 3 could eventually see the light of day in an alternate format—such as a graphic novel continuation or an animated feature of some kind—Snyder didn’t hesitate to ignite fan speculation.“We absolutely talked about it quite a bit,” he revealed, adding, “We live in a world where all that is possible. Whatever form it would take, that would be amazing.”Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The Multiverse Solution Warner Bros. NeedsWith the live-action DCU struggling to find its footing, Warner Bros. Discovery sits on a goldmine of unfulfilled storytelling. Capitalizing on the Snyderverse doesn’t mean Gunn and Safran need to scrap their entire slate; instead, the studio should leverage Elseworlds formatting to allow Snyder to finish his arc.Snyder’s frequent social media updates—ranging from behind-the-scenes looks at Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot to recent artwork captioned “The League United”—prove the creator remains deeply connected to these characters.An animated continuation or an explicit limited series would instantly capture a massive, built-in audience that is already entirely checked out of the current theatrical trajectory.Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The numbers don’t lie, and neither do the fans. As the DCU struggles to justify its massive budgets against empty theater seats, giving the green light to a proper Snyderverse continuation isn’t just a win for artistic integrity—it is the smartest move Warner Bros. has left on the board.Of course, the studio is already too deep into its current production cycle to pivot anytime soon. Warner Bros. still has to weather the upcoming releases of its next two theatrical entries: the R-rated, body-horror villain feature Clayface, which was recently pushed to an October 23, 2026 release, followed by the direct David Corenswet sequel, Man of Tomorrow, hitting theaters on July 9, 2027.But if these upcoming projects can’t reverse the downward trend started by Supergirl, the studio will have no choice but to reconsider its options.Tell us your thoughts about the DCU, and whether you think the Snyderverse could return one day!The post The Snyderverse Finally Given a Second Chance as James Gunn’s DCU Crashes and Burns appeared first on Inside the Magic.