DC Studios and Warner Bros are known to have had significant control over their IPs for many years. This enabled both production houses to carefully select suitable projects and reject those that were deemed horrible. However, both will lose this power in the next decade as key DC characters like Superman and Lois Lane will enter the public domain in 2034. Batman will join the list in 2035, Joker in 2036, and Wonder Woman in 2037. This scenario will allow rival production houses or indie artists to give their own spins to these characters.
First, Warner Bros and DC Studios will lose control of the OG versions of Superman, Batman, and other mentioned DC characters. It means a production house can make a project based on Superman’s 1934 storyline (the first newspaper ‘Superman’ story) in the future. The character made its comic debut in 1939. The OG Superman could not fly but was able to take big leaps. Amanda Schreyer (entertainment and media lawyer at Morse) talked about this scenario in a recent interview with Variety. “Those characteristics are going to fall into the public domain one by one.”
DC has taken several steps to deal with this scenario in the last few years. For instance, James Gunn’s decision to introduce some characters from ‘The Authority’ in Superman: Legacy resulted due to the nearing expiration of Superman copyrights. In addition, DC has trademarked several key elements, including the terms like ‘The Caped Crusader’ and ‘Man of Steel’, and the popular ‘Bat’ logo (Batman) and the ‘S’ logo (Superman). This scenario can restrict the creativity of other creators. These trademarks will not expire as long as DC uses them frequently.
This case may give birth to comics and projects with new and refreshing storylines. Different artists and filmmakers will be able to bring their unique or innovative perspectives to the above-mentioned DC characters, attracting viewers who love watching a diverse range of styles and stories. However, we cannot ignore the risks involved here, like the overflowing of superhero projects, which may fuel the phenomenon of ‘superhero fatigue’.
Moreover, the risk associated with the quality standards is also hard to ignore. There is a chance that some reinterpretations or adaptations may fail to meet the quality standards expected by superhero fans, leading towards poorly received versions of the popular and beloved DC characters. For example, we all know what happened to the poor and cute Winnie the Pooh. The Walt Disney Company lost exclusive rights to the character in 2022, allowing Rhys Frake-Waterfield and his team to develop the horrible indie slasher, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Plus, Jamie Bailey began developing ‘Mickey’s Mouse Trap’ after Mickey Mouse’s first animated short film, Steamboat Willie, entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. Stay tuned for more updates.