The DC Extended Universe is at a strange precipice. For one, the movies it's released since 2018 have almost all been well-received, turning is reception around in regard to their perception among the masses. At the same time, Warner Bros. Discovery has a host of behind-the-scenes controversies involving actors and the potential path the universe should head down.

But where the DCEU goes from here is all about a wizardly lightning bolt. Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods are the next DC films planned to release, and their performance and reception will likely determine the fate of the oft-cursed cinematic reality. If lightning strikes twice, the DCEU will continue and expand. But if not, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe will change for the worse.

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Shazam! & Black Adam Need to Succeed

Shazam Sivana Black Adam

Despite being one of Captain Marvel's greatest villains, Black Adam is debuting in his own film and not in either of the Shazam! movies. In fact, the trailers for Black Adam seem to have very little connection to the Shazam mythos, making it even more pertinent that Black Adam meets the World's Mightiest Mortal. In the event that either of these movies is well-received at both the box office and with audiences, there will almost certainly be another movie that finally pits them against each other.

This movie would likely be a huge hit, channeling some of the same energy as MonsterVerse movie Godzilla vs. Kong while also likely being a much more well-received version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The former even came and succeeded after the poor reception of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, proving that a Shazam vs. Black Adam movie could do the same on its own merits. At the same time, if these films don't do what new company president David Zaslav hopes they can, the ramifications will be felt very quickly.

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The Flash Will Reboot the DCEU If Shazam & Black Adam Fail

What We Know and Don't Know about the Flash Movie

A less-than-great performance and reception to Black Adam could get curtailed if Shazam: Fury of the Gods comes after it and is very well-received. That would possibly convince Warner Bros. Discovery to take more chances and pit the two characters against each other. If both fail, however, even a potentially successful Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wouldn't be enough to save the DCEU. At this point, The Flash would likely be used as a plot device to erase the DCEU as fans know it. Even though the way in which this was going to happen has seemingly been canned, preventing something similar depends on how the wizard's disciples do with their next movies.

These are currently the only DC properties without controversy surrounding them. The DCEU version of Superman has been controversial since 2013, with Ben Affleck's Batman joining the fray of fan debate three years later. Even Wonder Woman couldn't escape this, with her second movie being a notable downturn in quality and reception. Aquaman's first movie was a huge hit, but the second one will have to fight off issues with one of its stars. Likewise, The Suicide Squad was beloved but failed to succeed at the box office.

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Now, there are two DCEU films with a clean state -- not counting the upcoming Blue Beetle film that's coming out after The Flash. That movie could easily get retooled to fit a new continuity. Keeping that reality at bay would be Shazam and Black Adam, both of whom can hopefully generate enough cash and goodwill to save the DCEU.

The next decade of the DCEU begins on Oct. 21 when Black Adam opens in theaters.