We're about 8 years into the dawn of the DC Extended Universe, and the internet is still filled with countless questions about its direction and purpose. After several starts and stops, one attempt at a Snyderverse down the drain, little by little the Distinguished Competition is building momentum with several critical hits in a row: AquamanShazam!Joker and Birds of Prey

RELATED: Justice League Snyder Cut: 5 Reasons We Care (& 5 We Don't)

As DC's approach to their films adapts over time, the future of the DCEU is currently malleable and ever-forming. The winds of change are here, but not everything is totally broken, as we take a look at five things the DCEU should keep as is, and five that desperately need to change.

10 KEEP: Henry Cavill as Superman

This is one of the most hotly debated topics for DCEU fans, as the future of Superman in this universe is completely up in the air. As far as we know, Henry Cavill still keeps the cape in his closet, and the mantle has yet to pass to anyone else.

However, no future Superman-related content has been announced by DC, keeping the character's status a mystery to fans. After Zack Snyder's departure from the franchise, many fans were hoping for a breath of fresh air from Cavill's seemingly stagnant performance. However, after the revelation that was Netflix's The Witcher, it's changed many fans' minds on what the actor could be capable of as Superman. We're willing to give him another shot.

9 CHANGE: Get Us Off Earth

Many of DC Comics' greatest characters and stories come from the publisher's cosmic side. The DCEU as we know it has dabbled briefly with the cosmic tapestry in its early films Man of SteelBatman vs. Superman and Justice League.

While those films' continuity is in question now that Zack Snyder is out of the picture (save for a one-line reference in Aquaman), there's a lack of cosmic representation in the DCEU. Films like the in-development New Gods from Ava Duvernay and Tom King and the upcoming HBO Max series Green Lantern Corps seem to be on their way to rectifying that, but we have yet to see heroes leave the Earth's surface just yet.

8 KEEP: DC "Black Label"

Joker movie

It's kind of incredible just how well Joker resonated with audiences. DC Comics has never been shy about telling adult-oriented stories, going as far back as Alan Moore's Swamp Thing through the Vertigo years and now with the launch of their "Black Label" imprint.

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"Black Label" is a home for challenging, complex stories with adult themes and content that star our favorite DC Comics heroes and villains. If the critical successes of Joker, and to a lesser extent Birds of Prey, are any indication, DC should take the hint and keep making these sorts of movies alongside their more traditional superhero stories.

7 CHANGE: Get Weird

DC Comics are at their finest when they're allowed to break the shackles of reader expectations and create something truly unique. DCTV has done this recently, with shows like Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and the Harley Quinn animated series going to great lengths to embrace their stranger sides.

Big, bold swings have resonated with audiences, with oddball scenes like the Joker dancing on a staircase and The Trench rising from the deep in an unexpected horror sequence in Aquaman becoming iconic superhero film moments. With films like Justice League Dark and New Gods in development, there's hope that the franchise will continue to dive into the bizarre.

6 KEEP: Loose Connections

Since the soft-end of the Snyderverse, each of the DCEU movies has only lightly connected to a greater, overarching narrative. Funnily enough, Shazam! has the most noticeable connections, using Freddy Freeman as a DC Universe encyclopedia, a toy Batman as a prop in a fight scene, and the appearance of Superman's lower body.

Aquaman briefly mentions his fight with Steppenwolf in Justice League and quickly moves on, Birds of Prey shows the back of Jared Leto-Joker's head, while Wonder Woman and Joker don't really address the DCEU at all. This goes a long way towards allowing the films to stand on their own, which is quickly becoming one of the DCEU's strengths.

5 CHANGE: Insecurity

Even as their films get better and better, and receive more and more critical acclaim, there's still this feeling present in the DCEU that they aren't totally comfortable with their presentation. Justice League was the most egregious example of this, as the Joss Whedon reshoots forced in some jokes because fans complained about the universe being too "dark and gritty."

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They've fallen back on Batman properties over and over because it works, shoehorning the Joker into Suicide Squad, and making both Joker and Birds of Prey instead of pushing forward with the rest of the cast of Justice Leaguers yet to have a movie. It seems as though the tide is turning, however, as films like Aquaman (mostly) and Shazam! came out with such earnestness that they were hard not to love.

4 KEEP: Masterful Fight Choreography

If there's one thing that audiences can take as a resounding success from all of the DCEU movies released thus far, it's that their representation of superhero combat is unmatched.

Whether it's the Smallville fight from Man of Steel, Batman's warehouse fight from Batman vs. Superman, Wonder Woman stepping into No Man's Land, or any cherry-picked fight sequence from Birds of Prey, DC's version of superhero combat has the sort of flash and pizzazz that leaps off the screen just like it does in the comics. If there's one way the DCEU has a leg up on its competition, its visual flair in fight sequences is definitely it.

3 CHANGE: Superman

Ever since Justice League, there seems to be uncertainty at DC Entertainment about what they should do with Superman. With questions ranging from "Is Henry Cavill still Superman?" to whether or not Man of Steel 2 will ever come to fruition, it's clear that they have no idea what they want to do with the character.

RELATED: 5 Times Henry Cavill's Superman Was Comics Accurate (& 5 Times It Wasn't)

Zack Snyder's Superman was a little too cold and stiff for many fans' tastes, and it's clear that a refresh is in order. With his sort-of cameo in Shazam! and rumors abound in regards to the character's future, it's certain that a new presentation of Superman will have to appear in future DCEU movies.

2 KEEP: A Variety Of Visions

The thing that's separated the most recent batch of DCEU movies is that they feel completely unique from one another in terms of style, tone, and visual presentation. Shazam! emanates childlike energy, feeling more in line with a movie like The GooniesGhostbusters or Big than the superhero fare we've become accustomed to. Joker has that late 70s Martin Scorsese edge. Birds of Prey feels like a heist movie ala Guy Ritchie's early years with flashes of Quentin Tarantino. Aquaman swashbuckles with the best of them and Wonder Woman exudes the type of war-set romance they just don't make anymore.

DC has recently come to trust their creators to make movies akin to their own personal styles, allowing these more recent releases to feel like a breath of fresh air to the genre.

1 CHANGE: Trying To Emulate The MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has done something over the last 12 years that has never been done before on screen. Countless movies building towards a common goal, and a smooth cross of the finish line. The problem that DC's run into over the last several years is that they've been hoping for lightning to strike twice with their own properties. If they want to succeed and want to have hits, they have to be everything that Marvel isn't. They have to be The Rolling Stones to the MCU's Beatles.

The superhero genre bubble hasn't burst yet, and there's an opportunity, now that the Infinity Saga is over, to burst on the scene with something new. DC doesn't need to build an interconnected universe to succeed, they just have to make strong movies from quality creatives in order to capture the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere. That's what heroes do.

NEXT: DCEU: The 5 Most Powerful Villains (& 5 Weakest)