In the past, the DC Extended Universe was criticized for being too one-dimensional, mainly due its often overwhelming dark and violent tone. However, with Justice League flopping, it became apparent Warner Bros. wanted -- needed -- to recalibrate things to a warmer, superhero-friendly cinematic universe.

Enter the Worlds of DC, which for all intents and purposes is the rebranding of the DCEU. This new tag, which made its debut at Comic-Con International (though it's yet to be officially confirmed), seems to be an attempt not to paint a cinematic universe as Marvel Studios did, but a multiverse on the big screen.

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What makes it so perfect is it gives the studio the flexibility to be diverse in the content it produces, sating the appetite of fans from all walks of life who want many different things in their comic book movies.

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From the Shazam! and Aquaman trailers released at San Diego, is seems apparent Warner Bros. is scrubbing that bleak feel of old, adding adventure, humor and fun into its upcoming films, something it already achieved major success with on a critical and financial level via Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman. Sure, Justice League had spots of altruism here and there with Superman returning from the dead in a more heroic vein, but its failures more or less reiterated drastic change was needed. Worlds of DC opens the door to facilitate this change and allows these flicks, seen as course-correction, to start a new era, so to speak.

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You can enjoy a magical adventure with Billy Batson and Co., see your fantasies come true in the underwater realm of Atlantis, and get back to grounded vigilantism as per the Bat-Family or Suicide Squad. Not to mention there's the cosmic world to explore with the likes of Superman, the New Gods and Green Lanterns on the horizon, ready to take you across the galaxy. The bottom line is, these properties (or franchises) can all live in their own unique spaces without forcing some sort of inorganic connection to each other. Well, until the studio wants to unite everyone to fight Darkseid, though that doesn't seem to be in the works for the near future.

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Another major plus of having a cinematic multiverse rather than universe is, not only does it erase the ghosts of the past with the DCEU, there's now room in some of the more... stringent fans' hearts and minds for Elseworld-esque movies to more easily co-exist with the mainline live-action DC Universe. Those who loved the darkness of flicks such as Man of Steel or Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice can still get gritty movies, but perhaps they won't don't affect the essence of DC's mainstream films, with the studio even having room to go outside of the box with R-rated fare.

All of this is possible as there's no need to stick to continuity, thus standalone narratives such as Joaquin Phoenix's take on Joker can easily be brought to life. This would definitely benefit the studio as it's toyed with doing more villain-centric stories over the last few years, e.g. Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke or the Legion of Doom.

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What's also so ironic about this renaming is, the DCEU was never even an official name; it was made up by a journalist. Writer Keith Staskiewicz said he created the phrase as a joke in an article: “It was my own phrasing when I used it in the story. Just seemed like the kind of thing they’d call it!” -- which emphasizes that the World of DC is indeed a new beginning. In fact, what makes it so appealing is the filmverse can now follow the road map laid down by the comic publisher, which has seen success with so many Elseworlds stories (whether it be one-shots, graphic novels or miniseries a la Batman: White Knight); or imprints like "Earth One," the "Black Label" line, or Geoff Johns' Killing Zone.

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In other words, Warner Bros. gets to have its cake and eat it, too. The potential to tell versatile stories here just opened up immensely and all we can see is possibility. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always prided itself on being streamlined, its DC rivals have had a more expansive vision. But while the ideas were there, honestly, the execution was lacking.

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Now, though, there's an air of optimism, because while the Worlds of DC may seem ambitious, by broadening the scope, it helps focus what the studio has been trying to do for years: creating a variety of pockets to tell different stories for varying audiences. And from the trailers seen today, fans are clearly excited about the worlds they're seeing unraveling, reigniting hope that may have fizzled in the wake of Justice League.