In some regards, creating original content for streaming is arguably much less of a risk than crafting movies for the big screen or TV shows for networks. Subscriber money is guaranteed to keep rolling in on a monthly basis regardless of what happens, and success is determined by factors like viewership and critical acclaim, rather than box office dollars and ratings.
It’s proven to be of huge benefit to the superhero genre already, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanding at a rapid rate on Disney Plus, while DC Films have a slew of titles in the works for HBO Max. The DCEU doesn’t begin its small screen sojourn in earnest until next January’s debut of Peacemaker, but there’s already a ton of projects in development, including Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Black Canary, Justice League Dark, Constantine, Madame X, and more.
We’re now hearing from our sources—the same ones who told us Riri Williams would make her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever long before it was confirmed —that DC are keen to use HBO Max as a proving ground of sorts, giving lesser-known comic book characters the chance to have their moment in the spotlight while gauging how both fans, casual audiences, and new subscribers alike react.
It’s worked out pretty well for Marvel so far, and the streaming era didn’t even get underway for Kevin Feige’s outfit until January of this year. Looking at the volume of content required to keep both the creators and boardroom happy, there are literally no limits to which DC favorites or cult heroes could end up as the stars of their own features or episodic outings—especially when HBO Max will only continue to tend upwards over the coming years.
