DC has a deep roster of character-driven properties known for diving into the more profound aspects of a hero. Superman struggles with being of two homes and feeling like he doesn’t belong to either; Batman struggles with the darkness of what he faces every day and uses it to bring light. Aquaman is one character that has always been more of a parody in the minds of many in comic book fandoms, and a darker, more profound vision may have been precisely what he needed. Of course, there was the beginning of a darker universe with Zack Snyder that went off the rails while trying to keep up with Marvel’s lighter tones.
What “Logan” proved was that while the Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for (and maybe even successful for) having plucky comedy thrown in with the high stakes of the superhero genre, not every movie needs that. “Logan” was less a superhero film and more a character-driven deep dive into the mortality of a man who lived for over a century and the legacy he leaves behind. It was a father-daughter story that brought a heart to the “X-Men” franchise.
A narrative about a fallen king who lost his son and is in mourning, wholly separated from the superhero world above him, may have been the missing piece in what DC needed to keep fans interested amidst the struggles the rest of the franchise faced.