The Fate of the Snyderverse: How Rebel Moon's Reception Spells Trouble for the DCEU

The Impact of Rebel Moon's Reception

The chances of the 'Snyderverse' continuing on Netflix have been dealt a crushing blow. While the idea of the DCEU continuing was recently presented and supported by Zack Snyder himself, initial reactions to his new film Rebel Moon aren't doing much to support that dream held by many DC and Snyder fans. If anything, it practically guarantees that it won't be happening combined with the low odds it already had to begin with.

Kora (Sofia Boutella) with her hand on her head in worry in Rebel Moon with a Rotten Tomatoes logo behind her head.

Following its premiere and a limited theatrical release, Zack Snyder's sci-fi epic Rebel Moon currently holds a rather low Rotten Tomatoes score of 21% from critics and a 72% audience score. While that's certainly an improvement from its opening night 9% score, it's not looking good all things considered. To that end, it may shift Netflix and Snyder's plans for the Rebel Moon franchise in the works, while likely closing the door on the already slim odds of keeping the DC Snyderverse alive on the streamer.

Things Could Get Rough For The Rest Of The Franchise

The Future of Rebel Moon Franchise

Such a low score could potentially hamper Rebel Moon's audience numbers when it is released on Netflix outright. Without a significant number of viewers, there's little to justify Netflix spending so much money on his Rebel Moon movies going forward. While it's clear that more is being planned for Snyder's new universe shared by Rebel Moon and the Army of the Dead connected movies, it stands to reason that Netflix might be more conservative about what they allow Snyder to do in the future.

As it stands, Snyder is currently working on Rebel Moon: Part 2 -- The Scargiver, though he's also confirmed the development for a potentially third movie and more installments beyond that. Likewise, Snyder has also made mention of series, novels, tabletop games, video games, and prequel comics; all major staples of a massive new IP franchise not unlike Star Wars. However, one would imagine much of that hinges on the viewership and overall success of Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire.

The Odds Were Super Low To Begin With

The poster from Batman V Superman showing Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman looking grim

The Uncertain Future of the Snyderverse

Regardless of Rebel Moon's success or lack thereof, continuing the DCEU's 'Snyderverse' on Netflix would obviously need approval from Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios. The odds of that ever happening were already super low, seeing as how DC Studios now has new heads and is actively working to relaunch a new DC Universe with new actors for its biggest roles. As such, things are now even more unlikely than they already were based on Rebel Moon's initial reactions. Although Zack Snyder has said he'd be interested in continuing his vision for the DCEU, it may be time for fans to finally leave the dream behind.