I’ve been a huge fan of DC Comics since I was a little kid running around in Batman: The Animated Series pajamas. For my whole life, I’ve surrounded myself with media based on DC Comics, whether it be movies, TV series, video games, tabletop games, and collect figures of DC characters. I read the comics and even have a Bat Symbol tattoo.

With all the news of the upcoming DCU, a DC cinematic universe that has an actual plan and is helmed by a talented filmmaker whose work I like, I should be pumped. However, I don’t quite feel as excited as I should. Why is that?

Part of it could come from the sour taste I have in my mouth from the recently ended DCEU, their previous shared movie universe. For the most part, I loved the movies in the DCEU. Films like Shazam! and Wonder Woman are up there as some of my favorite superhero flicks of all time. I adore the likes of Man of Steel, The Suicide Squad, and both Aquaman movies.

That being said, there were a few stinkers, and the interconnectivity of the universe itself was abysmal. Some adaptations of characters, like Cassandra Cain, were a slap in the face to fans of the source material. Team ups came before the characters in said teams were even introduced, which is just baffling. There was no Batman movie. Superman barely had screentime in a Justice League movie. Many of the story elements throughout proved that there wasn’t a true understanding of the characters from the source material. It had some insanely great standalone movies (really, Shazam! Might be one of my all time favorite movies), but it fell apart as a universe.

After that previous cinematic universe, despite really enjoying things from it, it’s tough to feel excited for a new one before actually seeing anything from it. That being said, the thought of starting over should make me regain some excitement, right? That should be true, but it isn’t yet. That’s heavily due to what we know about this upcoming DCU.

The first installment of the DCU currently planned to be released is Creature Commandos, an animated series coming to Max. Some projects being animated while others are live action is an idea I’m really excited about, and I’m pumped to see some lesser known characters finally getting the spotlight they deserve. However, it’s a weird place to start. Part of what makes these movie universes work is that they also attract casual audiences, not just comic book fans. Not only are they starting their universe with characters casual audiences aren’t familiar with, a straight-to-streaming animated series won’t gain the attention that a theatrically-released movie would. It would have made much more sense to start with a new Superman, Wonder Woman, or Batman movie, then move on to the likes of Creature Commandos.

That brings me to the upcoming Superman movie. I’m ecstatic to be getting a new live action Superman movie, and the suits for him and Mr. Terrific that have been seen online look incredible. What’s putting me off, though, is that there have been a lot of characters announced to be in this thing. This one film will not only introduce audiences to the likes of Superman, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, and Lex Luthor, but it will also be bringing in Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Guy Gardner Green Lantern.

One of the biggest mistakes in the DCEU was trying to set up too much with their second movie, Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice, and I’m concerned that may be happening again. These are characters who could and probably should be introduced using their own standalone movies. It’s weird that we’re potentially losing a Superman standalone, as well as not getting something like a Hawkgirl movie. Wouldn’t casual audiences just be confused as to who any of these people are when they show up without seeing their origins or seeing their characters explained? Plus, it makes more sense to build up to the crossover events so they feel more special, not the other way around. I’m so excited to see Metamorpho and the rest in live action on the big screen; it’s a dream come true. I’m just not sure if this is the best course of action for it.

Perhaps the primary reason my excitement is stunted is that it seems that some of the DCEU will be canon to the DCU, but not all of it. That sounds like a confusing mess to both casual audiences and diehard fans. It’s also not clear which parts are canon and which isn’t, making it more confusing. None of it should be canon; that’s the whole point of starting a new universe. Why start something off by weighing it down so heavily by what came before? This was the chance to actually create something new.

There’s been a lot of discourse online regarding “superhero fatigue,” and looking at projects I’m excited for like Batman: Caped Crusader, I know I don’t feel it. Is “cinematic universe fatigue” a thing, though? If so, I might be catching a case of it. It gets to a point where it’s hard to follow the dozens of movies and shows that make it up, and it becomes too much about cameos and less about storytelling. Universes are handled well in ones like the View Askewniverse and the MonsterVerse because they don’t feel overly intimidating by throwing tons of content at us in short amounts of time, and they focus on keeping each installment feeling like a standalone story for the most part.

I am genuinely intrigued to see all the new projects that will be releasing within the DCU. I’m just cautiously optimistic until said projects actually start coming out. I truly hope that every bit of it is as great as it can be, and that it delivers what fans of the source material want while also allowing casual moviegoers to be equally as interested in it. If this ends up being the case, hopefully I’ll be excited for it again.

Read Next: “Aquaman” Movie Review