James Gunn and Peter Safran may not have been responsible for the cancellation of Titans and Doom Patrol after their respective fourth seasons, but there’s a high chance the duo would have gone ahead and done it anyway, seeing as the recently-revealed slate of projects signals that a shift towards a more unified DCU was always going to be the plan.
With that in mind, it’s ironic to note that a DC series which went through an entire rebrand to let more people know it was a DC series ended up being canceled after investing so much in its presumed future. Prequel series Pennyworth – which was given the added subtitle of The Origins of Batman’s Butler prior to its third season – is no more.
Showrunner Bruno Heller admitted that he tacked on the suffix because not enough people were realizing that the period-set spy thriller was technically a Batman prequel that features future butler Alfred as its main character, along with recurring parts for Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Pennyworth even got a move to HBO Max after spending its first two runs on Epix, which has proven to be for absolutely nothing after it became the latest standalone episodic project to be given the boot as Gunn and Safran continue to stamp their mark on the DC multiverse.
Again, we’re not saying they were responsible, but a complete overhaul is a complete overhaul nonetheless, and there’s little chance more adventures for the future ward of Bruce Wayne would have fit into the theme of Gods & Monsters.