During Warner Bros.’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday, the studio confirmed that the upcoming The Flash movie is still on track, even though the movie has yet land a director. But one thing stuck out: the movie will apparently be known as Flashpoint.

The title alone should be a shock. The 2011 Flashpoint event has risen to iconic status in only six years because it took a deeply personal Flash story and used it to rewrite the entire DC comics universe, taking Flash to an alternate universe where the Justice League doesn’t exist and the world’s heroes are on the brink of war.

Flashpoint certainly sounds like the kind of story that deserves the blockbuster treatment. And as it happens, it’s already been adapted into an animated movie and was incorporated into the most recent season of The CW’s The Flash. But at a time when the DC Extended Universe is still struggling to get off the ground, isn’t it a little too soon to give it the live-action movie treatment?

Flashpoint starts with Barry Allen waking up in an alternate timeline, where everything he knows has changed. Superman doesn’t exist. Bruce Wayne is dead, and Dr. Thomas Wayne is Batman. Wonder Woman is at war with Aquaman. And crucially, Barry’s mother Nora is still alive. Readers soon learn that Barry actually used his powers to go back in time to stop his nemesis, Reverse Flash, from murdering Nora, altering the timeline in the process. It’s only by time traveling again and merging with his earlier self that he’s able to undo the damage he’s done.

If that sounds incredibly convoluted, it should. Flashpoint is convoluted. However, it works, because it relies on the readers’ base-level understanding of not only the Flash, but also Reverse-Flash, the Justice League, and how they all connect. All of the characters involved, even if they’re alternate versions of the ones fans know and love, are impactful because they reflect some aspect of established canon. Take the Wayne family: not only does Thomas Wayne become Batman after his young son Bruce is killed, but his wife, Martha, is pushed so far into madness by of her grief that she becomes the Joker.

Appreciating these story beats requires time and investment in the characters and the events they’re caught up in. Having a strong relationship with a character and their actions makes an alternate version of them hit that much harder. Think about it: encountering a Batman who kills only resonates if the Batman you know goes out of his way not to kill. With that in mind, how can a Flashpoint movie in the DCEU ever create that kind investment? Even after Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League, how much will we really know about any of these characters? Don’t they need more time to develop as characters before they’re flipped upside-down? In the end, choosing Flashpoint sounds like choice of a studio more committed to adapting recognizable stories at the expense of the characters in them.

There’s an argument to be made for how Flashpoint might present an opportunity for Warner Bros. to change course for the DCEU after its previous stumbles. (Rumors that Ben Affleck is on his way out at the studio make this strategy sound somewhat reasonable.) Consider the story: after the Flash returns to his proper timeline, he discovers that his world has been transformed into what fans came to know (and, in many quarters, hate) as the New 52. But that would be a tacit admission that everything the studio has attempted on the big screen has been a failure and needs to be reworked from the ground up. Wouldn’t it be better to make better movies with the characters they have, instead of starting all over again?

Comic book superheroes are defined by the stories that shape who they are and how fans relate to them. Warner Bros. should be making movies that build their characters up, helping to foster that relationship. Making a universe-flipping movie like Flashpoint too soon runs the very real risk of undermining that.

Captain Marvel isn’t due out in theaters until March 2019, but Marvel was quick to give the film its due during the studio’s Hall H panel at Comic-Con last night. One of the key details revealed during the presentation was that the movie will be a period piece set in the 1990s, a timeframe that will set it apart from most of the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s something of a strange move on its face, especially since one would expect to see Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) joining up with a new class of Avengers. But if the aim is to establish her as a powerful force to be reckoned with in her own right, it might just make sense.

It cannot be arbitrary that the film is essentially a prequel to the entire MCU. Storywise, anytime Marvel films spend time in the past, it’s done for either character development or world-building. Captain America: The First Avenger is rooted firmly in the 1940s. ABC’s Agent Carter series exists to deepen the importance of S.H.I.E.L.D during the Cold War. Hell, even both Guardians of the Galaxy films — while taking place in the modern era — draw from the ‘70s and ’80s to very specifically serve their stories as well as their aesthetics.

The ‘90s, however, is a cultural period we haven’t seen much of in the films. Most of the characters we know were either too young, inactive, or simply not on Earth. The move will give Marvel a fresh time period to play with, which is especially enticing at a time when ‘90s nostalgia is strong amongst its millennial fans. As Marvel continues to experiment with its moviemaking formula, that pull will help set Captain Marvel apart from every movie that came before it.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any familiar faces, though. Samuel L. Jackson is onboard to play Nick Fury, but this time as a younger agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who hasn’t lost his left eye yet. That alone should make for a fun film.

But Marvel also announced that the movie will see Captain Marvel facing off against the Skrulls, a pairing that likely points to Marvel’s real plans for the film. The Skrulls are a race of shapeshifters that, in the comics, have invaded and very nearly taken over Earth. They’re the kind of threat that, at the height of their powers, requires the Avengers working with other teams like the X-Men to stop, and the fact that Danvers may be fighting them off alone is a way of establishing just how powerful the character is.

That point is key. According to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, Carol Danvers will be the most powerful Marvel superhero put on screen, meaning she’ll has abilities well beyond the likes of Thor and Doctor Strange. Having her simply appear in the modern-day MCU timeline would make the heroes in The Avengers seem practically obsolete by comparison. However, having her face a cataclysm all on her own puts her in a class by herself. It’s the kind of introduction you’d expect for a leader, and the last time Marvel made a period-specific movie like that was Captain America: The First Avenger.

And it shouldn’t be forgotten that Captain Marvel hits screens just months before the fourth Avengers movie. Judging from what was teased last night and at D23 last week, Avengers: Infinity War will see Thanos destroying much of the known universe with the power of the Infinity Stones. Heroes as iconic as Captain America could even die, forcing a new crop of heroes to rise up against the threat. Who better to lead the charge against the Mad Titan than a hero who has already saved the world on her own?

Things have started to slowly fall into place for Captain Marvel. The movie is a big deal for Marvel Studios on multiple levels. It’s the House of Ideas’ first movie starring a female superhero, a benchmark it should never have been this late to. That matters so much more now that Wonder Woman has finally proven that not only can women lead blockbusters, but that they can break records while doing it. In letting Captain Marvel stand apart by giving her both a unique setting and the kind of threat that would give Earth’s greatest heroes the fight of their lives, it proves that Marvel takes this effort seriously. It shows that one of comics’ most important characters will not only have a chance to shine, but she’ll be set up to lead the way for an entire generation of Marvel superheroes at the movies.

Thor: Ragnarok is looking like the roadtrip movie of the fall, and Marvel definitely delivered at Comic-Con today. In the movie’s latest trailer, Thor starts out saying he’s been on a “journey of self-discover.” He’s been reunited with Bruce Banner, who vanished after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the two are out to defeat Hela (Cate Blanchett), who’s bent on destroying Asgard.

Directed by What We Do In the Shadows director Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok has been stunning fans for months thanks to its surprising sense of humor and quirky characters. (To say nothing of how great Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett look as the Grandmaster and Hela, respectively.) Seeing the good guys going on an interstellar adventure to stop the goddess of death herself looks like it’ll be quite the sight to behold.

Oh! And Hulk talks now!

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3rd.

Warner Bros.’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con is pulling out all the stops for the DC Extended Universe. For the latest trailer for Justice League, the world is still in mourning after the death of Superman. Now, it’s up to the newly formed League to face Steppenwolf (Game of Thrones alum Ciarán Hinds) and his armies of Parademons.

Justice League is the superhero team-up Warner Bros. has been promising since the inception of the DCEU. After Superman (Henry Cavill) sacrificed himself in the fight against Doomsday in last year’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman (Ben Affleck) takes it upon himself to find other superheroes to fight otherworldly threats. That means teaming up with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). There’s even a mention of both Kryptonians and the Green Lantern Corp, even though they’re nowhere in sight. Clearly, the heroes have their work cut out for them.

Warner Bros. celebrating Justice League comes after Wonder Woman’s outsized success at the box office. This trailer also makes the movie look like a whole lot of fun, with plenty of action and humor (especially from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and The Flash). But that doesn’t mean the film will necessarily be another feather in the studio’s cap. There’s still skepticism as to whether or not it will be a Avengers-style landmark and if it will be yet another black mark on Warner’s slate. At least there’s enough here to keep fans more than invested.

Justice League will hit theaters on November 17th.

Marvel’s The Defenders will arrive ready to binge in just a few weeks, and Comic-Con can always be counted on to whet fans’ appetite for what’s to come. In the miniseries’ latest trailer, Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) intones that she and aren’t that different, and that they’re just on opposing sides in a war. But that war will decide the future of New York City.

The Defenders is Netflix’s major crossover event for its Marvel series up until this point, starring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. The four heroes will be facing off against Alexandra and the Hand, the undead ninja group that has been working behind the scenes since Daredevil’s first season.

Attendees in Hall H got to see the first episode of the miniseries, and the reception has been positive so far. Now the rest of us just have to see it. The Defenders premieres on August 18th.

Marvel’s Iron Fist has been renewed for a second season on Netflix. Marvel TV head Jeph Loab broke the news at San Diego Comic-Con this evening. The show will continue the story of Danny Rand (Finn Jones) after this summer’s The Defenders.

Iron Fist debuted this past spring, though is received negative reviews for its poor storytelling and tone deaf racial representation. However, the character is still a core part of the House of Ideas’ TV plans, so a renewal was essentially assured despite the cool reception, especially since it was Netflix’s most binged drama premiere when it launched in March. The series will also feature Luke Cage supporting character Misty Knight (Simone Missick), who developed a relationship with Danny Rand in the comics. It’s not clear if her presence will improve the series, but all we can do is hope.