Hang on, DC fans. It's not over yet. Not only is the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery continuing to reimagine the DCEU, but the studio is also taking steps to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streamer. As a result, projects are being axed, canceled, and even removed from DC's home streaming service, HBO Max.
In addition to Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace, being completely and controversially scrubbed, the studio also canceled a slew of DC-related content on The CW along with DC's Strange Adventures on HBO Max.
And now, the embattled studio has taken its next step in cleaning house by eliminating another DC series from HBO Max altogether.
Original DC Animated Series is Leaving HBO Max
As reported by TVLine, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, one of HBO Max's original DC superhero shows, is set to be removed from the streaming service this week.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis is an animated miniseries produced by James Wan; while it's set after the events of 2018's Aquaman starring Jason Momoa, the show isn't considered canon.
According to HBO Max, removal of content from both platforms is to be expected as steps are taken to combine both HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single service.
Still, DC's King of Atlantis isn't the only casualty. Here's a list of all the titles and originals leaving the streamer in the coming days:
- 12 Dates at Christmas
- About Last Night
- Aquaman: King of Atlantis
- Close Enough
- Detention Adventure
- Dodo
- Ellen's Next Great Designer
- Elliot from Earth
- Esme & Roy
- The Fungies!
- Generation Hustle
- Genera+ion
- Infinity Train
- Little Ellen
- Mao, Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart
- Make It Big, Make It Small
- Messy Goes to Okido
- Mia’s Magic Playground
- Mighty Magiswords
- My Dinner with Herve
- My Mom, Your Dad
- Odo
- OK K.O.! – Let’s Be Heroes
- Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
- Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness
- Share
- Squish
- Summer Camp Island
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (and select Sesame Street specials)
- The Ollie & Moon Show
- The Runaway Bunny
- Theodosia
- Tig n’ Seek
- Uncle Grandpa
- Victor and Valentino
- Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs
Rough Seas Ahead for DC Fans & HBO Max?
It's no secret that Warner Bros. didn't have a vision for the DCEU or its DC-related projects. The fact that Warner Bros. Discovery wants to make the DCEU competitive and utilize its biggest heroes is fantastic news.
The problem is that Warner Bros. Discovery is continuously purging its state and streaming service library without announcing what will replace it. Not only do such actions build mistrust between the studio and its dwindling audience, but it also alienates talent and creators.
On top of this issue, there's the controversial decision to combine the established and successful HBO Max with Discovery+ - a move that most consumers don't seem to want or understand.
Not only is justifying the removal of content like Aquaman: King of Atlantis for the sake of blending the streaming services not going to sit well with fans, but it also throws the future of James Wan and Jason Momoa's Aquaman franchise into question.
While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is still set to release in 2023, it's currently unknown if Wan and Momoa will have a presence in the studio's future plans for the DCEU. However, removing Wan's animated King of Atlantis series isn't exactly a good sign.
Even though the fate of DC's live-action Aquaman remains to be seen, this latest purge by HBO Max likely won't be the last, and it will be interesting to see how the studio addresses these changes and its audiences in the coming weeks and months.
