No. It is time to stop making BAD Batman films. See also: Marvel doing very very well.

The biggest pitfall of DC was chasing after the Marvel model. In trying to emulate and play catch up to marvel they were found wanting and not as good. But guess what? Nobody wanted a DC equivalent to Marvel. The Dark Knight is still critically unmatched by Marvel years after release despite the deluge of Marvel films. DC needs to rediscover what is so great about their universe. The darker tone, more gritty and serious subject matter was what i always enjoyed about DC.

What made the Dark Knight amazing were:

1) The amazing performances (Heath Ledger, may he rest in peace, delivered one of the first performances that left me in a state of shock leaving the theater)

2) The fact that this did not feel like a super hero film. It was a special type of film that transcended traditional audience boundaries, much like Game of Thrones (ie: attracting those who would not consider themselves fans of either fantasy or comics). It had wide appeal. It could be judged on the merits of it as a film, NOT a superhero film. It was excellent from a technical perspective (camera work and what not), writing, and acting.

Serious drama or in the case of Joker, a character study, could be made and stand on its own. And the film (TDK) was clearly deserving of the awards it received. The caveat we have gotten so used to giving super hero films in this day and age (post the dark knight) is that there is an inherent inability for these films to be excellent. I reject this notion completely. I want a return to excellence. Despite superhero films going mainstream, I have yet to feel deeply affected as i did after leaving the theater after the Dark Knight. And knowing that it has been done before only makes me ever more frustrated.

Let us expect more out of these films.

The Joker was a return to form for DC. This is the direction they should pursue. Forge their own path. The character studies and additional stories that they could tell are endless.

Don't get me wrong, Marvel is killing it but for a completely different reason. I loved the first Iron Man, Guardians, Winter Soldier etc... but mostly for the novelty. They tried something new, venturing out of the norm of what they were making and actually made something approximating quality. The strength of Marvel is the strong leadership under Kevin Feige with clear direction and story cohesion over many years and films. Even if the individual films are not great, they have just enough fan service to keep us invested over decades.

DC should not replicate this model and be found to be a second rate Marvel wannabe. They are so much better than that. Forge their own path!