User blog comment:ADour/Official title for Marvel's The Avengers sequel announced!/@comment-4651179-20130721032030/@comment-3317214-20130723045329

What you're saying makes no sense whatsoever. Of course it creates an expanded universe. It literally expands our view of the fictional universe beyond the previous film. That's what spin-offs do. Heck it's what any sequels do. But you can't deny the significance of expanding out to Batman. Reboot or not.

Sorry, the "precendence" comment was more about saying that it's true to the comics than saying it'd work. Fans are usually suckers for that stuff. I know I am. But talking about precedence for a Superman/Batman film in terms of how it would work (I think that's what you were getting at with the Iron Man 2 thing)... What about Toy Story? Or any buddy picture ever?

Marvel never claimed The Avengers was Iron Man 3 because it was a sequel to a bunch of other movies as well as Iron Man 2. This is the same thing, but without an introductory Batman film, because he needs no introduction. Besides, since the announcement of the Superman/Batman movie, has anyone from DC referred to it as Man of Steel 2?