30 DC characters we really want to see in the DCU
James Gunn, if you're reading this, the likes of Jessica Cruz, Plastic Man, and Orion are ready for their live-action debut in "Gods And Monsters" and beyond
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It’s been about seven months since new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran announced the ambitious first phase of their new DC film and TV slate, officially titled Chapter One: Gods And Monsters. Information is very slowly trickling in regarding which characters will be included and who will play them. The most exciting news was the June announcement that David Corenswet (Pearl) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) have been cast as Superman and Lois Lane in Gunn’s upcoming, Superman: Legacy.
Otherwise, we still don’t know the full breadth of each of these stories, but with every new Gods And Monsters film or TV series comes the chance to integrate more heroes, villains, and antiheroes into the fold. With that in mind, here are 30 characters who’ve never made a big-screen impact that could fit right in as part of Gunn’s brave new cinematic world of DC.
This article originally published on February 8, 2023
71 Comments
look, I think we can all agree, Secret Six in general
Loved the Simone run of Secret Six. Never really thought about it till now, but kinda felt like a better version of The Runaways in certain regards.
I’d rather have Section 8.
Someone has said that James Robinson’s contract from his time on Starman specifies that he gets to approve any further use of the Jack Knight character, which suits me fine as I wouldn’t trust anyone else to oversee him.I’d still like to see a series featuring Sigfried Horatio Hunch III, aka ‘Mazing Man, and his friends. A long shot, I know, but worth a mention.
I came here to say exactly that! That’s my understanding too but I might be mistaken.
Hah, I was about to be SO GRUMPY if Jack Knight didn’t make this list – Robinson’s Starman is my favorite superhero book of all-time, bar none – and I’m glad to see some like-minded commenters here.It’s my understanding that you’re basically right, re: Jack’s status. James Robinson has to approve/potentially be involved with any usage of Jack Knight (and perhaps some ancillary characters that he himself created during the 90s ongoing), and considering how infrequently he’s shown up since those JSA books/the end of his ongoing, it seems like Robinson feels like Jack’s story has kinda been told (presumably still living in San Francisco). Heck, Robinson himself wrote the Starman Blackest Night special, and Jack wasn’t in it!
As much as I would love to see a good live-action adaptation of New Gods, I really hope DC’s film team doesn’t go near those characters again until they have proven they can consistently tell stories that actually understand what makes these characters interesting. I do not want to see another take on Darkseid as a generic CGI evil alien and I especially do not want to see a movie that tries to rip off Jack Kirby’s ideas but is embarrassed by his idealism and faith in good over evil.
Yet James Gunn is the PERFECT person to do jack kirby’s 4th world stories.
Given Tom King’s involvement in the 10-year plan, you’ve got to figure that the New Gods will show up in some form eventually.
How about Spectre? I loved that old DC character usually in Adventure Weird Comics. Of course it was split with Aquaman and DC just assumes people are on online comics for that. Spectre is on the cover but if you buy it all you get is Aquaman. Don’t get me wrong I love Aquaman but don’t tease Spectre on cover and fail to deliver.
captured by Batman and essentially groomed is also an apt description of Robin
I’d still really like to see Ted Kord in live action.
Blue and Gold!
Bill Hader – Plastic Man
Brilliant. Pure perfection.
You’re hired!
There’s a lot of folks who’d like to see Lobo in live action, and I’m fine with that… IF the man who held his leash back during the early part of his heyday is brought along. I’m talking about Vril Dox II, son of Brainiac, and leader of the L.EG.I.O.N. Fascinating character… sincerely believes in law, order, and justice, but all too willing to cut corners and manipulate everyone around him to achieve those goals. Respected but detested by those he purportedly leads, he lends himself easily to stories about whether the ends justify the means… and how people feel about you afterwards.
Yes. Every bit of this, but especially the weird stuff. I want it all.
Is it selfish to really, really want Conner Kent and Kong Kenan alongside Kara? I’m a Superfamily guy and think those two would pop onscreen.
But also if we are starting fresh with Superman and having alternate/multiple timelines, Superboy and The Legion of Superheroes I would love to see.
We’re going the Authority route, which suits me just fine.
I think Robinson controls Jack. Given that he was a writer and I think producer on Stargirl, I was wondering if he would ever show up on the tv show, but alas it was canceled.I want Dr. Occult added to this list!
Yeesh I tapped out at three. What if BATMAN WAS THE JOKER, even if the comics were pretty good, is just the most boring ass shit that a company that we’re already sorta mad at for just making Batman and Joker shit over and over again for decades, could possibly do.
It’s also something that, in my opinion, works waaaaay better in comics than in live action.
What if BATMAN WAS THE JOKER, even if the comics were pretty good
Spoiler: they were not… TBWL is one of the shittiest ideas ever on itself, and on top of that, it was poorly executed.
They’ve made a few mentions of “The Red” on this season of Titans, and I’ve been hoping that means we’re going to see Animal Man. But since the show has been cancelled i guess there’s no point getting excited. but would love to see it.
Yeah, these characters are great, but they lose their impact when pulled away from a deep, rich DC Universe. You have to set up a lived-in live action DCU with history for them to have their full impact. Sure you could just have Jessica Cruz show up, but it’s not the same as when she is introduced in a comic where Hal, John, Guy, Kyle and Simon exist and have histories.Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, GL, etc show up first and then other characters come along and originate in a milieu where those characters already exist as big public figures.The “secret sauce” is these characters relationship to each other and to the wider DCU, which is a world full of other characters. I hope they don’t lose sight of that.
Ambush Bug. Make it a Deadpool crossed with Spider-Verse style world jumping through the Elseworlds.
Came here to say this. Ambush Bug is a big part of why I got back into comics in university, and was a great way for DC to acknowledge its history while also loosening up a bit at the same time as the whole Dark Knight thing.
You could also replace Animal Man with Vixen if you wanted less white dudes in your roster.
What, no Captain Carrot or his Amazing Zoo Crew? Sheesh
Nobody’s mentioned The Inferior Five, who is right up Gunn’s alley.Turns out Patton Oswalt also wrote a one-shot comic for them….
Let’s hear it for an animated “Captain Carrott and His Amazing Zoo Crew “!
There’s only one Captain Carrot and crew I acknowledge:
If we’re going to have Catman, it should be this version
Catman. But it has to Gail Simone’s Catman.
Mr Gunn, Mister Miracle and Big Barda! Make it so!
Favourite power couple of all time
JONAH HEX. ….
IF the uninformed can get past his Confederate uniform tunic, and bother to read his life story, they would find that this character would make involving viewing.
This is one comic book character that should be translated —faithfully- onto the screen.(or into a book series.) Hex has had a hard life—to put it mildly. Hex makes his own way in a cruel, harsh world—again, to put it mildly. Hex is one of the most believable characters ever written… because he is NOT perfect, NOT out to be a ‘hero’….yet, he ends up functioning as one by facing down pure evil, time and again…(albeit getting paid for it!)
Thus far, live-action on-screen Hex has been candy-ass twisted to suit the pseudo-super heroic antics of ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ and absolutely warped with a BS ‘talks to the dead’ supernatural angle in a so-called ‘Jonah Hex’ movie.
IF translated faithfully, this character would rank among the greatest Western and Anti-Hero concepts ever made.JONAH HEX is one of the best written, most engrossing characters that DC ever presented to the reading public.
The problem is Jonah Hex has kind of been done in a movie already with Josh Brolin. And then there was the Tv show Hell on wheels which is basically Jonah Hex played straight and it wasn’t half bad
Head’s up– That Creeper image is drawn by a convicted pedophile.
I would love to see an appearance (not a whole movie, obviously) by Wild Cat. The original, Ted Grant, who had been a professional boxer before he put on the silly costume.I don’t know – cinematically, wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a superhero not relying on fancy flying-around karate moves, but just good old fashioned hitting?
Batman Beyond is the character I want to see the most. He has a really good rogue gallery, many of whom would be a lot of fun to watch in live action. And I always liked Terry’s more casual demeanor as Batman and his dynamic with older Bruce.
The Inferior Five! Merryman, Awkwardman, The Blimp, White Feather and Dumb Bunny!I don’t have casting ideas but, you know, someone will.
the original detective character still hasn’t been given a movie or TV spotlight.So what is JUSTICE LEAGUE: UNLIMITED? The Question is a major supporting character there, and his combination of ruthlessness, paranoia, mutilated Randian Objectivism, intransigence and being really clueless about interacting with other people (his weirdly sweet romance with Huntress is a series highlight) made him a fan favorite, helped by Jeffery Combs’s voice work.
Metamorpho! Failing that, whatever Gunn pitched for Metal Men that WB passed on years ago.
Apparently he’s going to be in the new Superman.
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Speaking of DC, just caught the new animated Legion of Super Heroes movie. I liked it.
Idk why yall picked Animal man when we already have Vixen! Most of my DC knowledge comes from JLU and the 90s shows, but I would like to see Amazo tackled in the new DCU.
I hear super heroes, animation and super hero animals are popular. So we get crappy Super-Pets when Captain Carrot and his AZC are RIGHT THERE. It’s mind boggling.
Starman deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation as other classics. It’s easily one of DCs best series ever. It truly was one of a kind. I have zero interest in a show. They could never do it justice. Fun fact? Raven the wrestler has a Starman logo tattoo.
David Zaslov: (nodding) “Interesting. Okay…but have you considered Batman?”
I know he predates her by like 15 years and has more illustrious writers and everything, but Vixen is just Animal Man but cooler, so…
No Boston Brand/Deadman?
The Creeper always seemed like a half-assed idea. He looks funny and laughs while he beats you up. He’s weird and wacky! Is that enough? Nope.
This list is missing Ralph and Sue Dibny. It’s “The Thin Man” with superpowers, with the right cast and script there’s no way it wouldn’t work.
After Eternals and Justice League (both versions), I’d suggest staying the hell away from Kirby’s cosmic nonsense, at least in live action. A one-off might work (sort of like Thor or Wonder Woman being a fish out of water), but the whole pantheon? So far, it hasn’t worked.
Hate to have say this but I don’t think we’ll see a series with Jack Knight. I believe DC has to pay the creator, James Robinson, anytime this character shows up due to the contract they signed.
While I’m indifferent to most of these, I am 100% on board with a Jack Knight series. If they led into it with some sort of “The Golden Age” adaptation, better still.
Animal Man was the first character I thought of when I saw the title of the article, but then an adaptation of Peter Milligan’s Shade The Changing Man could be incredible with the right showrunner.
Give me a full on version of Checkmate, and the one I’ve been most desperate to see, Booster Gold. I realize there’s supposedly a show in development, but I’ll believe it when I see it at this point.
What? No Ragman?
I’ve wanted to see Lobo on the big screen for decades. Danny Trejo would have been perfect for the role, but he’s aged out of it. What could have been . . .
Hell yes to Aztek. I’m surprised they’ve never brought the character back, what with all the universe reboots since then. Same with Hitman.
“Gone, gone the form of man, Rise the demon Etrigan!”
I am all for a Question show, specially if modeled after the JL animated version. And as a bonus it will be hilarious to hear all the uninformed people who will complain that the character is just “a cheap Rorschach knock off”…
Just want to say that it’s really nice to see artist credits under some of the pictures. All too rarely done.