The new DCU slate of films and shows announced by James Gunn recently is supposed to be a soft reboot of the DC cinematic universe. However, with the variety of side characters that James Gunn has a history of working with and favoring during his time with both DC and Marvel, it is unsurprising to see some unusual characters and ideas being brought to the screen.
The new slate includes The Authority, a film about a brutal and infamous superhero team who inspired many of the deconstructions around the superhero genre in more recent years. The Authority is a team that means well but believes in brutal means to achieve important end goals. Various DC characters could appear in the movie given the style and history that The Authority has in the comics.
6 Peacemaker
James Gunn’s plans for the DCU that he recently revealed did not include all of Gods and Monsters, however, it is still surprising that there was no Peacemaker season 2 included among his announcements. Nevertheless, Peacemaker is an important character to Gunn, having created both The Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show personally before taking over at DC Studios.
John Cena’s Peacemaker has been confirmed to be returning at some point in the future, but for now, his show is on the back burner. Does this mean that Peacemaker, a brutal hero who wishes for peace at any cost, could appear alongside the Authority as they make their big screen debut? Cena and his character could give name-brand value to an unestablished team for mainstream audiences, and his beloved if unusual heroic style may help them find their feet.
5 Amanda Waller
Viola Davis has already appeared in a variety of DC projects since 2016’s Suicide Squad, but she is only going to become a bigger figure in the DCU as it moves forward, with a live-action HBO show featuring her and named after her being one of Gunn’s recent announcements. If this is the case, and assuming Waller won’t be able to help or lead the Justice League in the DCU, perhaps she might get involved with their darker counterparts.
Waller is a dangerous and unpredictable character, but she again could be someone that helps the Authority tie into the larger DCU. Helping construct future plans by showing what the place of the Authority will be and how it will differ from the Justice League could be vital in Gunn’s plans towards a more cohesive DC Universe.
4 Superman
One of the most obvious ways in which the Authority can be connected to the larger DC Universe is by throwing in a cameo or appearance by their biggest name. The DCU’s Superman will be part of Superman: Legacy, the first major film in Gods and Monsters, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t also start tying other projects together in the DCU.
An appearance by Superman to warn the Authority about their methods could be an early way to start teasing the possibility that the Justice League and the Authority could face off at some later time. Or, perhaps, he could simply appear to remind the Authority that they won’t be loved for their methods in the way that more traditional heroes like him are by the world at large.
3 Black Adam
It seems unlikely that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam or any other form of the character is in the current plans for the DCU, given that Dwayne Johnson himself seemed to indicate that he wouldn’t be returning to the role anytime soon. However, there is a possibility that this sort of character could fit in perfectly with a team like The Authority.
While The Authority will have plenty of work cut out for themselves introducing a whole team of characters already, there is a chance that an ancient and recognizable to the mainstream audience character such as Black Adam, who also believes in brutal methods and achieving justice by any means necessary, could be a great addition to the team.
2 Jason Todd
An anti-hero team like the Authority needs anti-heroic members and allies. While Damian Wayne will be the new Robin for the DCU and has already been announced for the new Batman film The Brave And The Bold, his older siblings like Jason Todd could potentially appear in films like The Authority, as the wider DC Universe is populated out.
Jason is a great character with a rich comic history, and he’s also one of the more mainstream DC Comics examples of an anti-hero that could potentially help the Authority find their place in a universe with the Justice League and so many other heroes. Since The Authority in the comics is regularly set apart, universes apart, from the mainstream DC heroes, Jason is the perfect kind of hero to start bridging the gap between the teams.
1 Constantine
It might be especially hard to bring together too many teams in the DCU. While teams like the Suicide Squad and Justice League are easy to set apart, teams like the Justice League Dark are going to fall through the cracks and should maybe be left out of the current plans for the DCU. Nevertheless, that team has great characters like John Constantine, already known to mainstream audiences because of the Keanu Reeves film.
Reeves has been rumored to reprise the role for another project for a long time now, and The Authority could be the perfect place to introduce a more magically-based character in the DCU with the method and style that could match the Authority step for step.