So far, the DC Extended Universe has focused largely on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, otherwise known as DC’s big three heroes. Other heroes (and anti-heroes) have become a part of the DCEU as well, but the state of the movies is about to change. James Gunn and Peter Safran have been named as the creative heads of the DCEU moving forward, which means the entire slate of programming in development could be changing. That also means that there could be a lot of new characters, or changes to old characters, on the way.
Gunn and Safran have the opportunity to reboot the DCEU with a variety of characters. They can pick characters to keep, characters to recast, or new characters to join the fray. In creating a new landscape for the DCEU, they would do well to choose a combination of obscure characters and fan favorites to populate the upcoming movies. These particular characters would allow them to explore new avenues of the DCEU and still retain popular characters for the audience.
Detective Chimp
There are a lot of impressive detectives in DC Comics. The most famous, and the one that’s appeared in the most live action adaptations, is Batman, of course. James Gunn has a knack for picking up on overlooked characters and making audiences fall for them. He and Peter Safran could easily do that with a character like Detective Chimp, a character who debuted in DC Comics in 1952.
The chimpanzee in question has had a few different origin stories in DC Comics, but one of the most interesting involves him being kidnaped from Gorilla City and used as an assistant to a sideshow act. He goes on to become a detective in his own right, helping law enforcement officers and taking on his own cases. Detective Chimp actually leads a pretty difficult life, being overlooked by the public after the novelty of an advanced animal wears off, and turns to alcohol to numb the pain. Despite his dependence on the bottle, he’s still a brilliant detective, and definitely a unique character that not all the comic book movie fans would recognize that could help build the future of the new DC Extended Universe.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy has already come to the screen in animation and live action, on television and in movies. She hasn’t (yet) been part of the DC Universe on the big screen. The most recent adaptations of the character have appeared in HBO Max’s animated Harley Quinn series and in the CW’s Batwoman series. Fans, however, have been clamoring for Poison Ivy to be part of the DCEU ever since Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was introduced.
Robbie’s version of the character has been hugely popular with audiences after her appearances in the Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey movies. It’s unlikely that her character is going anywhere even if the rest of the DCEU sees a reboot. That leaves room for the character to have a love interest who isn’t the Joker. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have been a compelling pairing in the comics for the last few years, not just in terms of romance. They’ve become something of anti-heroes as they take on villains themselves and abide by their own code that sees them protect women and children. That type of partnership could make for a great backbone for a female-fronted DC movie.
Zatanna
When a slate of movies and series were announced as in development for HBO Max, those projects included one featuring Batgirl and one featuring Zatanna. While Leslie Grace was cast as Batgirl and filmed the movie, the project was canceled after the fact. The Zatanna project, however, never moved beyond the development stage, and it’s entirely possible that any or all of the projects in development before Gunn and Safran were named the creative heads of the DCEU’s upcoming slate could be canceled.
Zatanna, however, is a pretty fascinating character even though the idea for her character is a relatively simplistic one. Zatanna is a magician, and the daughter of a magic-user, whose spells are most often just words spoken backwards. She’s got ties to a lot of prominent DC characters that would allow her to open doors to other storylines in the DCEU. The DCEU’s stories so far have largely stayed away from magic and fantasy, sticking more to science fiction instead. Magic, and Zatanna, could create a whole new corner of DC movies for fans.
Deadman
In keeping with a more supernatural bent for the potential future of the DCEU, Deadman would make for an interesting addition. A former trapeze artist, Boston Brand was killed in the middle of an act, specifically murdered by an assassin being initiated into a secret group known as the Scavengers. He becomes a ghost powered by a deity, and given the skill to possess other living beings.
This would be a fascinating character for the DCEU to adapt because it would give the chance for a lot of different actors to play variations of the same character. Possession of different individuals allows for many actors to be cast who could play the part. Also, much like Zatana, Deadman provides a window for the supernatural side of the DCEU. Both characters are also members of the Justice League Dark team, and introducing a few of the members separately before creating the team would help Gunn and Safran gauge the interest in the supernatural characters.
Black Canary
Like Harley Quinn, Black Canary already exists in the current incarnation of the DCEU. Played by Journey Smollett-Bell, Dinah Lance was brought to the screen in the Birds of Prey movie and her backstory was only teased at. Black Canary was said to have her own HBO Max project in development, but as is true with nearly everything related to DC at HBO Max, the status of that project is currently up in the air.
DC Fans familiar with the Arrowverse on the CW have largely seen the Black Canary’s story play out in terms of her relationship to Oliver Queen. Black Canary being adapted for the screen outside the Green Arrow would be a better move, and it would center a project on a street-level hero instead of someone as powerful as Superman or Wonder Woman, which Gunn and Safran have already proven themselves adept at with the Peacemaker series.
Next up for the DC movie universe is Shazam: Fury Of The Gods in 2023.