James Gunn and Peter Safran recently unveiled a lot of their plans for the upcoming DCU, the first chapter of which will be entitled Gods and Monsters. The various projects for film and TV which have already been announced are only a piece of the overall plan but include an intriguing HBO Max live-action show called Paradise Lost.
This show will focus on Paradise Island, often called Themyscira, which is the birthplace of Wonder Woman and home to her Amazonian race. The Amazons there will be engaged in a show that Gunn himself referred to as similar to Game of Thrones. A prequel to Wonder Woman and her birth, the show could still feature a lot of significant DC characters.
7 Ares
The God of War, the one who the Amazons were destined to fight against, is unlikely to ever appear on Themyscira. Nevertheless, he could appear in flashbacks or prior to the Amazons finding the island, depending on how far in the distant DC past the show is set.
Ares is a significant character in the Wonder Woman mythos, being one of her most major villains, a character whom she actually killed and replaced at one point in the comics, and while he isn’t a likely major character it would be interesting to see how the history of Themyscira has been shifted for the DCU over what it was prior to that, as shown in the Wonder Woman films starring Gal Gadot.
6 Hippolyta
The mother of Wonder Woman and Queen of the Amazons, it would be surprising given the long life spans of these warrior women if Hippolyta never appeared in Paradise Lost. Being a power struggle similar to Game of Thrones, the modern-day leader of the Amazons who has ruled in Themyscira for as long as the Amazons have resided there in the comics.
Even if this history is changed, it is easy to assume that Hippolyta will rule Themyscira or be in the struggle to try and rule it, whatever the show decides to focus upon, Hippolyta is one of the more likely major characters if not the main character who should be appearing.
5 Philippus
One of the other major Amazons already introduced to the big screen in the Wonder Woman movie, Philippus is one of the Amazonian generals and lover of Queen Hippolyta. While Paradise Lost may not choose to focus overly on romantic entanglements between the Amazons, this is one of the better-known LGBTQ+ relationships in DC Comics and would be a valuable aspect of the Amazonian comic history for the show to explore.
Philippus is one of the more major known commodities with Amazonians that have been around long enough to definitely take part in whatever historical period the show is set on Themyscira. It would be easy to guess that Hippolyta and Philippus will both be recurring or major characters in Paradise Lost.
4 Nubia
One of the more major potential antagonists in the history of Themyscira, Nubia in DC Comics was originally a long-lost twin of Diana, before being retconned to instead be a resident of Themyscira and a demon hunter at different times. In DC Comics, Nubia has been both Wonder Woman and Queen of Themyscira at different points
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The history of this character is long and complex, but whether Gunn wants to use her as a villainous character, a young child in Themyscira who could grow to be a rival to Diana, or perhaps just another face in the crowd of Game of Thrones style characters and power strugglers on Paradise Island, there is a great chance that Nubia will appear at some point in some form.
3 Athena
If any of the Greek Gods were going to appear in some form in Paradise Lost, Athena is one of the likeliest options. Originally, it was Athena and Aphrodite who were the patron Gods of the Amazons, so if any of the Gods need to provide assistance to them in hiding from their enemies on Paradise Island then it could well be Athena.
The difficulties of bringing Olympian Gods into the fold are not small, but with the mythological links in the history of Wonder Woman and the Amazons, there is no way they can be left out entirely. Athena is a good starting point as a cameo or infrequently appearing character to give guidance or advice to some of the important Amazons.
2 Artemis Of Bana-Mighdall
The champion of a lost Amazonian tribe, there is much to be said for Artemis and the type of conflict she could bring to Themyscira in Paradise Lost if introduced. Artemis once challenged and defeated Diana to become Wonder Woman herself, such a powerful and intriguing character is difficult to exclude from a show filled with Amazons.
Whether Artemis is presented as an outright villain who comes to fight against the likes of Hippolyta and the Amazonian leaders or as just another character vying for the power of Paradise Island, there is almost no doubt that she and her lost tribe will be introduced at some point.
1 Wonder Woman
A final and obvious opportunity for Paradise Lost is to include Diana herself, either as a child or as a young warrior in the days prior to her leaving Themyscira for the outside world. It seems unlikely that this will happen immediately, but Paradise Lost could easily end with some of the events leading up to the birth of Diana.
Alternatively, even without Diana, Paradise Lost could include Wonder Woman in the form of a different character. The mantle has been carried by many over the years in DC Comics, and it could be something various Amazons challenge for as the show continues.