Unlike the previous administration, the new co-head of DC Studios, James Gunn, is very active on social media. Since DC announced him in the role, he’s been teasing fans about what deep characters from the pages of DC Comics could be on his mind for future projects. Gunn has done this with random image reveals. So far, he’s dropped a few comic book images of characters that could excite fans, including a few that haven’t appeared in live-action incarnations before. Some he teased, like Mister Terrific, were officially announced just months later. Let’s add up all the Gunn hints we’ve had so far, while remembering that they might not actually be hints.
Death from a stroke
James Gunn recently heavily hinted at another major DC character, the super-powered mercenary Deathstroke. When the fan asked Gunn on Instagram to “wink if you have plans for Deathstroke,” the DC Studios head responded with a wink emoji. So there you have it: deadly mercenary Slade Wilson (the obvious influence on Marvel’s Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson) is coming to the DCU. Where will he appear? It’s anyone’s guess, but we think there’s a good chance he’s the villain of the announced one Teen Titans movie. He’s their main opponent, so it just makes sense.
Mr. Mxyzptlk
He’s one of Superman’s most powerful (and annoying foes) since the Golden Age, and yet he’s never appeared in a live-action film. We refer to the imp from the 5th dimension, Mr. Mxyzptlk. This little guy is actually an all-powerful being who can bend reality to his will. Think The one from Star Trek Q, and just as annoying, and wearing a derby. He appeared every 90 days to cause trouble for Superman, only returning to his home dimension when Big Blue was able to trick him into saying his name backwards. James Gunn recently posted an action figure of Mxy on his Instagram, raising eyebrows. Although the assumption is that Mxy would appear Supermanwe think it could also be for the near future Peacemaker season two.
Captain Atomic
James Gunn’s latest post hinting at a possible classic hero coming to the DCU came in response to a fan question. When asked if he liked the character of Captain Atom, he replied on his Instagram Story, “I’ve been a huge Captain Atom fan for a long time.” He even added comical illustrations to his answer. We’d say this is a possible indication that he has plans for Captain Atom.
So who is the good captain? Like Peacemaker and Blue Beetle, he emerged as a hero from the Charlton Comics line in the 1960s. DC bought those characters and incorporated them into the DC universe in the 1980s. Nathaniel Adam was an Air Force officer who volunteered for an experiment involving nuclear power and alien alloys in exchange for a pardon for a crime he did not commit. Adam disintegrated in the experiment and reformed decades later, now fused with the alien metal and with nuclear energy.
Nathaniel Adam then became the government agent and superhero Captain Atom, and joined the Justice League International. He was also the basis for Doctor Manhattan Watchmen, although slightly less powerful. Along with Booster Gold, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord, he would be another famous JLI character to join the DCU. We think this lends even more credence to our theory that the Justice League International is headed to the DCU.
The amazing
James Gunn teased an image of the hero Mister Terrific in 2022, a character that was later cast Superman: Legacy. But now those plans appear to have been expanded. He also shared an image of the DC heroes floating around the Terrifics, a somewhat recent super-team from DC Comics, introduced in 2018. The Terrifics are kind of a riff on Marvel’s Fantastic Four, in that they are more explorer and adventurer types. Mister Terrific stars in the lead role, and other members include Plastic Man, the phasing Phantom Girl and Metamorpho, who was also recently cast in Superman: Legacy. We could easily see them as subjects of a Max streaming series.
Dead man
On Halloween 2022, Gunn shared an image of one of DC Comics’ most prominent supernatural heroes, Deadman. Introduced by DC in the late ’60s, Deadman was circus performer Boston Brand. During a performance, a group of criminals murdered him. They (the supernatural powers that be) gave his soul the power to possess living people until he discovered who was behind his murder. In the meantime, he used the bodies he ‘borrowed’ to help innocents and fight various criminals.
Although it was a ghost, Brand’s spectral form still had his circus outfit and makeup that he wore during his act. For the most part, he was essentially a superhero that no one in the living world could see. However, a few mystical DC characters were able to sense him. Despite being a prominent DC character for years, aside from a few animated appearances, we’ve never seen Deadman in live-action. Looks like James Gunn is hoping to change all that, unless he was just having some Halloween fun. Once upon a time, Guillermo del Toro talked about producing a Deadman project. Maybe now is the time for that to finally happen.
It’s worth noting that Gunn recently shared the image of Deadman again on his Instagram.
Lobo
And then there’s the one everyone talks about. Recently, Gunn posted an image of DC’s most famous intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo, and fans got super excited. The ‘Main Man’ was long rumored to be a big seller for a movie or TV project. It was even reported that Syfy was developing a Lobo TV series a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it.
With people clamoring for Jason Momoa to play the role, including Momoa himself, now seems like the right time to see the space cyclist finally get his own movie. The character is an over-the-top send-up of badass characters, but when handled properly he has made for some very funny comics. We think the character’s comedic sensibility will also shine in James Gunn’s wheelhouse.
Kingdom come
Perhaps the post that fans were most excited about came on November 30th. Gunn simply tweeted the words “Make plans,” accompanied by an image by artist Alex Ross from his groundbreaking series Kingdom come. That comic was all about an older Justice League versus their younger, more violent successors in an End Times scenario. On the surface, it’s just Superman at a table while other heroes literally make plans. It’s probably just Gunn’s fun way of teasing his upcoming DC Studios plans, using an image of their main heroes.
On the other hand, he also used the same Alex Ross illustration as his featured image on his Hive Social account. Could he cook something? Kingdom come? It seems way too early for a live-action adaptation. You must first restore the Justice League as a viable franchise. However, Gunn recently stated that DC Studios planned to include animation as well. It’s at least a possibility.
Once again James Gunn could just post random images of all these characters and stories he likes. Time will tell.
Originally published on November 16, 2022.
