DC Comics was able to bring maturity to superheroes in a way that no on ever would have expected. For years, the company was known for their more fantastical superhero stories, but all of that changed in the ’80s, as the publisher started to bring in creators like Alan Moore. They brought a certain darkness to the DC Multiverse, and as the years went on, more and more of the publisher’s books got dark. Nowadays, numerous DC characters have been introduced that are extremely mature, their lives and missions taking them to places that contain horrors unlike anything brighter superheroes like Superman have to deal with.
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The DCU has opened the door to R-rated DC projects like Creature Commandos and Peacemaker, which is good news for a lot of characters. They can star in R-rated movies and TV shows, which will be perfect for these characters. These seven dark DC characters were made for R-rated movies, and hopefully we’ll get them.
7) The Sandman I
The Sandman I hung out with superheroes, but he fit in better with the pulp detective heroes of the 1930s. Wesley Dodds used his gas gun and wits to solve terrible murders in ’30s New York City, and fans got to see the dark side of that in The Sandman Mystery Theatre, one of DC’s best ’90s comics. This Vertigo book didn’t slouch on the violence and horrors of the darkness in the city, and it would make for some amazing R-rated movies. It would be better as a TV show, but either way, a DCU Sandman project could take fans to some very dark places.
6) Black Adam
Black Adam already had his chance on the big screen, but we can all agree that his DCEU movie wasn’t great. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t get another R-rated try. Black Adam is one of DC’s coolest characters, and he would fit perfectly in a movie that tells the bloody story of his history in ancient Khandaq. His adventures in the present could also be shown, and his proclivity for violence would make him perfect for something R-rated. DC made the mistake of sanitizing the character and trying to make him into a big deal hero, when he’s better as a violent anti-hero willing to pop people’s heads off. If the DCU gives him an R-rated movie, Black Adam will excel.
5) Crazy Jane
The Doom Patrol are an amazing team, with a great variety of members. Crazy Jane is a favorite of fans of the team, and she would be a perfect character for an R-rated movie. Kay Challis was horrifically abused as a child by her father, and developed DID. When an alien gene-bomb detonated, each of them gained superpowers and she joined the Doom Patrol. Crazy Jane has a gruesome past, and can be used in a movie that investigates the darker side of the world. Her powers and various personalities would make for an amazing horror superhero story, and it would be great if she got a solo showcase.
4) Wild Dog
Wild Dog was one of DC’s numerous attempts to make a Punisher-wannabe, and I’ve always loved him. I keep expecting him to show up in Peacemaker, but seeing as how that show is basically over, he can have his own R-rated movie instead. After his sister was killed by criminals, he put on a hockey mask and jersey, got a machine gun and some grenades, and used his military training to kill bad guys. He’s a more jovial character than the Punisher, and could star in an amazing R-rated action comedy. Wild Dog could be hugely successful and it’s past time we got a movie with this D-list sensation.
3) Mr. E
Mr. E is one of the most interesting magical DC characters you’ve almost certainly never heard off. His father was a stern religious man, physically abusing his son, and training him to destroy everything supernatural. He learned magic and traveled the world killing supernatural monsters to protect the innocent, and was known for his unyielding nature. A Mr. E movie would see the character efficiently, yet violently, killing the various creatures that go bump in the night like vampires and werewolves, all while being the most damaged person imaginable. It would be a bloody good time, and show a hidden corner of DC Comics in all its violent R-rated majesty.
2) Swamp Thing
We all know that Swamp Thing is going to show up in the DCU. He’s one of DC’s most important characters; without him, the company never would have embraced mature storytelling like it did. Every fan of DC Comics is a fan of Swamp Thing, and that’s really all there is to it. If they want this movie to really succeed, to show how different DC is from Marvel, then a movie starring the muck-encrusted mockery of a man needs to R-rated. An R-rated Swamp Thing horror movie, based on one of Alan Moore’s excellent stories, would be amazing.
1) John Constantine
DC is home to some of the best horror heroes in comics, and the best of them is easily John Constantine. John, like his friend from the swamps of Houma, Louisiana, is definitley going to join the DCU at some point, and let’s be real: he needs an R-rated movie. The foul-mouthed, smoking, drinking British grifter magician needs a world that is dark and realistic, and the best way to give him that is to put him in an R-rated movie. It’s where the character belongs, it’s were we all want to see him. The Keanu Reeves version of Constantine was fine, but we need a comic accurate one in an R-rated movie. He’s perfect for it.
What are your favorite dark DC characters? Leave a comment in the comment section below, and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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