How a Human Target Adaptation Could Work in James Gunn's DCU

It has been nearly a year since James Gunn and Peter Safran first confirmed their plans for the DC Universe, unveiling ten movies and Max-exclusive television shows set to arrive in the coming years. That initial announcement only kickstarted fan speculation about what other projects are on the way, with social media comments from Gunn himself further helping some theories. On the social media platform Threads, Gunn has shared his love for Tom King and Greg Smallwood's recent The Human Target maxiseries, which was released by DC across 2022 and 2023.

Naturally, some have wondered if Gunn's social media praise means that The Human Target might eventually be adapted in the DCU in some way. While an adaptation of The Human Target is not yet confirmed to be among the DCU slate, a strong argument can be made that it could be successful, even in the franchise's relatively early days.

What Is The Human Target About?

The Human Target follows the latest adventure of Christopher Chance / Human Target, an assassin who can impersonate anyone across the DC Universe. After a seemingly routine job of impersonating Lex Luthor, Chance discovers that he has been lethally poisoned and will die in a matter of days — and believes that someone from the Justice League International is responsible.

As Chance sets off to solve his own murder, the situation grows even more complex when Chance starts developing feelings for Tora Olafsdotter / Ice, who is both his co-investigator in the case and one of its suspects.

How Could The Human Target Work in the DCU?

Sure, King and Smallwood's work on The Human Target is built upon decades of DC lore, both regarding Chance's history and the reputation the JLI has in the ever-evolving superhero world. While that, on paper, might make it an unconventional story to tell in live action this early, we already know that Gunn and Safran's DCU will not be starting at square one with regards to existing superheroes. On top of that, it has already been confirmed that elements of the JLI will be introduced onscreen sooner than later, with Nathan Fillion cast as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern for the upcoming Superman: Legacy, and Sean Gunn cast as the team's benefactor-turned-occasional-foe, Maxwell Lord. (The DCU has also already cast the character at the center of the comic's inciting incident, with Nicholas Hoult lined up to portray Lex Luthor.) Depending on how the DCU decides to seed the history of the Justice League, it stands to reason that we could have the JLI already established in canon — which an adaptation of The Human Target could easily play off of, introducing the audience to each team member as the murder mystery further unfolds.

The Human Target also a story that, at the end of the day, is self-contained from a lot of the larger universe, so much so that King previously referred to the comic as canon-adjacent. This means that it could help flesh out the DCU and introduce a roster of new characters without needing to play into whatever the larger "Gods and Monsters" narrative is for the franchise.

Beyond that, The Human Target is a type of story that feels tailor-made for a live-action adaptation, either as a whodunnit mystery movie or as a multi-episode Max series. The format of the comic and its murder investigation could particularly work well with the latter, keeping viewers on their toes episode after episode. HBO has certainly found a groove in recent years with murder mysteries like The White Lotus and True Detective, which The Human Target could easily fall into, just with a bit of a superhero bent. Plus, just imagine the modern day noir cinematography that could be inspired by the incredibly detailed aesthetic Smallwood brought to the comic. While an adaptation of The Human Target wouldn't need to be the most consequential installment of the DCU's plans, it has the potential to be one of the most stylistically interesting ones.

Would you want to see an adaptation of The Human Target in James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!