Lex Luthor and Braniac, two of the Man of Steel’s most iconic villains, have already made their way into the MCU, but even more Superman antagonists could be joining the franchise very soon. The DCU is still in its early stages, and with only Creature Commandos, Peacemaker season 2, and the first Superman movie out as of the writing of this article, there is still a long way to go. Upcoming projects like Lanterns, Supergirl, and Man of Tomorrow will bring in more of DC Comics’ iconic characters, and we may have gotten a hint as to who is joining the DCU next.
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James Gunn has been very vocal about his plans for the DCU, but this social media interaction with a fan may have just been his biggest update yet. James Gunn responded to a question on Threads that asked if characters like “General Zod, Doomsday, Doctor Fate, Black Adam, Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate, and Darkseid” will ever join the DCU. Gunn replied, “Two of them in not too long,” indicating that at least two of the characters on this list will make their DCU debut very soon. So, this has left many fans asking a simple question: Which two?
We Already Know Darkseid Is Joining The DCU Soon
Darkseid is one of DC Comics’ most significant villains, so it isn’t surprising that the franchise would want to introduce him early. However, he isn’t set to be the big bad in a Superman or Justice League movie. Instead, Darkseid will join the DCU in the upcoming animated Mister Miracle series. Mister Miracle is officially part of the main DCU timeline, meaning that events in the animated show are canon to other projects like Man of Tomorrow.
Darkseid’s addition to the DCU is a big deal, as he could pose a major threat to the heroes that already exist in the franchise. However, since Darkseid was already heavily used in the DCEU, it’ll probably be a while until the DCU attempts to use him in a major way again. Peacemaker season 2’s introduction of the Salvation storyline could pave the way for Darkseid to have a larger role in the franchise, but this all depends on his yet-to-be-seen role in Mister Miracle.
So, What Other Superman Villain Is Joining The DCU?
With Darkseid filling one of the two slots, that means the other character is either General Zod, Doomsday, Doctor Fate, Black Adam, or Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate. So, here is a breakdown of the odds of these characters appearing in the DCU from least likely to most likely.
Of all the characters on this list, Black Adam is the least likely villain to appear in the DCU. Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of the character in Black Adam was a high-profile misstep for the character, and it is doubtful that the DCU would risk falling into the same pitfalls of the DCEU. If Black Adam ever comes back, it will probably be as a Shazam villain rather than a Superman character. He has no way to get easily involved in a Superman story, and there is no Shazam project announced yet (although the appearance of Peacemaker characters in Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens the door for a retcon).
For similar reasons, Doctor Fate probably won’t be in the DCU anytime soon. Fate was one of the main characters in Black Adam, and the DCU probably wants to distance itself from this project. Fate probably isn’t getting his own movie or TV show, and unless he is added to the Justice Gang in Man of Tomorrow, he’ll probably be absent for a while.
Doomsday is another character who is heavily associated with the DCEU, although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a bit older than Black Adam. However, Doomsday’s most popular story is “The Death of Superman,” which probably isn’t getting adapted anytime soon. Doomsday’s Kryptonian origins mean that there is a chance he could pop up in Supergirl, but it’d be odd to include him in just a cameo role.
Next is General Zod. Zod is one of Superman’s most iconic villains, and with Man of Tomorrow and Supergirl around the corner, he could easily pop up in either of these movies. Since he’s already been the villain in two live-action Superman movies, it’s doubtful he’ll pop up as a major presence alongside Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow. However, it looks like Supergirl will have more flashbacks to Krypton, which is a perfect place for Zod to appear.
Finally, the most likely candidate is Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate. Ultraman was already in the first Superman movie, where he is last seen getting sucked into a black hole. This could easily take Ultraman to another universe where he can form the Crime Syndicate, which he can bring back to the main DCU. This storyline is directly set up by the first Superman film, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team in Man of Tomorrow.
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