James Gunn built his brand on transforming comic book oddballs into global superstars, a skill he perfected with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and The Suicide Squad. He has successfully carried this philosophy over to the new DC Universe, a trend that was evident in the animated series Creature Commandos and solidified by the blockbuster success of Superman earlier this year. By giving significant screen time to characters like Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) alongside the Man of Steel (David Corenswet), Gunn proved that his affection for the obscure is a foundational pillar of the new cinematic universe.
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However, the comic book history of the Justice League is incredibly vast and includes hundreds of members who have joined the team across various eras and reboots. While many of these heroes are ripe for the Gunn treatment, there remains a specific tier of characters who are simply too bizarre, problematic, or redundant to ever make the jump to the silver screen. After all, even a director with such a proven affinity for the odd cannot justify spending millions of dollars to adapt heroes who bring nothing but confusion to the narrative table.
5) Big Sir
The Justice League has gone through many iterations, but few were as intentionally chaotic as the Justice League Antarctica. This branch of the team was comprised largely of incompetent heroes and former villains, including the hulking brute known as Big Sir. Originally a member of the Injustice League, Big Sir was a dim-witted giant with a spiked mace and super strength, but very little in the way of tactical intelligence or personality. While he found a brief home on the team during the Giffen and DeMatteis era, he served primarily as a punchline rather than a legitimate protector of Earth. In a cinematic universe that already has access to compelling powerhouse characters, there is simply no space for a generic brute whose defining trait is his low IQ. Gunn has already explored the “lovable idiot” archetype with Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and repeating that beat with a D-list DC character would feel derivative.
4) General Glory
Satire is a difficult tone to balance within a sincere superhero universe, which makes the inclusion of General Glory in the DCU highly unlikely. Created as a direct pastiche of Captain America, Joseph Jones was a Golden Age hero who gained enhanced abilities by reciting a patriotic oath. He joined Justice League Europe as a man out of time, complete with a sidekick and a rigidly outdated moral code that often clashed with the modern world. While the character worked well in the comics as a meta-commentary on the genre and the rivalry between Marvel and DC, bringing him to live-action would create unnecessary confusion for general audiences. A moviegoing public that has spent over a decade watching Chris Evans define the role of the Star-Spangled Avenger would likely view General Glory as a cheap knockoff rather than a clever homage.
3) Tomorrow Woman
The concept of an android created by villains to infiltrate the Justice League is a classic trope, but Tomorrow Woman represents a redundancy that a streamlined film franchise cannot afford. In the comics, she was built by Professor Ivo and T.O. Morrow to destroy the JLA from within, only to develop a conscience and sacrifice herself to save the day. While her story arc in Grant Morrison’s JLA run is emotionally resonant, it is virtually identical to the origin of Red Tornado, a far more established and visually distinct character. Red Tornado has been a staple of the League for decades and offers the same themes of artificial intelligence seeking humanity without the convoluted one-off nature of Tomorrow Woman. Introducing her would essentially rob Red Tornado of his primary narrative hook. Cinematic universes must prioritize definitive versions of archetypes to avoid clutter, and in the battle of the soulful androids, Tomorrow Woman is simply the runner-up who will be left on the cutting room floor.
2) Crimson Fox
Crimson Fox is a prime example of a comic book concept that is needlessly complicated for the sake of a minor gimmick. Serving as a member of Justice League Europe, the identity of the Crimson Fox was actually shared by French twins Vivian and Constance D’Aramis. The sisters could manipulate their pheromones to cause fear or attraction in their enemies, and they would switch places to maintain the superhero persona while one of them managed their business empire. While the idea of twins sharing a life has some dramatic potential, the execution involving pheromone powers is visually uninteresting and difficult to translate to the screen without feeling creepy or underwhelming. In addition, the concept of Crimison Fox is messy, as the connection between the animal and pheromones doesn’t make much sense. Finally, the logistical headache of explaining the twin dynamic to an audience adds nothing of value to a team dynamic that should be focused on saving the world. With so many prominent female European heroes available, such as Ice or Godiva, there is no reason for Gunn to waste screen time untangling the weird web of the D’Aramis sisters.
1) Bloodwynd
Bloodwynd stands out as one of the most baffling creations to ever hold a Justice League membership card. Emerging during the chaotic Death of Superman era, Bloodwynd was a necromancer who derived his powers from the Blood Gem, a cursed artifact allegedly created from the blood of slaves who died in captivity. This backstory handles the horrific reality of slavery with a lack of nuance that would be disastrous in a modern blockbuster adaptation. Plus Bloodwynd’s costume includes chains around his wrist, another poor choice. To make matters worse, for a significant portion of his early appearances, the character was not even Bloodwynd at all but rather Martian Manhunter in disguise, a plot twist that muddies the waters even further. The combination of a problematic origin story and a confusing identity crisis makes him a bad asset for any studio. The DCU is looking to build a bright future, and dredging up a character rooted in such poorly handled subject matter is a move that simply will not happen.
Which obscure Justice League member do you think actually deserves a shot in the new DCU? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
