James Gunn Confirms a Marvel Favorite Has “Begged” for A DCU Character (And They Have a Batman Connection)

James Gunn‘s DCU is officially in full swing. Not only did this summer’s Superman confirm that the new shared universe is one that has audiences clamoring for more, but it proved that nothing is really off limits from the pages of DC Comics. By giving the world Krypto, Metamorpho, Ultraman, and even a kaiju, Gunn has proved that any wacky idea can become a reality. In the big picture, it doesn’t matter if something bumps up against any other kind of character. In his latest update on social media, Gunn doubled down on this, teasing the potential for a very strange DC character, and which Marvel writer has already expressed interest.

On Threads, James Gunn was asked by one DC fan if we’ll ever get to see the hilarious and offbeat Detective Chimp in live-action. Having already introduced the likes of Krypto and Eagly into the DCU, not to mention making Rocket Raccoon one of the MCU’s best characters, it’s an easy connection to make with Gunn’s history. The good news for DC fans is that Gunn had a reply, revealing to the fan: “Drew Goddard has begged me for this. I told him if he wants him he has to write him!”

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Detective Chimp has decades of history in the pages of DC Comics. Though his origins have changed, one thing has remained, he’s a crime-solving ape that is endlessly charming. One of the best things about Detective Chimp that could make him a key piece of the DCU is that he’s not an isolated character. Across his decades of existence, he’s been a member of the Justice League Dark, The Guild of Detection, and, of course, the Justice League itself. So the characters arrives on the scene connectivity that can immediately expand the DCU in major ways.

Having a built in relationship to the likes of John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Martian Manhunter, and The Question, not to mention Wonder Woman and Batman, Detective Chimp can easily appear across multiple different kinds of DC stories. Be it something about dark magic, elemental forces, or even just a good old mystery, he’s a character equipped for the task. To take it a step further, Detective Chimp likes to hang out in the Oblivion Bar, a drinking establishment inside a pocket dimension, something that James Gunn’s DCU has already explored more than once. It also doesn’t hurt that some of these characters that have a relationship with Detective Chimp are already confirmed to be in the works for the DCU.

It’s one thing for Gunn to specifically open up about the conversations happening around a potential new character in the DCU, but to further add a known creative as being the one that wants him is new even for him. Marvel fans may not immediately recognize Drew Goddard’s name, but it’s one they should know well. Though he made a name for himself writing on shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, and Alias, Goddard actually created the original Netflix series Marvel’s Daredevil and wrote the first two episodes (he departed the series before it really got started for another Marvel project, the unmade Sinister Six movie). Suffice to say, Goddard has proven himself countless times over (he was nominated for an Academy Award for adapting The Martian, and co-wrote the horror hit, The Cabin in the Woods).

So what comes next? Gunn revealed that Goddard has lobbied for Detective Chimp certainly implies that there are probably no concrete plans for him to appear in the immediate future. Furthermore, noting that Goddard himself has to write the character means the door is open for something. The best part about all of this is, as great and beloved a character as Detective Chimp is, his history is not as vast or expansive as someone like Superman, so his potential is wide open.

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