There is a new DCU television show that has been announced, and the villain in the series creates a significant problem for James Gunn. With The Batman Part II being pushed back even more, it has caused a lot of problems for characters in the Bat-Family showing up in the DCU. It seems almost strange that a Clayface horror movie is coming out, and Batman hasn’t even been introduced yet in the films. It does help that Clayface showed up in Creature Commandos on HBO Max, but without Batman, he doesn’t seem complete. Now, a new TV show faces the same problem.
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A new HBO Max series about Jimmy Olsen is coming out, with Skyler Gisondo reprising his role from Superman. While that sounds fun, it gets even better with the news that Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, from the Netflix series American Vandal, will helm the show. That show was a true-crime mockumentary series with some ridiculous fake crimes. The first season was about someone drawing phallic symbols on cars at their high school, and the second was a diarrhea prank gone wrong. That is what is happening with the Jimmy Olsen show, as he will take part in a fake true-crime series, and one of the villains he investigates is none other than Gorilla Grodd.
Jimmy Olsen Series To Introduce Gorilla Grodd Without Flash
While it is cool that Gorilla Grodd will be part of the Jimmy Olsen series on HBO Max, there is a huge problem. Introducing Gorilla Grodd without having ever introduced Flash feels wrong. There are some iconic villains in DC Comics that fans would love to see in the movies. Lex Luthor needed to appear in a Superman movie, and that is what James Gunn did. However, if Gorilla Grodd or Captain Cold show up, Flash needs to be there. It is the same thing if Cheetah appears without Wonder Woman, or Joker or Riddler appears without Batman.
Clayface not having Batman around is a problem, too, but James Gunn fixed this by having him show up in a small cameo in Creature Commandos. Gunn also admitted that he is making Clayface a tragic antihero, which helps him lead his own movie without Batman. That said, Jimmy Olsen is investigating a supervillain in Gorilla Grodd, and this is a powerful villain who needs a hero to fight. If Flash isn’t in the series, this presents a problem because it will surely disappoint fans.
However, there is one thing that many fans might have already forgotten about. Just like how James Gunn introduced Clayface in Creature Commandos, he also hinted at Gorilla Grodd in the same HBO Max series. In Circe’s vision of the apocalyptic event that killed most superheroes, Illana was working hand-in-hand with Gorilla Grodd, who commanded his armies to kill anyone in their way. Gorilla Grodd already made his DCU debut, albeit in a premonition. Now, it’s time to see him for real.
DC Holding Off On Major Heroes Negatively Affecting The Villains
James Gunn hasn’t said anything about casting actors to play Flash, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, or hardly any other major Justice League characters. Bringing in big-name villains, but not their main heroes, seems to be working backwards. Gorilla Grodd is almost exclusively connected with Flash, and without him, it remains confusing how he will play into the true-crime series with Jimmy Olson. Could he be running gangs in the United States, or could this lead back to Gorilla City?
Of course, the Jimmy Olsen HBO Max series is breaking news, and there is a chance that Gorilla Grodd will only get a small spotlight in one episode. If this series approaches Jimmy Olsen investigating several villains over the first season, this might be a way to introduce them into the DCU, but only from a reporter’s point of view. This could be a nice way to introduce several villains, without their heroes, and then anticipation can build for their heroes to finally show up to fight them in a later movie or TV show.
That said, James Gunn needs to start putting these puzzle pieces together. With Supergirl on the way and then the Superman sequel and the Green Lantern streaming series, a lot is coming. However, if Gunn keeps dropping in these teasers about other heroes and villains, fans might start to lose their patience if the wait is going to be several years to pay off the teasers. Gunn wants to keep the anticipation high, but if the MCU has learned one thing, dropping too many teases and not paying them off will drive viewers away in the end.
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