It’s hard to imagine the DC Universe looking to the Arrowverse for inspiration. After all, The CW’s superhero franchise takes creative liberties with its characters and stories that wouldn’t work anywhere else. However, there will be some overlap, whether the powers that be like it or not. Superman alone confirms the existence of Vibe, Wildcat, and Mister Terrific, all of whom play major roles in the Arrowverse. The movie also teases Max Mercury, a speedster who serves as a mentor to both Wally West and Bart Allen in DC Comics. While the DCU has yet to confirm who its resident speedster will be, it’s fair to assume someone will don The Flash mantle, which opens the door for plenty of villains.
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The Salvation Run storyline that Peacemaker Season 2 lays the groundwork for could feature the Rogues — Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, and Abra Kadabra — as they all appear in the Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges comic. That’s all speculation, though, and it’s better to put stock in something more concrete. Well, another adversary of the Scarlet Speedster is confirmed to have a role in an upcoming HBO Max show. The only problem is that they may be in a worse spot in the DCU than they were in the Arrowverse.
A Minor Superman Character Is About to Pick a Fight With an Iconic DC Villain
With all the success that Superman has found, it’s no surprise that the architect of the DCU, James Gunn, is looking to build out his franchise using characters from that film. The Man of Steel and Lex Luthor will return in the 2027 sequel Man of Tomorrow, teaming up to face a threat that’s too big for either of them to face alone. There has also been talk about a Mister Terrific spinoff that will allow the Justice Gang member to shine on his own, without his spotlight-hogging teammates around. As of writing, Mister Terrific’s show has yet to get the greenlight, but another Superman character is having more luck. Jimmy Olsen will return in a true-crime documentary-style show called DC Crime, in which the up-and-coming journalist reports on the activities of villains in the DCU.
DC Crime Season 1 will see Jimmy go up against Gorilla Grodd, a classic Flash villain who uses his mind control powers to give the hero a hard time. Since very little is known about the show’s story, it’s unclear whether it will follow a current crime spree by the ape or an earlier one that ended in his defeat. Either way, with Jimmy being the one to cover his exploits, things aren’t looking good for Grodd, which is a shame because he already doesn’t get a fair shake in his other major live-action appearance.
Gorilla Grodd Already Has It Bad Enough in the Arrowverse
The Flash makes it clear from the start that Gorilla Grodd is going to be a major part of the series. In the first episode, a cage bearing the ape’s name is visible, but he’s nowhere to be found, teasing his escape from S.T.A.R. Labs and descent into villainhood. Toward the end of Season 1, Grodd makes his official Arrowverse debut when the Reverse-Flash sends him after members of the titular hero’s team. But Grodd doesn’t play second fiddle forever; eventually, he goes off on his own and causes significant problems for Central City and beyond. He sets his sights on Gorilla City on Earth-2 and uses its army to invade Earth-1 in Season 2, a fight that gives Flash and Co. nightmares for years.
Unfortunately, the last few seasons of The Flash forget about Grodd. After a brief stint on Legends of Tomorrow, he returns and helps his former rival defeat Red Death, a forgettable last hurrah from a villain that has the potential to be as impactful as Reverse-Flash and Zoom. It would’ve been nice if the DCU had recognized that and saved Grodd for a Flash movie, but alas, he’ll return to live-action in a show that will surely focus more on the humor that comes with battling a telepathic gorilla than anything else.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
