James Gunn has a quirky sensibility and a love for comics that make him a perfect match with DC fans. As seen from his DCU releases so far, Gunn has reached deep into the well and brought out the Creature Commandos, Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and the breakout character from Superman, Mister Terrific. It seems the stranger and more obscure the DC character, the more Gunn seems willing to attack it with aplomb. This is a big deal for DC Comics, which has an incredibly deep history and some characters mainstream fans might know nothing about, but James Gunn could mine for brilliance on the big and small screen.
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Here is a look at seven characters we want to see added to James Gunn’s DCU in one form or another.
7) John Constantine
John Constantine is a character who has been done more than once in DC properties. He first appeared in the movies with Keanu Reeves’ role as the character in the 2005 film. That was dismissed by comic fans, but it has come back into favor with people reappraising it years later. Matt Smith was possibly the best version, as he had his own TV show and appeared in the Arrowverse. However, it would be amazing to see what James Gunn could do with John Constantine, either as a producer or as a hands-on contributor to the project. Justice League Dark could be cool, but just having Constantine in the magical corners of the DCU could be a winning formula.
6) Mister Miracle
James Gunn likes quirky and bizarre characters, and it could be amazing to see what he could do with someone like Mister Miracle. This is Scott Free, an alien who was part of the DC Comics New Gods storyline. However, that was never the most interesting version of the character. Instead, Mister Miracle was at his best when he was on Earth with his wife, Big Barda, and the comics focused on their married life and the adventures they undertook together. This is someone who could be different enough to be a brilliant addition to the DCU.
5) Etrigan the Demon
If James Gunn really wants to flex his creative muscles, he could do something with Etrigan the Demon. The character was part of the DCAU when he appeared with Constantine and other mystics in Justice League Dark. However, it would be incredible to see him in the DCU, even if it is in an animated movie or series. He could be a great addition to Creature Commandos if another season of that comes along, or possibly be part of a storyline with other mystics again. Thinking of how Gunn could write his rhyming speech patterns is exciting to consider.
4) The Question
The Question is someone who could be right up James Gunn’s alley when it comes to storytelling. He is a conspiracy theorist who doesn’t trust anyone and who believes everyone is hiding something. However, it is his belief that he can’t even trust his own eyes that makes him one of the best detectives in DC Comics. He is a great character to use in someone on HBNO Max if Gunn wanted to go a little darker, similar to the Penguinb series, as The Question could really thrive in a noir-style DC series or one-shot. This could also be Renee Montoya, who became Question at one point.
3) Deathstroke
Deathstroke was one of the DCEU’s biggest misses. Zack Snyder had the perfect actor picked out with Joe Manganiello, and he only had a couple of chances to show his stuff in a post-credit scene in Justice League when Lex Luthor recruited him to form a team to battle the Justice League. That said, Deathstroke needs to be in the DCU in some form or another because he is too great a villain (or antihero) to leave on the sidelines. Whether this is with the Teen Titans, Nightwing, Batman, or even in his own villain movie (similar to Clayface), James Gunn needs to bring in Deathstroke.
2) Booster Gold
Seeing Guy Gardner as part of the Justice Gang was great. However, that group needs to have Booster Gold in it. No one fits the theme of the Justice Gang’s style of superhero more than Booster does. This is a hero who fits the mold that James Gunn loves more than almost any other, and he could be the perfect DCU equivalent to Peter Quill from the MCU, the clueless, oblivious, and arrogant hero who doesn’t realize he is often the butt of jokes to everyone else around him. No one could touch James Gunn when it comes to writing a character like Booster Gold. There does appear to be a pilot order for a Booster Gold TV show, but it isn’t in development yet.
1) Nightwing
No one has been done dirtier than Nightwing in the DC movies. Chris O’Donnell played Robin in the Joel Schumacher Batman movies, and he always showed disappointment that he couldn’t do more with the character. Christopner Nolan teased Robin with Joseph Gordon Levitt’s cop character, but that never went anywhere. There are now rumors of the eventual introduction of Damian Wayne’s Robin, but there really needs to be something with Dick Grayson in it, preferably as Nightwing in Bludhaven. James Gunn is already doing Tom King right with the Supergirl movie, and he could move on to Tom Taylor’s amazing Nightwing run next.
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