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James Gunn has been named co-CEO of a newly overhauled DC Films. And we're gonna say it's a likelihood that a new slate of films and streaming series will be in development sooner rather than later.
We're also gonna say it's a likelihood that, given James Gunn's role at the top of the food chain at DC Films, he's gonna have more than a little push and pull in what gets made and how.
To be clear, we're hardly suggesting James Gunn would personally direct and oversee every single DC Films project under his purview, or that they'd all have one tone across the board. But we don't think it's going too far out on a limb to guess that, like Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios, Gunn will be curating films and streaming series and offering his point of view in making them successful and consistent.
With that in mind, here are 10 DC characters and concepts from comics that we think would be right at home at James Gunn's DC Films.
Deadman
Right off the bat, we're looking to James Gunn's DC Films to finally pull the trigger on a live-action Deadman project. Created back in the late '60s, Deadman is part of the original wave of horror superheroes who sprung up at multiple publishers when the Comics Code Authority began relaxing its restrictions on the kind of horror elements it allowed in superhero comics.
In life, Deadman is circus performer Boston Brand. But when he's killed, he returns as a spirit capable of possessing the bodies living people, and intent on solving his own murder.
Whatever tone a Deadman movie or series might take - and there are a few, from gritty murder mystery to Quantum Leap-style adventure story - it's almost a wonder one hasn't actually materialized yet.
Plastic Man
In some circles, Plastic Man is considered one of the most powerful people in the DC Universe, and as deserving of a core spot on the Justice League as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. And in other circles, people are wrong.
All joking aside, Plastic Man is one of the most widely known DC heroes in the larger pop culture sphere, but one of the most underrated and misunderstood overall.
If there's any filmmaker who has proven he has the know-how to guide a little-known comic book property to being a full-on household name with Halloween costumes and Christmas ornaments, it's James Gunn - and we're guessing it's that kind of understanding that got Gunn the job as co-CEO of DC Films to begin with.
Justice League International
On that note, we're gonna say it's probably a safe bet that the core Justice League of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Flash aren't gonna be starring in a weekly streaming series anytime soon.
But if DC Films wants to double up on Justice Leagues with a team that could perfectly fit the bill for some smaller-scale ideas, the cult favorite '80s era Justice League International team could be just the ticket.
Populated with a couple of A-listers like Batman and Martian Manhunter (who would make a great lead) alongside mostly newer heroes like Ted Kord, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, and more, the JLI was known for both the massive scale of its often cosmic adversaries, and the comedic interpersonal relationships of the team.
If DC Films wants what Marvel Studios has had all along in the familial team dynamic of the Avengers, while keeping the godlike status of its core Justice League, the JLI could be the way to go.
Ambush Bug
Ramping up the weirdness just a little more, we've got to mention the potential for greatness that someone with the creativity and love for oddballs that James Gunn has shown could bring to a character like Ambush Bug, DC's Deadpool-before-Deadpool.
No, not the murderous mercenary part - the wisecracking, fourth wall-breaking, absolutely bonkers part.
Meta commentary was hardly unheard of in superhero comics before Ambush Bug made the scene in the '80s, but he practically made it his superpower.
Ambush Bug's only real superpower is his teleporting suit which, naturally, looks like a weird green bug. But his unofficial power is finding himself in the worst possible place and time in the DC Universe at every turn, resulting in often hilariously metatextual hijinks.
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE
In considering less obvious projects for the DC Films to come, we'd be remiss to ignore James Gunn's roots as a horror filmmaker - and one known for particularly weird and often gruesome films at that.
To wit, we're thinking of Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE - a particularly trippy superhero/horror mash-up that could be the perfect way to marry Gunn's horror roots with his modern superhero sensibilities.
As the title implies, Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE focuses on Frankenstein's monster as he embarks on a supernatural superhero career working for an agency called SHADE - something like DC's version of Hellboy.
The Outsiders
The Outsiders are a lot like the Justice League, and in some eras, they've been sort of the 'farm team' between the Teen Titans and the Justice League, even including some characters like Nightwing and Roy Harper.
And while they could certainly be along for the ride, the Outsiders we're envisioning would function more like a superhero team working outside the traditional paradigm, like in the years when they were Batman's personal behind-the-scenes strike force.
Picture something like Gotham Knights but with more room to pull from the wider DCU, and adventures that take them deep into the heart of some of the DC Universe's most dangerous places. Like Suicide Squad, but with less murder and more espionage.
Secret Six
On the flipside, there's the Secret Six - who are like the Suicide Squad but with way, WAY more sex and violence (if you can even believe that).
The potential seeds of a team like the Secret Six, who are former villains and murderers who work as mercenaries for the highest bidder, were set up at the end of The Suicide Squad when the team went off the grid from Amanda Waller's control.
In other words, Secret Six seems like the natural escalation of Gunn's own vision of the Suicide Squad, which, combined with Peacemaker, can safely be assumed to take up at least a corner of the DC Films universe under Gunn's purview.
Warworld
Speaking of The Suicide Squad, even though she only lasted a few minutes, James Gunn's use of Mongal in the film's opening sequence definitely puts us in mind of Warworld.
What the heck is Warworld, you're wondering?
Warworld is a full-on planet-sized space station ruled by the alien tyrant Mongul (father of Mongal) which is home to the galaxy's most deadly fighting pits.
In other words, it's like if the Death Star was a gladiator arena.
Superman has often traveled to Warworld to fight Mongul, one of his arch-enemies, including in an arc that just wrapped. But even without Big Blue, this could be something like the Sopranos in space, with a hint of the Rebel Alliance and a whole smattering of cosmic DC cameos to really make it work.
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen had his own series for a good chunk of the '50s, '60s, and '70s - and the most distinct era of his title was based around Silver Age sci-fi adventures in which Jimmy would undergo some accident or mishap and gain bizarre superpowers or transform into strange monsters.
The Giant Turtle Boy, The Human Porcupine, Bizarro Jimmy, The Wolf Man - we're just scratching the surface of the misadventures Jimmy found himself in while in the service of finding the best stories he could for the Daily Planet.
He was even once afflicted with rampant, uncontrolled beard growth.
If you're not 100% ready to see James Gunn turn that into a streaming series, we don't know what to tell you.
And sure, Superman himself could show up here and there - but this is all about Jimmy Olsen and his weird transformations, a concept with the potential to carry the show all on its own.
Lobo
Lobo, AKA 'The Main Man,' is a brutally violent, disgustingly crass, often overtly sexual bounty hunter from outer space who possesses a healing factor that rivals Wolverine (a character who satirically inspired Lobo back in the early '80s when he was introduced).
If anything has James Gunn's name written all over it, especially after the direction in which he took Peacemaker, Lobo is practically tailor-made for the filmmaker.
And as a bonus, Lobo's daughter Crush was recently introduced, meaning somewhere among all the blood and guts is a heartfelt story about a father and daughter - exactly Gunn's kinda thing.
