With Henry Cavill seemingly done with Superman, The Flash is set to introduce Sasha Calle as the DC Extended Universe's Girl of Steel, Supergirl. An HBO Max series is in the works from Michael B. Jordan focusing on Val-Zod, while a reimagining of Superman from Ta-Nehisi Coates will see a Black actor play Kal-El in a period setting.
That leaves Supergirl as the DCEU's main Kryptonian, and That Hashtag Show has now shared a rumour suggesting that she'll be heading up, up and away into her own series on HBO Max.
Plot details are few and far between, but it's said that the show would delve into Supergirl's origin story and both what led to her appearing in The Flash and what comes next. It sounds like that movie will pose a lot of questions about the hero's past, and if it's set to follow the Flashpoint comic book by revealing that she's been kept in captivity by the government, then the plot could explore how she left Krypton and see her setting out to find those responsible for her capture.
However, Superman isn't expected to factor into this new Supergirl series in any way.
Where things get really interesting, though, is the claim that Michael Keaton's Batman will bond with the Girl of Steel in The Flash and that their relationship could carry over into the show. We find it hard to believe the actor would appear in Supergirl (especially if this is more prequel than sequel), but it could all depend on how things play out on the big screen next year.
It's surprising that Warner Bros. is looking to follow The CW's Supergirl series with another one, but this is bound to be a very different beast and more along the lines of Peacemaker and that GCPD-focused The Batman spinoff.
We're taking this with a pinch of salt for now, but will keep you updated.
Click on the "Next" button below to check out
10 alternate realities we could visit in The Flash!
10. Justice League of America: Age of Wonder
Marvel Studios is in the midst of exploring alternate realities in What If...?, and there's really no reason Warner Bros. can't do the same in the wake of The Flash. This take on the Justice League, however, could be just what the team needs after both Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder's takes.
Essentially, this comic book asked, "What if...the Justice League existed in the late 1800s and early 1900s?" This would be a major departure from the 2017 movie, and with original takes on heroes like Atom, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Starman, and Plastic Man, Superman, there's potential here for something special.
In the comics, Superman makes himself known to the world at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. He then starts working with the greatest minds of the time, including Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla...and Lex Luthor! Decades later, when mankind starts weaponising some of those inventions, it's down to Superman and his "League of Science" to stop World War I from breaking out.
9. Gotham by Gaslight
"Gotham by Gaslight" served as a complete reinvention of the Batman character; Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) took the Dark Knight to Victorian times to show the hero hunting Jack the Ripper in Gotham City, a pretty perfect adventure for the World's Greatest Detective!
In this "Elseworlds" story, North America is now a commonwealth run by the oppressive British government, and Bruce Wayne is about to join the clergy when he learns his parents were murdered not by gunman Joe Chill, but the government because of their political beliefs.
Learning that many of his fellow heroes were either the victim of cruel government experiments or created by them, Batman sets out to make things right. We've see a lot of the Caped Crusader on screen in recent years (and will continue to do so), but this would be a total departure from all those.
8. Superman & Batman: Generations
Moving forward, Batman and Superman are sure to remain a focal point of stories told in the DC Extended Universe, and this is a story that could succeed in bringing them together on screen.
Superman & Batman: Generations begins in 1939, with each issue jumping ahead by a decade to catch up with what's going on in the lives of the Man of Steel and Caped Crusader. As Clark Kent barely ages, Bruce Wayne is forced to send his wards into battle as new Dark Knights in his absence.
The relationship between the World's Finest heroes changes a lot as time passes. A movie (or TV series on HBO Max) exploring the way these two evolved over the decades could be a lot of fun, especially as it's so rare we get to see these comic book worlds change in real-time.
7. Kingdom Come
Mark Waid and Alex Ross's iconic Kingdom Come picked up with the DC Universe's greatest heroes decades into the future. Considered one of the best tales ever told in the Multiverse, this would make for an incredible movie, delivering versions of these characters we've never seen on screen before.
Released in 1996 and set in 2020, the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have been pushed to one side, and a new generation of heroes have risen to take their place.
Unfortunately, they're more interested in outdoing each other, and that leads to the older and younger heroes going to war. That gives Warner Bros. the opportunity to introduce some new characters, of course, and should they be well-received...well, you have spinoff potential for new HBO Max projects!
6. Flash of Two Worlds
It's believed that The Flash movie will follow Barry Allen as he travels back in time to save his mother's life, inadvertently creating a new timeline in the process (similar to the Flashpoint storyline).
Ultimately, it sounds like a new DCEU will be created, and "Flash of Two Worlds" would be a great place to take the Scarlet Speedster's franchise next. In the pages of The Flash #123, Barry Allen finds himself on Earth-2 after inadvertently vibrating his molecules too hard. On a new Earth, he comes face to face with his Silver Age counterpart, Jay Garrick.
Defining those Silver Age stories as having happened on an alternate Earth, this story had major consequences for the DC Universe. Having Ezra Miller's Flash meeting Jay in a sequel would be a blast, and him spending time on a weird new planet with some big differences might make for an even crazier movie than the one we're getting next year.
5. Doomsday Clock
We don't know what the future holds in store for those Watchmen characters beyond that incredible HBO TV series, but the possibility of the clashing with the heroes and villains from the DC Universe remains an exciting one.
Doomsday Clock was a tad underwhelming, but watching as Batman met Ozymandias, Superman clashed with Dr. Manhattan, and Rorschach entered Gotham City are all moments that could be iconic on screen. With the right amount of set up, it could prove to be a massive box office draw as well.
Bringing these two very different comic book worlds into the same space won't be to everyone's liking (especially Alan Moore), but there's no getting around the fact that it's an intriguing concept that works well with the premise of the Multiverse. Enlist Damon Lindelof to pen the screenplay, and we could be on to an absolute winner here.
4. Superman: Red Son
Many fans are keen for a brighter, more hopeful take on Superman, so is "Red Son" really the right direction to take the Man of Steel in? Well, we know we're getting an alternate take on Kal-El and that Michael B. Jordan is hoping to suit up as Val-Zod, so why not do something completely different with this hero?
Written by Mark Millar, Superman: Red Son explored what would happen if Kal-El's rocket landed in the USSR rather than the United States. Growing up to be a champion of Stalin and, eventually, the new leader of the Soviet Union, the hero's status quo changed massively, as did those of characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor.
There has been an animated adaptation of the comic book, but there are still plenty of places a live-action version could go. Even just borrowing the concept and telling a new story set in this world could result in a movie that would be worth checking out.
3. Joker 2
2019's Joker was an "Elseworlds" story that completely reinvented the Clown Prince of Crime, grossing $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and very nearly winning the "Best Picture" Oscar. The rumoured sequel, however, has the opportunity to paint Batman in a new light.
Arthur Fleck was inadvertently responsible for the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the trauma of a clown murdering his parents is bound to stick with Bruce. In the grounded Gotham City Todd Phillips created, it's easy to imagine a twisted, unhinged vigilante emerging looking for vengeance, and unlike anything fans have seen on screen before.
Some will argue that yet another Batman story isn't necessary, but tied into Joaquin Phoenix's twisted version of The Joker, this could be something special.
2. Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first big DC Comics crossover event, and while this story has been adapted by The CW, a big budget blockbuster movie would really do it justice on screen. After The Flash, this seems like a logical next step, and it could even be a good excuse to bring multiple versions of the same characters - including those listed here - to the same space.
When the Anti-Monitor sets out to destroy all the parallel Earths (which cleaned up DC Comics continuity in the process), the DC Universe's greatest heroes find themselves faced with countless alternate versions of themselves and a threat bigger than anything they've faced before.
If The Flash is going to hit the "Refresh" button on the DCEU, then this movie could fully reboot it. That could be necessary a few years from now, and might be the best possible way to move on from the past. At the same time, it could lead to the long-overdue formation of a new Justice League.
1. Justice League of America: The Nail
There are a lot of Superman stories on the way, so why not take us to a world where Jonathan and Martha Kent experience a flat tire caused by a nail and never end up retrieving Superman from the rocket that crashed to Earth? Jumping thirty years into the future, the story picks up with a Justice League that has no Superman, and no support from the public.
Lex Luthor is the mayor of Metropolis, and after terrorist attacks are pinned on the League, he's able to take control of the entire U.S. Taking the heroes down some dark paths, The Nail is an exciting reinvention of this iconic team, and poses a lot of very interesting questions about what the DC Universe might look like without its most iconic hero.
The premise might be a simple one, but the ramifications of Superman's absence are huge, and something that could lead to a fresh, unexpected take on the Justice League.