Shortly after Man of Steel was released, Warner Bros. announced an entire slate of movies...many of which never happened. When the "SnyderVerse" was still a thing, we heard about plans for everything from Nightwing to Deathstroke and, disappointingly, those projects also fell by the wayside.
On January 31, 2023, we learned of the studio's plans to take another crack at the DC Universe, rebooting the DCEU as the DCU under the guidance of DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The first titles in the "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters" slate were revealed, and thanks to delays caused by the Hollywood strikes, only Superman: Legacy has fully taken shape in the past year.
Creature Commandos has assembled its cast, though, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is likely up next. Work continues on the likes of Lanterns and Peacemaker season 2 but even with Superman: Legacy adding Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, there are a bunch of characters we still want to see join the DCU.
In this feature, we're taking a look at the heroes and villains who we're eager to see join this relaunched shared world in the weeks and months ahead. So, to find out who we're hoping could be on their way to the DCU, hit the "Next" button below!
8. Brainiac
Short of Brainiac's presence in Superman: Legacy being a huge surprise, all signs currently point to Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor serving as the reboot's big bad. That feels way too repetitive to us; however, Gunn seems intent on making a classic story so Superman vs. Luthor seems to be the direction we're heading in.
In the comics, Brainiac is an extraterrestrial android with advanced intelligence and the ability to shrink and collect cities from different worlds. His primary mission is to obtain and catalogue knowledge from various civilizations, often employing advanced technology and formidable mental powers to achieve his goals.
If he isn't going to be Superman: Legacy's big bad, then Brainiac should absolutely be the lead antagonist in a sequel or even when the Justice League assembles down the line. To leave him on the shelf much longer does the DCU a disservice.
7. Mister Miracle
Darkseid finally made his big screen debut in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and the plan had once been to explore both him and the rest of the New Gods in a movie from director Ava DuVernay. Unfortunately, it never happened, leaving the characters stuck in limbo.
Mister Miracle should absolutely be part of the new DCU, and with Tom King involved, we're sure it will happen sooner rather than later. The son of New Genesis ruler Highfather, Scott Free was traded as an infant for Darkseid's child, Orion, in a bid to end the war between the New Gods of Apokolips and New Genesis. He hated his adoptive father as a youth and later fled to Earth where he took on the mantle of Mister Miracle, becoming a master escape artist.
Fleeing from Apokolips was no easy feat, and his frequent clashes with Darkseid resulted in a lot of entertaining stories. This would be a fun approach to The New Gods, and gives moviegoers someone it's easy to root for and a character they'll no doubt be eager to see more of.
6. Green Arrow
Arrow reached its end on The CW after eight seasons, and as fun as it was to follow Oliver Queen's story there, a big screen take on the character could do so much more with Green Arrow. His dynamic with characters like Batman and Black Canary has a tonne of untapped potential and it's about damn time the Emerald Archer be given the chance to shine on a grander stage.
Some fans will want Stephen Amell to reprise the role, but a fresh start - with a new lick of paint courtesy of DC Studios - would be the wisest move.
Once upon a time, Warner Bros. was developing a "Supermax" movie that was set to follow Green Arrow after he was wrongly imprisoned for murder and then forced to escape from a supermax prison (hence the title). Along the way, he was going to clash with all manner of villains, including Lex Luthor and The Joker, so DC Studios revisiting this concept would also be no bad thing.
5. Poison Ivy
In 1997's Batman and Robin, one of the foes George Clooney's Dark Knight faced off with was Poison Ivy. Uma Thurman clearly had a lot of fun playing the sultry villain in the movie, but aside from a long-running subplot in Gotham, the character hasn't really done anything of note since.
Batwoman take was mostly forgettable and Ivy deserves better than a TV series. As excited as we'd be to see Matt Reeves' spin on her in The Batman franchise, the most compelling destination for the villain is whatever DC Studios has planned for Harley Quinn after The Suicide Squad. Despite ditching many DCEU fan-favourites, it does sound like Gunn wants Robbie to stick around.
David Ayer's Gotham City Sirens movie is long forgotten and is unlikely to happen in the DCU. However, the project could easily be rejigged in some way, and even a team-up movie starring Harley and Ivy would be welcomed by fans (especially if it delves into the romantic side of their relationship).
4. Nightwing
Brenton Thwaites did the best he could with the material he was given to work with in Titans, but we'd still argue that this is a character who deserves better (particularly on the big screen).
Dick Grayson came close to getting his due in a live-action movie directed by The LEGO Batman Movie's Chris McKay, only for the project fell apart around the same time as Ben Affleck's The Batman. As a result, Nightwing has been put back on the shelf, though his future in the DCU may well lie with The Brave and the Bold, Andy Muschietti's upcoming Batman movie revolving around Bruce Wayne and his new Robin, Damian Wayne.
As part of the Bat-Family, Dick could play a pivotal role in this reboot, particularly as someone who has been put through the wringer by Batman as his sidekick before breaking free to become his own man and superhero. Making Damian the first Robin is probably tempting; it would also be a major misstep on DC Studios' part.
3. Zatanna
In the comic books, Zatanna is a powerful magician who casts spells by speaking backwards. She's a frequent love interest for John Constantine, and a hero with enough firepower to have been a member of both Justice League Dark and the Justice League of America.
Emerald Fennell, the Oscar-nominated director of Promising Young Woman was writing the Zatanna movie, but we were right not to get our hopes up as J.J. Abrams' poorly defined Justice League Dark never took shape on Max and has since been scrapped.
Zatanna is a character the studio could easily build an entire franchise around, though we'd suggest having her debut in Swamp-Thing. From there, she can start making her presence felt throughout the DCU, with this team of supernatural heroes finally assembling for the movie or TV show we've all spent years dreaming of.
2. Wonder Woman
We never expected to include a member of the Trinity on a list like this, but a year on and there's still no clear indication of what DC Studios has planned for Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot claimed she was in talks to reprise the role, only for the trades to make a liar out of her...Gunn, meanwhile, has remained silent.
There's been little to no movement on the Themyscira-set TV series (which takes place long before Diana Prince's time) and zero indication we're getting a new Wonder Woman movie to join Superman: Legacy and The Brave and the Bold. That surely has to change soon.
Oh, and if you're wondering, no, we didn't make a mistake by using a photo of Wonder Woman's daughter, Lizzie Prince. If Gunn and Safran want to do something really off-beat and different, they could introduce her and leave Diana Prince on the shelf for a story to be told another day.
1. Red Hood
Had Ben Affleck not decided to hang up his cape and cowl, it might have been a lot easier to bring Jason Todd into the DC Extended Universe, especially after that suit tease in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Zack Snyder's claim the Robin costume belonged to Dick Grayson still doesn't really make much sense).
Jason was murdered by The Joker, but after being resurrected by Talia al Ghul, he returned years later to seek his revenge both on the Clown Prince of Crime and the father he felt had failed him: Batman. Taking on the mantle of the Red Hood, he served as a Punisher-like vigilante in Gotham City, and frequently clashed with his former mentor.
Later, Jason would become an anti-hero, and as well as the perfect opponent for the Dark Knight, he's also more than capable of holding his own in a standalone franchise. Once again, this is a character who deserves better than Titans, and if the DCU's Batman has a history, Jason's "death" may have already happened.