5 DC Comics Events That Could Make Great DCU Movies
James Gunn has a lot of great ideas for the DCU, and it seems that he is pulling a lot of what he is doing from his love of comic books. The upcoming Supergirl movie is an adaptation of the Tom King and Bilquis Evely series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Gunn’s first DCU project after taking over the reins was an adaptation of the classic monster mash comic, Creature Commandos. He has even introduced the planet of Salvation in the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, and his Justice Gang is clearly inspired by the fan-favorite Justice League International team from DC Comics.
With so much history and lore to choose from, here is a look at five possible DC Comics storylines we would like to see James Gunn adapt into the DCU.
5) Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia
Image Courtesy of DC Comics.
The first two Wonder Woman movies were an interesting mix. The first saw Diana in WOrld War II and it wa sa great story that showed why she is a hero and how she will fight to save everyone. This was honestly the best movie in the entire DCEU, and Wonder Woman was more of a hero than Batman and Superman ever could have hoped to be in that world. The second movie kept this trait, but was a step down. So, how can James Gunn introduce Wonder Woman to the DCU?
A great idea is the Greg Rucka story, Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia. As with the DCEU Wonder Woman, this shows the hero protecting a person based on her own morals. She is protecting a woman named Danielle, who is on the run from the police after killing sex-slavers and drug dealers who killed her sister. The story has her fighting Batman, who wants to bring the woman in, but Diana is honor-bound to protect the woman. This shows the kind of hero Wonder Woman is, and could be a great introduction to the hero.
4) Heroes in Crisis
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Heroes in Crisis isn’t a storyline that James Gunn could do right away, and he would likely need to make changes to eliminate one thing that most fans hated about the story. However, as a story on its own, this is a fantastic look at trauma, grief, and what it means to be a superhero after many years of fighting the good fight, only to see death after death after death.
The story saw Wally West’s Flash use his time travel powers to cover up a mass murder when he killed several heroes who were admitted to a rehabilitation center that deals with trauma. Time travel needs to be part of the story, but not with Wally West in the villain role. Gunn is good at showing trauma in his comics, and having a deeper and more meaningful story like this could be a nice change in comic book movies, showing how being a superhero isn’t all that it appears to be.
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
Dark Nights: Metal was a 2021 DC Comics series that helped set up the DC Future State event. Written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo, Dark Nights: Metal was a four-issue miniseries that saw Batman find a new Dark Multiverse that existed under the main DC multiverse,ltiverse and they are connected through the metals Batman has seen over the years.
This leads to the dark god known as Barbatos, who wants to release darkness over every single Earth in the multiverse, and Batman needs to team with his allies to stop this demon. Now, there is a chance that this couldn’t happen since multiverse fatigue has set in over the past few years in comic book movies. However, seeing dark versions of heroes battling their DC counterparts would be great. DC even released a heavy metal soundtrack to go with the comics, and James Gunn loves his musical soundtrack pin drops.
2) Blackest Night
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There have been some big rumors that James Gunn might be building up to a Blackest Night event, and with the Lanterns series coming out in 2026, it could be a nice way to start the ball rolling on that event. Blackest Night saw a new ring color appear as the Black Lanterns were heroes and villains raised from the dead and given dark powers to attack the living.
It isn’t a zombie series, but the Black Lanterns might as well be zombies, as they are immoral and evil versions of the characters. This could give Gunn a chance to bring in some obscure heroes, and it also could end with the White Lanterns reviving some dead characters that could lead to the next stage in Gunn’s planned DCU series of movies.
1) Absolute Power
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
One DC Comics storyline that could be perfect is one that James Gunn has already set up in his first few projects. Both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 see the U.S. government unsure of how to deal with the superheroes. Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. is someone who has a grudge, and he already betrayed Peacemaker in the Season 2 finale and agreed to work with Lex Luthor, despite Luthor almost destroying the world.
While Amanda Waller is going through Senate hearings for her actions with the Suicide Squad, having Flag’s ARGUS targeting heroes is concerning. Absolute Power saw Amanda Waller do this exact thing, including getting one Justice League member seemingly to become a double agent with Green Arrow. It seems Gunn is leading to the government taking action against heroes, and Absolute Power would be a perfect DC adaptation to show that happening.
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