Jim Shooter — the controversial former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics who conceived and wrote 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, the first company-wide crossover in the history of comics — has died. He was 73. Writer and former DC Comics editor Mark Waid, who once described the Shooter-scripted Legion of Super-Heroes story in 1968’s Adventure Comics #369 as “the single most influential-to-my-craft story I ever read,” took to social media to announce the news on Monday, writing in a Facebook post that Shooter died from esophageal cancer.

“I’ve just received word that Jim Shooter passed away of esophageal cancer, which he’s been battling for some time,” Waid wrote on the Facebook post. “I realize that for many he’s been a controversial figure in the past (game knows game), mostly with regards to his managerial style, but my experiences with him lay outside that realm and began with my lifelong love for his writing beginning with the first time I ever picked up a copy of Adventure Comics in 1967.”

Born September 27, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Shooter cut his teeth writing for DC at the age of 14. Shooter first wrote and penciled 1966’s Adventure Comics #346, featuring Superboy and the future’s Legion of Super-Heroes, after being commissioned to write Supergirl and Superman stories. During his years at DC, Shooter created Superman villain Parasite in 1966’s Action Comics #340 and went on to create such Legionnaires as Princess Projecta, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, and the 30th century supervillains the Fatal Five.

“For those who don’t know, Jim broke into comics at the age of 14. Let me say that again: 14. I don’t know about you, but when I was 14, I could barely put sentences together on paper,” Waid wrote. “During a hospital stay, he’d been given some Marvel and DC comics and could clearly see how much more exciting the Marvel books were and couldn’t understand why DC’s books couldn’t have that same vitality. Having no idea how comics scripts were done, he literally wrote and drew a Legion of Super-Heroes story on notebook paper and sent it in to editor Mort Weisinger, who put him to work immediately — having no idea how young he was until later.”

The protégé of then-National Periodicals (later DC) editor Mort Weisinger, whose run on the Superman titles introduced such characters as Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog, Shooter, then 17, left DC for rival publisher Marvel for a three-week stint in 1969. Shooter characterized his time working with Weisinger as “abusive.”

Shooter would return to Marvel when then-editor-in-chief Marv Wolfman offered him a position in the Marvel Bullpen in 1975. By 1978, Shooter had succeeded Archie Goodwin as editor-in-chief, overseeing the Chris Claremont-penned Uncanny X-Men, John Byrne’s Fantastic Four, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Walt Simonson’s Thor, and Roger Stern’s Amazing Spider-Man, and X-Men spinoff Dazzler, which Shooter conceived with Alice Donenfeld and John Romita Jr. “with some help” from Stan Lee, Al Milgrom, Roger Stern, and Tom DeFalco.

He implemented a “continuity bonus,” described by Shooter as “the first incentive system in mainstream comics,” to keep creators on successive issues, as well as life insurance for freelancers, standardized creator contracts, and a royalty system. “I fixed a lot of things, but my greatest frustrations were the royalties and artwork return, which were delayed by lawsuits. I also increased rates, doubling them, and then doubling them again, because we started to make more money,” Shooter recalled in 2010. “I tried to standardize and boost the rates up. Superstars like Frank Miller? He got paid like the old guys, because he’s Frank Miller. I did respect the creative contributions like the age and seniority of the guys. I made sure guys who’d been there for twenty years weren’t getting the minimum. I also respected genius.”

Byrne, writer of Alpha Flight (1983-85), claimed that Shooter enforced a “no gays in the Marvel Universe” policy under the strict Code of the Comics Code Authority. Shooter’s interference with the Dark Phoenix Saga in the iconic Claremont-Byrne Uncanny X-Men run was just one of several creator conflicts that led to an exodus; as Wolfman put it in 2003, “Professionals left Marvel in droves” after Shooter took the reins of Marvel.

In 1984, in the midst of popular toy lines like G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe, toy makers Mattel wanted an “editorial concept” to tie to a new Marvel-based line of action figures. That concept became Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, at the time the biggest crossover in the history of the Marvel Universe. The 12-issue series, written by Shooter, edited by DeFalco, and penciled by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton, was as successful as the toy line.

The original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars assembled Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains — the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, and Spider-Man among them — who were pit against supervillains like Doctor Doom, Galactus, Ultron, Doc Ock, and the Wrecking Crew by the cosmic being known as the Beyonder. The series famously featured the debut appearance of Spider-Man’s black alien costume in issue #8.

Shooter also wrote the sequel, the 1985 nine-issue limited series Secret Wars II, drawn by Milgrom. The 1984 series inspired writer Jonathan Hickman’s multiversal crossover Secret Wars in 2015, which is being adapted into Marvel Studios films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

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The fact that Smallville ran for ten seasons across two networks, the WB and the CW, is a formidable accomplishment that a relatively small number of television shows can say they achieved. Creators Al Gough and Miles Millar chronicled a young Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) journey from a teenager to Superman over the course of over 200 episodes. For the first half of the series, we’d typically tune into Smallville to watch Clark defeat the latest “freak of the week” — usually a fellow teen that developed powers from exposure to Kryptonite from the meteor shower that brought Clark to Earth. According to Smallville, Kryptonite doesn’t just weaken Clark Kent, it causes a whole host of mutations in regular humans too.

While there were some guest-star “meteor freaks” that shaped the course of the show and were so popular that they were brought back for more episodes, they all can’t be winners. Smallville was a traditional network series for the time with 22-episode seasons, and sometimes, the writers’ creative strain from the sheer volume of episodes showed. This was never more clear than a slew of “meteor freaks” that were one-dimensional, forgettable, or just plain weird. As Clark and the series evolved, Smallville transitioned away from meteor-infected teens and instead opted to incorporate more lore from the Superman mythology. Ultimately, it was the right move, but for old time’s sake, here are the five worst “meteor freaks” on Smallville:

Honorable Mention: Sasha Woodman

Appearing in the Season 1 episode “Drone”, Sasha Woodman (Shonda Farr) was a tightly wound, overachieving student at Smallville High. She miraculously survived over 1000 bee stings as a child, thanks to a hive of meteor-infected Africanized honey bees. As a result, Sasha gained the ability to control bees as if she were their hive’s queen. When her Student Body President campaign goes south, Sasha commanded the bees to attack her competitors, along with Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole) in an attempt to win the position. Yet when Clark confronted her, Sasha lost her control over the bees and they stung her so badly she ended up in a coma.

While we get we get what the writers were trying to do with making Sasha an unlikely “Queen Bee,” her character was thin and her bee-wielding ability lost its punch quickly. After Clark defeated Sasha, she was taken to recover at the fictional DC asylum Bell Reeve. However, unlike most mediocre “meteor freaks,” Smallville actually brought Sasha back in Season 7. In the episode “Cure”, Sasha returned to Smallville, claiming to be cured and discharged from the facility by Dr. Curtis Knox (Dean Cain). However, Knox only did so to murder her and harvest her organs in an attempt to revive his dead wife. Although Sasha was one of the few “meteor freaks” to be given meaningful narrative closure on Smallville, it sure was a real bummer.

RELATED: 7 Smallville Episodes You Can Skip When Watching the Superman Series

5) Seth Nelson

Smallville had many questionable brushes with consent over the course of the series, but the Season 3 episode “Magnetic” is one of its most egregious and laziest. Whereas the Season 2 episode “Heat” had a meteor freak who could manipulate people’s pheromones and facilitated Clark discovering his heat vision, in “Magnetic,” Seth Nelson (Kevin Zegers) gets the ability to control magnetic fields after someone clocked him in the head with a Kryptonite snow globe. Once Seth realized his newfound abilities, he used his powers to manipulate the electromagnetic field in Lana Lang’s (Kristin Kreuk) brain to make her like him and do crimes together. After a climatic confrontation with Clark, Seth fell into a coma and presumably remained as a vegetable at the Smallville Medical Center.

Not only does Seth fall into the problematic trope of “creepy Smallville characters obsessed with Lana,” he turns out to be a much more snotty, lame version of Marvel’s Magneto. Naturally, when creating a character with the ability to control magnetic fields Magneto’s proverbial shoes are near impossible to fill. While Smallville found fresh ways around other common superpowers with compelling characters like the shapeshifting Tina Greer, mind-reading Ryan James, and teleporting Alicia Baker, we the audience weren’t exactly devastated that we never heard from Seth again.

4) Jodi Melville

Largely considered to be one of Smallville‘s worst episodes, “Craving” in Season 1 stars a young Amy Adams before she skyrocketed to fame. Adams played Jodi Melville, a sweet, plus-size teen who puts Kryptonite-infected vegetables in her weight loss shakes. The result? Jodi slims down miraculously fast…and becomes a fat-eating vampire. She’s also not even the only Krypto-powered vampire on this list either.

It’s clear that Smallville was trying to do their own version of an after school special about eating disorders. And though we appreciate the attempt, “Craving” goes down in the show’s history as an uncomfortable reflection of early 00s diet culture. Though most “meteor freaks” found themselves in Bell Reeve or in a coma after Clark confronted them, Jodi seeing her own reflection and the monster she became causes her to stop herself from potentially killing Clark in a greenhouse full of Kryptonite. Points for that.

RELATED: 10 Smallville Episodes Featuring Stars Before They Were Famous

3) Brendan Nash

File Brendan Nash (Steven Grayhm) from the episode “Forever” under the “just plain weird” sub-sect of “meteor freaks” on Smallville. While the writers neglected to inform us exactly how he got the ability to freeze people into wax statues with his touch, the fact his power backfires when Brendan tries to use it on Clark has us feeling safe to assume it’s Kryptonite-related. The photographer for the Smallville High paper, Brendan threatened his father with his bizarre ability and forced to build him a replica of Smallville High after Brendan didn’t get into any colleges.

Petrified of life after graduation, Brendan began kidnapping students — Lana and Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) included — to pretend high school would never end. Clark and Lois Lane (Erica Durance) track Brendan down and liberate their friends before he can cause them any significant harm. Their classmate Hayley Timmonds (Fiona Scott)? She wasn’t so lucky. Brendan froze her into a wax statue and then decapitated her.

Again, Brendan’s character felt like another ill begotten attempt by the Smallville writers to relate to their teenage viewers. Though the ability to turn people into wax figures a la Medusa is certainly imaginative, the low production value of the statues made the overall effect come off as odd and campy rather than chilling.

2) Evan

Another famously panned episode that preceded the waxy madness with Brendan in “Forever,” we met Evan (Jeffrey Ballard) in the Season 4 episode “Ageless.” He seems to be one of only second-generation “meteor freaks” on Smallville. Clark and Lana find an abandoned baby Evan alone in a field after his mother, Karen Gallagher (Pascale Hutton) died giving birth to him with bang. Literally. Clark and Lana discover baby Evan in a crater caused by the blast.

When Evan begins aging rapidly in a matter of days, Clark deduces that Karen must have been Kryptonite-infected and passed her uncontrollable energetic powers onto Evan. After being examined by Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) and his always on-call team of scientists, they deduce that Evan will soon die and much like his mother, will emit a deadly blast when he goes. Clark and Lana, who became Evan’s de facto parents in a matter of about 72 hours, do everything they can to comfort Evan before he ultimately perishes. Clark shields the town from the worst of the blast with his super invulnerability when the time comes.

There’s several problems with Evan, and “Ageless” in general. Firstly, given that Clark and Lana are supposed to be high school seniors in Season 4, therefore likely no older than 18, it’s strange to watch them play pseudo-teen parents. Karen and Evan’s fate also reeks of the Smallville writers not-so-subtly trying to warn its young audience about the hazards of teen pregnancy in the most wild and hyperbolic way possible. Next, like with other “meteor freaks” on this list, Smallville already did the “rapidly aging child” trope better in a previous episode, Season 2’s “Accelerate.” While “Accelerate” masterfully blended elements of horror into the action adventure series, the tone Smallville took with Evan and “Ageless” felt disjointed and bordered on super-powered melodrama.

1) Buffy Sanders

“Thirst”, which stars Buffy Sanders (Brooke Nevin), is Smallville‘s lowest-rated episode, so much so that creators later apologized for its entire existence on its DVD commentary. Buffy, whose name is an insult to her vampire slayer namesake, is the head of a sorority that Lana reluctantly pledges in Season 5 in a last-minute effort to find housing at Metropolis University. When she’s initiated into the sorority, it’s revealed that Tri-Psi is actually a coven of vampires led by Buffy.

When Lana becomes one of them, her entire personality, not to mention her diet, changes. Understandably freaked, Clark and Chloe do some digging to reveal that Buffy was bit by Kryptonite-infected bats, whose saliva endowed the co-ed with enhanced abilities as well as the stereotypical qualities of a vampire. Lana killed Buffy when she and the Tri-Psi sisters tried to feed on Clark with a blast of heat vision. You know, as you do. Thankfully, Lex helped develop an antidote to cure Lana and the other girls of their vampiric affliction.

Buffy wasn’t the first vapid, randy sorority girl (shoutout to the girls who tried to seduce Clark on his college tour in “Recruit”) on the show, but she’s definitely the most memorable. The entire episode plays like some Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Girls Gone Wild fever dream, taking the worst tropes from each and mashing them together, jumping the shark on a series about an alien with superpowers fueled by the sun. While Lana is nearly constantly objectified over the eight seasons she was on the show, it reaches a cringey peak here. Once Lana becomes a vampire, she dresses almost exclusively in low cut, skin tight leather and is way more forward than she’s ever been. Nevin does her best to play into the camp of Buffy’s character, but the suffocating male gaze and unimaginative writing didn’t give her much to work with. At least Smallville has recognized and at least tried to atone for their sins with this one.

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The visionary behind Marvel’s Man Without Fear had a word of advice for James Gunn‘s Man of Steel. Drew Goddard, who created Marvel’s Daredevil for Netflix and wrote the first two episodes of the dark drama, weighed in on the Superman reboot written and directed by Gunn (in theaters July 11). In fact, Goddard had a suggestion that proved instrumental in shaping the ending of the DC Studios film.

“Drew Goddard was really helpful,” Gunn told Collider. “I think that there were a couple of little things in the movie, three or four things that we really argued about in the film, and all of them had to do with things that were a little bit darker or a little bit lighter. In discussing one of them, Drew Goddard was like, ‘You know what? It’s just not that film. It’s not that film with this little dark ending bit.'”

“And I thought, ‘He’s right. It’s not that film. It is not that film,'” Gunn continued. “And so that line that he said stuck with me for the rest of editing.”

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Goddard, a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a writer-producer on Alias and Lost before going on to helm films like The Cabin in the Woods and Bad Times at the El Royale, is part of the brain trust that Gunn put together to help build the new DC Universe in 2023.

The writers’ room includes Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Mister Miracle comic scribe Tom King (Lanterns), Christal Henry (HBO’s Watchmen), Christina Hodson (The Flash), and Jeremy Slater (Marvel’s Moon Knight), with Gunn overseeing the DCU with his DC Studios co-chief and producer Peter Safran (Aquaman, The Suicide Squad).

Gunn also consulted fellow filmmaker Jason Reitman (director of Juno and Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Damon Lindelof (co-creator of Lost and The Leftovers), and Chantal Nong, the Executive Vice President of Production for DC Studios and executive producer of such films as Wonder Woman 1984 and The Batman.

“I really go to Peter Safran and Chantal Nong and other directors. I showed [Superman] to Drew Goddard, and Jason Reitman, and Damon Lindelof, and all these people to get their input on what works and what doesn’t. And they were so helpful,” Gunn said.

As both the co-chairman/co-CEO of DC Studios and a filmmaker, he added, “I want to be able to support people but also be really honest. I don’t pull punches. I’m really blunt. And I think we need to come from the common space that we’re just trying to make the best movie possible without ego being a part of it.”

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Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The cast includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/the Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. The DC Studios movie flies into theaters July 11.

The post Superman: James Gunn Reveals How Marvel’s Daredevil Creator Changed Movie’s Original “Dark” Ending appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Following a wave of Superman (2025) figures released by McFarlane Toys, Tamashii Nations will release their own David Corenswet figure in his role as the Man of Steel. The S.H. Figurarts figure is the latest collectible in an over-the-top collection of products that DC Comics has released in support of the upcoming film from James Gunn, which will arrive in theaters July 11.

The new S.H. Figuarts Superman figure will be a completely new sculpt with a wired fabric cape for dynamic posing. As you’ll see from the images below, they didn’t hold back on the texturing of the suit. It will also come with an interchangeable head and hands. If you’re game to add it to your collection, Tamashii Nations has revealed that figure will be available for pre-order July 1 in Japan, but with the film so close, it’s likely that it will be available in the U.S. at some point this week as well. If that happens, you’ll be able to pre-order one here at Entertainment Earth. This article will be updated with additional information when it becomes available, so stay tuned.

Written and directed by Gunn, Superman stars David Corenswet in the title role opposite Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as the Man of Steel’s archnemesis Lex Luthor. The first film in the newly rebooted DC Universe also introduces a cast of characters that includes superheroes Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), the Guy Gardner Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), and The Authority’s Angela Spica/the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría).

Tamashii Nations S.H. Figurarts Superman 2025 Figure / Coming Soon

Order at entertainment Earth

Rounding out the cast are Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent; Sara Sampaio and Terence Rosemore as Luthor’s associates, Eve Teschmacher and Otis; and Frank Grillo reprising his role from Creature Commandos as Rick Flag Sr. From The Daily Planet, Clark and Lois’ colleagues include Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), columnist Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover), reporters Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett) and Ron Troupe (Christopher McDonald), and editor-in-chief Perry White (Wendell Pierce).

“In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC Universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind,” said Jeff Goldstein, President, Global Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

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One of the most underappreciated DC movies ever made will be leaving Netflix very soon. While there are many brilliant DC projects available to watch on Netflix in the United States, including several of The CW’s Arrowverse shows (Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) plus a number of DC animated series, one of the franchise’s most underrated projects will soon be lost. On July 1, 2025, Francis Lawrence’s Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves as the titular exorcist, will be leaving Netflix.

Based on DC Comics’ Hellblazer comic series, Constantine focuses on Reeves’ John Constantine, a cynical warlock and occult detective who has the ability to perceive angels and demons and travel between Earth and Hell. While Constantine was met with a mixed response after its original release in February 2005, the movie has received retrospective acclaim and amassed a huge cult following, which means many will be sad to see it leaving Netflix on July 1st. Constantine may be bidding farewell to Netflix now, but the movie’s history on the streaming platform proves there’s still hope.

Constantine first joined Netflix on January 1, 2016, over a decade after its original release, and, since then, it’s been removed and added back three times. There’s typically been a gap of two or three years between the movie being removed from Netflix and returning, which means it’s possible that Constantine could return to the streamer in 2026, 2027, or beyond. This might be just in time to act as promotion for Constantine’s much-anticipated sequel, which was confirmed to be in development back in 2022.

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The upcoming sequel to Constantine will be a DC Elseworlds project, set outside the mainstream DC Universe. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC franchise kicked off with the animated Creature Commandos series in 2024, and will be continuing with July’s Superman reboot, while the likes of Matt Reeves’ The Batman movies, Todd Phillips’ Joker movies, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ planned Black-led Superman movie are all Elseworlds projects set in alternate realities. Constantine 2 doesn’t yet have a scheduled release date, but both Lawrence and Reeves are expected to return.

Audiences have one day left to watch Constantine on Netflix, but there is a chance the 2005 movie could return to the streaming service at some point in the future. It would be even more exciting if this occurs in the lead-up to Constantine 2’s release, though it’s unclear exactly when this will take place. Constantine’s vocal and passionate cult following is waiting patiently for the sequel to release, but should catch up on the 2005 original beforehand – it’s a brilliant and underrated DC flick.

What did you make of Constantine? Are you excited for the sequel? Let us know in the comments!

The post Netflix Is About to Lose One of the Most Underrated DC Movies Ever appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We’re still in the early stages of the new DC Universe that James Gunn is guiding, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on when Harley Quinn will debut. Margot Robbie brought Harley Quinn to life on the big screen, and her adult animated series on HBO Max continues to impress. The first DC heroine to get the spotlight is Milly Alcock’s Supergirl. Of course, Harley Quinn will eventually appear, but it’s the team-up potential that should get fans excited. This happens all the time in the comics, so why should the theatrical DC Universe be any different? One DC Comics team-up features the potential of pairing Harley Quinn with other antiheroes.

DC released a preview of Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #1 by Leah Williams and Haining. It begins inside Harley Quinn’s apartment, where we see her hyenas sound asleep. As for Harley, she’s in the bathroom listening to music while taking a shower. Suddenly, a masked individual sneaks in through a window. The hyenas get up growling, but the individual takes their glove off so they can sniff her hand.

Harley Quinn comes up on the masked person from behind, wielding a massive mallet. The mysterious character ducks and strikes back, kicking Harley Quinn on the side of the head. They continue fighting until Harley slips on a pool of water, allowing her attacker to pull off the towel covering her bare skin. The preview reveals our mystery character is Catwoman, who asks Harley how she’s been.

Catwoman and Harley Quinn are going to be joined by Poison Ivy for Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit, a five-issue event series featuring an intergalactic nightclub opening up in Gotham City. The owner of the nightclub, Despero, is looking to destroy Earth, and it’s up to Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy to stop him.

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“MEN MAY BE FROM MARS, BUT BADDIES ARE FROM VENUS!” the description of Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #1 reads. “There’s a hot new outer space-themed nightclub in Gotham City, and who better to rob it than Catwoman, Ivy, and Harley? But there’s more to this intergalactic discotheque than meets the eye(s), as the Sirens discover when they stumble headfirst into a plot to destroy the entire planet led by the club’s owner — the alien despot Despero! I hope you have good insurance, Gotham City, because you’re about to get wrecked. Special appearances by deadly DJs, hunky alien hotties, dancers dressed as aliens, mutant failures, one wild UFO, and lots and lots of fire!”

James Gunn is staying busy fleshing out the rest of the DC Universe. Tom Rhys Harries has been cast as Clayface, and it appears that Matt Reeves has finished the script for The Batman 2. Later this month Superman releases, and it’s the first theatrical release for the new DC Universe. The reception to Superman will dictate how the rest of the DC Universe unfolds, including when we’ll see Harley Quinn and the rest of the Gotham City Sirens.

Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #1 goes on sale Wednesday, July 2nd. Let us know your thoughts on the preview in the comments below!

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The Arrowverse likes to have its serious hat on most of the time. It all starts with Oliver Queen, who spends five years on an island in the North China Sea in Arrow before returning home to rid Star City of corruption. Even Barry Allen, who is everything that Oliver is not, has to go to some dark places after running into Reverse-Flash and Zoom, who kill his mother and father, respectively. Being a superhero isn’t supposed to be easy, but don’t tell that to the residents of the Waverider on Legends of Tomorrow. The B-list Arrowverse heroes travel through time on their show, and they always find a way to make the timeline a bit more ridiculous.

The later seasons of Legends of Tomorrow are when it really jumps the Beebo, having Heatwave have alien babies and creating an evil Gideon, but Season 2 also features its fair share of wild moments. There’s even an episode where the Legends nearly ruin arguably the biggest movie franchise in history.

The Arrowverse Tries to Ruin Star Wars for Its Inhabitants

Legends of Tomorrow sees the titular team face off against the Legion of Doom, led by Eobard Thawne. The Reverse-Flash recruits fellow Arrowverse villains Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk, using them to track down the Spear of Destiny, which will allow him to rewrite reality and secure his spot on the timeline. The Legion’s mission proves difficult, but they have a breakthrough when they discover a piece of the weapon is in the 1960s. The Legends follow the evil team to Los Angeles and confront them on a film set, where they discover their former captain, Rip Hunter, who doesn’t remember who he is.

Before a reunion can take place, the Legends and Legion battle, catching the attention of local police, who arrest Rip. He’s not the only person to be affected by the situation, though, as his crewmate, George, is upset about the altercation and decides to give up filmmaking. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but once Ray Palmer and Nate Heywood start dealing with memory issues, they realize that George is, in fact, George Lucas. It turns out the time travel shenanigans ruin any chance of Star Wars being made, and because the franchise is so important to Ray and Nate, they’re different without its influence.

The Legends return to LA to save George from the Legion, who are using him to find a piece of the Spear of Destiny. While it takes some convincing, the film student eventually agrees to return to school and give making movies another shot. The timeline corrects itself shortly after, and Ray and Nate’s heroic sides return. But they aren’t the only people to benefit from the development, as the Arrowverse is full of characters who dream of living in a galaxy far, far away.

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Star Wars Is a Major Part of the Arrowverse

All major franchises these days owe a debt of gratitude to Lucas and his collaborators. However, few of them show as much appreciation as the Arrowverse, which never misses an opportunity to shout out Star Wars. Cisco from The Flash frequently references events from Lucas’ films, including wearing a “Keep Calm and Han Shot First” shirt during his interview with Harrison Wells, which, of course, touches on the controversy surrounding Harrison Ford’s character’s introduction in Star Wars: A New Hope.

The Flash doesn’t stop there, though, because Season 1, Episode 17, “Trickster,” sees Mark Hamill reprise his role as the Trickster from the 1990s Scarlet Speedster series. The Trickster teams up with a copycat villain, who turns out to be his son. Once Hamill’s character realizes this, he embraces his new family member by saying, “I am your father.” It’s a fantastic callback, but it wouldn’t be part of the timeline if the Legends hadn’t corrected their mistake and put Lucas back on the right path. They really should have fought for some of the backend after they finished dealing with the Legion.

Legends of Tomorrow is streaming on Netflix.

Did you know about George Lucas’ appearance in Legends of Tomorrow? What is your favorite Star Wars reference in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Arrowverse Nearly Ruined the Greatest Movie Franchise of All Time appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC Comics created the superhero, and has revitalized the concept multiple times over the decades. The best example of this is the ’80s. In the ’80s, DC pioneered bringing maturity into comics, with creators like Alan Moore and Frank Miller opening the door for some of the greatest writers and artists in the history of the medium. DC’s British Invasion made the publisher an avant-garde voice in comics, and books like Swamp Thing, Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, The Sandman, Justice League International, and umpteen others redefined what the superhero could be in the eyes of the general public. The ’90s were the decade where comics had the most attention on them, and while it all backfired for a variety of reasons, DC still had some of the greatest comics on the market.

The ’90s are often thought of the decade of style over substance, and this is true — on the Image and Marvel side of things. DC was basically putting out all of the best written comics of the ’90s. There are a multitude of amazing DC superhero comics from the ’90s (this list isn’t going to include any Vertigo or books that became Vertigo books for reprint purposes — there will be a separate list for that at some point), and there are some that have risen to the top. These ten DC stories are the best of the ’90s, and hunting them down will give you some of the best DC books of all time.

10) “The Death of Superman” Saga

So, this is a long one, but a lot of these ’90s DC books are sagas and you have to read a lot of comics. “The Death of Superman” is a stone cold classic, an action epic that killed off the Man of Steel and got the attention of the entire country (I was there — it was on the evening news). However, to truly appreciate it, you have to keep reading the Superman titles through “World Without a Superman”, “Funeral for a Friend”, “Reign of the Supermen”, and “The Return of Superman” to really see how great an idea this really was. This is a Superman epic of the biggest proportions from a team of creators — Dan Jurgens, Bret Breeding, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Jackson “Butch” Guise, Tom Grummet, and Jon Bogdanove — who are some of the greatest Superman creators ever. There has been a lot of debate over “The Death of Superman” over the years, and whether it should be lumped in with the many mistakes of ’90s comics. However, when you sit down and read the story, you see just how great it is. Superman events throughout the ’90s became a cycle of diminishing returns, but these are amazing.

9) Chase

DC in the late ’90s had a lot of great series, and you’re going to find several of them on this list. Some of them ran for a long time, and others of them didn’t. Chase is one of those that didn’t. The series only ran for ten issues, nine regular issues and a last #1,000,000 issue (which is kind of hilarious, honestly). It’s very hard to find — it hasn’t been collected in years. However, it’s worth the hunt. The series, by Dan Curtis Johnson, JH Williams III, and Mick Gray, follow DEO agent Cameron Chase, as she goes on various missions for the agency, butting heads with heroes and villains. It’s an intriguing premise, though, and every issue is a tour de force. Chase is a great character, and her adventures deserved way more attention than they got. This book is a window into the ’90s post-Crisis DC Universe, both in its story, and the quality of the book. Chase is an awesome comic, and more people should know about it.

8) Resurrection Man

Resurrection Man ran longer than Chase, but nearly as long as it should have. This is another DC book that you really just need to read the whole thing, because you fall in love with Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man (go out and get Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma, a Black Label currently coming out about him). Resurrection Man ran for 27 issues, with a #1,000,000 issue, and tells the story of Mitch Shelley. Mitch has the power to resurrect every time he dies with a new superpower. The book follows him as he goes on the road, using his powers and skills to help those who need it, and fight evil. The book, from the main creative team of Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning (the minds behind the ’90s Legion of Superheroes, Legionnaires, part of the team behind Annihilation, and the creators who revitalized the Guardians of the Galaxy), and the late great Jackson “Butch” Guise, give readers some amazing stories. It’s seriously one of the greatest comics of all time, not just the ’90s. It’s a mainstream DC book with a Vertigo vibe, and it’s never anything less than the best.

7) DC One Million

DC One Million, by Grant Morrison and Val Semieks, is a four issue DC event comic from 1999. The story revolved around the Justice Legion A of the 853rd century, when the 1,000,000th issues of DC Comics would have come out, coming to the present and asking the JLA to go to the future to see the emergence of the Prime Superman. However, Vandal Savage and Solaris the Tyrant Sun have a plan to destroy their enemies in the past and the future. This is one of DC’s best events. The main series is pretty great, with a layered plot that will see a plan millennia in the making to unfold. The tie-ins, the best of them usually collected in DC One Million collected editions, are excellent as well. Morrison is one of the greatest creators of the ’90s, and this story is a perfect example of their ability.

6) JLA: The Nail

JLA: The Nail, by writer/artist Alan Davis, is an Elseworlds classic. The story took place in a DC Universe where the Kents got a nail in their tire, and never found baby Kal-El. This is a very different DC Universe; while there is still a Justice League, it’s very different. When Lex Luthor is made mayor of Metropolis, a plan is put into motion, one which is meant to destroy the superhero community, and the Justice League quickly prove to be their own worst enemy. Behind the scenes, a shadowy manipulator waits, one you’ll never guess. This is a brilliant story from start to finish. While it’s only three issues long, Davis is able to give readers a fully formed DC Universe. There are some amazing twists and turns in this book, as readers get to see what the greatest heroes in the world look like without Superman there. The art is tremendous — each member of the team gets an amazing splash page of them in action throughout the book — with brilliant action and character acting to tell the story. JLA: The Nail is consistently amazing, and if you’re a DC fan who hasn’t read it, you need to ASAP.

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6) JLA: Year One

JLA: Year One, by Mark Waid, Bryan Augustyn, and Barry Kitson, retells the origin of the Justice League. JLA was the hottest superhero book at DC for the last half of the decade, and the publisher started publishing way more content with the team. The origin of the Justice League had been changed so that Black Canary held the Wonder Woman spot, and this series re-told the stories that had been retconned, as well as going in new directions. This twelve issue series is outstanding from start to finish, with brilliant art and heart-stopping action. However, what really makes this book sing is the characterization. Waid and Augustyn do a tremendous job of presenting the new, post-Crisis versions of the founders of the Justice League, showing their growing pains as they got to know each other, and grew as heroes and friends. This is a near perfect comic, and shows why Waid was one of the best superhero writers of the ’90s.

4) JSA: Golden Age

JSA: The Golden Age, by James Robinson and Paul Smith, is another Elseworlds classic, this one starring the heroes of the Golden Age. DC’s Golden Age heroes had fallen out of favor by the ’90s, and this book helped reinvigorate interest in them. The Golden Age followed the heroes of the Justice Society and the All-Star Squadron after WWII. Mr. America runs for public office, and a plan is set into motion, one that was made in Germany at the end of the war and that will have major repercussions for the men and women of the superpowered community. The Golden Age takes the maturity of a book like Watchmen and brings it to DC’s Golden Age. It’s amazing from start to finish. Robinson brought the Golden Age to life, and showed why these heroes have been extant for so long. Smith is one of the best artists in the industry’s history, and this story is one of his best works. The Golden Age isn’t just one of the best DC book of the ’90s, it isn’t just one of the best comics of the ’90s, it’s one of the best comics of all time.

3) Starman

Here’s the thing — I could tell you to read one volume of Starman, probably the first or second, but then you’d want to read the whole thing anyway, so let’s just put the whole series here. Starman ran for 82 issues, a #1,000,000 issue, and a Blackest Night tie-in, and told the story of Jack Knight. Jack is one of the sons of the original Starman, Ted Knight. His brother David takes up their father’s mantle, but he is killed by the Mist, his father’s arch-enemy. Jack is forced to take up the cosmic staff, and become Starman, changing his life forever. Starman, by James Robinson, Tony Harris, and Peter Snejberg is one of the greatest comics ever. It was about a quintessentially ’90s man becoming a superhero, and the life he led, dealing with the insanity of being a superhero, the legacy of his family, and just trying to find love and happiness in a crazy world. It’s full of amazing characters, and Robinson does a tremendous job of bringing them to life. The book’s art is perfect. Harris and Snejberg both have unique styles, and they give the book some amazing imagery. Robinson made people love Golden Age DC again with this and The Golden Age, and Starman is a book unlike anything else out there.

2) “Rock of Ages”

The Justice League went through a renaissance in the ’90s, with writer Grant Morrison bringing the back the Big Seven League — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter — in JLA, a book that is in the opinion of many people the greatest superhero team book of all time. Artist Howard Porter was the book’s regular penciler, and his pencils perfectly matched Morrison’s gonzo widescreen action scripts. Their best story was “Rock of Ages”, which has taken its place among the greatest Justice League stories ever. In it, Lex Luthor leads the Injustice Gang against the League in a winner take all game of corporate takeover, all the while an unseen threat promises to throw the universe into chaos — and it’s the heroes fault. There’s not many stories that give readers Green Arrow and the Atom versus Darkseid, and if that sounds awesome to you, then this is your story. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you, then “Rock of Ages” is still for you. It’s for everyone. Read it and find out why.

1) Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, is perfect. There’s really no other way to describe it. On the one hand, it’s as much a screed against the grim, gritty, and bloody heroes of the ’90s as anything and why the classics will always be better, and very much of its time. On the other, it’s a timeless tale of good and evil, about the power of the human in the superhuman, about being willing to do anything to see that good prevails, and how that can go wrong. Kingdom Come is seriously one of the most beautiful comics you will ever read. Ross’s painted artwork giving the book a sense of realism that really makes the whole thing. Kingdom Come sneers at all of those grim and gritty comics that say they’re realistic and look like cartoons, with the art really augmenting the humanity and emotion of the script. Kingdom Come brings its story to life until you feel like you’re Norman McKay himself, going with the Spectre on their quest. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? It’s up to you. If you take my advice, you’ll get one of the collected editions (which has pages that weren’t originally in the story when it was published) and hunt down the single issues. There’s something about reading those old issues; there’s less story, but the story feels better in the single issue medium. Reading it monthly was a trip, each gorgeous new issue pulling you further and further in. Kingdom Come is amazing.

What’s your favorite DC comics of the ’90s (Legion of Superheroes and Legionnaires almost got in, but I figured I was asking you to read enough full series)? Sound off in the comments below.

The post 10 Best DC Stories of the 90s appeared first on ComicBook.com.

David Corenswet’s Man of Steel may be “the most powerful being on planet Earth,” says Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor in Superman, but Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific is the smartest. An inventive genius, Olympic-level athlete, technological guru, and creator of a cyberwear company in the comics, Michael Holt is — in a word — terrific. As part of the corporate-sponsored team of metahumans tentatively known as the “Justice Gang” alongside the winged warrior Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and ring-wielding Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific is one of the Metropolis-based superheroes whose raison d’être can be summed up in two words: “Fair Play.”

Trailers have shown hot-tempered Guy butting heads with “Big Blue.” So what is the relationship like between Superman and Mister Terrific?

“Superman thinks that Mister Terrific is his BFF. That’s not true. [Mister Terrific] thinks he’s a herb,” the actor told ComicBook during a visit to the Superman set. “They are brothers in fighting crime. They’re brothers in being heroes. But they don’t have a lot in common.”

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Referencing Superman’s moniker as the Big Blue Boyscout, Gathegi called the idealistic superhero “the embodiment of good” in contrast to his cantankerous Mister Terrific.

“Our version of Mister Terrific is a little more complex in the sense that he’s battling other demons that pepper out. So he’s a little grumpy in this film,” Gathegi teased. (Example: in the latest trailer, Mister Terrific can be seen shouting at an exhausted Superman amidst a climactic fight. “Quit messing around,” he yells. Superman, looking worse for wear, replies he’s “doing important stuff.”)

It appears that Superman and Mister Terrific — along with intrepid Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) — join forces in the fight against Lex Luthor and his allies, which include the masked Ultraman and the nanotech-wielding Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría). Should we expect to see super-geniuses Mister Terrific and Lex Luthor go toe-to-toe — or brain-to-brain?

“In a sense, there is a battle of the brains. He’s a genius,” Gathegi said. “And if you want to know who wins this battle, you have to watch the film.”

The Michael Holt version of Mister Terrific first appeared in 1997’s The Spectre #54. The issue saw the widower contemplate suicide after his wife’s death in a freak car accident, only to adopt the mantle of Mister Terrific and the concept of “Fair Play” from Golden Age crime-fighter Terry Sloane.

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The cast includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/the Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. The DC Studios movie flies into theaters July 11.

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The post Edi Gathegi Teases Mister Terrific’s Relationship With Superman, Lex Luthor: “He’s a Little Grumpy” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman is one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, and is universally accepted as one of the faces of DC. On average, there are more Batman comics released every month than any other character, and more series focused on him and his extended cast than many heroes get on their own. Beyond just his sales, Batman is a beloved character. He is one of the coolest and most relatable characters, as even if all pretense is stripped away, he is a hurt man who is trying his best to make the world a better place. People love Batman, which is why it’s so insane to me that the best versions of Batman are not the one who headlines the main Batman comic book. Batman has been consistently falling behind alternate takes on the Dark Knight because these other books present a character that feels more like Batman.

Batman is Better Outside the Main Universe

To prove my point, let’s compare the current run of Batman to stories that sit outside of continuity, such as Absolute Batman and Batman: Dark Patterns. Let’s look at Dark Patterns first, which is a series that focuses on Batman tackling dark and dangerous mysteries early on in his career. The first two of four standalone arcs have concluded, and both are phenomenal stories that can slide perfectly into the greater Batman mythos. Instead of focusing on telling a mystery that is purely realistic, the comic embraces the inherent strangeness of Batman as a character. Batman uses down to earth, tested deductive skills to put together the pieces of wildly out-there puzzles, like a man riddled with spikes and nails who can’t feel pain going on a murder spree. Or the psychotic Scarface doll seemingly possessing an entire building. These stories don’t insist upon themselves or try to redefine Batman as a character, they focus on capturing the very specific atmosphere that only Batman stories have and giving it to fans in its purest form.

I don’t think I need to sell you on why Absolute Batman is so good, but I will anyway. It’s a complete reinvention of the character that manages to feel fresh and incredibly familiar at the same time. All of the fluff and fat is cut from the Caped Crusader, breaking him down to the barest essentials of who he is so the story can focus exclusively on emphasizing those essentials as much as possible. People love Absolute Batman because it fully presents Batman as a hero who is fighting the incredible corruption of his city, without ever relying on the tired tropes of Bruce doing the type of harm that he is trying to prevent. Batman is a vengeful yet hope-driven knight fighting against shadows that try to control his city, and that’s all he needs to be.

[RELATED: 5 Things About Batman That have Aged Perfectly]

These two series have one thing in common; they let Batman be Batman without any complicating factors. They take what fans love about the Dark Knight, his serious and gothic nature, grounded and yet strange mysteries and intense action for the greater good, and let him be the hero fans want to see. In comparison, there’s the current Batman run and its “Hush 2” storyline. In “Hush 2,” Batman is constantly making choices that seem wildly out of character and fighting the people closest to him instead of being a hero. This story had Batman shoot at his own son, for goodness sake. And just like the arcs before this one, and the ones before those, one of the main focuses is how Batman’s mistakes come back to bite him because either he (1) lets his villains live because he’s a good person or (2) is a horrible person because he keeps hurting those around him.

Main Universe Batman isn’t Allowed to be Batman

“Hush 2” is perfectly emblematic of all of the issues that are present in current Batman comics, and even a lot of comic books in general. The character and story are pushed to the side in favor of big moments and trying to become the next “big thing.” It feels like every run tries to become the definitive run of the character instead of just telling stories about Batman. And with Batman, the most common way of becoming the next big run is by mimicking the stories that redefined the character before, like The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns. The problem with that is that it’s physically impossible to create the best thing ever every time, and they always take the wrong lessons from why those stories worked.

Modern runs love to break down the character and dissect them, coming to some ultimate conclusion about why Batman does or doesn’t work, or creating a grand spectacle that will forever change how you look at Batman. Yes, The Dark Knight Returns is famous for that, and The Killing Joke pushed farther than any Batman story dared at the time, but they worked because they were exceptions. If every single story is obsessed with tearing Batman down over and over again and exposing his flaws, then at a certain point there’s nothing left of the man left to examine. It exhausts the audience because they came to read Batman, and are effectively told they should feel bad about liking him when most of the issues either show or insist Batman commits way more harm than good. It never feels like Batman just solves mysteries or fights crime anymore, and much more like he is constantly needing to argue for his own existence. And these stories only repeat again and again.

Repetitive storytelling is not a problem in and of itself. We’re comic book fans, we want to see our favorite characters act how we remember and fight crime in ways we’ve seen a hundred times before. The problem is that the stories that keep repeating are stories that can only work if they are used sparingly and actually have impact. How many times has Batman been “redefined” in the last five years alone? How many times have any of those changes actually stuck? Far less than DC would like to think on both accounts. Batman is a beloved character, but it feels like nowadays he isn’t allowed to be Batman, he has to be this grand idea that is constantly at odds with his own continuity. Every action he’s ever taken is always coming back to bite him, like he’s being punished for being Batman at all. Fans don’t want Batman to be punished for being a hero, they want him to be a hero. Batman is supposed to be fun! Give us back the Batman who stops insignificant crimes and solves little mysteries, and keep those stories that “change everything” away for at least a couple of years.

The post DC’s Best Takes on Batman Aren’t Even in the Main Timeline And I Think That’s a Problem appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Lex Luthor has had more on-screen real estate than any other Superman villain. Since his debut in the pages of 1940’s Action Comics #23 — in which the red-haired super-genius plotted to turn the nations of Earth against each other and make himself supreme master of the world — Luthor has appeared in everything from the 1950 film serial Atom Man vs. Superman (played by Lyle Talbot) and the 1966 Filmation cartoon The New Adventures of Superman (voiced by Ray Owens), to Superman: The Animated Series (voiced by Clancy Brown) and a recent cinematic interpretation (Jesse Eisenberg) in the 2016 Man of Steel sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League.

But there are two actors who have defined Lex Luthor on both the big and small screen: Gene Hackman‘s real estate-scheming criminal mastermind in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and two of its sequels, and Michael Rosenbaum‘s bald baddie in the Superman prequel series Smallvile.

“I went back and watched Gene, and I love what he did. I mean, I’m such a fan of his in those [Superman] films,” Nicholas Hoult, the latest actor to play the Man of Steel’s arch-nemesis in James Gunn’s Superman movie, told ComicBook during a visit to the reboot’s set. “And also his whole career as an actor, obviously. He’s incredible — one of the best of all time — so that’s an intimidating thing, obviously.”

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While Jon Cryer and Michael Cudlitz have recently played versions of Lex Luthor in The CW series Supergirl and Superman & Lois, respectively, Hoult recalled growing up with Hackman’s Luthor and Rosenbaum’s Lex as “the first Lex that I was more aware of.”

Hoult, who previously played Henry “Hank” McCoy/Beast in Fox’s X-Men movies, noted that it’s intimidating “taking on any character that’s been interpreted before.”

“People have strong opinions and ideas of how it should be,” he said. “You want to take the script, first of all, and do that justice, and serve the story. And then just be honest and truthful to that, and what your opinion of it is.” For Hoult, having the visionary Gunn at the helm helped differentiate his version of Lex Luthor from previous cinematic iterations — whether that be Hackman, Kevin Spacey (in 2006’s Superman Returns), or Eisenberg (in the DC Extended Universe).

“I think that’s the brilliant thing [about] having James as the writer and director of this: he really understands storytelling first and foremost, but also the characters in this world, and what they all represent,” Hoult explained. “He wrote scenes that instantly felt very honest and believable to me, so it was then about just committing to those ideas that were on the page, and yeah, going back and watching Gene, and watching Michael.”

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The cast includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/the Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. The DC Studios movie flies into theaters July 11.

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The post Superman’s Nicholas Hoult Reveals How Other Lex Luthor Actors Influenced His Version appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Rachel Brosnahan has offered new insight into the tone of James Gunn’s Superman, describing the highly anticipated film as a hopeful take on the hero that is perfect for the current moment. Comic Book attended a set visit for the upcoming DC Studios movie where the Lois Lane actor spoke about what defines this new version of the Man of Steel. Without revealing specific plot points, she positioned the film’s optimistic message as a powerful and necessary contribution to the comic book movie landscape, suggesting its core philosophy is what makes it “the Superman we need right now.”

“It feels hopeful rather than explicitly comedic to me,” Brosnahan said about Superman. “One of the things I love about so many of James’ movies is that they’re a real shot in the arm of hope. They remind you that the reason people love comic books is because they teach us that superheroes aren’t the only superheroes. They aren’t the only ones with important powers in these worlds. They remind us of the importance of courage, and tenacity, and interest in each other’s well-being. What it means to be in service of the greater good.”

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“I think we could really use a shot in the arm of hope right now,” Brosnahan continued, contextualizing the film’s place in the modern landscape. “A lot of these movies, the Nolan Batman movies, were such a specific representation of these comics at a specific moment in time. I think part of the reason they were so successful is because they felt like what we needed. The hope is that this version is the Superman we need right now.” 

Brosnahan’s comments directly align with the mission statement James Gunn and DC Studios have presented for their new cinematic universe, which aims to launch with a hero who embodies “truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.” By highlighting the film’s focus on the courage of ordinary people, she reinforces the idea that this Superman will be defined not just by his Kryptonian powers, but by the very human world he chooses to be a part of.

The Daily Planet and Superman’s Connection to Humanity

The importance of the Daily Planet and its staff in grounding Superman is a cornerstone of the character’s mythology, and Brosnahan’s emphasis on human tenacity suggests the film will lean heavily into this dynamic. In the comics, the Planet is more than just Clark Kent’s workplace, acting as his anchor to the world he has sworn to protect. It provides him with a vital, street-level perspective that his powers alone cannot offer. As a reporter, he confronts societal ills like corruption, inequality, and injustice, problems that cannot be solved with heat vision or super-strength. This role forces him to engage with humanity on its own terms, reinforcing his empathy and ensuring he never loses sight of the people he fights for. The ensemble cast of the Daily Planet, including Perry White (Wendell Pierce) and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), represents the very best of that humanity, and are expected to play a key role in Superman.

Central to this dynamic is, of course, Lois Lane. Across decades of comic book history, Lois has never been a simple love interest or a damsel in distress. She is Superman’s intellectual and spiritual equal, a fiercely intelligent and relentlessly driven investigative reporter whose courage often rivals his own. Her unwavering pursuit of the truth, no matter the personal risk, mirrors Clark’s own mission to fight for a better tomorrow. More importantly, she falls in love with Clark Kent, the kind, slightly clumsy farm boy, not just the iconic superhero.

Superman is scheduled to fly into theaters on July 11th.

How important do you think the Daily Planet crew and Lois Lane are to crafting a hopeful Superman story? Join the discussion in the comments.

The post Rachel Brosnahan Reveals What Makes New Superman “The One We Need Right Now” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

James Gunn’s Superman will include Ultraman as one of the movie’s antagonists, and there could be a very surprising twist attached to the Kryptonian villain. As the first big-screen entry in Gunn’s DCU (following the animated series opening act of Creature Commandos), Superman focuses on the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) facing public backlash over some of his recent heroic acts. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor takes the opportunity to strike against Superman, with a mysterious masked figure bearing a “U” on his chest as one of Luthor’s key henchmen against the Kryptonian hero. Ultraman remains arguably the biggest question mark hanging over Superman, as the identity of the actor portraying the villain is still a mystery.

Combined with some apparent multiverse elements seen in Superman‘s trailers has led to a growing amount of theorizing that none other than Corenswet’s Superman predecessor, Henry Cavill, is playing Ultraman. However, there could also be an even bigger twist on this possibility – namely, that Ultraman himself is actually Henry Cavill’s Superman from Zack Snyder’s “Knightmare” timeline of the DCEU.

Ultraman Being a Masked Villain Indicates His Identity Is Meant To Be a Surprise

In the comics, Ultraman does not wear a mask. His suit is a fairly close facsimile of Superman’s own, with the biggest change being a “U” emblem on his chest. By contrast, the Ultraman seen in Superman‘s marketing only resembles his comic book counterpart via the inclusion of a “U” on his chest. Simply having an evil version of Superman from another universe is a concept very easy to grasp, even for those who have never touched a Superman comic or seen a Superman movie; however, Gunn’s Superman movie is clearly doing something significantly different.

The fact that Ultraman can be so easily summed as “Evil Superman” begs the question of why Gunn has gone to such lengths to keep Ultraman’s identity a secret. Indeed, Ultraman has not been featured on any of Superman‘s posters, with both the character and the identity of his portrayer omitted altogether from the movie’s IMDB and Wikipedia pages at writing. That strongly suggests that Ultraman is being set up to be something far more significant than simply David Corenswet in a dual role. This is where the idea of Henry Cavill returning in a very specific context starts to look like the exact kind of curveball that a masked character like Ultraman could embody.

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Why Ultraman Could Be Knightmare Superman

While Henry Cavill’s Superman is a selfless hero with a heart of gold in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, there is one area where his Kal-El sheds all of those qualities and becomes a rage-filled killing machine, that being the Knightmare future. Shown in glimpses in Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the Knightmare is a post-apocalyptic future in which Darkseid (Ray Porter) has led Apokolips to conquer Earth. Darkseid has also turned Superman into his mind-controlled weapon of destruction after using the Anti-Life Equation to bring Superman under his control.

Cavill’s Superman, as seen in the Knightmare timeline, is a strangely close approximation of everything Ultraman is: a Superman from another universe, and one who, while not “evil,” nonetheless wreaks havoc upon the world as the unwilling servant of Darkseid. Moreover, even the latest image of Ultraman released by Gunn (see above), looks like something pulled right out of Snyder’s Knightmare timeline. Additionally, Gunn’s DCU plans and the marketing material for Superman may have provided an answer for how Cavill’s Superman could get from the Knightmare timeline into the DCU.

How Knightmare Superman Could Appear In Gunn’s Superman Movie

One thing that has become increasingly clear about Gunn’s vision for the DCU is that the doorways of DC’s infinite multiverse are absolutely going to be in play. Peacemaker season 2 is set to dive right into that, with Gunn himself stating that the show will tackle the overlapping continuity elements and characters from the DCEU and DCU. Then there’s Superman‘s most recent trailers, which show a chasm being opened in the heart of Metropolis that appears to be some kind of interdimensional portal. These open plenty of doorways for DC characters from other worlds to make the jump into the DCU, and it might be Lex Luthor who is the culprit in bringing Ultraman into the Superman’s reality.

With Lex paying a visit to the Fortress of Solitude in Superman‘s trailers, one tool he might stumble across is a Phantom Zone port or some other kind of Kryptonian device that enables him to peer into alternate realities. Lex might deduce that his best shot at defeating Superman is to get another Superman, and Cavill’s Knightmare Superman would be especially appealing, since he’s already under mind control through the Anti-Life Equation. Lex might make the mistake of thinking he can leverage this to make Cavill’s Knightmare Superman his ally, perhaps by erroneously presenting himself as Darkseid’s ally. Of course, tampering with Kryptonian tech to create a Kryptonian henchman of his own would likely backfire on Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor as much as it did for Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex, and his creation of Doomsday, thereby making it a job for Superman to send Knightmare Superman back to his original timeline.

Even with a new DC cinematic future on the verge of beginning with James Gunn’s Superman, Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies and Henry Cavill’s Superman both cast long shadow over all things DC. If Ultraman indeed proves to be Henry Cavill behind the mask, not only would it be a masterful twist – there might be no more unexpectedly definitive testimony to the long-term impact of the Snyderverse than for the mind-controlled Superman of Snyder’s Knightmare timeline to become a force of nature in not one but two DC cinematic universes.

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are available to stream on HBO Max, and James Gunn’s Superman will be released in theaters on July 11th.

The post I Have The Wildest Theory About Ultraman In James Gunn’s Superman appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Two versions of Batman from the Dark Nights: Metal comic storyline are about to launch in a Collector Edition 2-pack from McFarlane Toys. The first is The Batman Who Laughs, the dark alternate Joker/Batman hybrid, this time in his Knight Armor from the issue Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (June 2020). His black armor includes spikes and a flowing cape, making him all that much more menacing. The second figure included is The Merciless, another version of The Batman, this time corrupted by the power of Ares’ helmet. His entire outfit is blood red, a harsh visual representing the violence and anger that Batman has fallen prey to.

If you want to add it to your collection, The Batman Who Laughs (Knight Armor) and The Merciless McFarlane Collector Edition 2-pack #4 will be available starting on July 2nd (most likely around 12pm ET) exclusively at Walmart and at GameStop. Direct links will be added after the launch, so stay tuned for updates. Read on for additional info.

The Batman Who Laughs (Knight Armor) and The Merciless McFarlane Collector Edition 2-pack / Launches July 2nd

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As you might have noticed, McFarlane Toys loves Batman. That’s no surprise though when you consider just how popular the Bat is and how many comic book storylines can be used as inspiration for new figures. Apparently he’s been in over 23,282 since his debut in Detective Comics #27. The Dark Knight will probably remain the most popular DC character for a while, especially in the comics, but what is the character’s current film destiny? Its still up in the air. 

As you know, the DCU is getting a reboot this year with James Gunn’s new Superman launching off the new DC Studios/DC Universe. What’s the fate of the Dark Knight? How long until he returns to the big screen? The last we saw of the Bat was in 2022’s The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as a relatively new-to-the-mask Batman. In 2024, the sequel to the hit film directed by Matt Reeves was delayed, apparently due to script development. Comicbook’s own David speculates that, “the timing [of the The Batman: Part II delay] suggests Warner Bros. Discovery might be orchestrating a strategic pause to evaluate the box office performance of Superman in July 2025 before committing to the future of Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe.” With Superman now coming to theaters in just a few weeks, the hype for the new universe is only increasing and the fate of Batman and The Batman: Part Two is drawing nearer.

Want to stay up to date with the latest Batman news and collectibles? Then keep an eye on our Gear Page!

The post New McFarlane Toys 2-Pack Includes Knight Armor Batman Who Laughs and The Merciless Figures appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Lex Luthor is one of the greatest villains in the entire DC universe. Part of what makes him such a fascinating villain is that, despite his arch-enemy Superman being one of the most powerful beings in DC Comics, Luthor himself lacks superpowers. Even so, he remains a significant threat. Luthor can contend with the Man of Steel by utilizing his intellect and deadly arsenal. Many of Luthor’s weapons, including the war suit, have allowed him to fight Superman on a near-equal footing. Despite this fact, Luthor is still a bitter and jealous man who envies Superman’s natural gifts and wants them for himself. In numerous attempts to surpass Superman, Luthor has utilized his scientific mind to develop means to grant himself the superhuman abilities he craves.

There have been several times when Lex Luthor has gained superpowers, however, whether by creating them himself or by stealing them from others. Whatever the method may be, Luthor will always use them in his never-ending quest to destroy Superman and the ideology he stands for.

1) Taking the Everyman Serum

Through Luthor’s Everyman Project, anyone had the chance to get superpowers and become a hero. Ironically, however, Lex’s genes were not compatible with the project. Such a setback didn’t stop Luthor from taking the serum anyway, giving him superhuman strength, speed, heat-vision, and more. Luthor used these newfound powers to try to kill Steel and his niece Natasha. To stop his rampage, Natasha was able to reverse the effects of the Everyman serum, leaving him as powerless as he was before. By taking his powers away, Natasha inadvertently saved Luthor’s life, as the serum’s incompatibility would have killed him within six months. By trying to make himself all-powerful, Luthor nearly got himself killed.

2) Becoming the God of Apokolips

During the Darkseid War, Luthor joined the Justice League and was teleported to the New God’s home world, Apokolips. After being stranded on the hellish planet, Luthor was found by a group called the Forgotten People, who mistook him for the prophesied savior of Apokolips, Superman. Luthor lies and says that he is the hero that they were looking for. After Darkseid’s death, the Forever People channeled the omega effect into Luthor, turning him into the new God of Apokolips. This form granted Luthor all the powers of Darkseid, including immense strength, Omega Beams, and control over all Parademons. At first, he used this newfound power to try to kill Superman, but he soon turned his focus to fighting Darkseid’s killer: the Anti-Monitor. In the end, Darkseid’s daughter used the power-stealing abilities of Earth 3’s Superwoman to drain Luthor of the omega effect.

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3) Becoming a Martian/Human Hybrid

When Martian Manhunter was a child, the government abducted him, only for a young Lex to set him free. Hoping to end the conflict between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom, J’onn tried extending an olive branch of friendship to the man who once showed him kindness. Any compassion in Luthor had long since died, as he used the moment of vulnerability to spring a trap that let him absorb the Martian into his own body. With all Martian Manhunter’s powers, including super strength, shapeshifting, regeneration, heat-vision, and more, Luthor became the Apex Predator. Luthor would serve the ancient goddess Perpetua in her conquest of the Multiverse until she double-crossed him and stripped him of his power. In a fitting act of karma, the chronic backstabber was betrayed and left as a broken husk in a ruined world.

4) Taking Superman’s Powers for Himself

As part of one of the greatest Superman stories ever told, Luthor finally got the chance to see the world the way his nemesis sees it. In All-Star Superman, Luthor makes a formula that grants him the same power set as the Man of Steel for 24 hours. With this power, he defeats Superman and plans to take over the United States. Then, suddenly, using Superman’s microscopic and X-ray vision, Luthor sees the building blocks of existence, giving him a moment of clarity in understanding how we and the universe are all connected. Luthor’s revelation would be short-lived, however, as Superman uses a gravity gun to speed up the villain’s 24 hours, turning him back into a regular human. And while he claimed that he could have saved the world with this knowledge, Superman knew that if it really mattered to Luthor, he could have saved it years ago.

5) Acquiring Infinite Power

Even when Luthor becomes a god, his human flaws will always be his undoing. By fusing with an all-powerful being within the Phantom Zone known as the Zone Child, Luthor had finally obtained infinite power. With his newfound omnipotence, Luthor sought to finally destroy Superman once and for all. However, the Zone Child made there be one catch to Luthor’s power: he couldn’t use it to harm anyone. And since Luthor had tried to kill Superman, all the cosmic power within him was drained. Even as he felt the power leave his body, the villain still tried desperately to kill Superman, only to be knocked out with a single punch. By giving in to hate once again, Luthor lost the very godhood that he spent his whole life chasing.

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James Gunn has officially confirmed that a DCU projects that appears to have gone cold (at least on the news front) is still happening. The new head of DC’s screen empire has been very clear that projects will only move ahead when certain obligations are fulfilled (like a viable script), rather than too many adaptations being hastily announced to build hype. But even when things go quiet, that doesn’t mean there’s no progress or that the projects are canceled.

Gunn has now confirmed that the Waller television series is still in active development for the DC Universe, using the social media platform Threads to personally shut down persistent rumors that the project had been canceled or reworked. The Waller series was first announced as part of the initial DCU slate reveal in January 2023, with Viola Davis set to reprise her role and writers Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol) attached. While details on Waller are still vague, the DC Studios co-CEO provided the first concrete update on the Viola Davis-led series in several months, reassuring fans that Amanda Waller’s story remains a part of the DCU’s future.

When a fan asked Gunn if rumors about “the Waller show being reworked into a Checkmate show” were false, Gunn offered an unambiguous one-word reply, “Yes”. To ensure there was no misunderstanding, another fan pressed for more clarity, asking, “So Waller is still in development?”, to which Gunn again replied with a simple and definitive, “Yes”. This interaction was necessary to counter the pessimistic narrative that had formed around the project, especially after Gunn himself acknowledged at a DC Studios press event in February 2025 that Waller had encountered “a couple of… setbacks, frankly”.

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Waller was originally conceived as a direct spinoff from the first season of Peacemaker, intended to explore the immediate fallout of Amanda Waller’s daughter, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), publicly exposing the existence of Task Force X. However, the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes caused a major halt in production, and the resulting delays forced significant rewrites as the new DCU timeline evolved, rendering that original premise obsolete and leaving the show’s future in limbo until this new confirmation.

Peacemaker Season 2 Establishes a New Order at ARGUS

The upcoming second season of Peacemaker, scheduled to premiere in August 2025, is set to introduce a radically different status quo for the DCU’s clandestine operations, confirming Amanda Waller has been deposed from her position of power. Taking place after a significant time jump of “a couple of years,” the new Peacemaker season will establish Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) as the new head of ARGUS. As the trailers revealed, Flag Sr. is actively using the full resources of the government agency to hunt down Christopher Smith (John Cena) to seek revenge for the death of his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), who was killed by Peacemaker during the events of The Suicide Squad.

Beyond the conflict with ARGUS, Peacemaker Season 2 is also set to wildly expand its lore by embracing high-concept science fiction and multiversal chaos. A key element of this is the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, an apparatus that will seemingly allow the characters to access alternate realities. The first look at these other dimensions has revealed a different version of Peacemaker who sports a jetpack and an inverted dove symbol in an alternate reality where his brother, Keith, is still alive and works alongside him as an armored operative. This dimensional-hopping storyline will also introduce a new version of the White Dragon (Robert Patrick), Peacemaker’s villainous father, who is seen wearing a distinct blue suit of armor. These bizarre new elements, coupled with the introduction of other new characters like Michael Rooker’s Red St. Wild and a mysterious four-eyed gray alien, promise a season that will be both a gritty manhunt and a wildly unpredictable sci-fi adventure.

Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on August 21st.

What do you want to see in Amanda Waller’s solo series? Let us know in the comments.

The post James Gunn Confirms a Seemingly Forgotten DC Universe Project Is Still Happening appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Milly Alcock, the actress set to become the DC Universe’s new Girl of Steel, is at the center of a massive streaming phenomenon, as her new Netflix series Sirens has officially become the most-watched show in streaming. According to the latest Nielsen data for the week of May 26 to June 1, the five-episode limited series amassed a staggering 1.5 billion minutes viewed, decisively claiming the top spot. The achievement is a monumental indicator of the show’s breakout success, as it not only topped the charts but did so as a brand-new property with no existing IP to boost its profile. This meteoric rise establishes the dark comedy as a true cultural event and cements Alcock’s star power ahead of her highly anticipated superhero debut in Supergirl.

The scale of Sirens’ streaming dominance becomes even clearer when compared to its competition. The Netflix series completely dwarfed the second-place finisher, the sitcom titan The Big Bang Theory, which registered 905 million minutes watched. That gap is made more impressive by Nielsen’s methodology, which calculates total viewing time across all available episodes of a series. For Sirens, with only five episodes, to outperform a show with a 281-episode catalog and a huge fanbase demonstrates an extraordinary level of engagement from a massive audience. The show also handily beat out other high-profile series, including Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which landed in third place with 900 million minutes viewed even though it aired its Season 6 finale on May 27.

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Furthermore, the timing of the Nielsen window highlights Sirens‘ powerful word-of-mouth appeal. Sirens was released on May 22, meaning its record-breaking performance occurred in its second week of availability. This pattern deviates from the typical binge-model trajectory, where a show’s viewership peaks during its opening weekend and then declines. For Sirens to not only sustain but build such massive numbers well after its launch suggests that an initial wave of viewers quickly turned into a vocal army of advocates, driving a continuous surge of new audiences to the show after its debut. This kind of organic growth is the gold standard for a new series, proving it has captured the public’s attention in a major way.

Milly Alcock’s Star Power on Full Display Ahead of DCU Debut

Milly Alcock’s record-breaking series, Sirens, was created by Molly Smith Metzler and is based on her play Elemeno Pea. The five-episode limited series, which also stars Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy, is a dark comedy thriller that centers on Devon (Fahy), a woman who becomes worried about the intense relationship between her sister Simone (Alcock) and Simone’s billionaire boss, Michaela (Moore). The plot unfolds during a weekend intervention at a lavish beach estate, exploring themes of class dynamics, sisterhood, and co-dependency.

Following her role in Sirens, Alcock will star as Kara Zor-El in DC Studios’ Supergirl. The film is a major installment in the new DC Universe and is based on the acclaimed 8-issue comic book series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely. James Gunn has described this cinematic version of Supergirl as a more “hardcore” hero, shaped by a vastly different upbringing than her cousin, Superman. In this continuity, Kara was raised on a floating fragment of Krypton, where she witnessed the death of everyone around her for years before arriving on Earth. The movie is being directed by Craig Gillespie, known for his work on I, Tonya and Cruella. The announced cast also includes Matthias Schoenaerts as the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, David Krumholtz as Supergirl’s father Zor-El, Emily Beecham as her mother Alura In-Ze, and Jason Momoa as the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo.

Supergirl is scheduled to fly into theaters on June 26, 2026. Sirens is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Are you surprised by Sirens’ massive streaming success, and are you more excited for Milly Alcock’s take on Supergirl now? Let us know in the comments.

The post Supergirl Star’s New Netflix Show Is the Biggest Thing in Streaming appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Absolute Superman is one of DC’s best ongoing books right now, and it’s super easy to see why. The series follows Superman as he is chased across the Earth by enemies and potential allies alike, almost all of them wanting to use Superman to further their own goals, while he is just looking for a place to belong and a way to help people. The new origin has massively reinvented the character of the Man of Steel, but despite how radically different his circumstances and background are from his main universe version, he’s never acted more like himself. Superman has changed a lot as a character over the years, evolving with the world around him, and yet somehow Absolute Superman manages to roll each and every version of him from across the decades into one beautiful package.

Superman’s Changed a Lot

When Superman was first introduced, he wasn’t fighting living blackholes or pulling planets away from dying stars. Instead, he fought injustices that existed in the real world. Superman’s first ever story saw him solving a murder to save a woman who was wrongfully accused, and dropping the real perpetrator outside the governor’s house with a signed confession. His first ever epithet was Champion of the Oppressed, and he fought for the rights and safety of the disenfranchised everywhere. Of course, as he defined what the superhero genre was he also got into more classic adventures, like dealing with mad scientists and alien bugs.

By the time Superman became popular countrywide and World War II raged at its worst, Superman became a symbol to inspire the American public. Post WWII, that connection between Superman and the American Way stuck, and Superman shifted from being a force to fight against the system to being the system itself. While he still ostensibly fought for the people, this was a time period where he moved away from fighting to change the world to beating villains to restore the status quo. However, it’s also undeniable that during this time Superman was written as a bit of a jerk. He was far more self-centered and pulled some legitimately cruel pranks on those he was supposed to be close with, occasionally straight up bullying them. A lot of these stories are definitely products of their times. He would grow out of that attitude into the 1960s on. Also importantly, a large part of this interpretation of Superman was that Clark Kent was an act he put on to keep his true identity secret, which leads into the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era. 

[RELATED: Absolute Superman Introduces Kryptonite & Sets Up Kal-El’s Darkest Defeat]

The modern version of Superman was born following DC’s first multiversal rewrite and laid the groundwork for how he is portrayed today. Now, Superman and Clark Kent are both somewhat exaggerations of who he is, but Clark is the heart of his character. Superman is also the kindest person to ever live, the living embodiment of a better tomorrow here today. He is the man who will always find a way and will never stop believing. As much as Superman has changed over the years, that dedication to fight for the people who need help has always remained consistent.

Absolute Superman Is Everything

Absolute Superman is first and foremost a character who is trying to fight social injustice to save the oppressed. He is the son of farmers who were kicked to the bottom dregs of society because they dared to speak out against the corrupt regime that ruled Krypton, who fought to save as many people as they could when they learned the elites were planning to leave everyone else to die on the exploding planet. Since arriving on Earth, he has done everything in his power to save people from the same elite-run type of society that ended Krypton. And in becoming the champion of the oppressed, Superman constantly comes into direct confrontation with supervillains like Ra’s al Ghul and Metallo. The supervillains and societal injustices have been formed into one entity for Superman to fight.

Along with that, Superman’s true identity is both as the hero Superman and the person underneath. Superman is all that he is, as he never was Clark Kent and has chosen to throw away his Kryptonian name Kal-El, yet his mission as Superman is still so clearly driven out of the heart of the man beneath the S-crest. Another way that the versions meld perfectly in these pages is in how Superman’s powers are portrayed. Similar to his original appearances, he is much weaker than the usual versions of Superman, and yet like today he is powered by the sun and objectively the strongest being on the planet.

Of course, the best way that the different eras of Superman come together into the Absolute one is in how he acts. Superman fights for the disenfranchised because he so deeply cares about them, as he always has, but he also is a bastion of undying hope, even as the world continuously tries to beat it out of him. He is angry and disgusted with the world, like his mid-history self and more cynical versions, but he never lets hatred take him over, and he fights so hard to stop himself from going too far. Superman is fighting to find a way to save everyone, even his enemies, but he’s afraid that he won’t be able to. He might not even believe it’s possible, but he’s still trying. What version of Superman wouldn’t?

Superman has changed a lot over his nearly ninety years of existence. And yet through them all, he has always been a hero trying to make the world a better place. How he’s done that has varied based on time and place, but he never gives up on that mission, even when it seems hopeless, even when everyone tells him it can’t be done. Superman is the man who does the impossible and saves everyone, and Absolute Superman is going to do his darndest to embody that hope for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.

The post Absolute Superman Is the Most Complete Version of the Hero Yet appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Everyone loves a good villain — especially in a story like Batman, where the struggle between good and evil is deeply woven into the narrative’s DNA. But Batman has a villain problem. After nearly three decades of setting the standard for true deviancy, malice, and pure nastiness, many of his adversaries just aren’t that interesting anymore. They’ve become predictable. Unlike in earlier eras, it’s now relatively easy for fans to guess who Batman will be facing in any given title or series. While the Dark Knight’s rogues’ gallery remains one of the most extensive in comics, modern Batman stories tend to rely on the usual suspects. Indeed, the Joker might be the world’s most iconic villain, but there’s only so many times you can read a Joker story before his “schtick” starts to feel stale.

More important than repeat villains, however, is the “villain vibe.” As antagonists become more complicated and complex — often the result of authors injecting their evilness with a healthy dose of sympathetic vulnerability — the once cool, dark, and gritty villain has lost much of their appeal. Rather than wanting to hate the villain (an emotion all good villains can evoke), readers more often find themselves rooting for them, or at least hoping they don’t suffer too much. Indeed, villains are even, at times, more relatable than Batman himself. Who wouldn’t feel for Selina Kyle’s Catwoman, just trying to survive in an unforgiving world, over Batman’s privileged take on why criminals are bad? Fortunately, there’s a solution to Batman’s villain problem — and it’s not that difficult to achieve.

The Older Era Batman Was Way More Fun

Before Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns made “grit is good” a cornerstone of Batman storytelling, the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery was not only vast but also genuinely interesting in ways that rarely felt redundant, keeping the narrative consistently fresh. Of course, the earlier eras of Batman lore — particularly the Golden and Silver Ages— are often criticized for their over-the-top campiness. While that critique holds some truth, the campy tone was only one aspect of the creative palette. These stories also included elements of the “gloom and doom” that now define the modern era, as well as touches of science fiction, historical themes, and — most importantly — the bread and butter of the Batman mythos: detective work.

[ RELATED: 5 Batman Villains I’m Still Waiting to See in the Movies ]

Ultimately, the variety of those early years contributed to a more compelling Batman narrative. In other words, the Golden and Silver Age Batman comics were far more entertaining, with villains who were significantly more engaging than many of today’s iterations. As a result, Bruce Wayne —Batman— wasn’t always the grim, angst-ridden figure we often see now. While there were periods when he did embody that persona, outside of those, Batman could be inquisitive, thoughtful, humorous, and even humble. Much of that depth was shaped by the villains he faced and the nature of the crimes he sought to solve.

One of the best examples of this can be found in Batman (1940) #47. The story follows Batman as he tracks down Joe Chill, the alleged leader of a large smuggling operation, whom Batman recognizes as the same person who murdered his parents years ago, setting him on his path to become the Dark Knight. To get close to Chill, Batman goes undercover as a truck driver, aiming to verify if he’s indeed the man responsible for his parents’ death and the smuggling scheme.

Instead of resorting to violence, Batman reveals his true identity as Bruce Wayne and confronts Chill, highlighting how Chill’s actions led to his transformation into Batman. Batman lets Chill’s own guilt and fear consume him, all without resorting to violence or lifting a finger. It’s a powerful moment that marks the significant difference between the more humble Batman of the prior era and the recklessly impulsive Batman we often see today.

Batman Needs A Balance of Light and Dark

This is not to say that the more serious villains of today need to be retired, nor that the more absurd villains of yesteryear should make a comeback. Indeed, no one’s looking for the Ten-Eye Man or the Penny Plunderer to return to active criminal duty. However, what should be brought back is imaginative variety, with heroes that are complex and flawed standing alongside those who are simply evil, full stop. That is, there needs to be villains who provide unique, often bizarre, challenges, as well as those who are reflections of profound psychological torment.

This is how it was done in the Batman stories of the Golden and Silver Ages. Indeed, those stories worked because the villains were entertaining first and complex second. Today’s stories often reverse that approach, leading to richer character studies but sometimes sacrificing the pure, dynamic hero-villain clashes that made the early comics so enduring.

The post Have Batman Villains Gotten Boring? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Sandman Season 2 is going to be grim in many ways, but at least there’s one wedding to look forward to. A new sneak peek clip of the Netflix original series takes us to Orpheus’s (Ruari O’Connor) wedding, and Dream (Tom Sturridge) is there to celebrate, going by the name Morpheus. His Endless siblings are there as well, and even they can’t seem to dampen the mood, despite their best efforts. Orpheus is the son of Dream and the Muse Calliope, both of whom we met at the end of Season 1. Now, the series is going backward in time to the day Orpheus married Eurydice (Ella Rumpf). The Sandman Season 2 premieres on Thursday, July 3rd.

The Sandman is going back to ancient Greece this season, complete with period-accurate names for each of the Endless as they celebrate their nephew’s wedding. Orpheus is a real figure from Greek mythology, and the story of his wedding to Euridyce here is loosely based on those myths. That means viewers likely won’t be surprised when this story gets grim.

Netflix has released the episode titles for The Sandman Season 2, which means we may be able to guess which episode this scene comes from. Episode 5 is titled “The Song of Orpheus,” but that may be the end of this tale, not the beginning. Episode 4 is titled “Brief Lives,” which is also the title of the Sandman comic book arc in which Dream and Orpheus meet up for the first time in many years.

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This scene will play nicely into showrunner Allan Heinberg’s plan for The Sandman Season 2. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month, Heinberg said that he had always envisioned the TV show as “a family drama above all,” intending to minimize the comic’s meandering storylines and focus mostly on Dream and his relationships with his siblings and others. “There are some volumes where [Dream] just appears in two scenes,” he pointed out. Seeing how all of the Endless treat Dream’s son is a great way to gauge their dynamics.

The Sandman Season 2 kicks off with six episodes premiering on July 3rd on Netflix. The main series concludes on July 24th with five more episodes, and a final bonus episode premieres on July 31st. Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix, and the original comics are available in print and digital formats, as well as an audio dramatization available on Audible.

The post The Sandman Season 2 Sneak Peek Reveals a Major Wedding in the Endless Family appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Justice League formed for the first time in 1960, and in the last 65 years, they have broken up several times for different reasons. The first teaming of the Justice League occurred in The Brave and the Bold #28 when Earth needed powerful heroes to team up to battle an alien threat known as Starro. After two more appearances in that series, DC gave the team its own title. This original lineup included Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, Aquaman, and Superman, and these heroes became the backbone of the Justice League throughout its run. However, countless DC heroes joined the team in the next six-plus decades.

The Justice League broke up when they stopped getting along. The team split up when different members believed in going in different directions. They also broke up during times of peace when they wanted a break, and even when they fell in terrible defeat and felt they no longer made a difference. However, some of the Justice League breakups are better written than others.

8) Justice League America #113 (1996)

After Superman showed up and took back control of the Justice League from Maxwell Lord, things didn’t go well. There were several spinoff groups, including Justice League Europe, Justice League Task Force, and Extreme Justice, none of which was what the JLA was supposed to represent. This was the 90s, when more extreme comics were becoming popular, but for a team like the Justice League, it just didn’t work. In Justice League America #113, it all finally came to an end.

When this issue started, the main Justice League team was off-planet and in great danger from the alien villain, Flicker. By this time, the team featured mostly B-level members like Blue Devil, Fire, Nuklon, Power Girl, and Metamorpho. They did have Wonder Woman on the team, but she was the only original member remaining. However, the reasons for the team breaking up after this were personal. After this long battle, they decided they needed to take time off to deal with their personal lives. However, this was done behind the scenes so DC Comics could bring back the team with the A-list members after almost a decade of lesser names serving the League.

7) Justice League of America Annual #2 (1984)

The first time the Justice League ever broke up occurred in Justice League of America Annual #2 in 1984. Impressively, this was 24 years after the team formed, and, before this, it was just members leaving and new ones joining. By this point, Aquaman was the only original member left. The team had just suffered a great loss during a war between Earth and Mars, and the Justice League’s headquarters suffered tremendous damage. By this time, Aquaman felt the team was no longer effective in its current form.

Not everyone was happy, and Firestorm was especially angry that Aquaman was firing everybody. Aquaman made a great point. He said the Justice League has to be a team that gives 100% or it can’t exist, and even Firestorm’s other half made him realize they couldn’t promise that. However, that is where this Justice League breakup falls short: it lasted for less than two pages.

Zatanna and Elongated Man (along with his wife, Sue Dibny) agreed to give 100% to the new team, and when Martian Manhunter showed up and asked to join, the new Justice League was formed. Thanks to Steel (Henry “Hank” Heywood III) offering them a base in Detroit, they became known as Justice League Detroit, with Vixen, Vibe, and Gypsy as new members. Sadly, this was one of the most disappointing versions of the Justice League, so this breakup didn’t lead to anything positive.

6) Justice League of America #261 (1987)

In 1987, the Justice League Detroit team came to an end. Unlike the previous Justice League breakup, which was caused by Aquaman feeling the heroes weren’t giving their 100%, this breakup happened for a more dire reason. The public had begun turning on superheroes and no longer trusted even the Justice League. This was the Legends event series, where Darkseid bet the Phantom Stranger that he could turn humanity against its heroes.

What led to this specific breakup was even more tragic. Professor Ivo showed up and targeted the team, and his androids killed Vibe and Steel. There was no public announcement this time. Instead, Martian Manhunter declared the League dead and went after the people responsible, seeking revenge. By the end, Vixen also quit, and Manhunter decided the League needed to continue, but in a different manner, without him. This would lead to Justice League International, one of the team’s most popular lineups.

5) Justice League of America #31 (2009)

This Justice League breakup came thanks to tragedy: Martian Manhunter died. Then, during Identity Crisis, Batman died (more accurately, he was time-displaced, but the League thought he was dead.) Black Canary became the leader, but no one had faith in her, not even her husband, Green Arrow. As a result, Green Lantern (Hal) started his own splinter team and ignored Canary when she forbade him to do so.

After this, Black Canary saw her team falling apart. Roy Harper (Arsenal) quit the team. Green Arrow wanted nothing to do with being on it. Flash left, saying he needed to dedicate more time to his family and the Titans. Wonder Woman and Superman both quit due to other obligations. All Dinah had left was a team with only John Stewart and Zatanna as the A-list members, so she did what she felt was best. She broke up the Justice League.

This resulted in Hal leading his splinter team, which was a lot more violent. There was also a smaller team trying to keep it together, with Zatanna, John Stewart, Vixen, Doctor Light, and Firestorm. They chose to serve without a chairperson and just work as a team, although they didn’t make it very long.

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Justice League Teams, Ranked

4) Justice League America #60 (1992)

One of the best iterations of the Justice League in history ran from 1987 to 1992 with Justice League International. This era was so popular that it is what James Gunn is reportedly basing his Justice Gang after in the new DCU. The main lineup made this a little more comedic. While Martian Manhunter was the leader, it included misfit members like Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold. Created by Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis, it all finally ended in 1992 when the team chose to split up.

This breakup came thanks to several dominoes falling into place. The team’s benefactor, Maxwell Lord, disappeared after he was possessed by Dreamslayer and caused the team to become villains for a short time. The Silver Sorceress sacrificed herself to defeat Dreamslayer, and the damage was done. The United Nations withdrew its support of the team, and Martian Manhunter took a leave of absence. Without Manhunter, the rest of the team fell apart.

By the end of the team’s run, Maxwell Lord returned and said he would restart the Justice League in a new form. However, this was a time of turmoil with rival Justice League groups. Superman refused to allow Maxwell Lord to run the team and started his own version. Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, and Blue Beetle all joined Superman’s team, as did a newcomer called Bloodwynd (Martian Manhunter). Other Justice League spinoff teams arrived, but DC canceled those comics after oversaturating the market with the team name.

3) Justice League of America #60 (2011)

This Justice League breakup happened right before the company-wide reboot with the New 52. The team had several roster changes from 2009 to 2011, all ending in Justice League of America #60. The membership here was a mishmash of heroes, with Dick Grayson’s Batman leading the team. As with many Justice League breakups, it all started with some members deciding they wanted something different.

Supergirl announced her departure, and then Donna Troy also said she planned to leave. Jessie Quick was pregnant and said she had to leave, and then Jade also announced her departure. Finally, Batman said he was leaving too, and finally, everyone announced they were out, ending the Justice League just in time for the New 52 to reboot everything. What was perfect was that it was the most peaceful and understanding breakup in Justice League history.

2) Justice League #75 (2022)

The last time the Justice League broke up, it was in a story titled “Death of the Justice League” in 2022. This Justice League formed starting in the New 52 and didn’t break up again until this moment, where they fought the Dark Army before the Dark Crisis event. The entire Justice League, other than Black Adam, were seemingly killed by Pariah in this issue, and the team didn’t reunite when the event was over and the heroes were back.

Instead, this event led to a new team of main heroes in the DC Universe, with the Titans replacing the Justice League as Earth’s greatest heroes. This included Nightwing, Jon Kent, Wally West’s Flash, and more. There was a form of the Justice League that fought in Dark Crisis, but when the event ended, Batman said that there would no longer be a need for that team in the world.

This is one instance where a massive defeat is what ended DC’s greatest team of heroes. It is also the start of something new in DC. While the Titans are still the comic book line’s main hero team, this new era of DC involves team-ups only when they are needed, but no need for an actual Justice League anymore.

1) JLA #120 (2005)

In 2005, Aquaman broke up the Justice League for the second time. However, this time he wasn’t the only veteran because Batman, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and more were there for this splintering. That said, the breakup was caused by a lack of trust between the team’s members, which all broke down originally with Identity Crisis when Batman learned his teammates had wiped his mind to cover up a dark secret.

Batman trusted no one and admitted that this much power on one team could corrupt everyone. In the end, no one trusted Batman either. Green Arrow even accused Batman of destroying the Watchtower to break up the Justice League. By the time the meeting ended, everyone laid out their distrust, and the Justice League broke up with no one on the same page anymore.

What resulted was Aquaman and John Stewart starting a new covert Justice League in its place to watch each other’s backs and keep an eye on Batman. At the same time, Batman made it clear he was going to watch the League members as well, and this started a rough patch where none of DC’s heroes really trusted each other.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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There’s no denying that the Joker is one of the most iconic comic book villains of all time. The arch-nemesis of Batman has become one of the most popular and consistently adapted villains in pop culture, making him incredibly well-represented among the ranks of comic book characters. Unlike many other characters, the Joker has consistently remained an integral figure in various DC universes and continuities, further evidencing his importance within the wider world of comic book adaptations. This has seen the Joker become one of the best movie villains of all time, with each new iteration of the character adding something to the ever-growing mythos surrounding him.

With each new version of the Joker, there comes a whole new layer to the character. Each independent adaptation seeks to explore another facet of the villain, with stylistic variety often playing a major role. This has seen some live-action versions of the Joker fare far better than others, with only the very best becoming a respected part of the villain’s history.

10) Nathan Dashwood 

Airing on The CW, Batwoman proved to be a popular but relatively short-lived part of the expansive continuity of the Arrowverse. It put a unique spin on the stories that ypically involve Gotham by focusing not on its most famous hero, Batman, but his successor, Kate Kane, who becomes the eponymous Batwoman in his absence. The majority of the show’s Batman-related stories and characters – including the Joker – were in Batwoman’s past, but the villain was shown very briefly in a flashback scene.

The scene in question doesn’t clearly show the Joker, as it’s told from the perspective of one of his victims, but Nathan Dashwood played the role in the flashback. As he’s not properly shown and doesn’t personally play a particularly important role in the show, it’s not an entertaining or even an interesting use of the character. That sadly makes Dashwood’s Joker the worst live-action iteration of the villain, if only because he doesn’t have a chance to do anything to set him apart from other versions of the character.

9) Roger Stoneburner/Mark Hamill

Another short-lived show focused on the adventures of some of the female characters of the Batman mythos was 2002’s Birds of Prey. The show followed Oracle, Huntress, and Black Canary as they team up to protect Gotham after Batman leaves the city behind. It aired for only 13 episodes over a single season, meaning it didn’t have much time to adapt other figures from the DC Universe. However, it did briefly feature a cameo from the Joker.

Birds of Prey‘s pilot episode includes the villain as part of Oracle’s origin story: loosely following the narrative of The Killing Joke, the Joker is shown shooting Barbara Gordon in the spine, ending her career as Batgirl. His brief appearance saw him played physically by Roger Stoneburner, whose performance was unremarkable. However, the only thing that makes Birds of Prey’s Joker more noteworthy was Mark Hamill’s vocal performance. Reprising his role as the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill’s inclusion is enough to give even Birds of Prey‘s uninspired Joker a little more substance.

8) Curtis Armstrong 

Though this version of the Joker has been forgotten by most and dismissed by many others, it is an adaptation of the villain that made it into live-action. As part of a series of commercials for OnStar in-vehicle security, several Batman characters were adapted, including the Joker. This version of the villain was played by Curtis Armstrong, best known for his role as Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds franchise or from his extensive body of work as a character actor.

Despite not featuring in a more traditional form of major release, Curtis Armstrong’s Joker was surprisingly good. The use of a comic-accurate design was a nice touch, as was showing the villain in direct conflict with Batman. Armstrong’s very brief tenure in the role was unexpectedly impressive, honoring the source material and also delivering an iteration of the Joker that was far better than it needed to be for the purposes of a simple commercial.

7) Jared Leto 

The movies of the DCEU proved to be largely divisive, and the same can be said of many of the franchise’s characters. Though the live-action continuity ultimately came to a disappointing end, it was able to introduce several important DC characters, including the Joker, to its ranks. Unfortunately, Jared Leto’s version of the villain was not up to scratch, leaving many fans feeling disappointed with many aspects of the character.

Considering the scope of the DCEU, hopes were high for Leto’s version of the villain, but his Joker did not impress. Leto’s Joker felt as though it leaned more into a gimmick than it seemed to be a dangerous persona, making the DCEU’s take on the character feel cheap and lacking in substance. Combined with limited screen time and unnecessary shock-inducing explicit dialogue, Leto’s Joker stands out as one of the worst attempts to fully adapt the villain into live-action.

6) Barry Keoghan 

2022 saw Matt Reeves introduce a whole new take on Gotham to the big screen in The Batman. After featuring several prominent DC characters, the movie’s final shocking reveal was that Barry Keoghan was The Batman‘s Joker, establishing the character’s existence in the continuity and teasing his future in the franchise. However, he’s not really shown as much as he is heard, and even the deleted scene that featured Keoghan’s Joker more heavily gave very little away about him.

What makes Keoghan’s Joker interesting is the mystery surrounding him. It has been loosely established that he has prior experience of Batman by the time The Batman‘s story unfolds, but little else has been revealed about Keoghan’s version of the character. Until the character is fully introduced and better explore, the mystery surrounding him will have to suffice to make him an interesting and exciting take on the beloved Batman villain.

5) Cameron Monaghan

Though Gotham is far from the most popular adaptation of the Batman mythos, it did boast an innovative take on several of its characters. The DC TV series following the career of a young James Gordon saw many supporting Batman characters and villains adapted to the small screen, including the Joker, after a fashion. Appearing as both Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, Cameron Monaghan took on the role intended as a representation of Batman’s most iconic villain.

Though neither of the Valeska twins are specifically named as the Joker during Gotham’s run, it was always clear that the characters were intended to draw from the character. By splitting the villain into two distinct characters, Gotham allowed Monaghan’s performance to explore different sides of the villain’s pysche. Divisive though the idea might have been, Cameron Monaghan proved up to the task, and delivered an insighftul and electrifying performance in the dual role.

4) Joaquin Phoenix

Were it not for the poor reviews of Joker: Folie À Deux, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance might be better considered in comparison to other live-action Jokers. Phoenix first took on the role for 2019’s Joker, bagging himself an Oscar for his nuanced portrayal of Arthur Fleck in an origin story for the titular villain. However, reprising the role for its musical sequel in 2024 turned out to be a poor choice, as the movie failed to impress critics and audiences.

Nonetheless, Phoenix’s performance as the Joker has many excellent moments. The portrayal of the Joker as a man living with severe mental illness proved an insightful and challenging examination of the character, taking a surprisingly thoughtful approach to the iconic villain. Phoenix brings a poetic physicality to the role that is offset by his unpredictably violent nature, making his version of the character an explosive and hugely entertaining adaptation.

3) Cesar Romero

As the first true live-action Joker, Cesar Romero holds a special place in the hearts of many. Appearing in the role in the 1966 Batman movie and the TV series of the same name, Romero’s tenure in the role speaks for itself. Despite many decades passing since he last featured as the Joker, Romero’s performance has continued to define the character in many ways, making it an influential and timeless iteration of the villain.

Romero’s Joker is perfect for the movies and TV show he appears in. He fits the tone exceptionally well, bringing the character to life with a wacky brand of villainy that makes use of the Joker’s clown-like tendencies and often humorous pursuits. Regardless of the more light-hearted tone, Romero is able to make his Joker a true villain, balancing his performance between the source material and the family-friendly nature of his appearances.

2) Jack Nicholson 

Tim Burton’s 1989 movie Batman was a seminal film in the superhero genre, and its influential nature extends to its version of the Joker. The movie established an origin story for the villain, with Jack Nicholson brought in to deliver the complex blend of comedy, tragedy, and outright evil necessary to adequately bring the character of the Joker to life. Nicholson’s performance did just that, making his Joker a reference point against which the character was measured for many years afterward.

Nicholson’s Joker is a dark, calculating figure whose exposure to chemicals causes a clown-like appearance and comedy-based approach to his criminal pursuits. In other words, he perfectly fits the traditional characterization of the Joker, including his use of various joke-based gadgets and visual gags. Perhaps the most comic-accurate version of the villain ever to grace the screen, Jack Nicholson’s Joker remains one of the best of all time.

1) Heath Ledger 

As well as featuring many great quotes, The Dark Knight trilogy also featured some excellent reimaginings of Batman villains. Among the entirety of the celebrated trilogy’s characters, none stand out as obviously as the Joker, played in 2008’s The Dark Knight by the late Heath Ledger. Praised as one of the finest movie villain performances of all time, Ledger’s Joker is truly exceptional in a number of ways, making him the best iteration of the character in live-action.

Ledger’s performance as the Joker is electric and hypnotic throughout, with his dark charisma only lightly overshadowed by his terrifying volatility and surprisingly clever nature. The triumph is both in Ledger’s exceptional performance and the creative vision required to reimagine the Joker so thoroughly. The Dark Knight‘s version of the villain completely redefined the Joker in the modern era, making him a dark and dangerous villain and focusing far less on gimmicks. As such, Ledger’s Joker is simply the best version of the character as yet adapted into live-action.

The post Every Live-Action Version Of The Joker, Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There’s not a ton of room for writers to take creative liberties when it comes to handling comic book-based material. There are decades worth of expectations behind every character, which can be helpful in some regards and challenging in others. The Arrowverse walked to the beat of its own drum, though, changing whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. Its first big decision was to make Arrow‘s Oliver Queen more like Batman than his comic book counterpart, turning him into a vengeful vigilante who had no qualms about hurting people. Arrow also introduced Oliver’s team, which included an original character that certainly made an impact.

In Arrow‘s first couple of episodes, Oliver meets John Diggle, his driver and bodyguard. Their relationship starts off rocky because Oliver prefers to work alone, but they grow closer as the seasons go on. Diggle becomes so important by the end of the Arrowverse that he deserves another shot in live-action.

John Diggle Makes the Most of His Opportunity in the Arrowverse

Being a military man, Diggle understands Oliver’s quest to make Star City better. He starts lending a hand here and there, covering for his boss when he disappears and offering advice. The Arrow villains get tougher and tougher, though, so Diggle starts being active in the field. He also uses his connections with A.R.G.U.S. to bring the Suicide Squad into the fold, which pays off when Deathstroke has the city bending to his will in Season 2. Unfortunately, it’s not all smooth sailing for Diggle, but his resilience in the face of insurmountable odds proves why he’s one of the best original DC characters.

One of Diggle’s toughest moments comes when he takes over for Oliver as the Green Arrow. He’s not at his best physically, so he starts relying on a drug that Ricardo Diaz is pushing on the streets. Oliver catches wind of his friend’s problem and confronts him. The two have a heated argument that sees them both say awful things. It doesn’t take them too long to patch things up, and after they do, they’re the Arrowverse’s best duo, beating any villain they come up against. Sadly, the battle with the Anti-Monitor during “Crisis on Infinite Earths” takes Oliver’s life, leaving Diggle heartbroken.

After Oliver’s death, Diggle struggles with his identity, especially because he comes into contact with a glowing green object that seems a lot like a Green Lantern ring. He doesn’t take the Guardians of the Universe up on their offer to become a galactic hero, which is a bit of a bummer. However, James Gunn’s DC Universe is preparing to take off, and there’s certainly room for a character as noble as Diggle on the flight.

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The DCU Could Use a Hero Like John Diggle

The Arrowverse never missed an opportunity to tease the fact that Diggle was its version of John Stewart. His stepfather’s last name was Stewart, and his military history was similar to the Green Lantern character. The DCU already has its own Stewart, with Aaron Pierre stepping into the role for HBO Max’s Lanterns. Diggle doesn’t have to be put in a green box, though, especially because he has another codename: Spartan. He can be one of the vigilantes that are already active in the DCU, donning his helmet and helping those in need.

Another thing Diggle has going for him is the DCU’s version of A.R.G.U.S. The shady organization is a major part of Peacemaker, and with it taking a hit in Season 1 of the John Cena-led show, Diggle could come in and help its image. It wouldn’t even be a stretch to put him in the director’s chair because he has plenty of experience participating in shadow ops and running around with bad guys. If that doesn’t work for Gunn and Co., they could pivot to an idea the Arrowverse had for the character. The spinoff Justice U would have seen Diggle recruit young metahumans and teach them to embrace their heroic sides. It wouldn’t hurt anyone to have Diggle run a hero school in the DCU after all he did for the brand on the small screen.

Do you think John Diggle is one of the best original DC characters? Would you like to see him show up in James Gunn’s DCU? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Arrow Created One of the Best Original DC Characters, And We Need More Of Them appeared first on ComicBook.com.

James Gunn’s DCU has no established Justice League as of the timeframe in which Gunn’s Superman movie takes place, and the primary reason for that boils down to four words: Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Gunn’s Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11th, and with the movie’s marketing and press tour kicking into high gear, Gunn has also begun providing some context for the movie’s place in the newly debuting DCU and how it will set important events in motion for the new cinematic universe. Among Gunn’s more revelatory comments has been his confirmation (via EW) that DC’s most iconic team of superheroes, the Justice League, has not been formed and effectively does not yet exist, with Gunn simply stating “There is no Justice League in this world… not yet”.

While Gunn’s “not yet” seems to suggest he intends for the Justice League to form down the road in the DCU’s timeline, doing so is a lot more complicated than it seems with DC’s recent cinematic history. More specifically, the legacy of the very first cinematic Justice League movie, and how it eventually saw the light of day as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a.k.a. the Snyder Cut, makes tackling the Justice League at all a difficult proposition for the DCU. Put simply, the history of the Snyder Cut and everything attached to it makes Gunn’s decision to start the DCU without an already formed Justice League the most practical approach to DC’s premiere superhero team.

Justice League Is the DC Movie Scar That Still Hasn’t Healed

Of all the DC movies produced and released by Warner Bros. in its ownership of DC as a cinematic brand, Justice League is one of the most stories productions. Following years of WB’s efforts to get a Justice League movie off the ground, including George Miller’s unrealized 2008 project Justice League: Mortal, the project finally entered production as part of the DCEU’s slate, intended to serve as a franchise pay-off following Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman. However, after Batman v Superman became arguably the most polarizing superhero movie ever made, Warner Bros. balked at Zack Snyder’s intended plans for the DCEU, leading the studio to heavily reshoot the then-upcoming Suicide Squad and micromanage Justice League during production (albeit with Snyder covertly shooting his version of Justice League as he intended during principal photography).

From there, the behind-the-scenes stories of the making of Justice League get progressively uglier, with Warner Bros. bringing in Joss Whedon to all but completely reshoot the movie amid Snyder post-production departing during a family tragedy. Whedon also reportedly heavily mistreated the cast and crew, while the production overhaul led to Ben Affleck departing his planned Batman movie and losing the enthusiasm for the role. Justice League‘s theatrical underperformance and Warner Bros. panicked abandonment of Snyder’s plans also had a cascading effect on the entire DCEU, with no replacement plan implemented, every Justice League hero but Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman left in limbo, and a complete lack of clarity on any future direction for either the DCEU or the Justice League as a team. Then came the Snyder Cut…

The Snyder Cut’s Impact Can’t Be Over-Stated

Despite rumors of Justice League undergoing a total reworking after Snyder’s departure, Warner Bros. maintained that Whedon’s reshoots were only intended to finish what Snyder had started – a line that was immediately revealed to be a PR ploy the moment Henry Cavill’s CGI top lip popped up less than a minute in. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag was swiftly born before Justice League‘s disappointing opening weekend was finished. While the world flooded with frequent assertions that Snyder’s cut of Justice League didn’t exist at all, Snyder himself fed the conversation with his social media teases of unseen shots, characters, and storyboards from his version of the film.

Eventually, it all came to a head when #ReleaseTheSnyderCut calls expanded to include many Justice League cast and crew members. With Warner Bros. no longer able to ignore the push, the Snyder Cut was officially greenlit and announced on May 20th, 2020, debuting to a strong reception on March 18th, 2021, and inspiring further #RestoreTheSnyderVerse calls right after its release, hitting a 1.5 million tweet milestone on March 25th, 2021. Despite that reception, Warner Bros. then-management distanced itself from both Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Snyderverse calls until the formation of DC Studios after WB’s merger with Discovery led to the DCEU being ended and the DCU getting started. While that’s a lot of history to review in the lead up to the release of Gunn’s Superman and the DCU’s beginning, it is also crucial in understanding Gunn’s statement that no established Justice League exists in the DCU yet.

A DCU Justice League Would Be Too Close To Zack Snyder’s Justice League

The circumstances of the Snyder Cut’s creation and release include some very troubling behind-the-scenes horror stories over the cast and crew’s treatment and the movie’s overhaul while Snyder has going through a family tragedy. Coupled with how much the theatrical Justice League caused such a disastrous chain reaction upon the entire DCEU and Warner Bros. subsequent stonewalling in the face of the Snyder Cut’s popularity, that’s understandably left the Justice League as a team both a point of frustration for many DC fans and a hot potato for virtually any director whose name isn’t Zack Snyder.

All of that has kept Zack Snyder’s Justice League an extremely powerful presence in all things DC, and presents a genuine challenge for approaching the League again. If Gunn were to announce a DCU version of the Justice League in the immediate future, comparisons to Zack Snyder’s Justice League and would be irresistible and distracting. Discourse would flow, and the unfortunate elements of a fandom too often at war would be ignited too. If that announcement came too soon, without established success in the new DCU, every rumor, casting announcement, or reveal about the League’s future would inevitably look back. In short, a new DCU Justice League would have everything working against its chances of thriving and establishing itself on its own terms.

James Gunn’s Superman will be released in theaters on July 11th, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to stream on HBO Max.

The post Of Course There’s No Justice League In The DCU Yet – The Snyder Cut Is Why appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Predator is enjoying a resurgence in popularity after the release of Prey, its animated follow-up, Predator: Killer of Killers, and the future release of Predator: Badlands. But this triumphant return for the movie monster isn’t just relegated to the screen. The intergalactic hunters have made a return to the comics page, too, with Marvel. The latest additions to the long-running Predator and Alien crossover stories feature the alien hunting the likes of Wolverine, Black Panther, and soon enough, the entire Marvel Universe. These latest additions to the Predator legend join several others since the early ’90s that have garnered attention and delivered some fun stories.

While several classic characters from outside Marvel and DC Comics have had run-ins with the Yautja hunters, like Judge Dredd, Tarzan, and Archie, the big two’s heroes grab more eyeballs.

With the impending release of Predator Kills the Marvel Universe, we thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane and rank the best of these big two crossovers. Some of these choices shouldn’t be a surprise, including the top pick, but all of them are worth your time. Scroll down to see our choices and add them to your own list.

1) Batman vs. Predator

The original superhero crossover with the titular alien hunter was this award-winning tale from Dave Gibbons and the Kubert Brothers, Andy and Adam. It plays out a lot like Predator 2 on the big screen, with Batman in the Danny Glover role, investigating slayings by the Predator while trying to defuse a mob war.

After tussling and almost dying, Batman returns to lick his wounds and heal in the Batcave. This gives the Predator more time to run amok until Batman is out of a full-body cast and into a sonar exoskeleton to increase his strength and counter his temporary blindness. Batman battles the alien and seemingly beats it as a ship carrying other aliens arrives. Tops the list for the art alone, but it’s not a terrible story. That’s a strength shared by the second entry in the list.

2) Predator vs. Wolverine

How it took until 2023 for Wolverine to face the Predator is a big mystery. The matchup is a total win on paper that could easily have the same type of trilogy Batman ends up having. The story certainly spans enough time for Logan to fill three series, starting in 1900 in Alaska and continuing to modern-day in Canada. All aspects of Wolverine’s history come into play, with the Yautja hunting him across the decades, covering his time with Weapon X, the moment his skeleton is coated with adamantium, his time in Japan, and finally an encounter at the X-Mansion that almost leaves Professor X dead.

The 100-year showdown is brutal top to bottom, with Logan taking a beating and continuing. It ends with the Predator realizing he is outmatched, finally using his wrist bomb to take out Logan. This fails, of course, and we’re left waiting for what’s next.

3) JLA vs. Predator

To pit the Predator against the Justice League, DC Comics had to take a few extra steps to make the battle more even. When the Dominators capture the league during a space mission, a group of Predators who have been monitoring things attack and are later given powers similar to the League’s, which forces the heroes to go through some hoops to defeat the super-powered hunters.

The whole story could seem silly at times, but in the end, it is an interesting twist on the concept we’ve seen play out daily. Giving the Predator super-powers, evening the showdown a bit, is worth it to open things up to the imagination. It also fits in with other similar crossovers.

4) Batman vs. Predator II: Bloodmatch

This and the original Batman vs. Predator held an interesting place for your young author, who was just trying to find his way through the world. Where the original showdown was a stylish, simple story that hit on all cylinders, its sequel was lacking. Where the first story just pitted Batman against the hunter, this becomes a super-sized showdown where Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Huntress, and a bunch of mobsters do their best to contend with a murderous Yautja. On the other side, we have other Predator aliens that are opposing the main baddie, causing some confusion for Batman.

In the end, the murderous Yautja is killed by his species while trying to escape Earth in their ship. The pursuing ship is killed in the process, though, so it’s unclear exactly what will happen next. It’s also supremely violent for a Batman comic, which is fine.

5) Superman vs. Predator

Pitting Superman against anybody can be a chore given his superpowers. So when he stumbles upon a ship in the Central American jungle, he joins with S.T.A.R. Labs to investigate. After an alien virus does a number on him, he realizes his powers have been affected by the disease. Not only does this give us an excuse to bring the Predator in for a fight, but it also makes the showdown somewhat even. If Superman had his powers, this would be a short fight. As it stands, the series dropped with three issues back in 2000.

6) Predator vs. Black Panther

Returning to the Marvel Universe for a bit, we get the Predator invading Wakanda for its Vibranium store. Benjamin Percy has been a prime voice to bring these crossovers to the page, with each seeming to take a different route than previous groups when it comes to some of the showdowns. Where Wolverine gives the Predator a classic showdown, the Predator gets a little bit of a new directive in this hunt against Black Panther.

The main goal this time seems to be the Predator’s desire to get his people’s hands on vibranium and competition with opposing factions. T’Challa gets to show why he’s the king of Wakanda, while Shuri also shows that she can be scary when pressed, fighting the invaders. It’s damn cool and a nice companion to the classic storyline delivered with Wolveirne.

7) Predator vs. Spider-Man

The current Marvel crossover featuring Spider-Man and the titular alien hunter gives fans one of the more sadistic villains in the form of Skinner. Unlike past versions of the Predator, Skinner is a sadistic type who only seeks to inflict pain and has abandoned the clan’s honorable side to just kill and maim.

It’s all the stuff you would expect to oppose Spider-Man, who doesn’t seem like a rube waiting to be picked on by school bullies or large alien hunters. Even if it seems like he outclasses the Yautja with his powers, the battle is still fierce and requires Kraven the Hunter to return.

8) Batman vs. Predator III: Blood Ties

The third entry in the Batman vs. Predator series and the unofficial rubber match for the movie monster and the Caped Crusader. This time, Robin is along for the ride, as well as a few villains like Catwoman and Mr. Freeze. The latter’s temperature control saves his life, while Batman puts his freeze gun to good use elsewhere. It’s Batman’s actions and the way he carries himself that put this showdown to bed, with Batman blasting the creature with Freeze’s freeze gun.

Agree with our picks? Have another special story you’d like to see play out on the big screen? Let us know in the comments.

The post Best Predator Crossovers With Marvel and DC Heroes appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s clear that James Gunn’s Superman pays homage to the Man of Steel’s history on the big screen (see: the use of John Williams’ iconic theme in the trailers), but the reboot also has some nods to DC’s past in the TV medium. In an interview with ComicBook to promote Superman, Gunn shared that he included a major reference to the TV series Smallville. Dating back to the first Superman teaser trailer released late last year, fans have known that the DC Universe’s Lex Luthor is in charge of LuthorCorp, which is a Smallville Easter egg.

“When I was making this movie, I really was taking stuff from all sorts of different comic books and TV shows and movies,” Gunn said. “And I’m a Smallville fan. It was LutherCorp in Smallville and so it is that. But also, first of all, most people don’t name their corporations after their first names, right? So, I believed it more in terms of that. And also, you know, it leaves the door open for, you know, was his father, in any way, ever a part of this, or his mother.”

Though Superman represents the dawn of a new era for the character and DC, Gunn has found numerous ways to pay respect to the character’s rich legacy across various mediums. With its tone and storytelling approach, the film is harkening back to the Christopher Reeve movies, looking to entertain audiences with an optimistic tale. Gunn has also pulled key elements from the comics, such as Clark Kent’s hypno glasses.

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In the DC Extended Universe, Lex’s company was called LexCorp. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s revealed that Lex’s father, Lex Luthor Sr., had founded it years prior. On Smallville, the company eventually changed its name to LexCorp, but it was introduced as LuthorCorp. Created by Lex’s father Lionel Luthor, LuthorCorp initially focused on agricultural products before expanding its horizons. Biotechnology, weapons, and electronics were among the areas the company added to its portfolio.

Smallville is a huge part of Superman history, earning a loyal, passionate fan base across its 10-season run. Though it’s been off the air since 2011, there’s still interest in seeing some sort continuation; Smallville co-creator Al Gough remains hopeful a planned sequel series will eventually see the light of day. Considering Smallville‘s place in the zeitgeist, it’s nice to see Gunn tip his hat to the long-running TV show. Though this obviously isn’t the same as seeing Tom Welling back in action as Clark Kent, fans will likely appreciate this Easter egg that acknowledges Smallville‘s impact in the overall Superman franchise.

Outside of the Smallville connection, Gunn’s reasoning for going with LexCorp is practical. It’s common for characters/people to use their surnames when naming a company. Marvel has multiple instances of this, including OsCorp (founded by Norman Osborn) and Stark Industries (founded by Tony Stark). So it’s just logical for Gunn and the DCU to run with LuthorCorp. It’ll be interesting to see if Superman dives into Lex’s family history and details whether or not his family have any role with the company.

The post Superman Contains a Major Smallville Easter Egg appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Every now and again, DC will attempt a brand new initiative to inspire new readers to pick up comics with jumping-on points. There have been plenty of these in the past few years, from the New 52 to All-In, but one of the most overlooked and underutilized of these rebrands was the New Age of DC Heroes. Originally announced as Dark Matter, this new initiative came at the immediate conclusion of the Dark Knights: Metal event, and saw the creation of a whole new repertoire of characters and teams meant to fill some holes DC thought they had in their heroic lineups. Unfortunately, with the sole exception of The Terrifics, none of the series really took off, and the new characters have all faded into comic book obscurity. DC never gave these heroes a chance, but they definitely deserve one now.

The Failed Age of Heroes

The New Age of DC Heroes saw the introduction of a few new characters, including Sideways, Damage, Brimstone, Silencer, a new Firebrand, and a new team lineup for the Challengers of the Unknown. For this, we’ll only be focusing on the totally original characters, as legacy characters are an entirely different discussion. Still, that was four new heroes introduced, and four that ultimately failed to leave an impression. One can argue that that is in part due to their direct parallels to Marvel Comics characters, which all but set them up for failure. A big pitch for this new generation of heroes would be that they would fill holes that DC executives saw in the DC Universe lineup. Unfortunately, they were perhaps way too heavy-handed in filling those holes with Marvel lookalikes. Sideways was meant to fill a suspiciously Brian Micheal Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man sized hole, Damage’s elevator pitch sounds like a discount Hulk, Brimstone very closely resembles older Ghost Rider stories, and Silencer’s practically a more morally ambiguous Black Widow. At least, that’s what the pitch for these characters sounds like, but they are all actually very interesting characters when you look past their obvious design inspirations.

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Damage’s gimmick of turning into what is effectively the Hulk for an hour a day is inherently limiting, but his staunch love of heroes coupled with his desire to escape the life he unwittingly agreed to is a really cool set up to have. Brimstone’s mission taking him around small-town America to fight people who made Faustian bargains like him is such a creative way to introduce an infinite number of villains and characters that can dig into real social issues just as much as they can give great comic book fights. Silencer trying to balance being an assassin with having her family is a dynamic that I will always love, and will support until the day she finds a way to make it work. Personally, Sideways stuck out to me the most. He may look like Spider-Man on the surface, but his portal abilities are so cool. He starts as a somewhat stereotypical high school hero, but there’s nothing wrong with playing into tropes that work. His initial obsession with internet fame definitely felt like it was trying too hard to relate to those darn kids, but his growth near the end of his solo was so emotionally resonant and made me so excited to see more of him.

These Heroes Never Stood a Chance

Unfortunately, only Sideways managed to escape his own solo series, and even that was to join the ranks of Bendis’s Young Justice, which is widely considered to be one of the worst runs with the young hero-focused team. So, it begs the question, with these characters having so much potential, what went wrong? Well, like I said earlier, these characters got a lot of flak right out of the gate because they were so obviously designed to be counterparts to well-established Marvel heroes. Even though they are so clearly their own characters with unique stories to tell, they were constantly being compared to much more storied characters, specifically some of Marvel’s biggest names, and no new character can hope to stand up to Spider-Man or the Hulk. A lot of people wrote these new heroes off entirely before they even came out. Some were turned off by what seems like DC practically copying Marvel’s homework, while others just didn’t want to read what they assumed would be watered down versions of characters they already loved.

With such a clear comparison being drawn, the new heroes were set up for failure. The Big Two publishers borrow ideas and character archetypes from each other all the time, that’s just a part of the creative business. However, the designs here were maybe just a little bit too far for most people to feel comfortable with. Of course, not all the blame can be put on the company for these books not selling. New heroes are notorious for being hard sells with their own series, especially right out of the gate. People usually don’t like to gamble with their entertainment when the familiar and liked is right next to it, after all. DC set these guys up for failure with a bad presentation, but to promote creativity in comic books, we as readers should take some risks with new series sometimes. Even if we don’t wind up liking it, at least we’re sending the message that DC and Marvel shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. 

The post DC Never Gave These Heroes a Chance (And They Should Have) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s one of the great mysteries — or rather, points of contention — among comics fans: how do people not realize that Clark Kent is Superman? After all, the only real “disguise” that Clark Kent uses in his everyday life is a pair of glasses and if we’re being honest, glasses don’t change a person’s appearance so much that you wouldn’t recognize them without them. With James Gunn’s Superman flying into theaters in just a couple of weeks, questions about how people don’t easily figure out that David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Superman are the same guy, but it turns out the filmmaker had a solution for that: hypno glasses.

Speaking with ComicBook, Gunn revealed that the idea of simple glasses protecting Superman’s identity is something that he struggled with himself until he was reminded by comics writer Tom King that Clark Kent’s glasses have powers — and it is comic book canon.

“That’s canon in the comics,” Gunn said of the hypno glasses protecting Clark Kent’s identity. “It’s kind of been forgotten but that’s from the comics. I was sitting with Tom King, the comic book writer, and I was like, ‘you know the thing that I just don’t really know how to reconcile in myself is the glasses because the glasses always bothered me as a kid.’ They bothered me because I just don’t have that much suspension of disbelief to believe that.”

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Gunn also noted that while Corenswet’s Clark Kent does actually look different from his Superman, the canonical glasses that hypnotize people to protect Superman’s identity is true to the character.

“You know, they’re two different people even though I think out of all the actors that have played Superman, Corenswet looks the most different as Clark Kent to Superman, even more so than Chris Reeve. But he said, ‘you know, there’s an answer for that in the comics, it’s canon that they hypnotize people.’”

And Gunn isn’t wrong — or rather, King isn’t. Superman (Vol.1) #330 from 1978 established that Superman uses “Super-Hypnosis”, combined with his glasses, to trick people into seeing Clark Kent as a distinctively different person than Superman. It’s a little goofy, but it’s a concept that has been used a few times since.

Of course, the hypno glasses isn’t the only deep cut from comics that Gunn is bringing to Superman A recent international teaser trailer for the film also revealed that fans will also get to see Superman utilize one of his oldest, but most underused powers: freeze breath. The trailer showed Superman using the power to blow a dog to safety while he battled a kaiju attacking Metropolis.

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The cast includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/the Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. The DC Studios movie flies into theaters July 11.

The post James Gunn Reveals His Clark Kent Has Hypno Glasses to Protect His Superman Identify appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Comic books are a very special medium, unique in a sense that they can convey a story like no other medium can. Where novels rely exclusively on words, art is almost entirely image-based, and movies and TV shows and the like have limitations based on a hundred factors, comic books blend the freest parts of words and art together to tell a story without the practical and budget limitations of moving-picture media. When the art and the words unite to tell a story that can only be told in the comic book format, the trip it takes you on is elevated a hundred times. No current comic uses the strengths and specialties of the comic book medium better than Absolute Martian Manhunter. It is a true work of genuine storytelling and mind-boggling art, which pushes every boundary of the comic book medium, and blends its two main aspects in completely stunning ways.

The Art and Story are One

Every issue of Absolute Martian Manhunter is a visual treat of the highest degree, but issue #4 perfectly encapsulates what I mean when I say that the art and story are indistinguishable from each other. The plot of the issue sees the White Martian casting a white light over the city in the middle of a heatwave, which both figuratively and literally gets people way too hot. Fights and riots and murders break out across the entire city, and all the while everything is painted in a queasy yellow background with a gross white light on them. Agent John and the Martian can’t directly treat the cause, so they do what they can to stymie the symptoms. However, as the days turn to weeks with the unlikely duo near always being out fighting this, only returning to the house to sleep, Bridget’s resentment only continues to fester.

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Again, I cannot overstate how much symbolism and plot is packed into each and every page. One page shows John standing, staring at the white sun with sunglasses on while the Martian cures two small armies of churchgoers of their anger. The only other person who isn’t fighting is a young boy, who is standing directly in John’s shadow, being protected from the sun by him. Every artistic choice is deliberate, and the biggest show of it is with the issue’s depiction of Bridget. At the start her color scheme matches whatever John’s is, but as she gets angrier and angrier, more and more of her panels show her as colored pure red, until she is only ever red. Then, when she finally confronts John about how he’s been avoiding her and is never home, both spouses are completely greyed out, showing how neither one can tell how the other feels or what they’re thinking. John’s eyes especially show this, as Bridget continuously says that she has always known John loves his family because she can see it in his eyes, but she can’t anymore, and the readers see that his eyes show exactly what the Martian is doing.

While the Martian finally manages to break whatever spell the White Martian cast on the city, husband and wife talk. Bridget lets out all of her frustrations and fears, telling John that she doesn’t even know if he loves her or their son Tyler, but now she does. This causes an explosion in John’s mind and soul as he never once ever wanted to give her reason to doubt how he felt, and it’s communicated in a breathtaking explosion of colors. She says she doesn’t know who he is anymore, and John is drawn as the Martian when he replies that he’s who he’s always been.

The Martian undoes the false sun of hate, once again casting Bridget and John in normal lighting, but all is not well. Three separate men all prepare explosive vests and head for powerplants at the same time. Bridget tells John that he should stay somewhere else for awhile, and the first explosion fills the page. She tells him she can’t live with a stranger, and the second explosion paints everything. John’s eyes go as wide and white as the false sun, and the third explosion tells you everything you need to know about his mental state. Then, with all power to the city gone, everything goes dark, just like how John and Bridget are in the dark about how they could ever move forward. The Martian reveals that this must have been the White Martian’s plan all along. The light was only a distraction, letting it drag the entire city into darkness while they were distracted. 

Absolute Martian Manhunter continues to astonish by fluidly mixing its storytelling with its art, showcasing exactly what the comic book medium is capable of. There are things that can only be expressed with words, some things that can only be expressed with images, and some that can only be fully captured when the two work together in perfect harmony. This comic book does exactly that, and I am more excited than ever to see what the next issue has in store. You definitely have to check it out for yourself, because it deserves to be seen.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 is on sale now!

The post Absolute Martian Manhunter Is a Perfect Fusion of Art and Story (& You Need to Check It Out) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman’s trunks have been a huge part of the debate even before it was revealed what DC Studios’ new Superman would even look like, but it turns out that the future of the trunks in the DCU may be a little bit up in the air — at least for other heroes, including Batman. Superman wearing or skipping out on suit trunks has been a key part of the divide among fans as the last major on-screen version of the DC hero notably didn’t wear them. It was something Superman director James Gunn had mentioned that he was worried about in the past (and even consulted Man of Steel director Zack Snyder on), but has since revealed that his take on the hero would have them on.

In speaking with ComicBook during the Superman junket ahead of the new film’s premiere, director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn revealed that the future of the trunks hasn’t been decided just yet — but of all the DC characters who could have similar trunks in comics, Superman is the most likely to keep them.

“No, because we haven’t decided,” Gunn said when asked if other characters might have trunks in the DCU. “And, you know, listen, the trunks are good, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. I mean, I think it’s less likely that some other characters would have trunks than Superman. It’s much more a part of Superman’s costume, I think, than it is Batman’s right, even though he had trunks a lot in the comics.”

Superman Keeping His Trunks Makes Sense

Previously speaking with ComicBook on the return of cede trunks, Gunn even explained that Superman star David Corenswet helped him decide on which way to go, “At the end of the day, [the debate] wasn’t that heated. It was heated for a while. I was on the ‘no trunks’ team for a long time,” Gunn began. “And [Man of Steel director] Zack [Snyder] said that when he was doing it, he tried a billion different trunk versions as we did. And I kept going back to no trunks, no trunks, no trunks. And I’m like, well, ‘Let’s just grind it out. Let’s just keep trying trunks and see what happens.’ And David [Corenswet] said something to me that really affected me.”

“We were trying on all these different versions, and we screen-tested with trunks and no trunks,” Gunn continued. “And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, can blow the truck over. He’s this incredibly powerful, could be considered scary, individual and he wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and 
positivity.”

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Going even further, Gunn revealed that Superman is a little inspired by professional wrestling, “He dresses like a professional wrestler, he dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that,” Gunn explained. “That really clicked in for me. And I think trying to pretend that Superman’s costume doesn’t have some frivolity to it, at its base, trying to make it look serious is silly because he is a superhero. He’s the first one, brightly colored, and that’s who he is. So that’s where we landed and, eventually, we all came to a place where almost all of us agreed on the trunks.”

Superman releases on July 11th.

The post James Gunn Teases Whether We’ll See Batman in Trunks appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Wonder Woman is one of the most popular and beloved characters in all of comics, being the archetypal superheroine that all others strive to live up to. She is a member of DC’s Trinity, and so stands shoulder to shoulder with Batman and Superman as the height of heroism in the DC Universe. And yet, despite her undeniable status as one of the greats, her supervillain lineup is one of the weakest in all of DC Comics. Not just that these characters are weak physically, although that is a problem for a decent portion of them, but also that her rogues gallery lacks any of the impact or staying power that Wonder Woman’s contemporaries have. Wonder Woman’s villain cast is weak, and that’s a major problem.

Wonder Woman’s Villains are Forgettable

Despite the fact that she is the most famous superheroine of all time and has stood as a core member of the Justice League since its founding, she lacks the famous rogues galleries that the superheroes around her have. Batman has possibly the most famous rogues of all time, everyone knows plenty of Superman’s enemies, and even characters like the Flash have pretty famous villains they battle against. Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Reverse Flash, Gorilla Grodd, everyone knows these supervillains, even people who aren’t fans of the character. Now take a look at who Wonder Woman fights on a regular basis. Honest to God, if I asked a random person off the street to name ten Batman villains I bet they could, but I think they’d struggle to name even five of Wonder Woman’s rogues.

This isn’t to say that Wonder Woman has zero memorable villains. Everyone who’s heard of Diana has heard of her incredible rivalry and friendship with Cheetah, and evil gods like Ares are always going to be remembered for their incredible stances against the Princess of Themyscira. There’s Grail, the daughter of Darkseid, and the Sovereign who are two newer villains I guarantee are instant classics that will be showing up in plenty of incredible Wonder Woman comics in the future. But what about the supervillains beyond them, or the classic WWII baddies she would fight? I refuse to believe the majority of people knew who Dr. Psycho was before the Harley Quinn TV show. And who are the others she traditionally fights? Well, when Tom King assembled Wonder Woman’s own version of the Sinister Six, he included some of the above classics, alongside Wonder Woman’s other memorable villains like Silver Swan and Giganta, but he also included Angle Man. Nobody knew who Angle Man was prior to King’s run.

[RELATED: Absolute Wonder Woman Was Already Great And It’s Only Getting Better]

But that’s just Tom King’s love of highlighting and reinventing obscure characters, like he did with Kite Man, right? That’s a nice thought, until you realize that when you Google Wonder Woman’s villains one of the top responses is Maxwell Lord. Wonder Woman famously only fought him once, when she snapped his neck. She has some classic villains that she goes up against, but she deserves to have a cast that is iconic like Batman’s.

Wonder Woman’s Villains are Physically Weak

One of the contributing factors to Wonder Woman’s rogues gallery being so forgettable is that a large majority of them are far weaker than a character who can go toe to toe with Superman should have to contend with. Every superhero has a laundry list of forgettable and weak villains, that’s just a byproduct of living through the Silver Age, but it really feels like Wonder Woman has a disproportionate amount of them. For every Circe there’s a Mouse Man, Hypnota, and Doctor Poison. I’m not saying that any of these villains are bad characters, I love all of them, but the majority of them are far from physical matches for Wonder Woman. Most are nowhere even close to approaching her level of strength.

It also really seems like Wonder Woman has a disproportionate amount of sorcerers, necromancers, and mind controllers in her gallery. The majority of her villains lack the ability to hit as hard as Wonder Woman. That’s not inherently a bad thing. After all, Superman is renowned for his unmatched strength, and his greatest enemy is Lex Luthor, who is a normal man in terms of power. However, the Man of Steel has dozens of villains who can match him blow for blow. Wonder Woman doesn’t. Besides the standouts like gods and Cheeta, I fully believe a more street-level hero like Batman could defeat about eighty percent of Wonder Woman’s villains. When you’re a hero as strong as Wonder Woman, that’s a clear sign you’re being underutilized.

Wonder Woman is one of the strongest and most skilled fighters in the DC Universe, but she rarely gets a chance to show what she can do. That is entirely the fault of her villains, the majority of which work best from behind the scenes, and would crumble from less than three hits from the Princess of the Amazons. She deserves to fight people as iconic and tough as she is, but she almost always has to settle for less with her rogues gallery. Wonder Woman needs a revamp of her villains, or at least for them to get major boosts to their power and charisma. There’s plenty of potential in all of them, it just has to be unleashed.

The post Wonder Woman Has the Weakest Villains in DC (& That’s a Problem) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We are just weeks away from DC Studios’ biggest project yet with the arrival of James Gunn’s Superman.  The eagerly anticipated film will give viewers a brand-new take on the iconic hero as well as fully usher in the new DC Universe (DCU). But while Superman will give fans an adventure that isn’t an origin story, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t get to see some of the past as the DCU expands. Specifically, it sounds like when it comes to getting glimpses of Superman’s home world, Krypton, those very well could be coming — we just might have to wait a little while to get them.

ComicBook exclusively spoke with Gunn about Superman and he teased some of what fans might get to see of Krypton not in Superman, but in the upcoming Supergirl movie instead.

“That’s always a possibility,” Gunn said of seeing flashbacks of Krypton in Supergirl. “But I think those things are really integral to the two characters and the differences between them, and that Clark really does have sort of this really happy childhood. I mean, he had parents who loved him in an easy going upbringing, and it makes him the least dysfunctional of superheroes in so many ways. And Supergirl, especially the DCU Supergirl, she’s kind of a mess. I mean, she’s, she’s had a real issues growing up. And it is based on the comic where she watched person after person after person dying in front of her as her piece of the planet disintegrated.”

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Having Krypton scenes in Supergirl rather than Superman makes a lot of sense. As fans of the comics know well, Superman himself doesn’t have any actual real memories of his home, having been sent to Earth as a baby so that he would survive the destruction of the planet. His cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, however, was older at the time of Krypton’s demise. As a result, the memories of the lost world and civilization are something that Kara carries with her. With the upcoming Supergirl movie being an adaptation of Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comics as Gunn noted, and with them dipping into Kara’s life and experiences prior to coming to Earth — or at least the impact of the loss of everything she ever knew — getting to see Krypton is much more fitting in that film than in Superman.

DC Studios’ Superman, directed by Gunn, stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, will open in theaters on July 11. As for Supergirl, that film is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl/ It’s currently scheduled to open in theaters June 26, 2026.

The post James Gunn Teases the DCU Krypton Scenes in Supergirl appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Smallville was an iconic show for a number of reasons. Not only did it launch the Arrowverse and gave us some of the best depictions of classic DC characters, but Smallville‘s soundtrack was also the stuff of legend. Over the course of the show’s ten years, the series’ music supervisors, Madonna Wade-Reed and Jen Pyken, crafted Smallville‘s many memorable music moments that still have fans associating certain songs inextricably with the series. What made Smallville so successful from a music standpoint was Wade-Reed and Pyken’s ability to find songs that were either popular or about to pop at the time, and then meaningfully tie them in with emotionally resonant moments on the show. And they never got better than these 10 most definitive needledrops on Smallville.

10) “Pain” by Jimmy Eat World

Smallville certainly had some awesome fight scenes, but this one in Season 4, episode “Transference” stands out. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and an incarcerated Lionel Luthor (John Glover) have swapped bodies. In this scene, which also happens to take place during a prison riot, Clark and Lionel switch back. “Pain”, by millennial favorite indie rock band Jimmy Eat World, perfectly underscores the chaos of the sequence and the culmination of the episode where Clark gets his body back.

9) “The Scientist” by Coldplay

Season 2, Episode 17 “Rosetta” on Smallville was a landmark episode, marking Christopher Reeve’s first appearance on the show. Decades after offering the definitive screen version of Superman, Reeve joined the Smallville cast as Dr. Virgil Swann, a billionaire astronomer and satellite communication magnate. Dr. Swann is the one who unlocks the secrets for Clark about his home planet Krypton and gives him a vital window into his destiny.

How does this relate to Clark and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) chatting in a coffee shop? Having Coldplay’s “The Scientist” play in the background of the scene is one of the best examples of Smallville using music to subconsciously set the tone for the episode beyond dialogue and action. “Rosetta” revolves around Clark meeting a scientist who changes his life forever, and using the Coldplay song helps to keep that thematic through-line running without pulling focus in the scene. Furthermore, it’s also a showcase of music supervisor Wade-Reed’s keen eye for emerging musical trends. On the episode’s DVD commentary, Welling himself remarked that she featured “The Scientist”, which went on to go platinum in 9 countries, just as it was climbing the charts.

8) “A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix)” by Elvis Presley, Junkie XL

Fans remember the Season 2 episode “Heat” as the episode when Clark’s teenage “urges” led to the development of his heat vision. To match Smallville‘s re-imagined version of a young Superman, the episode paired a re-imagined version of Elvis Presley’s hit “A Little Less Conversation” with the scene where Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) helps Clark get a handle on his newfound ability.

The use of Junkie XL’s remix here, which soared to number one on charts around the world in 2002, is yet another shining examples of Smallville’s music supervisors putting hit songs in the show. It also helps establish the episode’s midpoint and tonal shift. Up until this scene in “Heat”, Clark had been confused and afraid of his new power. “A Little Less Conversation” helps the viewer track the emotional shift into him embracing his heat vision, all while tastefully and suggestively alluding to the “little more action” that brought about this new superpower.

7) “Sober” by Kelly Clarkson

No show could put together an end-of-episode montage like Smallville. The use of Kelly Clarkson’s “Sober” is one of the series’s very best in the Season 7 premiere “Bizarro”. The song functions as a great unifier for all the characters’ emotional state at the end of the explosive season opener. We see Clark profoundly changed after Lana’s supposed death, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) burns her death certificate after literally coming back from the dead, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) turns himself in for Lana’s murder, only to reveal in the scene that Lana is alive and in disguise in Shanghai. Lastly we get a powerful moment with new addition Kara (Laura Vandervoort), or Supergirl, flying off into the night.

“Sober” and Clarkson’s powerful vocals work so well in the montage because it subtly acknowledges the three month hiatus the viewers have had since we saw these characters last, as well as highlights that even though each person depicted has been through their respective ringer, they’re all resolved in tackling whatever comes next.

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6) “You Could Be Happy” by Snow Patrol

Smallville could also nail an episode-opening montage, like the one that uses British indie rockers Snow Patrol’s “You Could Be Happy” to kick off the Season 6 episode “Promise”. Chronicling the official start of Lex and Lana’s brief and tumultuous marriage, the episode starts by giving the audience a moment to orient themselves before a fraught eighteen or so hours until the couple says “I do.” As “You Could Be Happy” plays, we see glimpses and of a happy, anticipatory Lex and Lana, as well as a heartbroken, resigned Clark. The song suits Clark’s state of mind around Lana getting married so well, one could mistake it as being written for the show.

5) “Let Me Go” by 3 Doors Down

This scene from Season 4, Episode 19 “Blank” is a fan favorite. In addition to the fact “Let Me Go” was climbing the charts at the time, the song was also a perfect lyrical tie-in to an episode about Clark losing his memory. Having the 3 Doors Down hit play while an amnesiac Clark and a torn Lana discuss their former relationship and complicated past did a wonderful job of adding to the scene’s subtext and amping up the characters’ yearning. Chloe catching the end of their conservation and declaring “Looks like the heart remembers more than the brain” only makes the moment more devastating and gives an additional dimension to the song’s plea to “let me go.”

4) “My Happy Ending” by Avril Lavigne

Clark and Lana weren’t the only tragic love story in Smallville. The majority of the show saw Chloe pining for, and almost always friend-zoned by, Clark. Never was that brought into sharper and more heart-wrenching relief than in the Season 4 episode “Facade”. “My Happy Ending” by Avril Lavigne was already the anthem of angsty, lovelorn teen girls everywhere in 2004, and using it during the moment when Chloe first notices the chemistry between Clark and Lois was a masterstroke. Plus, given that we all know Clark and Lois are destined to be together, the song was a perfect externalization for the resentment and sinking heartbreak Chloe feels.

3) “Collide” by Dishwalla

The Season 5 episode “Hidden” is remembered as one of the series’s best. A powerless Clark is shot and killed by a deranged peer Gabriel Duncan (Johnny Lewis). Jor-El (voiced by Terrance Stamp) to brings his son back to life and restories his superhuman abilities so that Clark can stop the nuke Gabriel has aimed at Smallville. Clark saves his hometown for nuclear decimation, and then has a cathartic reunion both with his parents and Lana, his girlfriend at the time.

Dishwalla was used as part of Smallville‘s soundtrack quite a few times throughout the series, but “Collide” stands out as it seems to both capture and elevate Lana’s shock and relief at seeing that Clark is in fact alive. The song’s lyrics also provide us with a peek into Clark’s anguish and mixed feelings at the end of “Hidden”. Of course he’s happy to be alive and that he saved his loved ones, but his de-powered average Joe bliss is over. Now that he has his abilities again, he will have to start keeping secrets from the woman he loves once more.

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2) “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” by Five for Fighting

Both Smallville and the Five for Fighting hit “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” debuted in 2001, and therefore, a lot of fans hoped the song would make an appearance in the series. While using a self-referential song about Superman could’ve come off as on-the-nose, Smallville made it work by featuring the Grammy-nominated song in the first season’s most tender and moving episode, “Stray”. In it, Clark and the Kents take in Ryan James (Ryan Kelley) a young boy with the ability to read minds being abused by his step-parents.

The Five for Fighting ballad plays while Ryan and the Kents share a fond, poignant goodbye as Ryan is now going to live with his aunt. The scene both gave the fans what they wanted with the inclusion of the song, but also provided the perfect subtext for the moment where Ryan tempts Clark with the knowledge of Lana’s true feelings and cautions him about Lex. Clark, in true Superman fashion, refuses the insight into Lana, opting to “find out on my own”. He also doesn’t heed Ryan’s warning about Lex either, choosing to see the best in others. Using “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” here becomes stellar foreshadowing as to what Clark’s relationships with both Lex and Lana will evolve into, as well as hints at the hero he is destined to be too.

1) “Everything” by Lifehouse

Lifehouse’s “Everything” closes the pilot episode of Smallville where Clark imagines a slow dance with Lana in his loft. “Everything” was integral to shaping the tone of the series and providing a window into Clark’s teenage yearning that we’d never seen before on screen. Sure, we’d gotten glimpses from Christopher Reeve’s Superman films and Dean Cain’s portrayal of the character in Lois & Clark, but never had a young Clark been explored so thoroughly and so relatably until Smallville. The song, paired with the final scene of the episode, alchemized into a moment that was pure TV magic, and made us all fall in love with the show when it premiered in October of 2001.

In addition to “Everything” setting the bar for Smallville’s soundtrack, it became so iconic that it led to Lifehouse guest-starring on the show years later. The band played at the Smallville High Prom in Season 4, which led to another memorable musical moment that almost made this list — Lana and Clark slow dancing to their hit “You and Me”.

Smallville is currently streaming on Hulu. Did we forget one of your favorite needledrops on the show? Let us know in the comments!

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Superman will soon be hitting theaters all over the world, and while fans have seen a wealth of footage from the new film, the film likely still has a few surprises up its sleeve. Fans don’t have to wait until the film’s release though to know about one such surprise, as during an exclusive interview with Superman director James Gunn, ComicBook learned all about one delightful cameo that will take place during the movie, and which DC Studios favorite will be bringing them to life.

During our interview, Gunn was asked about any fun cameos in the movie, and that’s when he revealed that Jennifer Holland will be making an appearance in the anticipated film. Now, you might wonder who she will be playing, and we have the answer to that as well, as Gunn revealed Holland will be playing one of the robots that fans meet when Superman heads back to the Fortress of Solitude.

“You’ll know Jen Holland, my wife, is also the robot at the end, just not credited,” Gunn said. “I actually recorded her on my phone. I said, ‘Oh, I need a robot that’s not really interested in what Number 4 is saying.’”

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Holland quickly became a favorite in DC’s Peacemaker series, but she’s also popped up in several DC projects over the past few years. She reprised her Peacemaker role in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Black Adam, and The Suicide Squad, but she’s also appeared as Administrator Kwol in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Ms. Espenschied in Brightburn, which were both projects her husband directed outside of the DCU.

Now she’ll be joining the fun in Superman, and we can’t wait to see what other fun cameos and surprises await in the full film. You can find the official description for Superman below.

“Superman, DC Studios’ first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures. In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.”

Superman soars into theaters on July 11th.

Are you excited for Superman? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things DC and Superman with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post James Gunn Reveals Jennifer Holland’s Superman Cameo Role appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There’s a long list of Marvel and DC actors who have played roles for both companies including Ryan Reynolds, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Jared Leto, and many more, but Chris Pratt is not among those. He played Star-Lord in all of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and other films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though he’s yet to make the jump to the current run of DC movies (or any run for that matter). He’s long been rumored to join the DC universe, however, even if nothing concrete has come from those rumors yet.

During a media event for the upcoming Superman movie starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult and more, ComicBook spoke exclusively to director James Gunn regarding the possibility of Pratt finally joining the DCU. Gunn himself has responded to these rumors in the past, and while it’s still true the nothing has been decided on regarding Pratt in DC movies, Gunn said they’re still actively looking for the right role for him.

“Listen, Chris Pratt still one of my closest friends in the world and I am always looking for something for him,” Gunn said. “But also … the others, too. I mean he and Pom [Klementieff] are the ones that I see the most, and I’m the closest with and [Michael] Rooker. So I’m always looking for stuff.”

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Regarding Pratt’s role as Star-Lord, the Marvel actor has said repeatedly he loved playing the character and would welcome the opportunity to do so again. If the schedule and the role made sense, however, he’s also expressed interest in working with Gunn on upcoming DCU movies.

Captain Atom, Plastic Man, Booster Gold, and many more DC characters have been frequent suggestions from fans regarding Pratt’s possible roles in the franchise, though many have expressed a desire to see him in something that’s at least far removed from any kind of character adjacent to Star-Lord’s personality. Neither Gunn nor Pratt have given any indication as to what roles the actor might like to play, so fancasting and suggestions are all we have to fuel ideas in the meantime.

Gunn’s new Superman movie will head to theaters on July 11th.

The post James Gunn Provides Update on When Chris Pratt Will Join DC appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC Studios is about to hit theaters with a brand new take on Superman later this Summer, and James Gunn is getting ready for a new entry in The Batman franchise now that there’s a script in hand. A follow up to The Batman has been in high demand ever since the first film hit theaters a few years ago, and that demand has been squarely focused on the creator behind it all as Matt Reeves had been working on a new script. But it had taken a bit longer than fans had been hoping for as Reeves had been taking his time with it.

But a major update in the process revealed that Reeves has officially turned in the script for The Batman II after years of work, and fans can’t wait to see the film moving forward. Things have changed with DC Studios since the release of the first film, however, and scripts are now more important than they ever have been before. And speaking to ComicBook, DC Studios co-head and Superman director James Gunn revealed that he hasn’t read the script yet but plans to do so as soon as he gets on a plane tomorrow — unless the long flight gets to him first.

“I have not. I have not. I’m so excited to read it, and I’m hoping I can read it on the plane to London tomorrow, but I also I might fall asleep,” Gunn said

What Does This Mean for The Batman II With DC Studios?

As James Gunn revealed to ComicBook, he had yet to read the script for The Batman II but planned to do so very soon. It makes a lot of sense as Gunn has not only emphasized how important of a project the new sequel is for the future of DC Studios, but also has emphasized how important scripts are to the way they are approaching new films overall. Gunn has explained how he will not move forward with a project if the script wasn’t up to snuff, and he’s even cancelled a project that he didn’t feel weren’t ready.

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It’s yet to be revealed how The Batman II will fit into the overall plans for DC Studios’ future, but it’s currently in the works for a release on October 1st, 2027. It had been delayed two times before thanks to the fact that director and writer Matt Reeves did not yet have a script ready (to which Gunn fully defends), but if it’s up to Gunn’s standards then the film will be moving forward rather quickly towards this potential release date. But there’s still so much that can happen before then that fans will need to keep an eye out for.

The post James Gunn Hasn’t Read Matt Reeves’ Batman 2 Script (& Reveals When He Will) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Death is a fixture of superhero comics. Once a taboo subject that would lead to compelling stories, the deaths of both major and minor characters have become par for the course. With fans making bets for how long it’ll take for the dearly departed to return, death has become a largely a normalized plot device. While very seldom the death of superheroes stick, some characters return quicker than others much to the dismay of a lot of readers wanting a lasting impact with repercussions. Whether it was for a decade or as little as a few months, there are characters we all knew from the outset simply wouldn’t stay dead.

Becoming popularized by the infamous “The Death of Superman” storyline, many characters would follow suit with their own “Death of” titles. Whether it’s for an upcoming storyline or for a sales boost, the tactic has overstayed its welcome as a plot device and here are six instances of big deaths that we knew wouldn’t last.

1) Superman

Starting off strong with the one that kickstarted the trend, “The Death of Superman” was one of DC’s biggest storylines of the 90’s. This is the best story on the list and it makes sense why. Introducing a new extreme threat for the Man of Steel to stop and die in the process of doing so gave DC a huge hit. Being in the speculator market era with various polybagged covers, it was a huge event to sell to everyone with one drawback: did anyone actually think he was gone for good? It would be insane to kill him off for good.

With weird happenings all over Metropolis and the Fortress of Solitude, the writing was on the wall. Follow that with the emergence of four replacement “supermen”, the real was bound to return and he would. In hindsight seeing the sales boost from this it’s no wonder they followed suit with “Knightfall” over in Batman despite not killing him. This story however works for Superman and Superman only while everything other major hero death since has felt cheap for the most part.

2) Batman

In the events of Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis event, Batman was seemingly killed by Darkseid in issue #6. The death was a bit of an outlier as, for a moment, It did seem possible that Batman really had perished but somehow Batman would survive. Instead of striking Batman with his omega beams, Darkseid instead used the omega sanction which sent him back through time.He also created a clone of Batman and the charred remains were the skeleton the audience saw making people believe the hero was dead. But, this is Batman, one of the biggest heroes in popular culture so we all knew this woudln’t last. It would be revealed one issue later that Batman was alive and stuck with some cavemen in the past. He would of course return properly a little over a year later.

3) Wolverine

Written in 2015 during the no X-Men or Fantastic Four era of Marvel Comics, Wolverine was killed off in The Death of Wolverine. Through losing his healing factor and fighting off one of the men who gave him adamantium, Wolverine was suffocated as he was covered in the molten metal. It was a tragic and controversial end for Logan that was not super popular. However as Secret Wars was on the horizon we would have two Wolverine titles during that time in the form of All-New Wolverine following Laura Kinney as Wolverine and a new Old Man Logan title with a version of Logan still around. That alone was a clue that it was only a matter of time before Wolverine returned properly — and he did. In 2018 fans would get their wish as Logan came back from the dead and has been back to his usual self since then.

4) Ms. Marvel

In an attempt to save Mary Jane Watson, Ms. Marvel was killed as she shape shifted into Mary Jane. It was a tragic moment for fans of Kamala Khan who in her short time was a very popular hero. Kamala’s death was a huge loss to all who loved her and for many, Ms. Marvel was one of the best Marvel creations in recent years. Until they turned around and brought her back to life as a mutant just a few months later. Previously an Inhuman, it was the character’s co-creator G. Willow Wilson who revealed she was supposed to be a mutant from the start but was denied due to the mutant embargo. Killing off — and then bringing back — Kamala paved the way for the character to get that pivotal reset of sorts. She stayed dead for a month or two until it was announced she was back.

This particular death was met with a lot of concerns with the big one being “what was that point?” It was revealed a bit prior that Wilson’s intent for Kamala to be a mutant is why she became a mutant in the Ms. Marvel television series and to make the comics reflect that Kamala was killed for the span of a week in the universe, give or take. Now that she’s back and an X-Men all is good but the event itself still leaves a sour taste for many, particularly since it’s a death that everyone knew wouldn’t really stick.

5) The Human Torch (Johnny Storm)

In 2011 Marvel did the unthinkable and killed the Human Torch in Jonathan Hickman’s legendary run. Acting as a climax of sorts to the story, Johnny would sacrifice himself to save the rest of his family from a horde of Negative Zone creatures. With no way to save himself, the loveable goof of the team was gone. With that as the end to issue #587, the series saw the aftermath his death and how everyone grieved in #588 which ended the series for the time.

While Spider-Man joined in place of the Human Torch at Johnny’s request, there’s no way Marvel actually killed the fan favorite right? You would be correct, so much so that Johnny never actually died and was still stuck in the Negative Zone being revived constantly. While the characters believed him to have died, we the audience didn’t. The lack of believability ultimately lessened the emotional weight of losing the beloved member of the Fantastic Four for fans.

6) Literally any member of the X-Men

Who hasn’t died in the X-Men? Almost everyone in the X-Men at the very least once. If you’re Jean Grey, that number is too high. At any point in the X-Men’s history someone will be dead or recently returning from dead, it’s that common for them. What’s a devastating action for any character that dies and returns is tough as is, but for the X-Men that’s what they call Wednesday. It has become so popular they figured out a way to revive themselves constantly when they were in Krakoa. It’s gotten so ridiculous that no X-Men death has any real stakes anymore. Fans just don’t buy it, and for good reason.

What are some of the other death in comics you know wouldn’t stick? Let us know down in the comments.

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Batman is a symbol of hope and someone who fights crime for those the justice system has failed. It’s those failures that helped create Batman as it is. With the ever present trauma of his parents murder and wanting to fight his “never-ending war” on crime, Bruce Wayne has endured a lot in his life. But while the character has a long history of suffering, mental health awareness has come more to the forefront in society in recent years and, as such, there’s been more examination of Batman’s own need for some therapy. Indeed, there are more than enough times Bruce Wayne should have just paid for a couple of sessions to work through is issues, but instead he takes to the streets of Gotham and fights criminals as a way to grieve.

While Batman going to therapy would probably change a lot about the character and radically reshape some of his iconic stories (and the title would most likely turn into a superhero version of The Sopranos) there are key moments where it would have helped the vigilante greatly to get some help. Here are five times Batman should have called a therapist, but just fought bad guys instead.

1) The Death of Jason Todd

One of the most impactful deaths for Batman came with Jason Todd’s death at the hands of the Joker. After Dick Grayson while Jason’s time as Robin was short lived his death would haunt Batman for decades and for good reason: it was a particularly gruesome demise. If being beaten to death by a crowbar wasn’t enough, a warehouse exploding on top of the kid will do that. With nothing to lose Batman hunted down and planned to kill the Joker right after the event. The combined might of Superman and the fact that Joker was parading around as an Iranian Ambassador to get diplomatic immunity prevented Batman from getting his justice-wrapped revenge. Batman quit the pursuit and returned to Gotham with a darker edge towards petty criminals.

While Joker may have used the crowbar for the actual act, it was the fans of the book who pulled the metaphorical trigger. The same people who loved Batman at the time also had the ball in their court to give him the second most traumatic event besides his parents deaths. It created the darker eras of Batman to come and perfectly set up the excellent “Under the Red Hood” storyline in 2005. It’s hard to image now that Jason was once unpopular but without this story we would have never gotten Red Hood, though it would certainly be interesting to see how Batman’s relationship with his resurrected son would be different had the Dark Knight sought some help in the first place.

2) Becoming Batman to Begin With

The death of Martha and Thomas Wayne is the catalyst that lead young Bruce Wayne to later become the Batman. It’s perhaps the most well-known and iconic heroic origin story ever and it’s one that has stood the test of time, having been set in place since the Golden Age of comics as well as retold in “Batman: Year One”. It’s a core staple of the character we all know and love but maybe instead of growing up to travel the world, training to ultimately become Batman, he should have asked Alfred to take him to a therapist. Or, since Bruce was just a child, maybe Alfred should have signed him up for therapy himself.

A young Bruce Wayne that got the needed emotional support following the death of his parents doesn’t necessarily lead to a world without Batman, either. It just might lead to a very different approach for the Dark Knight, one that could be really cool to see explored.

3) The Gotham War

Where do I even begin with Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War? Following a lot of trauma for Batman during the back-to-back arcs of “Failsafe” & “Bat-Man of Gotham” something in Bruce snapped. Later revealed to have been subliminal messaging from Zur-En-Arrh, a twisted version of Batman, Bruce to lost his mind and proceed to go to war with Catwoman. Disregarding everything Selina had said to Bruce with her method of keeping Gotham safe by reducing crime, Bruce decided to wage war on everyone she aligned herself with and most of the Bat-Family. It was not a good look for him and with him losing his hand right before things popped off he should have taken some time off and maybe talked to someone about it all. Losing a limb alone should have been enough to prompt that, honestly.

With a lot of mixed reviews of the event, this goes down as one of Bruce’s more memorable flipouts. Whether Chip Zdarsky had planned for Bruce being out of character during the event or not or was retconned due to backlash is up for debate. What is for sure is Bruce was deeply struggling at point and he desperately needed help. Thankfully he got help from his family a few arcs later and a little too conveniently, it worked out for the Dark Knight. Still, a sit-down with a professional would have been very useful.

4) Cold Days

“Cold Days” by Tom King has the potential to be one of the biggest cult classics from King’s run. With the premise of 12 Angry Men, Bruce Wayne realizes he screwed up and beat up Mr. Freeze wrongfully. Buying his way onto the jury as Bruce Wayne, he slowly gets the court to believe Freeze’s innocence. What spawned the outburst from Batman? Being left at the altar by Catwoman during the Wedding (or lack thereof) issue. He was in so much more pain the he normal and took it out on Freeze. Not a cool moment from Bats.

King’s run on Batman is divisive for a lot of reasons but despite a lot of the hate, this story remains a surprisingly positive point for everyone. It stands out as a story where we follow Bruce as Bruce Wayne rather than Batman, which we need more of in general. It also might be the closest to emotional awareness that we really see from the character. “Cold Days” is a quick and easy read in King’s run with just three issues and a precise story, it makes for one of the most unique stories the Dark Knight’s ever had. But I’m sure Freeze would agree therapy would have been better than getting his butt whooped by Batman having a black suit Spider-Man moment.

5) Killing the Joker(?) in The Killing Joke

The most cryptic ending to any Batman story, Batman: The Killing Joke is a firm staple for fans of Batman. After Joker nearly fridges Barbara Gordon leading her to become Oracle, Batman is sent over the edge with the Joker. Coming out just mere months before “Death in the Family” this was the first time in 1988 where Batman almost killed the Joker (supposedly.) The shadowy panel of Batman putting his hands on the Joker has been interpreted a plethora of ways. Personally I think it looks like Batman may have gone to strangle the Joker or even kill him. No matter, Joker did survive despite how you read the book and that should have a wakeup call for Batman. After this, Batman should have taken his young sidekicks out of action and sat himself down to talk about his own feelings as well. It could have changed a lot of things for the character — and those in his orbit.

What do you think, should Batman seek therapy? Why or why not? Let us know down in the comments.

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James Gunn’s Superman has all the makings of a great superhero movie. The cast is exceptional, the music sounds top-notch, and every piece of marketing drives the point home that the titular hero is all about saving people, whether they’re on his side or not. It’s a different vibe from the last time Superman found himself on the big screen as part of the DC Extended Universe. Zack Snyder took a unique approach, focusing on whether the modern world needs a hero like Superman and how that debate affects the character. The DCEU’s core theme actually appears pretty early on in its first movie, Man of Steel, and it doesn’t take long for it to go off the rails.

Man of Steel‘s Clark Kent butts heads with his father, Jonathan Kent, pretty often. The elder Kent doesn’t think the world is ready for someone like his son and wants to shield him, while Clark just wants to do what he believes is right. Their fundamental disagreement comes to a head during a dramatic moment in Man of Steel, which is easily the most controversial scene in comic book movie history.

Man of Steel‘s Jonathan Kent Takes the Term “Overprotective Parent” to Another Level

As soon as Jonathan and his wife, Martha, find the Kryptonian spaceship in the fields of Kansas, they’re on high alert. They take the child within the vessel as their own, but they feel like it’s only a matter of time before the government comes looking for their son. However, as the years pass, their moods change. Clark heads off to school, and his parents begin to believe that he’s capable of living a normal life. Unfortunately, his powers start to complicate matters, as does his moral code that forces him to step in whenever someone is in danger.

When his school bus ends up in a river after an accident on a bridge, Clark doesn’t hesitate to pull the vehicle to safety, and one of his classmates sees him. He tells their parents, and while Jonathan plays it off like it’s nothing, he knows the walls are closing in. Years later, during another argument with his son, a tornado hits a highway the family is driving on. Clark and Jonathan help get people to safety, but their dog is still in the car. Jonathan goes back to free the animal just as the tornado closes in. While Clark is ready to rush out to save his father, Jonathan stops him because he doesn’t think people will accept what his son is capable of.

Clark does nothing but watch as his father disappears into the vortex, which is a tough pill to swallow. After all, Superman in the source material rarely thinks twice about helping someone in need, and when it’s his father’s life on the line, there’s no chance he’s messing around. But what Man of Steel makes clear in that moment is that Clark isn’t Superman from the jump and doesn’t understand where he fits in the world just yet.

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Man of Steel Is More Than Just Its Most Controversial Moment

After his father’s death, Clark travels the world in search of answers. He wants to learn about where he’s from and what his people are like. He eventually gets the answers he’s looking for by visiting a Kryptonian ship. He meets his birth father, Jor-El, who explains to him that he’s on Earth to be a savior. Clark embraces that message initially and puts on his iconic red and white suit, ready to face whatever challenges life throws at him. However, he bites off more than he can chew when he comes face to face with General Zod, who pushes the new hero to his limits.

At the end of Superman’s battle with Zod, he finally has the villain right where he wants him. Zod is going to go down swinging, though, so he turns his heat vision on a nearby family. Clark has a choice to make: stand by his moral code and refuse to kill Zod, or do the right thing and save the family. With less from both of his fathers in the back of his mind, the hero once again makes the hard choice, one he will have to live with for the rest of his life. Man of Steel‘s message may not be as positive as the one in Gunn’s Superman, but it’s far more complicated than it’s given credit for.

Man of Steel is streaming on HBO Max.

Where do you stand on Jonathan Kent’s death in Man of Steel? Do you think it’s the most controversial scene in comic book movie history? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 12 Years Ago, Zack Snyder Delivered the Most Controversial Scene in Comic Book Movie History appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The general assumption is that the first film in a series is the best film in the series. But it’s not always so. Plenty of people like Terminator 2: Judgment Day more than The Terminator, and just as many favor Aliens over Alien and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter over Friday the 13th. They’re not wrong and they’re not right, it just all comes down to taste. Well, that and the fact that all the aforementioned sequels genuinely give their franchise-starters a run for their money in terms of quality. The same applies to superhero movies. In fact, if there’s a subgenre where sequels find a way of vastly improving upon what was established in and worked for their predecessors, it’s the superhero movie.

What follows are the best of the best when it comes to superhero movie sequels. Prequels weren’t necessarily excluded from consideration, but none quite made the cut anyway, and X-Men: First Class is more of a start of something new than it is a direct prequel to the original X-Men trilogy. Furthermore, it had to truly be a sequel to a predecessor, so while Birds of Prey continues a few threads established in Suicide Squad, it was really only The Suicide Squad that was considered (even though James Gunn’s film is decidedly different from David Ayer’s panned 2016 box office hit).

10) X2

Both of Bryan Singer’s original X-Men trilogy movies were trendsetters for the subgenre. But while the first film had the burden of setting up all these characters (and there are a lot of them), X2 is allowed to really flesh them out.

There are a few things that hold X2 back (e.g. its sidelining of Cyclops), but there are far more checks in the win column than the loss column. For one, Brian Cox and Kelly Hu are fantastic in their antagonistic roles. But even better is the decision to focus on Wolverine’s backstory and tie that in with the antagonists (particularly Cox’s Colonel William Stryker).

9) Thor: Ragnarok

After the mediocrity of Thor and the failure of Thor: The Dark World, not many out there were expecting Thor: Ragnarok to be one of the MCU’s best sequels, but that’s exactly what it ended up being. It’s the perfect merger of sci-fi fantasy action and Taika Waititi’s distinctive humor.

The subsequent release of Waititi’s disappointing Thor: Love and Thunder has only further emphasized just how right he got it the first time out the gate. But Love and Thunder also illustrates how, if overdone, the elements that work about Ragnarok can become very grating very quickly.

8) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Many people consider Guardians of the Galaxy one of their favorite MCU movies, if not their very favorite. And fair enough, but there’s a pretty good argument that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is better.

Director James Gunn was given more creative control than usual for the MCU with his trilogy. He was allowed to really bring his personality into it. That’s a huge advantage of all three. But the second installment has by far the best villain of the trilogy in Ego the Living Planet, while the first installment has by far the most forgettable and bland villain of the trilogy in Ronan the Accuser.

7) Logan

A risky superhero film that paid off, Logan showed that an R-rated installment within a traditionally PG-13 franchise could pay off big time. Its success proved that the R-rated Deadpool (released the year prior) wasn’t a fluke.

Logan is the superhero subgenre’s definitive Western. Toss out a six-shooter for some claws and Logan is Shane. As it turned out, we weren’t done with Wolverine quite yet, but it’s hard to imagine a more fitting finale for the character than this one.

6) Avengers: Infinity War / Avengers: Endgame

Yeah, we’re bundling Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but they are two halves of one movie, so it’s fitting. It’s also a factor that helps make the duo so impressive. More often than not, filming two movies back-to-back doesn’t pan out as well as intended.

It’s astonishing how many puzzle pieces the Russo brothers were able to juggle and fit comfortably into place with the two movies. Better yet, both halves of the story manage to stand apart from one another. While the final battle in Endgame is the MCU’s biggest set piece to date, the film as a whole feels more intimate and constrained than Infinity War, which starts with an action sequence and keeps them coming for two and a half hours until the credits roll. Not to mention, when it comes to MCU big bads, it’s going to be next to impossible to beat Thanos, even with Robert Downey Jr. coming back into the fold.

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5) Batman Returns

Like its predecessor, Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is a superhero film that has influenced any number of directors throughout the years since its release, even those who are helming a movie outside the subgenre. It just wasn’t the best movie to market to kids.

Batman Returns‘ darkness is what makes it so great, though. It is all the way Burton’s vision come to life. Batman felt like a movie he was making for a studio, because that’s what it was. Returns is him making a movie he wanted to make on the studio’s dime. It ended up meaning that we got to deeply inferior films in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin afterwards, but at least we’ll always have Returns. Of course, Burton isn’t the only asset in the sequel’s corner, as Michelle Pfeiffer delivers an unbeatable performance as Catwoman and Danny DeVito crafts a truly terrifying monster as the Penguin.

4) The Suicide Squad

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was so good that it tanked at the box office yet its director was still handed the keys to the DC kingdom the next year. Of course, its financial failure had nothing to do with Gunn’s involvement, but rather everything to do with the fact that, one, people had severely soured on the DCEU as a whole and, two, 2016’s Suicide Squad was by far the worst installment of that now defunct cinematic universe. It was a box office smash, but also a broken film at its core with obvious signs of behind-the-scenes tampering.

The Suicide Squad, however, is blatantly the vision of one individual, and he was allowed to craft that vision from the ground up and carry it out as he saw fit. Even more than in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad feels distinctly Gunn, and it benefits immensely from that. It jumps around a little bit in its plot, but it’s all the more charming and rewatchable for that. Furthermore, while John Cena made for a terrific addition to the DC world, this is once more Margot Robbie’s film, and it would be a terrible shame if the DCU doesn’t keep her on as Harley Quinn.

3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier announced Joe and Anthony Russo as two individuals with a shared directorial vision on just what could make an MCU installment work at full capacity. It also showed that an MCU movie could play in a genre outside itself and do it well.

As a political conspiracy thriller, The Winter Soldier is every bit as breezy and compelling as Three Days of the Condor. Speaking of that classic, Robert Redford was a major get for the MCU. But what helps the film flow so smoothly is the effective placement of action sequences (not too many, not too few) and the chemistry between leads Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson.

2) Spider-Man 2

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is without a doubt the highpoint of the pre-MCU era of Marvel movie history. And to this day, there is a strong argument that it is still the best Marvel movie, even with the release of favorites such as Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Raimi’s first Spider-Man is certainly great, but it was in this first sequel that he was able to be comfortable as a director. The same goes for the performers, who seem fully in place in their roles, able to flesh them out into relatable and likable individuals. But at the end of the day, the ace in the hole for Spider-Man 2 is Doc Ock. On one hand, there’s Alfred Molina’s razor-sharp performance. He nails the intimidation factor just as well as he brings the character’s heart to life. On the other, there’s how the villain is written. Specifically, he’s not just a villain. He’s a man with an altruistic motive whose ambition gets the best of him and, by film’s end, is able to overcome the deceptive voices in his ear and do what’s best, even if what’s best isn’t what he initially intended.

1) The Dark Knight

Poignant, deeply quotable throughout, and sublimely acted, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight isn’t just the best superhero movie sequel, it’s the best superhero movie period. To many, it’s one of the best movies regardless of genre or subgenre.

This comes down to many factors. For one, it functions as a crime film to be taken seriously far more than it does an average superhero film. Two, it tells a lot of story in two and a half hours, yet never once feels overwhelming in its effort to do so. Third, and perhaps most importantly, there’s the late Heath Ledger. Plenty has been written about his work as Joker, and every word of it has been positive. His posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor win was fully deserved, and it shows bias on the Academy’s part that the film as a whole didn’t secure a Best Picture nomination. This is especially true since the selection of films that were nominated, namely Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader, and winner Slumdog Millionaire, was arguably one of the least impressive Best Picture lineups in relatively recent memory.

The post 10 Best Superhero Movie Sequels Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Suicide Squad movies don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. They’re both about a group of bad guys rediscovering their humanity and learning to work together in the face of insurmountable odds. While the Suicide Squad movies are ensemble movies at their cores, it’s easy to pick favorites because some characters stand out more than others. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is the breakout star of David Ayer’s project, while Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 and Idris Elba’s Bloodsport do a lot of the heavy lifting in James Gunn’s film. One character that appears in both movies, however, is Captain Boomerang, who fails to reach his potential.

Digger Harkness is the wildest member of the titular team in 2016’s Suicide Squad, and that’s saying a lot because the movie is full of wacky characters. Jai Courtney’s performance gives a boost to the silly villain, which is why it’s so great that the actor reprises his role in the 2022 sequel. Unfortunately, The Suicide Squad does Captain Boomerang dirty and makes one miss his more impactful appearances in the Arrowverse.

Captain Boomerang Gets the Slipknot Treatment in The Suicide Squad

Harkness finds himself in the DC Extended Universe‘s version of Belle Reve after robbing enough banks to get on The Flash’s radar. His abilities with a boomerang make him an interesting asset, though, so Rick Flag and Amanda Waller make him part of Task Force X after the attack on Midway City by Enchantress. He doesn’t initially believe that A.R.G.U.S. has a chip in his neck, but after seeing Slipknot try and fail to escape, he starts to shape up. Harkness fights alongside his teammates until it seems like all hope is lost. Flag turns off the chips and allows the Suicide Squad to leave the city. However, Harkness and the rest embrace their heroic sides for a moment and help take down Enchantress.

Saving Midway City doesn’t get Harkness off the hook, so he ends up back in Belle Reve. After escaping for a brief time, Waller comes calling again in The Suicide Squad when Project Starfish starts causing problems in Corto Maltese. Harkness is part of the initial wave that heads to the island nation, and no one is there to welcome him with open arms. In fact, Corto Maltese’s army comes at Task Force X with everything it’s got, and the villain dies in the battle. He only lasts a few minutes in The Suicide Squad, which is a shame because he has more potential than his Arrowverse counterpart.

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The Arrowverse’s Captain Boomerang Wins the Competition By Default

The Arrowverse is home to plenty of great villains, including Reverse-Flash, Deathstroke, and Prometheus. Captain Boomerang isn’t on the same level as any of those heavy hitters, but he has the honor of being part of the franchise’s first major crossover, “Flash vs. Arrow.” Harkness wants revenge on A.R.G.U.S., so he causes problems around Star City in the second episode of the event. Since he’s too much for Oliver Queen and his team to handle on their own, Barry Allen shows up and lends a hand. Harkness nearly sets off a handful of bombs in the city, but the heroes get the better of him and toss him in prison on Lian Yu.

Harkness doesn’t return until the end of Arrow Season 5 when Oliver recruits former adversaries to help him fight Prometheus. Initially, the villain appears up to the challenge, but he eventually reveals that he’s working for Prometheus. Once again, he proves to be a problem for Oliver, and it takes Malcolm Merlyn setting off a mine to finally take him down. However, despite losing his life, Harkness’ story doesn’t end there because another character, Owen Mercer, follows in his footsteps and becomes Captain Boomerang. While the Arrowverse’s version of Harkness doesn’t have a unique personality or an affinity for stuffed animals like his DCEU counterpart, he makes life difficult for the heroes every time he’s on screen, and that’s the mark of a solid villain.

The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix, while the Suicide Squad movies are available on HBO Max.

Do you think The Suicide Squad wastes Captain Boomerang? How do you feel about the version of the character in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!

The post James Gunn Failed a DC Villain Worse Than the Arrowverse appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s hard to open a streaming service or visit a movie theater without running into Pedro Pascal’s work. In the last couple of years, he’s played Joel Miller in The Last of Us, Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, and General Acacius in Gladiator II. There are also smaller projects on his resume, including Materialists, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and Drive-Away Dolls, that fail to dominate the box office but allow Pascal to show off his incredible range. However, the actor owes at least some of his success to a popular genre he rarely gets associated with: superhero movies.

Of course, it’s no secret that Pascal is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He will then reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday, where his character, Reed Richards, will come face-to-face with his archenemy, Doctor Doom. Before he becomes one of the faces of the MCU, though, it’s important to look back at Pascal’s earlier work in superhero media, including one performance that never saw the light of day.

Pedro Pascal Was Nearly in Two Wonder Woman Projects

Pascal didn’t become a movie star overnight. He got his start by taking small roles in major TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, three different Law & Order series, and The Good Wife. All the hard work seemed to pay off in 2011, though, when Pascal landed a role in a pilot for a Wonder Woman show NBC was developing. Adrianne Palicki was going to play the lead role, while Pascal would portray Ed Indelicato, a liaison at the police department who had his ear to the ground in Los Angeles. It was far from a lead role, but Pascal probably appreciated the opportunity. However, NBC chose not to move forward with the project, which sent one of its stars back to the TV meat grinder.

Despite losing out on playing Indelicato, Pascal persevered and broke out on HBO’s Game of Thrones. His portrayal of Oberyn Martell helped him stand out in a tough crowd, and after the Mountain was done with the character, he moved on to bigger and better things. He even got another call from DC during the development of Wonder Woman 1984. Patty Jenkins and Co. wanted him to play eccentric businessman Maxwell Lord, who sought to control the Dreamstone and change the world. The 2020 sequel failed to live up to expectations, but Pascal really went for it and delivered a memorable performance. Still, DC failed to give Pascal a lead role in his second go-around, which was a mistake Marvel wasn’t about to make.

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The MCU Will Never Be the Same After Pedro Pascal Arrives

Pascal’s third superhero role puts him right in the middle of the action. Reed Richards is one of the smartest characters in Marvel Comics, and his big brain appears to be making the jump to live-action in First Steps. The titular team will come up against Silver Surfer and her master Galactus, who wants nothing more than to make the Earth his next meal. Reed blames himself for the Devourer of Worlds’ appearance, and unfortunately, things may not get better for him and his family because they’re fleeing their universe at the end of Thunderbolts*. The Fantastic Four do the right thing by seeking out Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and everyone will try to get on the same page in Doomsday.

The cast of the next Avengers movie is no joke, though, which may be intimidating for Pascal, especially since Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are joining the fray. However, it’s hard to look at the full cast list and think there’s another name that has a better chance of going toe-to-toe with Doctor Doom actor Robert Downey Jr. After all, Pascal has come a long way since being part of a failed superhero pilot that would’ve forced him into the hero’s shadow for as long as it was on the air.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.

Did you know that Pedro Pascal was part of a Wonder Woman TV show? Are you glad that he’s going to be a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Pedro Pascal Landed Two DC Roles Before He Ended Up With Marvel appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With James Gunn’s DCU on the way, there’s an ongoing and less-than-civil online discourse between fans of James Gunn and Zack Snyder. I’m here to offer some much-needed context for the feelings of the latter group. James Gunn’s Superman is just weeks away from hitting theaters (as of this writing), and yet much of the attention of the media, fans, and even the general audience seems to be focused on how hung up Zack Snyder’s fans are on the unceremonious end to the era of the DC Extended Universe. To his credit, Gunn categorizes said fans as a vocal minority without painting the entirety of the Snyder fanbase with the same brush; although the same cannot be said of much of the coverage relating to Snyder fans.

It’s an obvious and upfront caveat that there are Snyder fans who have behaved in unacceptable and overzealous ways towards Gunn, other fans, and journalists. However, I also think it is pertinent – indeed even crucial – to bear in mind that Snyder’s fanbase has been put through the ringer like few fandoms before it. Whether one is excited, skeptical, or indifferent to Gunn’s unfolding plans for the new DC Universe, the cinematic history of DC since Man of Steel (2013) shows quite clearly that Snyder’s fanbase didn’t become angry simply because they liked a set of superhero movies that other people didn’t. Rather, it was because of a series of tumultuous and frankly unfair events that are pretty easy to comprehend in full context, and explain why the Snyderverse is different from virtually any other abandoned movie franchise.

The Snyder DCEU Discourse Was Extremely Brutal & Over-the-Top

It’s easy to forget just how intense the discourse around the DCEU was in its earliest days, but I remember. Man of Steel definitely struck a nerve, but it was the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that became the definition of “love it or hate it” for DC fans (and most general moviegoers). I fell into the former category, but the people who hated Batman v Superman really, really, REALLY hated it, and made sure anyone and everyone knew it.

Some fans went as far as to launch Change.org petitions for Snyder to be fired from Justice League, and the online sphere was full of reviews and editorials lamenting in bitter, angry terms how much Snyder either hated, didn’t understand, or shouldn’t be allowed to tell DC stories (about Superman in particular). More than a few of these ventured into Snyder’s character and worldview being incompatible with the heroism of Superman, or taking out of context comments made by Snyder during the Watchmen press tour as an indication that he wanted to show Batman being assaulted in prison. My own social media was flooded with negativity about Batman v Superman to such an extent that it made it all but impossible to talk about liking the movie without being insulted or getting dogpiled.

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All of that was bad enough, but what made it worse was that Warner Bros. bent over backwards to rework Suicide Squad, Justice League, and the entire DCEU to meet the demands of its harshest critics – and largely to no avail. The re-shot theatrical cuts of Suicide Squad and Justice League are still garnering terrible reviews, and the entire post-Snyder DCEU (save for 2018’s Aquaman) failed to come anywhere near the commercial heights of his tenure. Essentially, Warner Bros. destroyed all the promise of the DCEU’s beginnings to address the highly venomous and arguably hyperbolic backlash to Batman v Superman. That kind of history weighs on you when you’re a fan of something, and it doesn’t go away overnight.

The Circumstances of Justice League & the DCEU’s Mishandling Is Going To Take a Long Time To Heal From (If Ever)

One point I often wonder about during discussion of the Snyderverse fandom is: what if Warner Bros. had not overreacted to Batman v Superman‘s backlash as they did? What if they had released Justice League without all of the behind-the-scenes drama and extensive reshoots? What if it had been more or less the movie that Zack Snyder’s Justice League ended up being in 2021? If Snyder’s Justice League had been a John Carter-level bomb that forced WB to pull the plug on the DCEU, most Zack Snyder fans woulda have likely made their peace with that outcome. It would have been far from ideal or desirable, but Snyder’s vision for the DCEU, in that scenario, would have been given a comprehensive and fair shot, and been a complete block of content, before Warner Bros. decided they were done throwing money at it.

Instead, the DCEU circa 2016-2017 is chock-full of stories (and outright accusations) about movies being revamped at the last minute, cast and crew members being horribly mistreated, the reworking of Justice League happening while Snyder was grieving a terrible family tragedy, and the studio’s management covering it all up. And there’s plenty to add to the pile on top of that: Warner Bros. management (at the time) rather blatantly undercutting the Snyder Cut’s eventual release with comments labeling a “storytelling cul-de-sac” and turning away from the subsequent surge in mainstream interest. The famed 1.5 million #RestoreTheSnyderVerse Twitter explosion just doesn’t happen without people beyond Snyder’s core fanbase responding positively to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with some calling it arguably the best DC movie ever made. The studio also cut off Henry Cavill’s eventual return as Superman at the knees, just when Snyder fans had regained hope.

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All of the above, along with a great deal of non-stop social media snark and mockery, has been the reality for Snyder fans for the past 12 years. There’s also no end to said snark and mockery in sight, given how much Gunn’s Superman has frequently been leveraged by fans and even some in the media as a societal antidote to Snyder’s vision for Superman and DC. There remains a lot of healing to do for those of us enamored with the Snyderverse, and I can guarantee that trying to push them into simply getting excited for Superman, with all of the emotional baggage still in full view, is as much of a conversation-stopper as it would’ve been asking Gunn fans to just accept that his vision for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would never come to pass after his (brief) firing. That also leads into the unnecessarily acrimonious debate over the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse phase of this debate.

Seriously, What’s So Bad About Fans Asking To See Snyder’s Justice League Story Finished?

The aforementioned #RestoreTheSnyderVerse calls kicked off as soon as the world saw Zack Snyder’s Justice League; that renewed wave of enthusiasm has gradually been re-framed as not just misguided hope, but something to be treated with scorn, derision, and outright offense. And I can’t help but ask why.

Yes, reviving Snyder’s planned ending to his intended five-movie arc would be complex, and would involve convincing numerous cast members to return to the franchise, and coordinating elements like scheduling, budgeting, and so much more. With that said, long-awaited comebacks have all but become the new trend with DC and Marvel. Michael Keaton, Hugh Jackman, Wesley Snipes, Dafne Keen, Jennifer Garner, Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Krysten Ritter, Jon Bernthal, the growing ensemble casts of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and the list goes on. All of them were retired or departed DC and Marvel alumni who have come back into the game in the last two years. Is it really that absurd for Snyder’s fans to advocate the same for his Justice League cast, especially since the entire endeavor wouldn’t be a long-term comeback, but one explicitly intended to finish Snyder’s Justice League saga – a story that has the ending already baked into it?

It’s not even like the Snyderverse would or should represent a threat to Gunn’s burgeoning DCU. Gunn has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to having projects like Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise stand alongside the DCU Batman in the classic “Elseworlds” tradition. Indeed, Gunn has even given a dash of hope to Snyderverse fans with his friendly social media selfie with Snyder in DC Studios – and if anyone genuinely believes Snyder and Gunn didn’t know or expect that would kick off an immediate wave of “Is the Snyderverse coming back?” speculation and rumors, I have a bridge to sell you.

Fans of Zack Snyder’s DCEU have been through a lot in the last 12 years. Trust me, I’m one of them. Sure, some Snyder fans have flown off the handle; however, the DCU is now rolling in, and the bitterness at the 12-year rollercoaster that was the DCEU is showing no signs of receding. A good place to start, in creating a better discourse, might be acknowledging that Zack Snyder fans didn’t become angry in a vacuum, and have plenty of justification for feeling so let down by DC and Warner Bros.

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are all available to stream on HBO Max, and James Gunn’s Superman will be released in theaters on July 11th.

The post Zack Snyder Fans Didn’t Get Upset For Nothing – Breaking Down The Snyder-Gunn Discourse appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman’s rogues’ gallery often feels like it’s ever-expanding, but there are undeniably a few tried and true villains the audience will never grow sick of seeing. One such example is Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow. Jonathan Crane grew up in a world of fear, and he turned that fear into a weapon. As the Scarecrow, he experiments on those around him, delighting in creating new hallucinogenic fear toxins. In his twisted mind, there’s nothing better than creating panic through absolute terror. Scarecrow has, thus far, only appeared in three live-action takes, two of which were shows. That leaves only one instance in which this villain has appeared on the big screen, and it has yet to be topped.

The infamous Crane has appeared all over the DC Comic Universe, made his way into animated series, and lastly, created a name for himself in various live-action forms. In Gotham, he was a tortured teenager who slowly learned how to rebel. Titans portrayed the young man all grown up, now Dr. Crane, and the secret hiding behind Jason Todd. Last, but certainly not least, there’s the version of Scarecrow portrayed in The Dark Knight trilogy. Cillian Murphy is the only actor to achieve the goal of playing Scarecrow in a DC movie, and in the process, he created one of the best DC Villains of all time.

A Terrifying Force of Nature in Batman Begins

Batman Begins was a groundbreaking film for DC, bringing the titular character to the big screen in ways fans had only ever dreamed of. As the first of the trilogy, this movie did much of the heavy lifting, establishing the iconic hero and his story. One of the first supervillains to line up against Batman was the one and only Scarecrow.

Scarecrow’s story begins normally enough, with Dr. Crane dancing on the line between good and evil. At the start of the film, he’s a psychologist working for the wrong sort of people, and it doesn’t take long to realize there’s something corrupt about the association. Throughout the film, Crane descends into his unique version of madness, obsessing over perfecting his fear toxin and spreading it to Gotham.

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Unlike a lot of supervillain origin stories, Batman Begins didn’t do a deep dive into Crane’s backstory. Thus, Cillian Murphy has to tell the story through his acting, and he met that challenge head-on. His instability is broadcast to viewers through Crane’s mannerisms. At a glance, Crane may look like a charming young man with an expressive face, but we all know the dangers of a pretty face, don’t we? Murphy leans on those trained fears, intentionally triggering something in our lizard brain that screams, “Run!”

An Ongoing Threat

The revolving door of Arkham Asylum is equal parts terrifying and discouraging. It seems these walls were never meant to hold the likes of Scarecrow, who makes an appearance in all three The Dark Knight films. In the second film, The Dark Knight, Crane has already made his way out of Arkham, but things are different this time. Crane is done trying to juggle two personalities and instead has fully embraced his life as the Scarecrow. This seemingly small transition tells an important story: a self-fulfilling prophecy surrounding Batman and his rogues.

Cillian Murphy portrays an utterly unfazed and ironically unafraid Scarecrow. He doesn’t much care about losing another fight to Batman, as he’s got this system down. This brings us to The Dark Knight Rises, which brings about the sort of world Crane could thrive in. After Bane took over the city, Scarecrow rose up, ditched his mask, and became king of his own little court. Legal court, that is. He returns to the courtrooms of Gotham City, but this time, instead of acting as defense for the criminally insane, he’s the judge. It may have only been two minutes of judging that viewers saw, but Cillian Murphy ensured this moment stuck.

Leaving a Mark

Throughout his acting career, Cillian Murphy has proven he has what it takes to tell an emotionally complex story. He’s also showcased his range, from Oppenheimer to Peaky Blinders and everything in between. So, in a way, it’s not surprising that he has done something that few other actors have achieved.

There’s no denying the mark The Dark Knight Trilogy left on superhero films. More importantly, Cillian Murphy left an indelible mark on the way the public perceives the Scarecrow. This is a feat several actors achieved in this run, as Heath Ledger changed the perception of the Joker, and Tom Hardy did with Bane. The biggest difference is that, thus far, nobody has had the chance to try and top Cillian Murphy. The Scarecrow has yet to reappear in any DC film franchise.

The post The Only Actor to Play Scarecrow in a Live-Action Movie Is Still One of the Best DC Villains Ever appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman stand as the absolute pinnacle of heroism in DC. They are called the Trinity, the three most important and influential heroes of all time. It stands to reason that, as the three heroes pushed to stand above all the rest of DC’s incredible cast, that they would have some of the best stories. At the very least, they would have stories that are able to tell you who they are, stories that capture the heart of their character in such a way that every fan can point to it and say that this is the story that shows why they love this character. Batman and Superman have these universally acclaimed and beloved stories in spades, but somehow, for some reason, Wonder Woman lacks this kind of comic.

Superman and Batman have plenty of stories each that capture the essence of their character in such a way that it changes how everyone looks at them, and all future stories try to emulate the version of the character present within those pages. For the Man of Steel, the most obvious and immediate answer is All-Star Superman, which may very well be one of the greatest comics of all time. It captures the humanity and care Superman has so beautifully, and all Superman media looks to it in reverence. Similarly, if I were to name every defining Batman story we would be here all day and night. To name just the most popular, there are The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and The Dark Knight Returns, all of which are stories that show Batman at his most dark and caring, which is the purest embodiment of his character. These stories represent everything the characters stand for, and none of Wonder Woman’s stories have anywhere near this level of iconicness.

Wonder Woman’s Best Stories Don’t Measure Up

This is not to say that Wonder Woman lacks good or even great stories, but even the best among her catalogue pale in comparison to the level of grandeur the World’s Finests’ stories have. Whenever this question is brought up the same several contenders are mentioned, and for good reason, but each of them lacks something vital that pushes it over the edge from great to legendary. The Legend of Wonder Woman is a fantastic modern retelling and rework of Diana’s earliest Golden Age adventures set in World War II, but for a large portion of its criminally short run Wonder Woman was way too passive of a character. Wonder Woman: Year One is widely regarded as one of the best tellings of her origin, and while there is truth to that, the plot of the story very much feels like a watered down version of George Perez’s landmark run and is too rushed. Justice League Dark volume two is a great story led by Wonder Woman, but it’s far from a Wonder Woman focused story as she shares the spotlight with plenty of other characters.

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The closest thing people agree on as being the definitive Wonder Woman story is George Perez’s post-Crisis Wonder Woman volume two, which set the stage for how everyone would view the character forever onward. Its first arc, “Gods and Mortals” is as cited as the place to start reading the character. However, while this run is undeniably important for Wonder Woman’s history and mythos, it is also undeniably dated. Its storytelling structure is very, very text heavy in a way that only 1980s comics can be, and even ignoring that, sometimes it makes weird choices. Like how it aged-up Steve Trevor and made him into a father figure for Diana when every other version of the character has him as her main love interest, which is just bizarre and a little bit gross. And even then, this is an entire run, not one definitive story like the Batman and Superman ones mentioned above.

Why Doesn’t Wonder Woman Have an Iconic Story?

Despite her insane popularity and importance to the DC Universe, Wonder Woman seems incapable of having a story as iconic and defining as her contemporaries. Unfortunately, there may be a reason for that. If I were to ask a random person off the street what Batman or Superman’s origin story is, they could tell me most of the details with next to no issue. However, if I did the same with Wonder Woman, I am confident that I would be met with a lot more blank stares and non-confident guesses. Superman and Batman are deceptively simple characters with incredibly defined starting points. Just by looking at how the characters started you know exactly what they want and how they plan to achieve it, and from those starting points you can tell any number of stories because you know exactly who they are. Even when continuities are rewritten, their origins are so set in stone that nobody needs to retell them, we all already know.

Wonder Woman, on the other hand, has her origin retold and fundamentally changed what feels like every other year. Much like the other two, Wonder Woman is a character with clear and simple desires; she is a woman who embodies sisterhood, love, and the endless pursuit of peace in a world that tries to convince her it is not worth saving. And yet, every origin she is featured in keeps contradicting others and trying to one-up them. Wonder Woman’s stories keep poking and prodding at each other in an attempt to agree on why she is how she is, which keeps them from ever thinking about moving beyond that and showing us who she is. Nobody can agree on her past and some even argue over who she is, so nobody can charge ahead boldly with her future.

Of course, that can’t be the only reason keeping Wonder Woman from having this iconic story she deserves. But I don’t know what other reason there could be, aside from DC itself not being willing to invest in Wonder Woman as they should. She is one of their Big Three, a superhero who has inspired millions and can change the world with her stories, but she still doesn’t have the defining story that shows people who she is. Absolute Wonder Woman is shaping up to be just that, but I can’t in good conscience give that book the title, no matter how incredible it is, because it’s so fundamentally different from the main Wonder Woman. At the end of the day, Wonder Woman deserves a fantastic story, and we all need to take up arms and shout it from the rooftops until it happens.

The post Why Doesn’t Wonder Woman Have an Iconic, Definitive Story like Batman and Superman Have? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Harley Quinn has been in an odd position within the DC Universe for a while now. She is no longer a villain, but she’s not quite a superhero either. DC CCO Jim Lee once described Harley as the “fourth pillar” of the DC Universe, emphasizing how highly the company views her. The character has achieved such exponential growth in the last few decades, and DC didn’t know what to do with her. Harley became too likable, DC couldn’t keep her a supervillain or the Joker’s abused girlfriend forever. She’s now in a confusing anti-hero position, yet the character feels wasted in that role despite some genuinely funny comics.

Maybe this is nostalgia speaking, but Harley was a more enjoyable character when she was a villain and causing havoc. DC had to evolve the character as she couldn’t stay stagnant, especially since she became somewhat of a role model. Yet a big appeal of her character was that she was a villain, and when you take that away, you lose a lot of what made that character great in the first place. This isn’t to say Harley can’t be compelling as a hero, but after many years as a sort-of superhero in the comics, we are clamoring to see a villainous Harley again.

Did DC Need To Move Harley Away from Villainy?

While Harley Quinn has always been a fan-favorite ever since she first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series, it was the Batman Arkham games that exploded her popularity. It evolved the character from a cartoon side-character to one of Batman’s main rogues’ gallery. From there, her popularity grew, leading her to become one of the faces of the Suicide Squad, a team she had no association with until 2011, and the onslaught of merch. Even though the character was gaining new fans at this period, some of the early Suicide Squad and the Arkham games lean too heavily on the villainous side of Harley Quinn. There was the infamous comic where Harley blew up an innocent, which felt too out of character.

Harley Quinn’s main hook was that she was a female version of the Joker, was an underling, and had a childish personality that hid her true competence. Her villainous actions contrast with her personality, making her an enjoyable villain to watch and read. There’s tragedy to the character, as she’s trapped in an endless cycle of abuse by the Joker. It was secretly a dark backstory that the original animated series hid through jokes and Harley’s mannerisms. Her abuse is what made the character compelling, but there’s only so much readers can take of Joker’s treatment of Harley before the idea gets uncomfortable. DC needed to move Harley away from the Joker, yet the company didn’t need to move her away from villain-y completely.

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DC possibly made Harley more heroic because her backstory as an abuse victim may seem problematic if she remained under the Joker’s thumb. It wouldn’t make sense, at least in a marketing sense, to have DC’s “fourth pillar” be a villain and a victim. This is especially true given how close to home Harley’s abuse hits certain readers. Nonetheless, it could be argued that she was never meant to be a fully sympathetic character. The Mad Love comic confirmed that Harley always used her looks and seduction to get what she wanted, highlighting how she was morally dubious before the Joker got his hands on her. Her growing up past Joker shouldn’t mean she should suddenly become a hero. When DC made Harley more heroic, her immature personality no longer read as fun or lighthearted, and instead, it became silly. It’s one thing for Superman or the Flash to say a zany one-liner while saving someone. It’s another thing when Harley acts like an oversized child all the time, especially when her villainous actions aren’t serving as a contrast.

Other Media Makes Villain Harley Work Better than Hero Harley

The original Batman: The Animated Series and the recent Batman: The Caped Crusader cartoon demonstrated how Harley can work as a villain without the Joker. The classic animated show from the 90s offers redemption for the character in several situations, and she would often run back to the Joker. However, she would also commit several crimes with Poison Ivy, keeping her in as a criminal yet away from the Joker. Caped Crusader establishes Harley as her own villain, independent from the Joker, who has yet to appear in the series. She has her own motivations and isn’t trapped in her abusive girlfriend role. The show even highlights Harley’s profession as a psychiatrist, an underrepresented aspect of the character’s backstory.

Even her acting as a villain sidekick for the Joker in the Arkham game series feels more aligned with the character’s original intention. She remained villainous even after the loss of the Joker, essentially taking over Joker’s position in the villain hierarchy. The Gotham Knights game also had Harley acting independently again, adapting her to be more manipulative and intelligent. Gotham Knights is Harley at her most malicious, which may not match with some people’s sympathetic view of the character. Nevertheless, the character works best when she isn’t fully empathetic, especially when she has evil intentions. While Harley’s portrayal as an abuse victim is a sensitive topic, her history as a victim shouldn’t deter authors from making her villainous. Bad guys work best when they have a tragic history, and Harley Quinn’s sympathetic backstory makes her more complex and engaging to read, particularly as a villain rather than a hero.

The post I Think DC Is Wasting Harley Quinn By Making Her a Hero appeared first on ComicBook.com.

While the multiverse concept has been experiencing mainstream popularity in the past decade, comic books have long embraced the boundless potential of alternate universes, offering creators a canvas to explore realities far stranger than our own. These parallel dimensions often twist familiar heroes and narratives into new and frequently bizarre configurations. While many alternate realities offer darker takes or “what if” scenarios, some dive headfirst into the truly outlandish, presenting worlds governed by peculiar rules or populated by characters that defy conventional explanation. These strange corners of the multiverse showcase the medium’s capacity for unrestrained imagination.

The allure of peculiar parallel comic book worlds lies in their creative audacity. They provide a unique lens through which to view established characters and tropes, often subverting expectations in delightful or disturbing ways. From dimensions where the laws of physics seem to have a sense of humor to realities that parody our own in surreal fashion, these universes highlight the innovative spirit that thrives when comic creators are allowed to explore the truly weird.

1) Earth-C-Minus (DC Comics)

DC Comics’ Earth-C is an alternate reality populated entirely by sentient, anthropomorphic animal versions of familiar superhero archetypes. Its premier super-team, Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, comprises figures such as Roger Rodney Rabbit (Captain Carrot), who gains super-strength from cosmic carrots, Peter Porkchops (Pig-Iron), a pig transformed into living metal, and Felina Furr (Alley-Kat-Abra), a feline mistress of magic, embarking on lighthearted adventures filled with puns. Earth-C-Minus, an even more peculiar offshoot first glimpsed in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #14-15, is home to the “Just’a Lotta Animals,” a team featuring Super-Squirrel, Batmouse, and Wonder Wabbit.

The characters and environments within Earth-C-Minus are rendered in an intentionally crude art style reminiscent of a young child’s hurried doodles. The physical laws governing this secondary dimension are portrayed as even more exaggeratedly cartoonish and rudimentary than those of Earth-C. This commitment to an ultra-simplified aesthetic and an amplified level of absurdity makes Earth-C-Minus a standout example of comic book creators pushing the boundaries of silliness into a realm of strangeness, offering a brief but memorable glimpse into a universe built on the most basic elements of cartooning.

2) Earth-8311 (Marvel Comics)

Marvel Comics presents its own notable entry into anthropomorphic alternate realities with Earth-8311, the home dimension of the one and only Peter Porker, also known as the Spectacular Spider-Ham. In a clever inversion of the classic Spider-Man origin, Peter began life as an ordinary spider. He gained his porcine superhero form after being bitten by May Porker, an anthropomorphic pig scientist. In addition to Spider-Ham, Earth-8311 is brimming with animal-themed counterparts to mainstream Marvel heroes and villains, including well-known figures like Captain Americat, the mighty Hulk Bunny, the swift Deerdevil, and the nefarious Ducktor Doom, ensuring a constant stream of visual gags and pun-laden names.

The adventures within Earth-8311 are consistently characterized by their slapstick humor and a relentless barrage of animal-centric wordplay. Storylines frequently parody iconic Marvel tales but infuse them with a distinct barnyard sensibility, creating scenarios that are both recognizable and hilariously skewed. The visual of a cartoon pig web-swinging through a city populated by other talking animals is inherently comical, and Spider-Ham’s enduring popularity, especially after his cinematic appearances, underscores the broad appeal of this deliberately silly and creatively vibrant alternate universe.

3) The “Milk Wars” Universe (DC Comics/Young Animal)

The 2018 “Milk Wars” crossover event forged a temporary reality by merging the mainstream DC Universe with the more eccentric characters and themes of its Young Animal imprint. This bizarre transformation was orchestrated by the insidious corporation “RetCo,” which aimed to impose universal conformity through its range of mind-altering dairy products. The resulting universe saw iconic DC heroes drastically reimagined into retro-pastiche figures: Wonder Woman became “Wonder Wife,” an idealized 1950s homemaker embodying domestic subservience; Batman was recast as a brooding, authoritarian priest presiding over a “Holy City” version of Gotham; and Superman morphed into an unnervingly optimistic strongman devoted to promoting RetCo’s milk.

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This universe’s distinct atmosphere arose from its sharp satire of nostalgia, consumerism, and corporate control, all manifesting as a surreal distortion of beloved characters. The aesthetic deliberately blended wholesome 1950s advertising imagery with an underlying sense of dread and homogenized emptiness. The “Milk Wars” reality was less a stable alternate timeline and more a universe being bizarrely rewritten by an external force, offering a thought-provoking and visually jarring commentary on superhero archetypes and the pressures of societal conformity, with the unpredictable Doom Patrol playing a key role in resisting this enforced blandness.

4) The Mojoverse (Marvel Comics)

Originating from an entirely separate dimension, the Mojoverse is a chaotic society pathologically obsessed with television ratings and gladiatorial forms of entertainment. Its undisputed ruler is Mojo, a grotesque, spineless, multi-legged alien tyrant who maintains his power by broadcasting an endless stream of sensationalist content. He frequently abducts beings from other realities, most notably the X-Men, forcing them to participate as unwilling stars in his deadly televised spectacles for the amusement of his equally bizarre populace. Key characters such as the swashbuckling Longshot, the multi-armed assassin Spiral, and the warrior Shatterstar all have complex origins tied to this media-saturated dimension, often depicted as rebels fighting against its oppressive and vapid culture.

The Mojoverse functions as a biting satire of media consumption, the pursuit of celebrity, and the corrupting influence of entertainment driven solely by ratings. Mojo himself embodies the most venal aspects of a media executive, devoid of empathy and driven by an insatiable need for viewership and control. The entire concept of a society enslaved to the whims of a television producer, where life and death are merely programming choices and suffering is monetized, establishes the Mojoverse as an uncomfortably prescient corner of Marvel’s vast cosmology.

5) Earth-66½ (Marvel Comics’ Not Brand Echh)

During the late 1960s, Marvel Comics produced Not Brand Echh, a satirical series that lampooned its own characters, creators, and competitors, effectively creating the temporary reality of Earth-66½. This universe was populated by hilariously distorted versions of Marvel’s biggest stars: “Spidey-Man” was a klutz, “Ironed Man” (Stark Naked) had armor that constantly malfunctioned, “The Inedible Bulk” was a perpetually whining green giant, and “Dr. Deranged” bungled his spells. In addition, the Fantastic Four became “The Fantastical Four” with members like “Mr. Fantastical” and “The Human Scorch.” Every story was steeped in self-deprecating humor, fourth-wall breaks, and an anything-goes sensibility.

The artwork of Not Brand Echh often exaggerated features comically, and the narratives gleefully deconstructed superhero tropes with playful absurdity. This wasn’t a universe with its own internal dramatic logic, but rather a funhouse mirror reflecting the sillier aspects of the Marvel Universe itself. Its commitment to parody and its often surreal gags made Earth-66½ a unique space where Marvel could laugh at itself, presenting a world governed by comedic chaos rather than heroic convention, making it a truly bizarre and fondly remembered experiment in self-satire.

6) The Fifth Dimension (DC Comics)

Quite distinct from the concept of alternate Earths within a multiverse, the Fifth Dimension, often referred to by names like Zrfff, is an entirely different plane of existence with its own incomprehensible physical laws. It is famously home to beings of nigh-omnipotent reality-warping power, most notably Superman’s mischievous antagonist Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Batman’s self-proclaimed “number one fan,” Bat-Mite. For these powerful imps, our familiar three-dimensional reality is primarily a source of amusement and a playground for their whims. Because of that, their frequent visits to Earth typically involve the imposition of cartoon logic, surreal transformations, and widespread chaos.

These interventions are usually driven by their own desire for entertainment or a misguided attempt to “assist” their favorite heroes in baffling ways. The physical laws of the Fifth Dimension itself are portrayed as entirely fluid and malleable, completely subject to the will of its potent inhabitants and beyond the grasp of human understanding. This realm represents a wellspring from which pure strangeness can irrupt into the DC Universe, driven by entities who view our existence as little more than narratives to be played with.

7) Earth-2301 (Marvel Comics’ Mangaverse)

In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics embarked on an experimental publishing initiative known as “Mangaverse,” which aimed to reimagine its flagship characters through the narrative conventions of Japanese manga and anime. This project resulted in the creation of Earth-2301, a universe where familiar heroes and villains often possessed drastically altered origins, appearances, and power sets. For instance, in this reality, Spider-Man was depicted as a young ninja belonging to the clandestine “Spider-Clan.” Meanwhile, the Hulk manifested as a city-destroying rage monster akin to Godzilla and Iron Man was typically portrayed as the pilot of a sophisticated mecha suit.

Other character reinterpretations further embraced exaggerated anime tropes. Storm, for example, was depicted as a literal weather-controlling witch, and a version of Doctor Strange summoned oversized spirit creatures to do his bidding. The Mangaverse was characterized by its dynamic, hyper-stylized artwork and narratives that often prioritized high-octane action and melodramatic emotional beats. This fusion of established American superhero archetypes with overtly Japanese pop culture aesthetics resulted in a universe that was visually distinctive and often narratively outlandish, standing as a bold, if divisive, experiment in cross-cultural creative blending.

Which other truly bizarre alternate comic book universes make your head spin? Share your weirdest picks in the comments below!

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DC, as a company, has a very big focus on the legacy of its characters. Ever since the Silver Age began and Barry Allen took up the mantle of the Flash, DC has been unafraid to push forward and introduce new characters who carry on the mantle and mission of the heroes who inspired them. Not only that, but these new characters make the name their own, creating their own version of the classic characters that have their own fanbase, and fans are well known to argue over which version of which beloved character is the best. However, there are some who argue that DC places too much emphasis on the legacy of their characters, and that ultimately drags them down. Some argue that this focus on legacy can’t work because DC never allows their characters to truly change or move on. So let’s discuss the pros and cons of legacy in DC, when it works, and when it doesn’t.

Why Legacy Is So Important

As we established above, the legacy of its heroes has been an important aspect of DC since the Silver Age at least, where characters like Green Lantern and the Flash were replaced with new versions that had the same name, but were wildly different characters. However, this isn’t really a legacy change in the way we see it today, as neither one was originally connected to their predecessor, with the original characters being from a different Earth (Jay Garrick was actually a comic book character in Barry’s world, initially). The first instance of a character taking over the mantle of another hero they were directly connected to is Ted Kord becoming the second Blue Beetle, having been an apprentice to the original Dan Garrett. This set the stage for the major characters to follow suit in passing on the torch to the next generation.

While plenty of characters involved legacy in some way, DC really made legacy a core part of their identity in the post-Crisis era and throughout the ‘90s. The start of the modern age of comics saw major shakeups to every major hero. Wally West became the new Flash, Kyle Rayner became the only Green Lantern, Tim Drake became Robin, Connor Hawke became Green Arrow, and even Wonder Woman was temporarily replaced twice in that time period. We saw “Reign of the Supermen” where people fought over who would take Superman’s place. “Knightfall” showed Batman giving up then reclaiming his name, with the following “Prodigal” arc showing that Dick Grayson was the true heir to Batman’s throne. These changes were massive and sweeping, and for the most part beloved. They showed that DC’s heroes weren’t just people, they were ideals to strive to become. It promised a future even beyond the lives of the beloved characters, where they would live on and the hope they inspired could never die out. There are plenty more legacy characters I could name, but the important thing is that most of DC’s most popular heroes have legacies of some kind, and they are important to uplift the character to new heights. They make the DC Universe feel more real. At least, when used correctly.

[RELATED: Is a Beloved DC Hero’s Legacy Ending Forever?]

DC Has a Legacy Issue

All of the beloved examples above are about legacy when it works, but there are plenty of times in comics, especially modern ones, where legacy characters fall flat. The problem with DC’s current legacy characters is twofold. The first part is that most of the pre-New 52 legacy characters (Wally, Connor, Dick) had their dead-mentors return to the role alongside them, sharing the name, which isn’t a problem in and of itself. Fans were and are willing to accept them sharing the title because each version felt distinct and like they had their own niche. Unfortunately, their stance as their mentors’ equals was wiped away with the New 52 reboot, which saw many of those legacy characters either wiped from existence or returned to their previous hero identities. For many years these characters suffered in a character limbo, which leads us to the second part of the problem, being the newly introduced legacy characters.

Let’s use Jace Fox Batman as an example. He was introduced in the wake of the Future State event, which showed a potential not-so-distant future for the DC Universe and has since made his modern day debut. However, he never really caught on, and there’s a reason for that. Fans already had an abundance of characters they saw as being Batman’s successor, the forerunners being Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne, and while Jace is a great character he lacked the build up and presence the older characters had. The same is true for all the new legacy characters in some capacity. Most DC heroes had a “next generation” version introduced twenty or thirty years ago, but because of the status quo nature of comics the originals always return, so that next generation is always just left with the promise of the future.

Unfortunately, that promise of the future falls apart when newer characters are introduced who are promised the same thing. DC continuously introduces more characters who are said to be the successors to the titles, when there are already characters who have claims to that. Because the originals will never leave, it leaves the two waves of legacy characters fighting to occupy the same space in comics, and because they’re fighting for the same spotlight, either neither gets enough or one hogs it all and the other is left to languish. This exact issue is going on with Tim Drake and Damian Wayne right now for the position of Robin, where Damian is the main Robin, and so Tim is just sitting there with nothing to do. 

Legacy has always been important to the DC Universe, but it’s become a bit of a having your cake and eating it too scenario. DC wants to keep the old versions of their heroes around and introduce the next generation, but that just leaves the multiple new generations they’ve introduced fighting for any scraps of attention they can. Legacy will always be one of DC’s best aspects, but nowadays it feels like its characters are only focused on their legacies that will never arrive because they can never move on from their eternal comic book headliner role. Something has to give eventually, or all of DC’s best characters will only continue to sit in this nothing-burger position that satisfies nobody.

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Superman is in a rough spot. Lois Lane has depleted her Kryptonian powers, Lex Luthor is an enemy again, Pharm and Graft are on the loose, and he’s still an erupting volcano in a cape with his Red Kryptonite infection. Unfortunately, for Superman, things are only going to get worse from here. Not only does he have to convince Metropolis’s night-bound superhero Marilyn Moonlight that he’s not a threat to their beloved city, but something much, much worse is waiting for him in the future, but they’re not going to wait there for long. Darkseid’s corrupted Legion of Super-Heroes is coming to finally introduce themselves to the hero who previously inspired them, and they’re bringing the pain and despair that makes up their new world with them.

Superman Versus Everyone

The start of Superman #27 sees an enraged, Red-K poisoned Superman tearing his way through Stryker’s prison to find Lex Luthor, only to be confronted by Marilyn Moonlight, who is convinced he’s gone off the deep end. However, even when his rage is flowing through him more powerfully than a locomotive, Superman will always follow his moral code. He manages to rein himself in and convince Marilyn not to fight him, pointing out that Lex, Pharm, and Graft are gone, and it’s likely that Lex is somehow controlling when and where Marilyn can appear. The pair take off to find the villains, and the leaders of the Lex Luthor Revenge Squad aren’t hard to find, given they’re stomping through downtown in a giant SuperCorp robot, screaming for Lex to face them.

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As they fight, however, Lex speaks, knowing that Superman can hear him. He reveals that letting the villains go, infecting Superman with Red Kryptonite and sending Marilyn Moonlight to confront him was all a part of Lex’s plan to escape Metropolis. He did enjoy working with Superman, but after recovering all of his memories, he has to leave in order to figure out who the new Lex Luthor is. He reveals that Marilyn’s powers are the cure to Superman’s condition, and that the only way to defeat the robot is to smash it with the SuperCorp logo. Superman does so, symbolically and literally severing his ties to the company, and Lex says goodbye. In the fallout of the action, Marilyn Moonlight has been freed from her curse to only appear at night, Mercy has become the head of the newly renamed LexCorp, and Lex has slipped off to parts unknown, using sign language to avoid Superman tracking him down. Superman, disappointed but unsurprised, thinks that he’s returned to a familiar status quo, but the future is far from the idyllic land he thinks it is.

Darkseid’s Legion is Coming

In the far flung future, the Time Trapper is held captive by Darkseid’s Legion, who drag him to where they are keeping their other prisoner, Booster Gold. They reveal that Booster is the key to their plans, as after his journey to the Absolute Universe through the rift Darkseid’s death left in the Watchtower, he is basically a battery of Omega Energy. Time Trapper reminds the Legion that he is still Doomsday, and breaks free from his chains to escape, intent on finding the World Forger. The epilogue to Justice League Unlimited #8 shows him doing just that, where the two immortal beings realize together that time itself is coming undone, and that their universe is coming to an end at the hands of Omega Energy.

The Legion, meanwhile, allow the Time Trapper to flee without chase, saying that they know where he’ll wind up in the end regardless. Instead, they decide it’s finally time for them to introduce themselves to Superman. In the correct timeline, Superman inspired the Legion of Super-Heroes, and they stand as the defenders of the veritable utopia of heroes in the 31st century. They literally represent the better tomorrow that Superman is fighting for. This new Legion, however, is living proof that the tides of reality have shifted from hope to hate, and are a sick nightmare version of how things should be. Once Superman’s greatest allies, the Legion is coming to end the man who should have inspired their existence, and tear down everything Superman stands for along with him.

Superman #27 is on sale now!

The post Superman’s Worst Future is Coming to Ruin Him appeared first on ComicBook.com.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, James Gunn revealed that Batman was his most pressing concern regarding the burgeoning DC Universe. The director may be kicking off his new world of interconnected superhero properties with Superman, but it’s the Dark Knight that will make or break the DCU. With the director all but guaranteeing that Matt Reeves’ Batman would remain its own separate thing, the question becomes what kind of Caped Crusader will patrol the streets of the DCU’s Gotham? As far as we’re concerned, there’s only one correct answer: Bat-God.

For those unfamiliar, “Bat-God” is the unofficial name some fans use to describe a specific, overpowered version of Batman from the comics, typically associated with Grant Morrison, although not exclusively. When you see comic fans using the phrase “prep time” in conjunction with the Caped Crusader, they’re usually talking about Bat-God. These fans believe that with enough time to formulate the right strategy, Batman can take down anyone from Spider-Man to Thanos without breaking a sweat.

Bat-God Made His Debut In A Story With A Biblical Name

The idea of Bat-God started with the Tower of Babel storyline, which ran in JLA issues 43-46 from July to October 2000. The story introduces the idea that Batman has a plan to eliminate every single member of the Justice League, should they turn evil. These plans range from turning Superman transparent and forcing him to overdose on solar energy to exposing Aquaman to a toxin that causes him to be afraid of the water.

Soon, fans and writers alike began to say that Batman had a contingency plan for everything, a concept taken to its extreme when Grant Morrison revealed that Bruce Wayne had programmed a backup persona — Zur-En-Arrh — in his own mind that would take over whenever he was mentally compromised. It wasn’t enough that Batman had a contingency plan for his fellow superheroes; now he had one for himself.

While the Bat-God persona runs the risk of becoming self-parody, when written correctly, it’s the only version of Batman that works as a member of the Justice League. When your gang has two god-like aliens, one actual god, one space cop with the most powerful weapon in the universe, and a man who can run faster than light, what good is a powerless vigilante wielding a bat-shaped boomerang?

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However, make that vigilante a nigh-omniscient doomsday prepper with a talent for crafting makeshift devices that would put MacGuyver to shame, and suddenly you have an invaluable member of the team. If James Gunn wants to differentiate the DCU Batman from every other live-action portrayal of the character, this is the version of the character he needs to embrace.

Robert Pattinson’s Batman Was Never Going to Join the DCU (And That’s A Good Thing)

“Will Robert Pattinson be the DCU’s Batman?” is a question that doesn’t need to be asked anymore. It’s like when fans asked if Christian Bale would be Zack Snyder’s Batman; both versions of the character were painstakingly depicted as realistic, street-level vigilantes. Smarter and richer than the average person, sure, but able to take out the entire Justice League? You might as well get TMNT‘s Casey Jones.

Since the first time Batman shared a comic book with other DC superheroes, the character has led a quasi-Jekyll and Hyde existence. In his own books, the Dark Knight would use his wits and keen detective skills to stop Two-Face from robbing the Second Bank of Gotham or to find the Joker’s secret lair. Meanwhile, as a member of the Justice League, he would routinely take on global threats and go toe to toe with intergalactic warlords like Darkseid.

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With comic books, it’s easier to suspend disbelief and accept that both versions of Batman are the same character. Movies, however, usually force you to pick one or the other, which is why both Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves chose to go with street-level heroes more concerned with stopping organized crime than stopping a planetary invasion.

James Gunn, on the other hand, needs to go in the opposite direction, especially if he wants a Batman that would believably team up with Superman. For that, he needs a Caped Crusader who can outsmart gods, find their weaknesses, and develop viable strategies to exploit them. In other words, he needs Bat-God.

Let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is still in development at DC Studios.

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