James Gunn is no stranger to taking formerly quirky, nearly obsolete characters and making them shine on the silver screen. The director has taken some of Marvel and DC’s formerly D-list characters and given them a place in huge summer blockbuster films.Guardians of the Galaxywas something of a revelation for Marvel in the summer of 2014. The most recent comic book run at the time was not exactly a fan favorite, and the likes of Star-Lord and Drax had never had the spotlight on them in major motion pictures of tv series. James Gunn and his sense of humor was a huge part of why the film was such a monstrous success.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2was also a massive blockbuster, albeit not as critically acclaimed as its predecessor. It did, however,bring the Guardians into the limelightjust before the events ofAvengers: Infinity Warand further cement the spacebound team as prominent figures in the MCU. Most recently, Gunn ‘switched teams’ to directThe Suicide Squadfor Warner Brothers and the DCEU. Unlike its predecessor, it earned critical acclaim as a summer hit. The film is comedic, star-studded, and gory. So what’s next for the director?
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Recently, Gunn hinted that he is working on a new DCEU project. With that in mind, speculation never hurt anyone, so this article will delve into some DC characters that would be great for the director to play with in the creative sandbox. Some characters have been on the silver screen before, but others are quirky, bizarre, and obscure (which is exactly whatthe Guardians brought to Marveland DC has in spades via comic book lore).
Poison Ivy
This emerald rogue has an obvious connection to a beloved character that Gunn had access to inThe Suicide Squad: one Harley Quinn. In the comics, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are entangled in their own love story. Furthermore, Poison Ivy is heavily featured in theHarley Quinnanimated series. Poison Ivy’s dry humor is the perfect heel to Harley Quinn’s slapstick humor. All Warner Brothers and Gunn would need to do is find the right actress who fits Poison Ivy as seamlessly as Margot Robbie fits Harley Quinn.
Bane
Readers might be thinking, ‘Really?’ Yes, the man who broke the bat in both theKnightfallcomic and on the screen inThe Dark Knight Rises.The villain, while arguably being the most dangerous person inBatman’s rogues’ gallery, is unique among the Gotham City underworld. Bane combines The Riddler’s strategic genius with Killer Croc’s brute strength, making him a wildly dangerous foe.
Yet, that is not all Bane is. Gail Simone’sSecret Sixcomic book series demonstrated that Bane has moments of humor, can work as the leader of a team, and definitely has an honor code, in addition to bloodlust. This makes him somewhat of a parallel to Drax, member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. All Gunn would need here is a giant of a man with comedic timing. He has worked with those at both Marvel and DC in Dave Bautista and John Cena.
Bizarro
While comic book readers are probably no stranger to the rogue, mainstream fans likely have no idea who Bizarro is. In a nutshell,he is, well… bizarre. Essentially, he is an evil Superman clone who speaks with poor grammar. The Kryptonian could be a comedic genius on screen, and most recently has been on a team with Red Hood and Artemis in the comics.
The only tricky aspect to having Bizarro on screen is that because of his speech pattern, the character could come across as ableist, or making light of persons with disabilities. As long as he is handled with care for the character and the audience, Bizarro could be a unique play for a Gunn-related project.
John Constantine
This is a character that Gunn might absolutely love to get his hands on. John Constantine is a very dryly humored, dark, andvulgar character in DC comics canon. The chain-smoking, magic-wielding Brit is best known for fighting off demons and other hellspawn. In the DC animated movieJustice League Dark, John Constantine is on a team of lesser-known, dark DC characters along with the likes of Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and others.
The team has recently been led in the comics by Batman and Wonder Woman, which would be a nice way of connecting a lesser-known entity to one of the DC ‘Trinity’ on the silver screen. When featured in theHellblazercomics a couple of decades ago, his escapades were quite bloody and raunchy. This would make him a natural fit for a Gunn project, given the director’s recent success with such themes inThe Suicide Squad.
Kite Man
If a character called Polka-Dot Man can appear in a movie likeThe Suicide Squad, then give Kite Man a chance. The obscure Batman villain is quite likable in the DC RebirthBatmanseries, and even makes a hilarious appearance on theHarley Quinnanimated series.The Suicide Squadproved Gunn could propel virtually any character into mainstream success, and Kite Man would produce a cheesy, fun challenge.
All in all, Warner Brothers and DC have a wide arsenal of obscure and fun characters they could use from the peripheries of comic book lore at Gunn’s disposal. All three of hismainstream projects for Marvel and DChave proved the director can carve visual marble from behind the camera. Here is hoping that Warner Brothers gives him the green light with some spectacular characters who deserve their chance in the sun.
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