The DCU is starting to grow and there’s more than a handful of interesting Justice League members who can take the franchise to the next level. With Peacemaker’s second season in the books, everyone is looking ahead at projects like Lanterns or Supergirl to see what’s next as the revamped live-action DC Universe heads into its second year.
Everyone has heroes they’d love to see in the DCU. But who really fit the vibe of this new franchise? The Justice League has a lot of heroes that strike that right balance of ‘engaging, but offbeat’ who would make fantastic DCU additions. Read on to see which Justice League heroes would fit right into the DCU.
9
Fire and Ice
First Appearance: Super Friends #25/Justice League International #12
Who doesn’t love a pair of opposites? And in terms of personalities and powers, these two couldn’t be a more entertaining and contrasting pair. Fire and Ice have served in multiple incarnations of the Justice League, and they’ve always made the scene livelier, due to their iconic back-and-forth dynamic or their killer power combo when facing villains.
While both heroes stand on their own, they’re usually a package deal. The DCU has proven it loves duos who can kick butt and exchange snappy and clever dialogue. Few hero pairs capture that spirit as amazingly as Fire and Ice, and they’d be great for their own project, or as heavily featured supporting characters in a future project.
8
Firestorm
First Appearance: Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1
The DCU has done a great job of highlighting unique characters that the general audience may not be familiar with. While he was a large part of the Arrowverse, there’s still too many people who don’t know about Firestorm, and the DCU is the perfect opportunity to show off just how cool he really is.
From his ability to rearrange the matter of any object to having a second consciousness onboard whenever he’s in hero mode, Firestorm is an incredibly wild character. The DCU values characters that can really stand out from the pack, and he could do a great job giving audiences a new kind of hero that really breaks the mold.
7
Etrigan the Demon
First Appearance: The Demon #1
One thing that most big superhero franchises are missing is supernatural heroes. Despite DC Comics being the basis for a number of big-budget films, few of them have highlighted the franchise’s cool magic heroes. And as far as magic heroes go, it doesn’t get cooler than a man who can transform into a rhyming demon created by Jack Kirby.
Etrigan is a powerful being from Hell itself, bound to a mortal man. While the DCU has been a more lighthearted affair, it’s not afraid of telling darker stories with darker heroes. Etrigan has that perfect balance of more mature themes and storytelling elements, while still carrying an oddball aura that gels with the larger DCU.
6
Animal Man
First Appearance: Strange Adventures #180
When it comes to heroes that fit the DCU to a ‘T’, there’s no better character to bring to life than Animal Man. The hero who was once a minor, forgotten character in DC canon became the subject of one of DC Comics’ finest meta epics about the nature of superhero storytelling.
Gunn has discussed how big of an influence Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman was on this summer’s Superman flick. And, as Morrison fans will attest, Animal Man is one of Morrison’s finest works. Animal Man and his journey of self-discovery could make for a hell of a story that really stands out from the rest of the superhero media.
5
Ambush Bug
First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #52
Speaking of meta-aware characters, if the DCU would prefer to go in a more screwball direction instead of a tragic figure, they always have Ambush Bug waiting in the wings. Imagine Deadpool for the DC Universe, because that’s more or less what he’s been for the large part of the last several decades.
Now that’s not to suggest that an Ambush Bug property could reach Deadpool numbers. But Gunn’s always thrived with wackier characters and turning them into cultural icons (just look at what he did with Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy). Ambush Bug is an out-there pick, but he’d most certainly gel with what the DCU is building up.
4
Zatanna
First Appearance: Hawkman #4
If the DCU does decide to start highlighting magic users, it’s imperative that it focuses on arguably DC Comics’ greatest magic user (sorry, Constantine fans). Zatanna is a great superhero. Fun look, fun powers, and even a fun way of delivering her spells by speaking backwards. Zatanna could easily work in a more lighthearted story or a dark, magical narrative.
What’s great about Zatanna is that she could even be the key to expanding a future Justice League project. She’s a mainstay League member, but she’s also a founding Justice League Dark member. Adding her to the DCU could be a fantastic way of slowly introducing fans to the creepiest, and coolest, parts of the DC Universe.
3
Red Tornado
First Appearance: Justice League of America #64
The Marvel Cinematic Universe might have the Vision, but the DCU has a shot at doing their own project starring a robotic lifeform. Red Tornado has been a core member of the Justice League for years, and he’s been a valued member. Between the highly-advanced operating system he runs off of and his tornado powers, he’s a real asset.
With artificial intelligence being a dominating talking point today, it seems only natural to broach the subject in the DCU. And while there’s a bunch of great robots to choose from, Red Tornado has the right blend of cool powers and aesthetic to make him fit right into what the DCU is trying to create.
2
Deadman
First Appearance: Strange Adventures #205
Everyone loves an out-of-left-field pick, and it doesn’t get any stranger than Boston Brand, aka Deadman. What makes Deadman so unique compared to the rest of these heroes is that he’s a ghost. He has no corporeal form and exists in a liminal space between life and the afterlife. But that doesn’t mean he can’t aid the Justice League.
Deadman can possess others, including metahumans as strong as Superman (even going so far as to possess the Man of Steel himself). Who doesn’t want to see a specter like that working alongside some of the DC Universe’s greatest icons? If the DCU likes offbeat B-listers, it doesn’t really get more offbeat than Deadman.
1
Plastic Man
First Appearance: Police Comics #1
Let’s face it, this is the one major oddball that every comic book fan wants to see in the DCU. Though he was once a criminal, Eel O’Brien has been on the straight and narrow ever since his body changed to become the most malleable hero in the entire world.
Imagine a Mister Fantastic, but even stretchier, who can mold his body into literally anything he wants. There’s so much potential in a character like Plastic Man. He’s more than just a goofy guy with odd powers. He’s a true hero that can literally fit in anywhere with the Justice League and that’s something the DCU should seriously consider.
