The DCU is going through a rough streak with the past four entries bombing at the box office. The much anticipated Ezra Miller starrer The Flash was a huge disaster, earning only $268 million against a $220 million budget, while Shazam! : Fury of the Gods only earned $134 million against a $125 million budget. Its spin-off film, the Dwayne Johnson starrer Black Adam failed to break even.
The franchise started by Zack Snyder will be receiving a soft reboot before transitioning to Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU. The reboot was a reminder of some of the finer aspects of the Snyderverse, such as its villains. There have been quite a few memorable performances in the DCU when it comes to villains. Here are three villains of the DCU that James Gunn hopefully retains in his upcoming cinematic universe so that the disappointing streak of flops ends.
Deathstroke
After the debut of Ben Affleck’s Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, plans were on to give him a solo Batman film. The film was announced and was all set to be directed by Affleck as well. The one clash that all the fans were excited about was Deathstroke.
Slade Wilson a.k.a Deathstroke was rumored to finally make his live-action debut in the DCU. The rumors were proved with the casting of Joe Manganiello, who was set to make an appearance as Deathstroke in Justice League and then be the main antagonist in Ben Affleck’s Batman. Test footage of Manganiello in the costume was also released which made fans extremely excited to see the two equally strong men battle it out.
However, that dream remained so as Ben Affleck stepped down from directorial duties and after the fiasco that was the Justice League production, he departed from the role of Batman as well. Manganiello did make a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of the theatrical version of Justice League, and his role was extended in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
With the reboot of the franchise, there might be a chance for Joe Manganiello to make a full-fledged appearance as the anti-hero. James Gunn’s DCU is said to only be a soft reboot of the franchise, where actors from previous iterations could still make it into the universe. Deathstroke could make his appearance in the planned Batman film The Brave and the Bold, which would feature an older Bruce Wayne.
Lex Luthor
While Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the egotistical scientist and entrepreneur received polarizing responses, the arch-nemesis of Superman needs to have a space in the DCU. The ‘new and improved’ universe is set to begin with James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy focussing on a younger Clark Kent. A younger Lex Luthor could also find his place in the story.
While overly criticized upon first viewing, Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the over-ambitious CEO was seen as topical and accurate upon revisits. According to Jordan Johnson, who revisited the film and the character in an essay published on Film Colossus,
“Jesse Eisenberg, decidedly recalling his portrayal of Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg, updates Luthor as perhaps the first truly millennial movie villain: secular, arrogant, entitled, narcissistic, obsessive in his quest to tear down the values of the old guard.”
Eisenberg played the role, with the traditional Lex Luthor look, in both the theatrical Justice League as well as Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Darkseid
Darkseid was marketed as the Thanos of the DCU when he was first teased in Joss Whedon’s Justice League. Darkseid wished to conquer all of the multiverse by eliminating all hope and free will. Zack Snyder has filmed portions of actor Ray Porter as Darkseid when he was still directing the film. However, his scenes were cut from the theatrical version.
Darkseid finally made his first cinematic appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with voice and motion capture provided by Porter. While the team fights against his general Steppenwolf, Darkseid makes an appearance and takes a good look at the heroes he will be facing. He vows to return to Earth to defeat them.
The first chapter of James Gunn’s DCU is titled ‘Gods and Monsters’. Darkseid could again be the final villain in this chapter, requiring all the DC heroes to unite against him from taking control of the universe.
