How I would have started the DCU.
Now, first I want to say I love James Gunn, and I loved his Superman film. Now, Supergirl was not great, and we all have concerns for Lanterns, Clayface, and where he's going. Now I could be wrong, and things could get better, and I am excited for Man of Tomorrow. I really hope that film is good, and it looks like it is setting up Justice League. I'm also so excited for Brainiac to be the main villain. Still, as I wrote in a previous blog about what advice I give to Gunn. Here's how I would have done Chapter One of the DCU. Now, Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, I get Gunn is trying to make stuff that doesn't require homework; I respect that, and I like that idea. However, I would focus on the main storyline of Chapter One, "Gods and Monsters."
Superman, I would keep, but one thing I would change is that Superman doesn't get his ass kicked so easily. I hope Gunn in Man of Tomorrow has Superman kick some ass and fight better. Also, Supergirl would have her in the end of the film make her more like Jeph Loeb and Bruce Timm's version.
Now, for Supergirl, I wouldn't give the character her own film until the end of Chapter One, since her film serves as an epilogue to it. I would still adapt the Tom King story, which would make it more faithful, or a Supergirl story of Jeph Loeb. I just think Supergirl should have been saved for the end of Chapter One or even the start of Chapter Two. It would also get better writers for the film.
Now, instead of Supergirl, the next film after Superman is Wonder Woman. I would call it Wonder Woman War-Torn.
Wonder Woman, as I wrote before, should have been the second film of Chapter One. As she is more popular than Supergirl.
The film would be a reboot, and I would adapt the War-Torn storyline.
Wonder Woman has been around for a long time, and in this version she was made of clay by her mother and Zeus, so Zeus is technically still Wonder Woman's father. However, her having a half-brother named Jason is still canon.
Wonder Woman would return to Themyscira after learning that her mother has died, and thus she would become the new queen; however, Diana seeks to have the Amazons allow the sons of Themyscira to live among them. However, many Amazons are against it, especially one named Derinoe, a witch of the Amazons who was in love with Diana's mother until she learned that Diana was the child of Zeus and that she had conceived her, and thus she seeks to create a better heir: Donna Troy. Derinoe hates men and even wants to kill all the sons of themsyric. However, it would later be revealed that it was Diana; it was her half-brother Jason.
Because of this, the Amazons are torn: one half supports Diana allowing men on the island because they had to give up their sons, whom they miss, while the other half hates the idea.
Steve Trevor would be in the film as Diana's love interest and is a member of ARGUS. He would help Wonder Woman with the aid of his ARGUS friends, such as Etta, Diana's best friend. Steve would help Diana take down Deriona as he exposes her true intentions to corrupt and destroy the island.
Artemis of Bana is in the film as well, and she is not keen on having men on the island, but she still respects Diana. We explore Amazon culture more, with most of the film set on Themyscira.
Nubia appears in the film; she supports Diana's goals and is one of Themyscira's best warriors. It’s also revealed that she has a son whom she wishes to see again. However, she learns that he was killed by Donna Troy and the rogue Amazons, and she vows to avenge him and kill Deriona.
Donna Troy is a younger version of Wonder Woman, and she is trying to take the throne from Wonder Woman, but Diana sees that Donna is only a puppet of Deriona, who actually wants the throne to destroy Themyscira. Donna Troy eventually sees her point and decides to do the right thing by not taking the throne, realizing she’s only a puppet to Deriona, not a daughter.
The sons of Themyscira, the real ones, are the opposite of Creature Commandos. They are raised by the fire god and supply weapons to Themyscira. Sadly, though, the sons are killed by Donna Troy and the rest of the Amazons. Diana tells Steve about the sons and what the Amazons do to them. Steve doesn’t like how they abandon their sons like that, but Diana even mentions that men’s world has done that too, and he agrees. Both agree that it’s wrong to abandon your children no matter what.
Wonder Woman would defeat Donna Troy, and all the Amazons would accept her as their new queen. Even Donna accepts her as queen and sister, except for Derinoe, who tries to kill Diana, but Donna saves her by killing Derinoe. But before she dies, Diana asks why she hated her so much. She reveals that she has a brother born before her who is one of Zeus and Dianathat, made from clay by her mother and Zeus. After this, Donna Troy and Wonder Woman become sisters, and Diana meets with Zeus and her mother; she learns she has more half-siblings, including her brother, Jason. She then seeks him out. The film does set up Wonder Woman meeting her half-siblings and her niece Cassie Sandmark aka Wonder Girl. Ares would appear in the mid-credit scene as he prepares to kill all of his half-siblings, saying, “All demi-gods must die.” So that's the second-most important film in Chapter One now.
Since we are getting Lanterns next month, I would still make a Green Lantern show. I would call it Green Lantern Corps.
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Now, I haven't seen the Lanterns show yet, but I will admit they are doing things that I don't think will work. Like, for example, it being True Detective in space, it just doesn't work. The series instead should have been Guardians of the Galaxy meets Lethal Weapon.
I would also get the showrunner from Arnor to make Green Lantern Corps.
The series would be set in space, and we would see a lot of green. The series would take inspiration from Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison's run on Green Lanterns, not Tom King's.
Hal Jordan wouldn't be an old man; instead, he's around his 30s to early 40s. John Stewart is the new recruit, being trained by Hal. John Stewart is the main character of the series, and he is the Green Lantern that will join the Justice League. Hal has been around, like Batman, Green Arrow, and Barry Allen (Flash). He even mentions he can't stand Batman but was best friends with Flash and Green Arrow.
Guy Gardner is in the show, like he is in the upcoming Lanterns show.
The series is set more in outer space, and we meet all sorts of aliens and different lanterns. Kilowag would appear alongside other lanterns, too. He would be a fan favorite in this show. As well as B’dg, Arisia, Tomar Tu, Tomar Re, Salaak, and Bareer Wot. Tomar Re is killed in the first episode, but after this, his ring goes to John, who fights off a manhunter all by himself with nothing but a gun. Tomar Tu thought the ring would go to him, but instead he got another ring, and he and John respect one another.
The villains of the first season are the Manhunters and the Red Lanterns. The Manhunters were once good guys created by the Guardians of OA, but they went rogue and now seek to conquer planets and seize power. The Red Lanterns have the power of rage. They are led by Atrocitus, an alien whose family was murdered by a Manhunter. As a result, he gave in to rage, and the Red Lantern ring was forged. He formed the Red Lanterns. He vowed revenge on the Green Lantern Corps, as he blamed them for the death of his family and the Manhunters. Other Red Lanterns like Bleez, Dex-Star, Laira, and Skallox would appear too.
Sinestro appears in the show and was a mentor to Hal until he betrayed the Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro has the yellow lantern ring, and he would be set up as the main villain of season 2. He will also be a member of the Legion of Doom.
The Guardians of OA are major characters in the show, and we would see the setup for other lanterns.
Carol Ferris, aka Star Sapphire, appears in the show, and Kat would be John's main love interest for the first season. She helps John with the ring, too, and the two develop a romantic relationship. It’s also revealed that she was best friends with Laria, as they both fought together as Green Lanterns until Laria broke her oath and murdered a criminal, as the Green Lantern oath is that you can’t use the ring for personal gain. For this action, Laria had her ring removed, and she later escaped from OA and joined the Red Lanterns.
I would keep Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, but I would recast Hal Jordan as Jared Padalecki. Also, I would keep the actor playing Sinestro, but I would recast Paul Ben-Victor as Atrocitus, aka the leader of the Red Lanterns, with Manu Bennett.
The first season ends with John and Hal defeating the Manhunters and Red Lanterns. John returns to Earth as its protector, as Hal is named leader of the Green Lantern Corps and meets Superman, as Guy recommended. That ending sets up Man of Tomorrow and sets the stage for the Justice League.
Next, of course, is Man of Tomorrow.
Now Man of Tomorrow is the next film, and next year, if this film is a success, then the DCU is saved. I do hope this film is good, because if not, well, I don't want another damn reboot.
I do want this film to set up Justice League, but also maybe set up the Legion of Doom as the main villains of the Justice League, because the alien invasion storylines have been done to death. In addition to featuring a scene with Superman, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl, this would set the stage for the team and for a future romance between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.
The next project is the Brave and the Bold.
Now Brave and the Bold finally introduces Batman to the DCU, and I'm still not big on who they got directing and writing; I would rather go with Sam Raimi or Chad Stahelski. Still, I can tell Andy is a big Batman fan.
Now Brave and the Bold adapts Grant Morrison's run of Batman, where Batman learns he has a son named Damian and takes him in under Talia's request. Batman also learns that Ra's Al Ghul is back, and he joins forces with Deathstroke as Deathstroke seeks to take over the new leader of the League of Assassins.
This film features the Bat-Family members Nightwing, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and Red Robin. There will be
Talia is in the film, and she was Bruce's love interest, and I would take out the sexual assault part in their relationship. Talia seeks to keep Damian safe and fights to take over the League of Assassins.
Batman has been around for a long time, and he is one of the greatest detectives and heroes.
Nightwing would play a huge role in the film, as he was the first Robin and acts like a big brother figure for Damian but struggles with him. Batgirl serves as a big sister to Damian and was paralyzed by the Joker at one point but recovered. Red Robin, Tim Drake, and Damian don't get along at all but grow to respect one another.
Deathstroke and Ra's Al Ghul are both the main villains, and Deathstroke has had history with Batman and Nightwing. Deathstroke wants to take over to expand its power, and Ra's supports his goals.
Most of Batman's rogues are already established in this universe, and the Joker would make a cameo in the film.
Jason Todd is mentioned in the film when Damian asks his father why he didn't kill the Joker, to which Bruce responds that he couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to, and that he could never come back from it. He followed a code. Damian disagrees and says he would, but later Damian learns and sees his father's point despite the League of Assassins' ways.
The film is more of a father-son storyline. This film really focuses more on Bruce, Damian, and fatherhood.
Batman defeats Deathstroke and Ra's Al Ghul with the help of his son and the others. Deathstroke is defeated and presumed dead, but would return in a Nightwing show and Teen Titans, and Ra’s Al Ghul is dead for now, and Talia takes over the League of Assassins but becomes a villain.
Batman and Robin fight crime, and Damian learns to live under his father's guidance.
Brave and the Bold would end with the setup of Red Hood, as we see the Red Hood, which is Jason Todd. That would be the next film, Brave and the Bold: Under the Red Hood; it would also set up a Nightwing Spin-Off, a Batgirl Spin-Off, a Red Robin Spin-Off, and a Teen Titans film.
As well, Batman and Superman would meet each other as a post-credits scene and set up Justice League.
Next is The Flash, which I would call Flash Forward.
Now the next film is The Flash, and this Flash film is about Wally West, not Barry Allen, and obviously a recast Barry Allen because Ezra is a creepy bastard.
This film is about Wally West becoming the new Flash after Barry's death at the hands of the Reverse Flash. Barry Allen was the Flash for a long time in this universe, and he took over Jay Garrick, the original Flash. Barry Allen would appear in flashbacks, and there are hints that he is in the Speed Force.
The film is a coming-of-age story, and Wally was the Kid Flash for a long time and was best friends with Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing.
The film would have Wally face off against the Negative Flash, who turns out to be Wally's uncle, Daniel West, and would introduce Ace West, who becomes the new Kid Flash.
The film further explores the Speed Force and the Negative Force.
Flash's love interest is Linda Park, who is a reporter for West City.
The Flash's rogues are all established in this film, and in the sequel, the Rogues would be the main villains, along with Gorilla Grodd, who leads them.
Jay Garrick is in the film and serves as a mentor to Wally, and Iris West appears as she now raises her children, Don and Dawn, on her own after her husband's death.
Flash would battle his uncle, defeat him, and rescue his son, Ace, whom Wally's parents adopt after Daniel's death. Daniel West dies, but dies atoning for his past crimes as he saves his son. Wally then decides to train Ace as the new Kid Flash as he has the speed force too.
The film would end with Wally meeting Nightwing as the two talk about coming into their own, and Nightwing offers to have Ace join a new Teen Titans team, which Wally accepts. Also, Gorilla Grodd would appear while working with Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom.
Next is Martian Manhunter.
Now the next project, which would be a TV series, is Martian Manhunter. This series is about an alien detective on Earth, and I would draw on elements of Absolute Manhunter and Rob Williams' run.
Martian Manhunter is the last of his kind, and he seeks to find his brother Ma'alefa'ak, who caused the death of their people.
J'onn J'onzz disguises himself as a human, calling himself John Jones, a private detective and former FBI agent. He befriends Helen Demoff and Dr. Saul Eldred, who helped J'onn when he came to Earth and taught him about Earth's ways.
J'onn is still haunted and goes through trauma from the death of his wife and daughter. He suffers from painful memories as he is the last of their kind. He decides to use his powers to help the people of Earth, so they won't suffer like him.
Ma'alefa'ak wiped out his race as he wanted to cleanse Mars of the weak. However, he later learned his brother had survived and attempted to kill him and make him suffer.
The series is eight episodes and is a SCI-Fi, Action, and mystery show.
This show would set up Justice League by having Martian Manhunter send a distress call to Superman and Batman after learning his brother is working with others. This sets up Justice League.
The end of Chapter One is Justice League.
Finally, we get Justice League, and the team is based on the animated series' roster.
The team is formed in response to attacks by a group called the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom is Lex Luthor, Joker, Cheetah, Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd, Silver Banshee, and Maleficent. Superman and Batman can't stop them alone, as Gorilla Grodd has taken over the minds of the police and all military forces. Lex Luthor forms the Legion of Doom as he wants to take total control of the world as he believes he is meant to rule with the help of Cheetah who wants to kill Wonder Woman, Joker because he loves chaos and he and Lex don't like each other, Sinestro believes that fear will bring total order, Grodd wants to see the smart rule the many, Silver Banshee wants to terrorize people, and Malfic wants to kill his brother.
Superman and Batman would meet Wonder Woman; the Trinity would then meet Martian Manhunter who was being held captive. Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl come in, and the Justice League is formed. We also have a great shot of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman all standing together like in the Avengers.
This movie uses elements of the animated series when the team meets. Superman would become the team leader. Like when Flash volunteers to work with Wonder Woman.
The team would fight the Legion of Doom, and the fight would be epic. They would struggle, but they come together and save the world from the Legion of Doom.
In the end, they defeat the Legion of Doom, and the Justice League is formed, and we see the Watch Tower. Flash even suggests the name the Super Seven, which they all hate, until Superman calls it the Justice League. Rick Flag would help the team and Martian Manhunter is named ambassador for the league, with Steve Trevor involved as well under Wonder Woman's request. The next film we would see more members join such as Green Arrow, Black Carney, Zatanna, Aquaman, Vixen, Shazam, and many more.
The film would have two end-credit scenes, but it's not Darksied; it's actually Mobius, as he sees he plans to destroy the Multiverse. The other one is Bruce in the Bat Cave, and he opens a secret door and puts kryptonite inside, and Alfred asks why he is keeping this from the team, and he explains, "Incase of them every turn from the light." We see files and certain objects that can defeat each member of the Justice League. This sets up the next Justice League, which I would adapt as Tower of Babel.
So that's how I would have started Chapter One: replace Supergirl with Wonder Woman and focus on the important characters. Now we have yet to see Lanterns, Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, or The Batman Part 2, so things could turn around and the DCU could end up being good. Now, for Chapter Two, I would introduce Nightwing, Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Authority, and Supergirl as the new characters.
That those projects are world building projects and as Gunn said everyone has their own story going on.
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