James Gunn is busy remaking the DC Universe in his image, with Superman offering a fresh, family-friendly starting point while Peacemaker season 2 continues the dark absurdity. Both projects have also introduced unexpected characters from the comics, ranging from newly minted fan-favorite Mr. Terrific in Superman to Captain Triumph serving as the emotional core of Peacemaker season 2. So with a long list of DCU movies and TV shows in the works, we can’t help but wonder when we’ll see some of our favorite characters again — and what other D-listers Gunn will elevate to greatness.
Gunn and producer Peter Safran have already confirmed the return of Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in an animated series and the recasting of Wonder Woman, as well as some deeper cuts like a series starring the time-traveling wannabe hero Booster Gold. But who else is coming to the DCU? We’re digging into seven of the characters that we could see fitting into Gunn’s vision, ranked from most likely to too silly to seriously consider for anyone but Gunn.
7 Brainiac
Likelihood: Extremely high
Gunn made a surprise announcement this month that Superman will return to theaters in July 2027 for Man of Tomorrow, revealing that Lex Luthor and Superman will team up to fight an even greater threat. If there’s one villain archetype Hollywood loves more than tech bros, it’s evil AIs. Brainiac would be a great bad guy for the moment and exactly the sort of threat that could force the Man of Steel to rely on Luthor’s genius.
Brainiac fits especially well with the direction that Gunn has chosen to take Krypton, with Jor-El encouraging his son to take over Earth as opposed to just being a noble protector. Several Superman stories like My Adventures with Superman and Superman: The Animated Series have depicted Brainiac as a program developed by Kryptonians. If Superman isn’t willing to conquer the planet in the name of Krypton, Brainiac certainly would be.
6 Mister Mxyzptlk
Likelihood: Very high
Gunn has spent a lot of time setting up interdimensional imps, from the one that the Justice Gang fights in the background of Superman, to the one that Peacemaker’s dad Auggie shoots in episode 4 of Peacemaker season 2. Given that Gunn has emphasized the importance of Peacemaker to the future of the DCU, that could be a hint that those imps are going to play a bigger role.
Hailing from the Fifth Dimension, Mister Mxyzptlk is an immensely powerful trickster with a penchant for harassing Superman and occasionally Supergirl. His antics tend to be playful, but he can veer into the territory of pure evil. He’s also a villain that can only really be defeated with cunning, which could be another reason for Luthor to get involved.
5 Mongul
Likelihood: High
Not much is known about the upcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film besides the fact that Jason Momoa will play the bounty hunter Lobo. But Lobo’s more of an antihero than a true villain. Given that Supergirl tends to spend a bunch of time going on benders in space, and that the comic the film takes its name from is an interstellar adventure, she’s going to need a more nefarious alien to fight.
Mongul would fit the bill nicely. He’s one of the few bad guys tough enough to go toe-to-toe with a Kryptonian and could employ Lobo to pick up gladiators for him. He’s a character that comes with plenty of resources and underbosses, but he doesn’t have the complex mythology and Snyderverse baggage of Darkseid, making him an easy addition to the DCU.
4 Gorilla Grodd
Likelihood: High
James Gunn has shared his love for DC Comics’ gorilla obsession, paying tribute to the trend by having an ape nearly kill Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 1. DC Comics has numerous ape villains, including the Ultra-Humanite and Monsieur Mallah, but Gorilla Grodd is the most sinister of them thanks to his psychic powers and dreams of world domination. He’s often portrayed as a key member of the Legion of Doom, which I still think Luthor will assemble to clash with the Justice Gang.
3 Etrigan the Demon
Likelihood: Somewhat
Jack Kirby created the poetry-reciting demon Etrigan and his alter ego Jason Blood, who was an Arthurian knight. The weird character is surprisingly versatile because of his long life, strong combat skills, and knowledge of the occult, popping up in numerous stories to help magic-wielding characters like John Constantine and explain things to more skeptical types like Batman. He could easily appear in Creature Commandos or any other project involving the supernatural.
2 Jarro
Likelihood: Maybe an Easter egg rather than a full character
Gunn already introduced Starro the Conqueror in The Suicide Squad so it would be easy to introduce his much nicer offspring, Jarro. In the comics, Batman used tissue from Starro to grow Jarro in a jar, and the telepathic starfish came to view the Dark Knight as his father and fight on behalf of the Justice League. This definitely isn’t the sort of Batman story we’ll see from Matt Reeves, but some other science-minded hero could presumably have gotten a sample from Corto Maltese to raise their own psychic sidekick.
1 Dex-Starr
Likelihood: Unlikely but we can hope