James Gunn is now helming the ship as CEO of DC Studios, after reinvigorating the franchise with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, but what’s next?

James Gunn might’ve taken the reins of DC Studios recently, but his time with Marvel isn’t over yet. He just celebrated the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+, which sets the stage for his presumed final adventure with the team and Marvel in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, premiering May 5th, 2023. While some Marvel fans are likely saddened by his time being done, the possibilities for DC Studios are excitingly vast, whether he acts solely as the Kevin Feige steering the ship or gets some time in the director’s chair again.

Gunn was an unexpected but favorable choice, given what he did with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in developing several obscure and underrated characters into popular heroes. Already fans are asking for DC Studios to rectify some of their past action, including the director’s cut of Suicide Squad and reversing the cancelation of various shows and movies. They’re also wondering if or when Gunn will return to directing in the DCU beyond Peacemaker. If that day does come, he should consider some of these characters or teams as they could fit his style and humor well.

More Suicide Squad Spin-Offs

Naturally, a good fit would be for more spin-offs from Suicide Squad like Peacemaker, whether a film or an HBO Max series. Thankfully, several Suicide Squad characters already deserve their own spin-off like Deadshot, King Shark, and/or Ratcatcher. Even Amanda Waller is getting her own HBO Max series, which makes sense given how she is being propped up as an overarching character tying storylines and characters together like Nick Fury.

Following the success of The Suicide Squad, fans are expecting a threequel sometime soon – among all the other asks – so that is surely on Gunn’s radar. It’s funny to think about while other factions of the DCU have faltered, it’s the weird anti-heroes of Suicide Squad that have remained somewhat consistent.

Superman

At long last, Henry Cavill has returned to the big screen as Superman in the post-credits scene in Black Adam. While it has yet to be made official, this has many thinking Man of Steel is finally getting a sequel after over a decade by the time it comes out. In anticipation of such a thing, fans have been stockpiling theories and desires for Man of Steel 2 and James Gunn could be a good fit to bring them to fruition.

Having Gunn as the director would help differentiate this new era of Superman from Zack Snyder’s previous vision, and while audiences thought the latter’s film was cinematic and entertaining, they would also like a lighthearted tone under Gunn’s direction. Fans want to see him as the symbol of hope again, and through Gunn’s knack for compelling humor, cool needle drops, and penchant for weird characters, he could help Superman shine.

Justice Society Of America

Along with bringing Superman back and further establishing Amanda Waller’s influence on this world, Black Adam introduced audiences to the Justice Society. In the comics, they are the superhero team that predated the more affluent Justice League, but in the DCU, they are active at the same time, on the same Earth, working to maintain world “peace.” While they figure out how to rework the DCU’s Justice League, the JSA is already primed for its own movie.

In addition to a JSA film, several JSA members could have a movie or show, such as Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Mr. Terrific. Gunn’s proved he excels with ensemble casts so team-up films like a JSA movie would be a fun fit, especially since it would be about overtly heroic characters as opposed to the Guardians of the Galaxy or Task Force X.

Lobo

As for completely new characters, Gunn’s aesthetic and style helps make anti-heroes shine and there’s no better anti-hero than Lobo. Gunn even posted a picture of the Cnarzian bounty hunter as his first post on Mastodon – quickly getting people to think his next project is for Lobo.

It would be great if that is true, as the character could help expand the scope of the DCU beyond Earth. He’d be a good fit for a show on HBO Max like Peacemaker and could follow a completely episodic format as he chases down bounties across the galaxy. In that case, it would allow for some fun cameos if he visits Earth and/or interacts with other cosmic characters like the Green Lantern Corps or New Gods.

Animal Man

Gunn could be an interesting choice for a character like Animal Man, a DC Comics hero best remembered for his iconic run by Grant Morrison. In it, Animal Man breaks through the fourth wall and actually discusses his life and role in comic books with Grant Morrison himself, with hopes to break free of the panels’ limitations. The arc is widely respected for its character development and examination of the genre and could be a really cool entry into the DCU.

Naturally, something like this wouldn’t be high on the docket relative to a Superman movie or a Justice League sequel, but farther down the line it could be something quite revolutionary. If Gunn is game for it, it could instead delve into the comic book movie industry and even feature Gunn himself, instead of Morrison.

Ambush Bug

If they’re looking for another fourth-wall-breaking and an underrated hero to join the DCU, then they should definitely consider Ambush Bug. In fact, he’d be a great addition to Task Force X before jumping into his own thing. Either way, Ambush Bug could be a fun fit for James Gunn in the future.

He has all the potential for weird comicality and unexpected violence that would adhere to the DCU’s ambiance, just with an added level of meta-humor to set it apart from the rest. He could also help incorporate other strange characters from DC Comics, such as Metamorpho or Bat-Mite, who was referenced in an episode of Peacemaker.

Plastic Man

Plastic Man is another popular DC Comics character fans would like to see in the DCU soon – not to be confused with the Elongated Man, a fellow hero with the same powers. Plastic Man has been a prominent member of the Justice League throughout the years and is instrumental in showcasing comic books as a comedic art form, yet he’s never appeared in a live-action film before.

Some see the impending arrival of the Fantastic Four, including Mr. Fantastic, in the MCU as a possible deterrent for Plastic Man to join the DCU. Whatever the case, Plastic Man would be a fun fit for James Gunn. Given the relative development he gave Peacemaker so far, he can do wonders with Plastic Man.

Deadman

A while back there were talks for a Justice League Dark series on HBO Max, in addition to series or movies for individual characters like John Constantine, Zatanna, and Madame Xanadu. However, as part of the shakeups within Warner-Discovery, these were all canceled – hopefully though just for now as this is a very important element of and a popular team from DC Comics that the DCU is currently lacking.

If such projects do get a second, Gunn would be a good fit for a character like Boston Brand aka Deadman. His project, which would probably work best as an HBO Max series over a film, could incorporate some funny dark humor with an element of horror as Deadman possesses the living.

Booster Gold

In 2023, the DC is striking harder than they ever have before with four theatrical releases, including Blue Beetle. The film is focusing on the third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, played by Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, but it will likely still incorporate his predecessor, Ted Grant, too. Regardless the film opens up the opportunity perfectly for Booster Gold to make his appearance, and when he does, he’d be a fun character for James Gunn to work his magic with.

Booster Gold is a prominent Justice League member hailing from the distant future, and his story would likely revolve around him initially posing as a hero and learning how to truly be one by the end. This could be in an HBO Max series or film all on his own, or better yet as part of a Blue Beetle buddy-cop sequel directed by James Gunn.

The Rogues

While the Suicide Squad would certainly keep a guy busy, should Gunn wish to showcase some other DC Comics villains in a team setting, he needn’t look further than the Rogues. Composed of Flash’s rogues gallery – including Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Golden Glider to name a few – the Rogues could make for a really fun heist-style project in the vein of Ocean’s Eleven.

This could even incorporate Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang who was surprisingly 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed off early in The Suicide Squad. Perhaps The Flash will indeed reset the timeline of the DCU, giving it a truly fresh start and bringing back some lost faces. This would also be a great way to showcase various villains, without the constraints of explosive microchips in their heads, especially ones who aren’t likely to feature in the DCU otherwise.