DC is rich with plenty of iconic characters. For the second time, the universe is going to launch a shared cinematic universe with not only their greatest hero but perhaps THE greatest hero, Superman. With James Gunn at the helm and the character going back to his hopeful and inspiring roots, the second attempt has potential. Batman, Green Lantern and Supergirl are also set to add their impact to the universe. But it’s not just heroes adding paint to the canvas, it will also be villains. The DCU will have room for projects that center around villains. This is a vital key to the success of the DCU. For one, it’s how they can have something in their arsenal that Marvel still struggles to have. And capitalize on DC’s rich roster of villains. If done right, this could boost DC.
DC is no stranger to these types of stories. They have done it before with a wide range of success. The Joker has had two films. The Suicide Squad has had two films with a video game to boot. The Penguin has a show that is critically acclaimed and praised by fans. DC is comfortable enough with their list of villains to make them the main character of projects. Something that Marvel seems to be timid about. The project that has come the closest for Marvel is Loki but still that is one project compared to DC’s several. What DC’s villain projects has shown is that villains have enough substance to carry a story. Even though they are still showcased as cruel, the villains do have layers under that. That seems to be carried over to the DCU. A project centering around Bane and Deathstroke, in a team-up fashion, will be part of the DCU. Clayface is also going to lead a movie. With projects starring villains and future projects starring the same types of characters, DC definitely has a hold on these types of villains. This is a small patch of territory that DC completely owns and needs to defend that territory in the future.
It took Marvel a few years to be comfortable enough to have a project led by a villain. Even so, they turned that villain into a hero. But as for the DCU, it took them a few months after its announcement to confirm a project with not only one villain in it but two, in the case of Deathstroke and Bane. That increased just recently with Clayface being canon in the DCU and not Matt Reeves universe. It will be inevitable that the DCU will be compared to the MCU despite the DCU’s attempt to be different in terms how they tell linear stories. When a movie comes out for the DCU it will be compared to a Marvel equivalent. But there’s something that the DCU will have that the MCU will not have. And that’s stories centering around villains. That’s just a way how they can differentiate. That could be a corner that exclusively belongs to the DCU. For the most part, in superhero projects, it’s the heroes that come out on top at the end. Sometimes the villain will have a moral victory over the hero but the hero has the ideal and physical win. By having projects that stars a villain, no doubt the villain will win. That could offer a little change to a genre that ventures into being stale at times. It will still follow the formula of having the protagonist win, but not all protagonist are heroes. Sometimes they are villains. For the first time, audiences could see villains win on the regular. AND stay around for more than one movie. Those seem to be a repeating problem for Marvel. Despite having either well written villains or some of less value, Marvel seems to get rid of them. Looks like DC will avoid this issue.
If the DCU takes the liberty to have more projects centering around villains, this is how DC capitalizes on their rich and iconic roster of villains. Joker is the first to come to mind but since he has had to feature films and the potential to be a part of the DCU and Reeves Batman universe, The Joker may take some time off. But other characters could benefit. Lux Luthor is perhaps the next in line of popular DC villains after The Joker. Since Lex Luthor is already in the DCU, it opens up an opportunity to have his story expanded. Luthor could benefit from a series like The Penguin has and potentially Amanda Waller. This series could show how this Luthor got to power, show his ego and show his ambition. Just think of it in the style of Succession. A movie showcasing how Darkseid rose to power could be great as well. A series showing all of the coups that the League of Assassins try to do will be intriguing. A series showing Reverse Flash in his time period could expand the character even more. And perhaps a series from the point of alien races in their fights with Brainiac could reveal how terrifying he could be. What this strategy could do is show that villains are much more than a plot point, an opposing force. It could show that there is depth to them, there’s life. By having projects revolving around them, audiences are investing in them and once the villains clash with the heroes, it adds some extra emotion for the audiences. All that comes from DC including their villains in the lineup.
Villains are fun. They are the ones that get the stories going in superhero stories. Without them, superhero stories won’t be what they are. It’s time for their role in superhero movies to be expanded. They need to be a crucial part to the success of the DCU. DC has too many villains just for them to wait to be put in a movie that revolves around the hero. They have enough interesting villains that could lead any project. It shouldn’t just be the heroes that build this new empire, it needs to be the villains too.
