12 Vintage Anime To Watch in 2023 once again have a future one finally shared with us by James Gunn and every Fanboy who prefers his DC movies in high contrast IMAX, four hours long is cocking in his arms Henry Cavill style. Because some folks got a big day of hot take typing ahead of them.
Big announcements like a Superman Legacy film coming July 2025, a new DCU Batman with Damian Wayne Robin in a Brave and the Bold film but also a Robert Pattinson The Batman sequel, then a Lantern’s Green Lantern True Detective HBO series, and then more series like Waller, Booster Gold, Paradise Lost and more films like a Wild Storm movie called The Authority, Supergirl, Swamp Thing and much more.
This is the biggest update in DC movies that we’ve gotten in years and I am relieved to see some plans all be at once I think we’re all gonna have to give some benefit of the doubt to James Gunn. I’m gonna break down everything we learned and what it means for the future of comic book media, my general thoughts on this plan, and what parts of it I’m a little worried about.
DC Chapter 1 Gods And Monsters Explained
I can’t wait to discuss the new DC Chapter 1 Gods And Monsters with you, which James Gunn recently revealed. Due to my harsh criticism of the most recent DC movies, I don’t really enjoy their movies. I have, however, been critical because I enjoy DC Comics and want to see a strong and united universe in the movies and shows that are true to these stories that I enjoy.
James Gunn even admitted that the DC Cinematic Universe is seriously broken. And look, just in the past four months, the previous Warner Brothers management messed so much with Henry Cavil. James would told in an interview that nobody was paying attention to the mint. Any creator who looked at them received free intellectual property, much like party favors.
So, will there be yet another DC universe? We already got the Joker versus, Snyder-verse, Arrow-verse, The Batman verse, and whatever Shazam is doing. Don’t worry if you are getting confused, I’m gonna explain all of that.
First of all, James and Peter were hired to develop a single comic book cinematic franchise similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn said that their DC plans will focus on TV Shows, films, animation, and video games, but added that there might still be alternate universes, similar to the Marvel “What If” storylines, such as Todd Phillips’ Joker films and the Superman and Lois series.
The Flash Will Reset Everything
However, this does imply that The Flash Movie (Flashpoint) marks the beginning of a reset for the major Movie/TV Universe. Simply put, Flashpoint is an awesome comic book story. In short, in this comic book story, Barry Allen goes back in time to stop his mother’s murder from happening when he was a little child. And changing a single thing resulted in major changes in the current DC universe. Like Thomas Wayne turns into a murderous Batman and Bruce Wayne dies.
Barry must therefore make things right, but even then, things are still unchanged. And gave rise to the New 52 series of DC Comics. These comics have some pretty fantastic storylines, and in fact, Snyder drew inspiration from them for his Justice League team. This entire Flashpoint storyline might have sounded familiar to you, this is because it was depicted in a different way on Grant Gustin’s The Flash television series, which reshaped the Arrow Verse.
Additionally, the Flash Movie trailer made hints that they would change reality in the DCU like Michael Keaton will replace Ben Affleck as Batman. And Gun stated that the DCU will be rebooted after the Flash movie. James also called the Flash as one of the best superhero films ever produced. And they also didn’t give any statement on whether Ezra Miller will be re-casted or not.
As a result, the DCU’s initial releases are leftovers and a part of past endeavors which might not get any further chance in this new DCU. Shazam Fury Of The God will be released next month, and Gunn noted that Shazam had his own separate part of the DC Universe.
Then DC comics also have their own version of “What-If” storylines known as “Elseworlds”. Think about scenarios where Superman becomes Batman, the Waynes adopt Clark Kent, etc. Therefore, projects like The Joker, The Batman, Superman & Lois, and Teen Titans Go show will all be a part of those Elseworlds stories that are separate from the DC Universe.
Currently Lined DC Movies
Now, in the announcement, Gunn likely stated that the upcoming Aquaman 2 and Blue Beetle would also be a part of the new DC Universe. So not every actor needs to be replaced after the Flash reset. We could also see Gal Gadot come back as Wonder Woman, which we will gonna talk about in a bit.
Let’s now discuss these new DCU projects. According to Gunn, the first chapter of the DCU is titled Gods and Monsters. This is a very amazing theme for the first chapter of the DC Universe because Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice actually had this as its central theme. In that film, Luther frequently tells that Superman is not a God but a Monster, and says that he will be like Prometheus in taking fire from the Gods and giving it to the Human race.
Now, though, a comparable theme might be followed across a whole DCU Chapter/phase. James Gunn and Peter Saffron mentioned that one of their approaches is to take their OG characters, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and make use of them to support other characters that are unfamiliar to people.
Creature Commandos (Animated Show)
James Gunn just announced a lot of people and projects that people don’t know, like Creature Commandos, a 7 episode animated series written by James Gunn. Now this team was originally about a team of classic Monsters, a werewolf, vampire, Gorgon, and Frankenstein who all teamed up to fight humanity’s greatest monsters, The Nazis.
They first appeared in Weird War Tales in 1971 and got their own kickass comic in May 2000 with an Attack On All Fronts. Now the comic is a horror spin on history and World War Two-based comics such as Captain America and Wonder Woman.
The animated series is going to be kind of a modern-day update to that premise. And they’re looking for voice actors who will also portray the characters in live action, kind of like Katie Sackoff does for Boca Tan and the Clone Wars and the Mandalorian.
One of the team members is Rick Flagg senior. He’s the father of the Rick Flagg we’ve met in the Suicide Squad. The other heroes are Nina Mazursky, and Dr. Phosphorus, he’s a Batman villain. Frankenstein, that’s Eric Frankenstein. And the bride of Frankenstein, who’s the lead. And there’s also a GI robot and Weasel, you remember weasel?
Waller (TV Show)
Next up is a show called Waller, a spinoff of James Gunn’s Brilliant Peacemaker TV show. Viola Davis was perfectly cast as Waller in Suicide Squad, so keeping her on is a no-brainer.
The show is going to feature Hardcore, Letty, and the rest of the Peacemaker squad on a new Black Ops caper. It’s being Co-created by Jeremy Carver, who created the epic Doom Patrol series and by Crystal Henry who is a writer in the greatest DC series ever made, Watchmen. And they are still making peacemaker Season 2. The Waller show is happening between seasons one and two.
Superman Legacy (Movie)
The first brand-new project in the DCU is one that I am most excited about. Superman Legacy. Superman is my favorite hero, his story is rooted in tragedy and genocide but he always sees the best in humanity. There are a few things we know for sure, James Gunn is riding this movie and we do know that it’s not an origin story, though it does feature a younger Clark Kent.
Peter Saffron says it will focus on Superman who will be balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Peter said that he is the real embodiment of justice in society, truth, and the American way. And that He is tied to the human world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned. The movie is going to be released on July 11th, 2025 and I can’t wait.
Now it’s interesting that these were two of the first projects announced because Creature Commando is very much falls under that monstrous part of Gods and Monsters where a Superman is always kind of looked upon as a God who treads on modern-day soil.
Lanterns (TV Show)
For years a Green Lantern Corps HBO series has been in the works, but now that’s been scrapped. Instead, they’re going to make a new series called Lanterns. Now the Green Lanterns are basically like space cops, kind of like the Jedi, with like a sector they’re assigned to protect.
There have been a few different lanterns on Earth, including Hal Jordan and his first replacement, Jon Stewart. Now this series is going to focus on those two Lanterns in a True Detective-style mystery that is based on earth, even though they are space cops. Peter Safran said this show will play a really big role in moving into the main story of DCU that they’re telling across movies and TV.
Now I’m gonna guess that whatever they’re investigating on Earth has repercussions on the cosmic side. This is what I’m most excited for in DCU. It’s not to see more Earth-based stories about Batman, it’s to see them stretch their legs and really get into the weirdness of DC Comics out and outer space.
The Authority
One announcement probably caught people off guard is the Authority. James Gunn is really excited about this one. Basically, they’re like a hyper-violent and extreme Justice League. They basically make the hard decisions to make the world a better place. James Gunn even compares them to Jack Nicholson’s character in a Few Good Men.
Basically, in that movie, Nicholson’s character is willing to bend and break the rules of the Marine Corps to make his soldiers tougher so they’re better protecting American borders. Now there was also a spinoff of the Authority called Planetary, which is one of my all-time favorite comics and I would love to see that adapted to the big screen or on the TV show.
Paradise Lost (TV Show)
Next up is a new series called Paradise Lost, which is described as a kind of Game of Thrones prequel to the Wonder Woman Movies and not an adaptation of Milton’s great epic work. Now, this could mean that Gal Gadot will eventually return as Diana in the modern day, or maybe it won’t. Gunn says it’s an origin story of how the society women came about.
Now the comic book storyline Paradise Lost was a two-part story art by Phil Jimenez and George Perez back in Wonder Woman Issues No. 168 and 169. When Diana refuses the crown of the Themescara, it kicks off a civil war on the island between the Themescarian Amazons and their Bana Micdall Amazon sisters. Bana Micdall is a fictional Egyptian Amazon Nation located in the Middle East. It’s actually the birthplace of the superhero Artemis.
Now here’s some history about the Amazon 3000 years ago there were two Amazon Queens Hippolite and Antiope who split the Amazon Nation into two. Hippolyte and her Amazon settled on an island that became Themescara. Now Antiope and her Amazons eventually settled in Egypt and built the city of Bana Micdall, which in their language translates to the Temple of Women.
One of the Egyptian goddesses that the Amazon’s worship, protected their city with a giant sandstorm surrounding it, like healthy mascara is invisible to outsiders who come across it. I could see this series with a giant budget being huge and epic. Just imagine Game of Thrones except for the superpowered women fighting for control of a lost civilization.
Batman Brave And Bold (Movie)
Now, originally I was hoping that Robert Pattinson’s Batman was going to be retconned into being the first movie of this DCU. But he’s still gonna remain in his own universe. Instead, after the Flash rewrites reality, there’s just gonna be a different Batman. And this Batman is going to give us something that we have been lacking in all of our new Batman films, a Robin.
Robin has been around since Batman number one, and he is an integral part of this character. He is the counterbalance to Batman’s darkness and he shows Batman what he is fighting for to make sure that no child has to ever again hold their parent’s dead bodies in an alley.
The movie is called Brave and the Bold and it’s going to start with Damian Wayne as Robin. Damian Wayne is Batman’s biological son, but he didn’t know that existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin by his mom, Talia Al Ghul, and the League of Assassins. He butted heads with Batman because he was taught from a young age to kill and is left by his mother and grandfather with his dad who refuses to kill.
They also announced that the movie was inspired by the classic Batman run by the Great Grant Morrison. Now Grant Morrison actually Co-created Damien with Adam Kubert. Morrison describes his Batman and Robin storyline as a reversal of the typical Batman-Robin dynamic, with a more lighthearted and spontaneous Batman and the scaling badass Robin.
Now this movie is actually going to be the introduction of the whole bat family. Batgirl, Huntress, Nightwing, we’re all gonna finally see these characters on the big screen. I mean, Huntress was kind of in Birds of Prey, but you know what I mean.
And The Batman is one of those Elseworlds stories. And it’s getting another sequel, now renounced to release on October 2nd, 2025. So a Batman and a Superman movie will be released in 2025, the same year as Avengers The King Dynasty.
Booster Gold (TV Show)
Another project I’ve been hoping for a long time as Booster Gold, and we’re finally getting an HBO Max series about him. Now Booster is a normal dude from the far future who took some super tech into the past to become a superhero. The character is a lot of fun, he’s kind of like an Anti-Kang. Kang’s ego is so big that he travels to the past to conquer it, but Booster goes into the past just because he wants to be somebody.
Supergirl Woman Of Tomorrow (Movie)
And another project I’m extremely excited about is Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow. Now, Supergirl has had a couple of different iterations in the comics. Most famously, she was Superman’s long-lost cousin who survived the destruction of Krypton. Then when Superman was rebooted in the 80s, she was reinvented as a shapeshifter named Matrix.
But the premise of this movie is based on the excellent series by the great Tom King. So in that series, they draw a sharp contrast between her and her cousin Kal-El. Kal-El was raised on a farm by loving parents, while Kara Zor-El, that’s her Kryptonian name, she saw Krypton destroyed and then she was sent to Earth to defend her baby cousin. But by the time she arrives, he is already a famous hero. So now she’s asking herself why was I even meant to survive. What purpose do I have in the world?
Gunn even said that she was raised on a rock of Krypton and who saw every one of her people die and be killed in most gru3 ways for the first Fourteen years of her life and then come to Earth. So now she is much more hardcore and definitely is not the Supergirl that we’re used to.
Swamp Thing (Movie)
And finally, The Swamp Thing. So Swamp Thing is one of the greatest comic books ever written, particularly the Allen Moore run in the 80s. Now the character began as a simple story about a scientist who turned into a monster, but Alan Moore’s run reimagined The Swamp Thing in a living extension of nature inhabited by a human mind, and he is constantly running afoul of cult forces.
The movie is going to be a horror film, showing the DCU will stretch off into different genres. And I’m betting that without a Disney board of directors to oversee this project, The Swamp Thing is going to get very scary and very dark. There have been a couple of Swamp Things series and an animated series, but this movie, if it’s faithful, could potentially be Oscar-worthy.
And by the way, there are other Elseworlds projects that are apparently still being made. JJ Abrams is producing a movie about a Black Superman, Teen Titans Go is not going anywhere and maybe movies like Fury Of The Gods will still get sequels.
So that’s every new project announced so far but apparently, DC Chapter 1 Gods And Monsters is gonna have even more they haven’t even announced yet.
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