Joker’s success proves that Warner Bros should start a standalone DC film universe — and they have the villains to do it.
Joker once again dominated the box office, as fans continue to praise its take on the Clown Prince of Crime. Audiences have spoken, and it’s time Warner Bros. listen to them. No, it’s not time to make Joker canon with the DCEU. It’s time for Warner Bros to take that rumored Todd Phillips DC Universe and make it official by focusing on DC Comics villains.
The potential for one-off films or those that can span across multiple movies and universes is limitless. The pages of DC Comics are filled with interesting characters to build separate universes around. People love villains, and making them three-dimensional makes them that much more interesting, which is what Joker did for its lead.
Joker’s success poses the question: Should Warner Bros have a universe featuring villains? The answer is “Yes.” After all, they have the villains to do it. Joker gave fans a detailed look into the life of a character whose comic book origins were convoluted, to say the least. Nevertheless, Todd Phillips found a way to take some parts of Joker from the comics and weave together a great original story.
Phillips’ approach works for a universe, a world all its own. Other films based on DC villains can do the same. As Warner Bros. did with Phillips, they should allow directors and writers to take these characters and make them into something more, with one commonality — they are the heroes of their own villainous stories.
Fans are behind the idea, with some speculating and/or clamoring for a Lex Luthor movie. However, Lex is just one of the many DC villains ready for a solo movie. There are characters like Maxwell Lord, Zod, and Two-Face who would make for some interesting choices. However, they didn’t make the cut for this list of villains who would dominate the box office.
8. Vandal Savage – Historical Drama
A historical drama following the immortal Vandal Savage is a great opportunity for Warner Bros. Savage existed before the modern human race, as he lived in prehistoric times, during which a meteor granted him advanced intellect and abilities. Despite this, his genocidal tactics make him a villain. There’s enough flexibility here to provide creative freedom for a solo movie, one where he comes off as a hero for his people.
A Vandal Savage film is Planet of the Apes meets Dracula Untold. Warner Bros could humanize and depower the immortal Savage by giving him something worth fighting for.
Vandal Savage could be a man living in a world where his people are thought of as less than, a group of people living in unbearable conditions with no hope in sight. He could then receive this power that would lead to him to become the immortal conqueror we love to hate.
7. Sinestro – Space Opera
In his comic book origins, Sinestro is a villain who fights alongside one of the greatest peacekeeping groups in the entire DC Universe — the Green Lantern Corps. But Sinestro isn’t like the other Lanterns, as his militant way of dealing with evil goes against the code. So he’s eventually dishonorably relieved of his duties as a Lantern. According to Comic Vine, Sinestro didn’t dwell on his fall from grace. Instead, he created a corps of his own, the Sinestro Corps:
"“The Guardians banished [Sinestro] to Qward. There he created the first yellow power ring and later on founded his own corps, The Sinestro Corps. He has clashed frequently with his former student and protegé; Hal Jordan. The relationship between the two is a complicated one, a mixture of both hatred and respect in equal measures.”"
For those of us who choose to remember, Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern film hinted at Sinestro’s evil turn during its mid-credits scene. Many didn’t like the box office and critical flop, but a retelling from Sinestro’s point of view could work well. Warner Bros could go into deep space with another galaxy where the Sinestro Corps fight against evil.
There wouldn’t be a need for Hal Jordan, but other Green Lanterns could make an appearance. A film featuring the rise of Sinestro from leaving the Green Lanterns in disgrace to leading an army against evil makes for a great film. Sinestro Corps could be a modern, intergalactic blockbuster similar to the Star Wars prequel and sequel trilogies.
6. Catwoman – Dark Fantasy
You may have heard this before… Catwoman deserves a solo film. Why not? Fans love Selina Kyle. She’ll make her long-awaited DCEU debut in Matt Reeves’ The Batman in which she’ll be played by Zoe Kravitz. However, Warner Bros should give her a solo film set in a universe of her own, and now is the perfect time to make it happen.
Warner Bros. should look to capitalize on the success of Joker with a character who shares the same popularity. Fans have yearned for a Catwoman solo film since the days of Halle Berry’s failed movie.
Catwoman is the anti-Batman, who thrives in the criminal underworld, whether she’s serving as a villain or an anti-hero. She’s willing to go the extra mile to ensure the bad guys don’t win. Having an R-rated Catwoman movie set in a different universe works given her comic book origins.
Selina comes from a disastrous childhood filled with abuse, neglect, and death. She worked her way from prostitution to become a crafty and successful cat burglar. Selina ran Gotham’s underground with other villains, most notably the Penguin. Part of her story also sees her as a criminal with a heart.
Her heroic side sees her as a Robin Hood, giving back to the community and protecting the slums of Gotham from greater threats. Selina’s backstory isn’t some mysterious puzzle like the Joker’s. Nevertheless, writers shouldn’t be handcuffed by her vast comic story.
Writers and directors should have the creative freedom to tell Selina’s antiheroic journey in a world without Batman. The film could be made as a dark fantasy, drawing inspiration from Batman Returns and doing what Pitof wasn’t able to do with Catwoman.
5. Ra’s al Ghul – Revenge Film
The Demon’s Head leads the world’s most feared terrorist organization, the League of Assassins. A movie about Ra’s al Ghul allows Warner Bros. to create a historical drama set in nomadic Arabia. Perhaps the movie could explore the historic Bedouin people using Ra’s as the central character.
Before Ra’s al Ghul became the Demons Head, he was a physician who was wrongfully imprisoned. His story began after he discovered a radical approach to saving lives — the Lazarus Pit. No one knew the consequences of the Pit, but Ra’s would soon find out.
Ra’s saved the life of a prince using the Lazarus Pit, but the renewed prince arose from the pit crazed and murdered Ra’s wife. The king blamed Ra’s for turning his son into a monster, and he was consequently thrown in prison next to his wife’s corpse.
The act devastated Ra’s. Upon his release, he went home to his birth village and asked its leader, his uncle, to help him take down the king. His uncle agreed, and the rise of Ra’s al Ghul began.
Ra’s used his advanced knowledge to contaminate some fabrics and sent it to the prince. The prince became sick, and the king would seek Ra’s for a cure. Ra’s denied him and killed both the king and prince. He then called for the tribe to invade the kingdom, slaughtering everyone inside it.
That act gave birth to the Demon’s Head. The story writes itself, especially if it’s told as a revenge movie where he escapes a lethal punishment to avenge the death of his wife. With some tweaks, this can turn into a classic revenge film set in the ancient world.
4. Hush – Psychological Crime Drama
In the comics, Thomas Elliot’s backstory lacks substance. His reason for becoming a villain isn’t interesting, but there is a base for a good solo movie. A Hush solo movie could see a reversed and more cynical tale of Batman.
Elliot (a.k.a. Hush) was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. Thomas yearned for emancipation, wanting to relish in his parent’s fortune alone. So he cut the breaks on the family car. Thomas’ father died, but his mother survived, thanks to Dr. Thomas Wayne (Bruce’s father). Despite this, Thomas wasn’t happy about it.
Thomas’s friendship with Bruce eventually turned into envy. After the Wayne’s death, Thomas became enraged with jealousy over Bruce’s emancipation. Thomas then resolved to take down his former friend. Thus the story of Hush was born.
If done correctly, a movie about Hush could feel like a psychological thriller; a look into the deranged mind of a child who eventually becomes something more. It would almost be like Dexter but with a hero’s journey.
Dexter has his father, but Thomas will have the strength of a mother to nourish and harness his thirst for blood. This will result in Hush, the vigilante who’s upsetting the natural order of the law with his gruesome yet surgical ways of killing the bad guys.
3. Amanda Waller – Crime Drama
Technically, Amanda Waller isn’t a villain; she’s a shadowy figure who’s part of a deep state operation that protects the United States from terrorist threats. Like Joker, Amanda Waller currently exists in the DCEU but doesn’t get the story her character deserves.
Maybe, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad opts to bring the focus to Waller. Whether or not he does, her character deserves a Joker-style film. Her origin alone warrants the big screen. She’s a woman who lost nearly everything to violence. Her daughter was raped and killed, her son was murdered, and she even lost her husband at the hands of the man who killed their daughter.
Picture a political drama following a woman who rises from the depths of social despair. This movie could feel triumphant like Miss Sloane with the gritty style of Widows combined with Erin Brockovich. With a woman paving her way in a male dominant world to becoming the most powerful woman in the world, no one knows.
In the end, we could see President Amanda Waller in a film that flips the comic book movie genre on its head. A President Waller movie could also open the door for a Flashpoint universe. So yeah, Warner Bros. do us all a favor and open Pandora’s Box with an Amanda Waller movie — we’re here for it.
2. The Rogues – A Heist Movie
Variety is important, so what this new DC villain universe needs is a good old-fashioned heist movie. There’s no better cast of characters than Flash’s Rogues to bring it to life. And they won’t have Flash to stop them. Their comic origins translate with enough wiggle room for the innovation of good writers and a director to prevail.
More from Movies
- James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy casts more major DC characters
- New Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer pushes Arthur to his limits
- 7 actors who could replace Ezra Miller as The Flash in the DC Universe
- Masters of the Universe reboot’s new domain could be at Amazon’s Prime Video Streamer
- James Gunn gives interesting update of Superman and Supergirl movies at DC Studios
There’s no reason to change the essence of what makes them likable in the pages of DC Comics. In the comics, they operate with a moral code, despite their criminal ways. The Rogues have no interest in taking over the world; they just want money. Their story should see them fighting back against the hierarchy.
Imagine a movie with the Robin Hood concept meets Logan Lucky but with superpowers. What if this superpowered group plotted the ultimate score — take down the Federal Reserve. No matter what a creative team decides to do, a movie about The Rogues has “box office hit” written all over it.
Who wouldn’t want to watch the brother and sister duo of Captain Cold and Golden Glider lead a blue-collar group of anti-villains to take what belongs to the people? A movie featuring The Rogues could feel as grounded as Joker.
1. The Riddler – Horror Mystery
In the comics, Edward Nygma is a perplexing character who, more than most, brings out the detective in Batman. There are times when Riddler himself fights for the side of justice. Although, it took a coma and memory loss for that to happen. Nevertheless, it’s the perfect storm and a seamless transition for a solo movie.
Fans of the comics know the story of Edward “E.” Nigma. He was the unfortunate victim of an abusive father who envied his vast intellect. He also grew up with an unrelenting urge to tell the truth — no matter the cost. He’s an intellect who’s always ready to boast about it, even if it undermines those around him.
Taking those characteristics and putting them into a narcissistic and sadistic man, who sees himself as a savior gives you an interesting lead character. And you can counter this with the fact that most law enforcement officials view him as an insane criminal. And all the while, he could actually be working with the men trying to take him down.
A Riddler movie gives Warner Bros a psychological horror/mystery. Imagine taking a DC character using films like The Riddle, Jigsaw, and Seven as influences. That’s a formula that could make for a great Riddler movie.