As the DC Universe gets going on the big screen, there’s been a lot of speculation as to the overall plan for Peter Safran and James Gunn’s take on the franchise. While Zack Snyder's Snyderverse intended to use Darkseid as the overall villain, Gunn has hinted he’ll be going in a different direction.
That could be connected to a report from Knight Edge Media which reveals that DC Studios filed for a copyright trademark for “Salvation Run,” which could be tied into Gunn’s plans and set the stage for an epic crossover!
This also comes after the Peacemaker season 2 finale, where John Cena’s anti-hero found himself stuck on a strange alien world called Salvation. DC Comics fans have been quick to note how this could be inspired by 2007’s Salvation Run mini-series. The event had the authorities, led by Amanda Waller, rounding up all the super-villains and sending them to an alien world called Salvation in the hopes that it would be a perfect prison for them.
Initially fighting for survival and then amongst themselves, the villains eventually escaped to return to Earth and seek payback. This could be the groundwork for a larger storyline in Gunn and Safran's DC Universe movies as the government’s attempt to exile these villains only unites them as a massive Legion of Doom.
It’s a wild idea that may also be inspired by a certain superstar author!
James Gunn talks George R.R. Martin's influence on the DC Universe
Speaking to the "Go Read Some Comics" podcast, James Gunn brought up the idea of Salvation and how it was inspired by a tale from Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, who also inspired much of the coming DC Universe slate.
Martin had cooked up the idea for Salvation Run in 2007. It was to be one of DC's "Elseworlds" tales, giving Martin the freedom to have characters grow, evolve and die. It never came off that way but the DNA was built in for the actual series. But Gunn references the irony behind the fact that the legendary writer inspired this classic DC tale, revealing that he has also had an influence on the universe he's putting together:
"Not to mention the fact that he, to me, really — like, his books are probably the biggest influence on me in terms of the DCU next to actual DC Comics. They’re the biggest, because they’re such well thought-out worlds that are so deep and so rich with so many connected characters and so many disconnected characters that I think it’s really what influences me more than anything else.”
Needless to say, a potential Salvation Run storyline would be a compelling one for the DCU films. It would allow for a wide range of supervillains to be introduced from the big names like Lex Luthor and Joker to the lower-ranking but popular guys like The Flash’s Rogues. Gunn already has a love for them with his Suicide Squad film and it’d be logical he tosses in some low-key villains to be cannon fodder for this world.
There’s also the possibility of linking this to some alien threat facing Earth with the villains wanting revenge so teaming up with the aliens to attack the heroes. It would also show how Gunn’s DCU is different from the MCU in not trying to build towards these larger-than-life galactic epics but somewhat smaller scale events. If the villains wanting revenge from the Salvation dimension if the main storyline, it could bring a lot of heroes together.
This is still early in the planning but given the inspiration, Gunn may be plotting Salvation Run as the first arc of the DCU for fans to get into!
Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max.