James Gunn Replacing The Justice League With Another Superhero Team? This Tease Sure Seems To Prove It
James Gunn posted an image featuring The Terrifics to Twitter, indicating DC may be planning to replace the Justice League with a new set of superheroes.
James Gunn tweeted an image of DC superheroes with Superman and the Justice League seemingly upstaged by The Terrifics, and the internet is already speculating about what it could mean regarding his vision of the DCU‘s future. The image, posted on Wednesday, caught a lot of attention for putting the group, known as DC’s version of the Fantastic Four, front and center. It’s just the latest in a buzzy array of possibilities being discussed by fans and critics alike as the new direction takes shape.
Ever since James Gunn took the DCU helm, there have been a wide array of opinions and questions flying around, and with the Justice League having been the center of the previous string of films, the image placing The Terrifics so prominently leads some to wonder whether the relatively rarely seen team might replace Wonder Woman, Batman, and company, at least for a time.
Not only are Mister Terrific, Phantom Girl, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho all present and in the foreground, but a closer examination reveals that the rest of the characters in the image are more muted in tone, with the quartet highlighted in fully saturated color against the backdrop of the other heroes. Still, some have pointed out who’s missing in the image, like Snapper Carr (as Jake Tapper tweeted, perhaps jokingly) and Vixen or any other Black women (as comics writer Tee Franklin noted, not jokingly).
Of course, this could also be James Gunn’s way of announcing that he wants to move beyond the Justice League to characters like The Terrifics while not leaving more popular characters entirely out of the picture. Of course, we already know the Bat-verse kicked off by Matt Reeves’ The Batman will remain intact, including its spinoff streaming series, and there has been much made of Henry Cavill’s exit and breathless speculation about his possible replacement.
But the Bat-movies are outside the primary DCU, and there is still not a lot known about Gunn’s plans for the bulk of the franchise, which means The Terrifics could play a larger role, not unlike some of the lesser-known heroes leading the next wave of Marvel films.
If James Gunn does, at least for the moment, set aside the Justice League characters in favor of The Terrifics, the move could be a breath of fresh air for DC fans and for the films. Characters who have been lesser known in comics can often become surprisingly successful on the big screen if the adaptations are done well and demonstrate what the “smaller” heroes have to offer. Remember when Iron Man was not nearly as popular in comics at the time as Spider-Man or the X-Men but became one of Marvel’s most popular characters after Iron Man was released in 2008?
Yeah, we’ve just about forgotten those days too. But they happened.
James Gunn probably wants to get out from under the intense microscope that has been on his plans for the members of the Justice League, and The Terrifics could be just the way to do that. If he can successfully give this team a treatment that fans love, not only will it open up new and exciting possibilities for the DCU film franchise, but it could also inspire greater confidence in Gunn among fans, many of whom have reacted angrily and vociferously in backlash to the changes he and co-CEO Peter Safran have made so far.
Whatever happens, the DC films need a boost, and we’re hopeful Gunn and Saffran’s plans turn out to be terrific.
