I'm Convinced These 10 DC Teams That Have Never Been Adapted In Live-Action Would Be Perfect For James Gunn's DC Universe

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The new DC Universe has the opportunity to finally shine a spotlight on some of the more obscure teams from the original comics, and with James Gunn behind the wheel, they certainly could. Over time, James Gunn"s superhero movies and TV shows have proven that the writer and director is a master of balancing witty scripts featuring ensemble casts full of wacky characters. This means that the burgeoning DCU has an opportunity to finally shed a light on many DC teams that never got a live-action incarnation.
Compared to the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC never seemed to care much for introducing superhero teams to the big screen, with the Justice League and the Suicide Squad being the only two notable exceptions. Smaller TV shows like Titans and Doom Patrol gave lower-stakes glimpses into more obscure superhero teams, but as a whole, the universe has remained staunchly in the realm of solo heroes carrying big movies. It seems as though James Gunn"s leadership is already changing that.
10 The Secret Six A more streamlined Suicide Squad

The success of The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos proved that James Gunn has an affinity for teams made up of misfits and anti-heroes. To that end, the Secret Six would be a perfect inclusion in the blossoming DCU. Like the Suicide Squad, the Secret Six has had a variety of different rosters, created for the purpose of running especially bloody or covert missions predicted to have a high body count.
The most famous incarnation of the team features well-known names like Deadshot and Bane taking charge. Other members include the contortionist Rag Doll, the Batman copycat Catman, Vandal Savage"s daughter, Scandal Savage, and the banshee Jeannette. This group of characters could allow James Gunn to explore a similar dynamic to the Suicide Squad without worrying about heads exploding. It"s possible that the upcoming Bane and Deathstroke movie could be sowing the seeds for the Secret Six.
9 Metal Men A Silver Age holdover James Gunn might be fond of

So far, James Gunn"s DCU has been shaping up to take heavy inspiration from DC"s Golden and Silver Ages of comics. As such, it could be a chance for one of the wackiest and most obscure teams of superheroes ever assembled in the franchise, the Metal Men. Like the Creature Commandos, the Metal Men are a group of characters that only really make sense in relation to each other, none of them really standing apart as their own character as DC heroes tend to do.
The Metal Men are a group of robots created by the brilliant scientist Dr. Will Magnus, each named after a metal element on the periodic table. Gold, Platinum, Iron, Lead, Tin, and Mercury all have powers and personalities befitting of the tensile properties of their actual scientific namesakes, giving the team an interesting educational value. If there"s one person who would be willing to try to bring to life such a wacky and cartoonish group of characters in live-action, it would be James Gunn.
8 Justice League Dark The supernatural side of the DC universe

One of the many things DC arguably does better than Marvel is its more magical, supernatural side. As evidence, the franchise has an entire version of their flagship team dedicated to fighting enemies of the spooky and mystical variety known as Justice League Dark. Consisting of heroes like Swamp Thing, Deadman, John Constantine, Zatanna, and Doctor Fate, Justice League Dark fights back against the things that go bump in the night of the DC universe.
Tragically, a Justice League Dark film almost got made once already by horror icon Guillermo del Toro, only to fall apart at the developmental stage. This proves that the idea at least has some aspects worth exploring in a major motion picture, and James Gunn could surely recognize the potential of the team for the latest series. After all, there could easily be some crossover between Justice League Dark and the Creature Commandos, with Frankenstein showing up in both groups" rosters at various points in time.
7 The Outsiders Batman's subversive team of outcasts

Not to be confused with the classic coming-of-age greaser novel of the same name, DC"s Outsiders are a team of superheroes who, as the name suggests, don"t fit the established "norm" of the crime-fighting community. From monstrous characters like Metamorpho to social outcasts like Batman, the Outsiders were founded by the latter at a time in which his allegiance to the Justice League was strained by ideological differences. Other members include Black Lightning, Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, and Looker.
It would be interesting to see the Outsiders as a late development for the DC Universe. Perhaps after the Justice League has already been firmly established, Batman could create the Outsiders out of frustration with the divide in ideology between himself and the other major League members. At the very least, it would be a chance to shine the spotlight on some more obscure DC characters, something James Gunn is obviously very fond of.
6 Legion Of Super-Heroes A far future version of the Justice League

The Legion of Super-Heroes is one of the most underrated teams in DC"s catalog. A group that only exists in the far-flung future of the DC continuity"s 31st century, the team is usually met by young versions of Superman or Supergirl through time travel. Different versions of the roster vary heavily, though recurring names like Braniac 5, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl are common. The series has featured heavily in animation, getting an entire movie in the Tomorrowverse and its own dedicated TV show in the early 2000s.
The Legion of Super-Heroes is perfect for the retrofuture aesthetic Gunn seems to be after in promotional imagery for the upcoming Superman. It would also be a good way to give a satisfying bottle story to Superman or Supergirl without having to worry about big branching effects on the main timeline. Considering the title of the upcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, it"s very possible that the Legion of Super-Heroes are showing up soon.
5 The Black Lantern Corps A supervillain team with a common enemy

Heroes shouldn"t get all the fun when it comes to team representation, and one of the best supervillain teams that hasn"t yet been done in live-action are the Black Lantern Corps. Part of the infamous Blackest Night comic run, the Black Lantern Corps stand in stark opposition to the other colors of Lanterns. Whereas the other Lantern Corps represent various emotions, using them to power their constructs, the Black Lantern Corps are an undead group of aliens bent on destroying all life in the universe.
The appearance of the Black Lantern Corps in a Blackest Night adaptation could be the show-stopper crossover of the DC Universe, similar to what Avengers: Endgame was to the MCU. The team"s roster gradually expanded to include various zombified versions of famous DC heroes over the course of the story, which could make for dramatic tension on par with Thanos" Snap. Considering how much a presence James Gunn is already giving the Green Lantern Corps so early into the DCU, the Black Lantern Corps could be on the horizon.
4 The Terrifics Already have two characters cast in the DCU

Sometimes, the best comic book teams are the ones that only come together for a single mission or two. The Terrifics were a team of four heroes put together by Mister Terrific himself when they all find themselves sucked into the mysterious Dark Multiverse, a bizarre parallel dimension in the DC cosmology. Eventually, the effects of the Dark Multiverse force the team to stay near one another, causing them to continue exploring the strange new frontier together.
The fact that Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho have already been included in the cast of Superman means it would be easy for James Gunn to follow up that film with a spin-off involving them. That would only leave introductions for Dark Multiverse native Phantom Girl and fan-favorite elastic hero Plastic Man, potentially making a The Terrifics movie quite an efficient choice for the DCU. The multiverse-bonding dynamic could essentially take another swing at the formula first postulated in the MCU"s The Marvels.
3 The Outlaws An edgy group of teen heroes

Between the potential for teams like The Metal Men and The Terrifics, the DCU might be swimming in overly-wholesome hero teams far too fast. A great antidote to this could be The Outlaws, a group of fierce teen vigilantes formed by Jason Todd"s Red Hood, a former Robin killed by the Joker who comes back as a criminal-killing gunman. Joining him are names like Starfire, Arsenal, Artemis, and Bizarro.
With the Suicide Squad more or less disbanded for now, The Outlaws could be James Gunn"s next group of heroes more suitable for an R-rating. Jason Todd could very well be set up already in a Batman movie or a Robin solo project, meaning that too much work wouldn"t have to be done in establishing the team"s characters. It would be incredibly fun to see this oddball cast take on some of Gotham"s worst criminals using lethal force.
2 Young Justice Already have years of proven popularity

Despite being a team synonymous with their animated series, DC"s Young Justice have never been done justice in a live-action setting. Originally established as a new teenage team after the more famous Teen Titans outgrew their title, Young Justice was originally comprised of Robin, Superboy, and Impulse, who join forces on a specific mission. Over time, the franchise would grow to include nearly every adolescent superhero in the DC universe.
As the best episodes of Young Justice can attest, the team is ripe with storytelling opportunities. The Teen Titans may be more popular, but it could behoove the DCU to endear a whole new generation of fans to a compelling group that focuses more on the reality of balancing superhero life with the normal growing pains of teenagers. A Young Justice movie could really capture a certain market still underrepresented in superhero movies.
1 The Freedom Fighters A bizarre holdout of DC's past

If there"s one thing James Gunn loves, it"s giving out representation to some true freak picks in comic book movies. No DC superhero team would be a bigger curveball than the Freedom Fighters, a bizarre reference to DC"s company past as a propaganda machine for World War II. After being acquired from Quality Comics, DC introduced the team as living in the parallel universe Earth-X, in which an Axis victory was able to prolong the conflict and aesthetics of World War II well into the "modern day".
Fittingly enough, the Freedom Fighters are full of star-spangled characters meant to inspire patriotism, including Uncle Sam himself. The Freedom Fighters are less of a superhero group and more of a guerrilla tactics terrorist cell, leading attacks against the dystopian Nazi leadership of their world government. In short, they"re just the sort of weird, comic book-y group James Gunn would be likely to show off in his plans for the DCU.
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