The first few issues of Absolute Green Lantern have been split between telling the story of what happened in the city of Evergreen while Abin Sur kept it trapped inside his green barrier, and the battle between Green Lantern Sojourner Mullein and Black Hand Hal Jordan. In the past, we watched all of the inhabitants of Evergreen slowly be turned into light by Abin Sur, and while at first it seemed like he was killing them, it was revealed that the alien was actually transporting them to Oa to continue their judgement. The end of Absolute Green Lantern #5 saw Hal and Jo entering the previously benign Green Lantern Power Battery, and inside they met John Stewart. But he had obviously changed, as he told them to be without fear and glowed with golden light.

What Happened to John?

John Stewart started this adventure as human and mundane as everyone else, but while the other trapped citizens panicked, Jon studied the barrier. He eventually discovered that gold could diffuse the green light, likening it to how gold represented the color of enlightenment in alchemy. Abin Sur told them that they needed to be without fear, and so the ultimate overcoming of that fear would be to totally understand it and rise above it. Thus, gold negates the energy. Unfortunately, that revelation forced Abin Sur to take notice of John, who smiled as he was transported, understanding that this was all about Abin Sur teaching them to overcome their fear. 

Hal and Jo both assumed that everyone who Abin Sur judged was killed just like Guy Garnder, and came up with a plan to kill the alien. Jo would call him down and distract him, while Hal blasted him with gold-covered bullets. Jo berated Abin Sur and demanded to know why he killed everyone, but Abin Sur replied that nobody was dying, simply being transported to Oa as pure light to continue their judgement. Abin Sur explained that he was conducting these tests in order to find people suitable to be elected as Ain Sur, Ain Rao, and Ain Aur, and he even later confirms that Abin Sur is a position that he has taken up. Unfortunately, everything goes belly up when Jo winds up absorbing Abin Sur’s power into her gold ring and disappearing, leading to Hal killing Abin Sur and being declared the Black Hand, being told to fear the Black Star. That leads us to the present, where we see a very much alive John Stewart powered by golden light. It’s clear that he’s passed his judgement and was granted a title or power of some kind, but even though he’s encased in the yellow spectrum of light, it’s very clear that he’s not powered by fear like the Yellow Lanterns we know. He’s something entirely new.

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What Are John’s Golden Powers?

Based on the fact that John was coated in light and spoke the same line of being without fear that Abin Sur did, it’s easy to assume he passed his judgement and was selected to be one of the Ains. Based on the fact that Abin Sure referenced three different Ain positions, it’s likely that there are just as Abin roles, especially given that one is Ain Sur. This could mean that John Stewart has been given one of these roles, and is now in command of the Yellow Light just like Abin Sur was in control of the Green Light. This would imply that he has the same ability to create constructs and become light that Abin Sur possessed. Beyond that, it’s very likely that he’ll have some special abilities that only apply to him, which would most likely have to do with alchemy in some way. John was presented as the character who had reached a kind of enlightenment, so his powers will likely be tied to that understanding.

Perhaps John will be able to pull out the fear that lives inside of people, either forcing them to confront it or stripping it away. Or maybe his powers will be more tied to connecting information between people, showing them visions or constructs of their fears to either give information or gather it. It’s impossible to know what he can do until we see it, but based on the fact that Hal has the powers of the Black Hand, Jo is the Green Lantern, and future covers and a tease from Jo entering Abin Sur’s mind showed us that Tomar-Re will be a Red Lantern, it’s highly possible that Lanterns of all colors are being chosen to these positions. One very interesting piece of information is that one of the positions is Ain Rao, and Rao is the god of the Kryptonian sun, which is the sector the mainline Tomar-Re protected. It’s possible that the Rao position represents the Red Light, Sur the Green Light, and Aur the Yellow Light. Or even that Ain is pure Yellow, and Abin is Green. Either way, John Stewart is likely able to conclude the judgement of others now, and will be finishing the judgement on Hal and Jo. 

Abin Sur was incredibly powerful, and it’s highly likely that John Stewart is just as strong now. He will complete the judgement for Hal and Jo, and hopefully manage to help free Hal from the Black Hand and Black Star’s influence. Whatever happens now, John is a Yellow Lantern, and even if that isn’t about inspiring fear in this universe, it will definitely be awesome to watch unfold.

Absolute Green Lantern #5 is on sale now!

The post DC Just Gave a Beloved Green Lantern God-Like Powers (But What Are They?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman‘s most guarded secret is his alter ego as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. At one point or another in the Dark Knight’s storied history, those who have become privy to the Batman’s secret identity include his allies (Alfred Pennyworth, the Robins, Superman), his romantic interests (Vicki Vale, Silver St. Cloud, Catwoman), and even his rogues gallery of villains (Hugo Strange, Ra’s al Ghul, the Joker). But there’s a lesser-known character who deduced the greatest secret of the world’s greatest detective: Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard, Sasha Bordeaux.

Peacemaker season 2 introduces the character to James Gunn’s new DC Universe, in which she’s played by Argentine actress Sol Rodríguez (Star Trek: Picard). Rodríguez’s Sasha Bordeaux is one of the A.R.G.U.S. agents tasked by Director Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) to hunt down Chris Smith (John Cena) over his illegal use of a dimensional portal — and for killing his son, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag Jr., in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.

But could this current A.R.G.U.S. agent be Bruce Wayne’s former bodyguard? “I think she could [be],” Rodríguez tells ComicBook. “It hasn’t been talked about with James if that’s ever going to happen. I’m crossing [my] fingers. If he ever wants to make that happen, I’m here for it.”

While Peacemaker‘s Sasha Bordeaux doesn’t officially have a connection to the as-yet-uncast Bruce Wayne/Batman, Rodríguez incorporated her character’s comic book history into her backstory. “In my work for the character, I do have it in my backstory … I had it in the back of my mind,” she explains. “I didn’t bring it with me. Because I wanted to do a different version honoring the character but also doing what James was asking me to do, and honoring this Sasha in Peacemaker‘s world.”

In the comics, Sasha first appears in 2000’s Detective Comics #751 when the board of Wayne Enterprises votes to assign Bruce Wayne a bodyguard. While working the Wayne detail, Sasha becomes suspicious of her principal’s inexplicable disappearances, and in Detective Comics #756, discovers Bruce’s Bat-Paraphernalia. Six months into protecting Bruce Wayne, Sasha becomes Batman’s “bodyguard,” joining the caped crusader in the field as his masked, Kevlar-suited backup.

A romantic relationship develops between Bruce and Sasha, but after she’s framed as an accomplice to murder and imprisoned, she fakes her death when she’s recruited by the covert government agency Checkmate. Originally a sister organization of Task Force X’s Suicide Squad, Checkmate has included the likes of Amanda Waller and Maxwell Lord — two characters who exist in the DCU, played by Viola Davis and Sean Gunn, respectively. As the chess-themed organization’s Black Queen, Sasha serves alongside Waller’s White Queen and White King’s Bishop, Mr. Terrific, in the Greg Rucka-penned Checkmate.

Your move, James Gunn.

John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick return for season two, joined by new cast members Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodríguez, and Tim Meadows. Peacemaker returns August 21 on HBO Max.

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Superhero families are one of the coolest aspects of long-running comic books. When I say this, I don’t mean teams built around the concept of a family of superheroes like the Fantastic Four or the Incredibles, but groups that have been built up over time around a singular hero. Usually, most or all of the members of this family would have similar powers or skills as the head, with many members often being sidekicks or partners to the head hero. Some of the most famous examples of superhero families include the Batman Family, the Flash Family, and in recent years even the Spider-Man Family. These are groups that have been brought together by a shared goal and inspiration in the hero their family is both named after and centered around. They typically take decades to form, with new members slowly being added over time as side characters or sidekicks, and growing to be even more important and connected with each other.

Superhero families are one of the best ways to show both the development of the hero and their growing impact on the world. Where Batman started as the sole protector of Gotham City, he slowly accrued a veritable army of like-minded individuals who were galvanized by the Dark Knight’s constant struggle to improve their city. Fully-fledged superhero families allow creators to make use of all of the heroic side characters introduced across decades of storytelling and bring out new aspects of their characters that can’t be brought out when they’re solo or in a team with friends or colleagues. And yet, despite all of these advantages, we don’t have any active superhero family comics. Why?

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The Problems With Superhero Families

The simple issue with superhero families is that they tend to have too many superheroes for conventional storytelling. Most of these groups wind up having anywhere between six to over a dozen heroes as main members of their group, which is way too many to take active roles in a comic dedicated to a single hero. Just look at the Bat Family, which is often cited as being the most overblown family in comics. There are a lot of heroes with fairly overlapping skill sets. Yes, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but when you have eight people who are fantastic detectives and near unstoppable in combat, it can get a bit hard to juggle them all with equal spotlight in the limited pages available. You either have to skip out on beloved characters and make those fans mad, or give every character such little presence that nobody is happy. This leaves fans hungry for content about their favorite heroes, especially when they don’t have their own books and the only way to see them is if they show up in the head hero’s book. These are the exact problems that comics dedicated to the families themselves could solve.

The Strength of Families

Comic books dedicated to superhero families give creators a platform to satisfy the urge fans have to see their favorites interact with the people that lore says they are very close to, but we only get to see interact for two panels every three years. Back in the ‘70s there were Batman Family and Superman Family comics running that focused on stories with different members of each group, and both were massively popular. Superman Family ran for fifty-nine issues, and Batman Family was so popular that they merged it with the then ailing Detective Comics line to boost its sales. Wayne Family Adventures is a massively popular webtoon focusing on the Batman Family, though it is far more comedy focused and tends to have its characters act more in line with the fandom’s interpretation of them then how they actually behave. 

Regardless, superhero family comics can work, and it opens the avenue to have superheroes explore familial drama and relationships in a way that they usually can’t in their own series, which opens the door for so many new stories that we haven’t been able to tell yet. It makes the fans happy and can be structured with a rotating cast of characters, and gives the chance for less popular characters to share the spotlight without dragging attention away from a hero’s headlining book. Family and connections have always been essential in superhero stories, so we should have books dedicated to just that. What superhero family do you want to see get their comic? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Why Don’t We Have Superhero Family Comics? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC Comics and legacy have gone hand in hand for a long time now. It honestly all started nearly a 100 years ago with Dick Grayson’s Robin. The whole point of Robin was that the character was the audience surrogate, and he wouldn’t be alone as the years went on, as characters like Green Arrow and the original Sandman would also get sidekicks. DC kept introducing sidekicks over the decades, with characters like Donna Troy’s Wonder Girl (herself a retconned version of Diana because the original Wonder Girl was Diana a la Superboy), Wally West’s Kid Flash, Aqualad, and more. Eventually, the Earth-Two heroes of the Justice Society’s children would join their fight in the ’70s. DC’s focus on legacy intensified after 1985-86’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, as the various teen heroes of the DC Multiverse were put on one Earth and grew up, with Wally West leading the charge as the new Flash.

Since then, DC has toyed with making its legacy heroes more important. We’ve gotten Dick Grayson as Batman, Kyle Rayner took over as Green Lantern, and Wally West proved to be the best Flash. Donna Troy has taken up Wonder Woman’s mantle. Speedy became Red Arrow. Superman’s son Jon Kent was aged up and eventually became Superman. However, the originals always came back. I think that was a mistake. It’s about time that the next generation took over; however, that doesn’t mean exactly what you think it means.

DC’s Legacy Heroes Can Take Up the Fight but the Originals Don’t Have to Disappear

I started reading DC Comics in the ’90s and it was an interesting time. Superman had died and been replaced by four heroes. Batman’s back was broken and he was replaced. Wally West had been the Flash since 1986, and The Flash was hyper popular. Hal Jordan was turned evil, and replaced, with Kyle Rayner becoming the only Green Lantern left. Green Lantern suddenly became a fan-favorite book. Legacy was important and as the years went on it, became even more important. As the decade was coming to a close, the New Teen Titans had graduated to the New Teen Titans, and a new generation of young heroes was fighting evil as Young Justice. These heroes had all proven that they were more than skilled and powerful enough to save the day, and things were looking pretty good. It was an exciting time, but eventually, it was decided to undo all of the legacy heroes and bring back the old guard. Dick Grayson became Batman during this period, but he came along just as the old guard was ascending again. Since then, DC has paid lip service to the idea of legacy, but it’s never pulled the trigger on it. I think that we’ve reached a moment when you can have the legacy heroes take over, and make the fans of the older heroes happy.

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Wally West is the best Flash, but it was nice having Barry around, as well. So why can’t we have both? In fact, when Barry first came back, he and Wally were both the Flash. Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne were both Batman. There’s no reason that DC can’t pull this off. Right now, characters like Superman and Batman have multiple books anyway. Why not have two Supermen and Batmen? Why not have Wally and Barry? Look at the Green Lanterns — some can have their own books, some can be on the Justice League. Why do the Titans always have to fight the same bad guys every time? For some reason, DC is scared of making the next generation, which at this point is the Silver Age generation of heroes, important, but there’s no reason not to do it. I loved Titans when they were supposed to be the new Justice League team, but what happened? A Brother Blood story by another name. DC is big enough for the originals and the legacy heroes. Beyond that, moving the legacy heroes up in the pecking order would mean that the newest heroes would get to move up. And honestly? Superman could use a break. Bruce Wayne could definitely use a break. The last time Superman took a break, we got “Warworld Saga” and Superman, Son of Kal-El. Do you know how cool it was to have Bruce traveling the world as Batman while Dick was in Gotham? Diana could fight gods and monsters and Donna could be the Wonder Woman of Earth. The DC Multiverse is vast. There’s infinite stories out there. If legacy is going to mean anything, DC has to let it.

The Old Order Changeth

I’ll be honest — I love Kal-El’s Superman and wouldn’t want to live in a world where he retired. However, I also want more Kon-El’s Superboy and Jon Kent’s Superman. I want more Super-Man. Dick Grayson can be Batman alongside Bruce. Or Tim Drake could get his chance while Dick stays Nightwing and gets a sidekick. Donna Troy should be having her own solo adventures. There is room for legacy in the DC Multiverse.

We all love Kal, Bruce, Green Arrow, Hal, Barry, Aquaman, and Diana, but there’s more than enough room for all of them. We can have the originals and the legacy heroes. The Justice Society of America has been doing it for years, creating teams that are partly the originals and partly legacy heroes. DC has proven that they can use legacy heroes in the best possible ways. There’s no reason for comics’ greatest legacy heroes to kept being treated like second class citizens. Let them have some spotlight. It’s worked nearly every time DC was serious about it. And it’s about time they were serious about it again.

What do you think legacy in the DC Multiverse? Sound off in the comment below.

The post It’s Past Time for DC’s Legacy Heroes to Take Over appeared first on ComicBook.com.

“I need to find the Peacemaker. He killed my son,” General Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) says in the trailer for Peacemaker season 2. The self-loathing jingoistic mercenary (John Cena) expressed remorse over killing American hero Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) during a still-canon mission to Corto Maltese in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, admitting in a sob session that Flag was right to call him a “joke.” But as Chris Smith says in the trailer, “I don’t want to be a joke anymore. I want to be a real hero.”

While Flag Sr. pursues Peacemaker over his use of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber — or the QUC, similar to the dangerous interdimensional technology that Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor operated in Superman — he’s also motivated by revenge. As a father himself, Grillo tells ComicBook how parenthood informed his performance.

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“It’s impossible not to let it kind of saturate your being,” the actor, who first played the elder Flag in the animated Creature Commandos, says. “The way for me anyway when I prepare, it’s like, ‘What would I do in this situation? How would I be in this situation?’ So it’s hard not to think of [what I would do].”

“If it were me, I would be hellbent on getting this guy in the ground,” Grillo continues. “And that would probably blur a lot of other things around me, which is what I think Flag is dealing with.”

As the new director of A.R.G.U.S., and with agents like Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) and Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows) at his command, Flag is dealing with “having this new position and dealing with this power that he has, while still having this one major objective,” Grillo says. “Which is to annihilate Peacemaker and to use everyone around me, with my authority, to get that done.”

Series creator and The Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn previously defended Peacemaker killing Flag, who threatened to expose the truth about Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) Project Starfish and the US government’s involvement with the starfish-like alien Starro the Conqueror.

“People constantly are writing on Twitter about how awful [Peacemaker] is and how mad they are that he killed Rick Flag — and I may get s–t for saying this — but what he was doing, he had a reason for doing it,” Gunn said back in 2022. “He kills Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad because there’s a piece of evidence that he believes will cause the world a great amount of disturbance and death and violence. He’s covering up the truth, so if you believe in the truth being out there no matter what, you definitely don’t agree with that.”

Peacemaker comes from “not a natural rights perspective, he comes from a utilitarian perspective,” Gunn added. “He believes that the world is better off without that bit of information [about Starro]. And if that means killing a guy he really likes and looks up to, he’s willing to do that.”

John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick return for season two, joined by new cast members Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows.

In Peacemaker season 2, Chris “discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be,” a discovery that also “forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands,” per the synopsis. James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directed three, including the first episode premiering August 21 on HBO Max.

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The post Peacemaker: Frank Grillo on How He Connected With Rick Flag’s Revenge Story in Season 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Even the Fastest Man Alive can’t outrun a viral meme. Grant Gustin played the scarlet speedster Barry Allen in nine seasons of The Flash between 2014 and 2023, the long-running superhero show crossing over with Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman as part of The CW’s Arrowverse. But it was the series finale of Arrow — which memorialized Stephen Amell‘s Oliver Queen, who died in the five-part crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths — that birthed the meme of Gustin flashing the peace sign next to Queen’s grave.

The image, which originated on Arrow co-star Echo Kellum’s Instagram in January 2020, first went viral on Reddit and quickly became a meme:

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“There’s been some captions attached to it I wish weren’t attached to it,” Gustin said when asked about his favorite version of the meme at Chicago FanExpo 2025. “But I don’t know, I feel like sports-related ones are always funnier to me, because I’m a sports guy. Like whenever someone’s been eliminated from the playoffs, when it’s a team I don’t like, at least.”

“It’s been used [a lot],” he continued. “For a while there, it was sent to me once a week. It’s sent to me by people I’m hearing from for the first time in years. Because it reaches different corners of [fandom]. Suddenly, someone sees the meme because it’s about something they care about. It’s touched every corner of the internet, I feel like.”

Gustin has embraced the now iconic meme. “I’ve joked that when I die, that will be on my tombstone,” he added. “I feel like I’m more famous for that than anything I’ve ever done.”

Elsewhere during the panel, Gustin recreated the Flash run and reflected on playing the DC superhero for nearly a decade. “He just changed a lot, evolved a lot. But I never felt like I was trying to find him,” he said of Barry Allen. “I always felt like I was bringing a lot of myself to him, and following the guidelines of the writers who worked on our story. It was just very natural, and I grew as the character grew.”

During a previous appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, Gustin told his fellow DC alum he’s “of course” interested in potentially playing the Flash in the newly rebooted DC Universe. “There’s a lot of things that I’d have to like ask… not for, but about,” he told the former Smallville and Justice League star. “I’d be more interested in the [creative].”

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Superman is starring in some of the best comics coming from DC right now. Superman has become a huge part of the DC publishing line, tying into the central storyline of the DC All-In era. Action Comics is taking place in Superman’s past as Superboy in Smallville, showing how he became the hero he is today. Superman Unlimited has unleashed the Emerald Age on the Man of Steel, as a massive Kryptonite meteor hitting the Earth changes the balance of powers on DC’s Earth. There have also been several Superman miniseries and one-shots released, with Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum being the latest. This story is brought to readers by Ice Cream Man‘s creators W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo, introducing readers to four new types of Kryptonite, as well as pitting Superman against one of DC’s most dangerous villains: Solomon Grundy.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is a cool comic, introducing readers to four new types of Kryptonite. If there’s one person who would be as interested in new types of Kryptonite, it’s Lex Luthor. Lex unleashes a plan to deal with Superman, using Grundy to go distract Superman, so he can figure out how to take advantage of these new types of Kryptonite. Solomon Grundy is a DC villain with a long history, and is best described as what would happen if the Hulk was a zombie monster villain.

Solomon Grundy Has Been Battling DC’s Heroes for Decades

Solomon Grundy has been around for 81 years. The monster first appeared in All-American Comics #61. He was a foe of the original Green Lantern Alan Scott, and would stay an Earth–Two villains for decades, sometimes making his way to Earth-One to battle the heroes of the Justice League. On one those occasions, Grundy’s cells were left behind and regenerated into a new Grundy, giving both pre-Crisis Earths their own Solomon Grundy. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Grundy’s Earth-Two origin was brought over to the new Earth. Cyrus Gold was a wealthy Gothamite in the late 19th century, where he was murdered and dumped in Slaughter Swamp, a swamp outside of Gotham City. Grundy was reanimated fifty years later, with the original Green Lantern and the Justice Society battling against him. Solomon Grundy has also been a Batman villain at times, seeing as how he always starts out in Slaughter Swamp. Grundy got his name from a English rhyme, which goes like this: “Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday, christened on a Tuesday, married on Wednesday, took ill on Thursday, worse on Friday, died on Saturday, buried on Sunday, this is the end of Solomon Grundy.”

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Solomon Grundy is super strong and nearly invulnerable, but he’s also usually not very smart. Grundy has acted as muscle for groups like the Legion of Doom, the Secret Society of Supervillains, the Injustice Gang. In many ways, he’s like the early days of the Hulk, except he’s a zombie monster. He has a simplistic way of speaking, and was almost always angry. However, as the years have gone on, much like the Hulk, Grundy has also changed personalities. Grundy can be killed, and he always reincarnates in Slaughter Swamp. While he almost always pops out of the swamp as the angry monster with the brains of a monosyllabic child, it’s been revealed that he can come out of the swamp very different. In the ’90s classic Starman, Grundy was reborn as a nicer version of the character and helped out Jack Knight and his friends in battle. In the first story arc of Justice League of America (Vol. 2), known as “The Tornado’s Path” (it’s excellent and you should hunt it down; also spoilers coming up), Grundy comes back as a genius version of himself. Grundy reveals that he can remember all of the pain caused to him over the years, and that’s doesn’t want to die anymore because he doesn’t want to transform into the dumb version of himself. The New 52 comic Earth-2 introduced a new version of Grundy, one who was the avatar of the Rot, a force of decay and death related to the Green (the power of plants) and the Red (the power of animals), although that version no longer exists.

Solomon Grundy Is a Perfect Way to Keep Superman Busy

Solomon Grundy is a physical titan, and has been able to fight it out with Superman many times over the years. The monster is probably stronger than a base level Hulk, which is why Lex Luthor deciding to use him as a cat’s paw against Superman makes a lot of sense. Superman also isn’t fighting at his best, because of his exposure to Purple Kryptonite, a new type of Kryptonite that messes with Superman’s perception of time.

Superman, along with Batman (who was helping test the new types of Kryptonite), tackle the monster. As Superman saves civilians, Batman tries to fight Grundy, and gets injured. Superman is able to overcome his temporal problems to take down Grundy. It’s a great little action scene, and it shows why Grundy is one of the most fun villains in the DC Multiverse.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is on sale now.

The post Superman Faces DC’s Zombie Hulk Thanks to Lex Luthor’s Deadly Plan appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman isn’t just a reset for the Man of Steel, but an entire DC Universe, and as such, it brings with it multiple other new heroes who’ll go on to play key roles in the future. There’s the Justice Gang – Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl – all of whom will return in Peacemaker, with Guy Gardner also expected to appear in Lanterns when it debuts on HBO Max sometime in 2026. And towards Superman‘s ending, there’s also the appearance of Kal-El’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl (played by House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock).

We’ve seen multiple iterations of the Girl of Steel on-screen over the years, from Helen Slater’s take in the 1980s through to Melissa Benoist in the Arrowverse, and most recently, Sasha Calle in The Flash. However, we haven’t seen Kara appear quite like this. Supergirl is, rather surprisingly, drunk, stumbling her way in (and out) of the Fortress of Solitude and calling her cousin “b*tch” for good measure. Clark explains that Kara has been on a planet with a red sun, which allows Kryptonians to become intoxicated, but the reasoning behind it makes for a great way to set up her solo movie.

Why Supergirl Is Drunk In Superman

The “why” of Supergirl being drunk is more intriguing than the “how,” and speaks to the differences between the Maiden of Might and the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. In an interview with ScreenRant, Gunn himself described this version of the character as “a total mess,” adding that she had a “different… much more difficult background” than her cousin.

The Supergirl movie, taking inspiration from the comic book run Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (written by Tom King, with art by Bilquis Evely and color from Mat Lopes), will explore more of just what happened to her. But, in a nutshell, whereas Kal-El was sent to Earth and raised by a loving family, Kara remained on a chunk of Krypton. She spent years there, watching people she knew and loved die, turning her into a much darker, more depressed, and disillusioned character and one who, yes, turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism.

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The comic book story even begins with Kara getting drunk at a bar on her 21st birthday, so the DC Universe’s take seems to be sticking reasonably close to that blueprint. It’s a version of the character who has no clear sense of purpose and has suffered a huge amount of loss, which should lead directly into her solo movie.

Superman’s Setup For DC’s Supergirl Movie Is Perfect

Supergirl’s cameo in Superman is very much played for laughs, and it works, in part thanks to Alcock’s performance (I like to think that Gunn’s choice was at least partially inspired by the actress being drunk on stage at the Golden Globes 2023). That’s something that should continue, allowing for moments of levity and real humor in the 2026 movie, but there’s also an opportunity for something much deeper to go alongside it.

Supergirl should be about exploring Kara’s trauma, guilt, and anger. There’s a real chance to dive into her psyche in a way that brings a lot of pathos and likely a lot of superpowered rage (Woman of Tomorrow‘s story is, in a basic sense, a revenge mission that Kara ends up joining). The movie needs to maintain a careful tonal balance between comedy and tragedy, but the setup is very much there to do so. It can use the cameo as a springboard to unpack what led to Kara being this way, which should make it a more complex character study.

That would pair perfectly with Superman. Gunn delivered a very classic take on the character, which focused on his humanity; it’s about the hope he both carries with him and instills in others. Supergirl should be an exploration of a superhero who has lost that hope and has to work to regain it. About, to use Gunn’s phrasing, a messy individual (and her adorable-if-also-messy dog) who has to untangle that mess. It will be a unique journey, one that is entirely hers and distinct from her cousin’s, and will hopefully show the richness and diversity of stories in the burgeoning DCU.

Supergirl will be released in theaters on June 26th, 2026. Superman is currently in theaters and available on digital.

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James Gunn’s Superman continues to climb the all-time box office chart and is now set to pass a major Marvel movie sequel from the pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe era. As of Friday, August 15th, Superman has earned around $337 million in the United States. This means that by the end of the weekend, it will have grossed enough to surpass 2007’s Spider-Man 3. The conclusion to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy made $337.2 million domestically during its run, which was good enough to make it the highest-grossing film of the year. It beat out other notable sequels such as Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Granted, this does not take into consideration the nearly 20 years of inflation between Spider-Man 3 and Superman. In 2025 dollars, the Marvel movie’s lifetime domestic gross comes out to about $524.3 million — a figure Superman is unlikely to reach. It’s also worth mentioning that Spider-Man 3 proved to be a much larger draw overseas — even unadjusted for inflation. Spider-Man 3 grossed $890.8 million worldwide, while Superman‘s global total currently stands at $588.7 million. Still, it’s impressive to see the first film in the DC Universe reach these heights, especially as other superhero titles have struggled at the box office this year.

Bolstered by positive reviews and strong audience word of mouth, Superman exceeded box office expectations by grossing $125 million domestically over its opening weekend. It held well over the past few weeks, claiming the title of the year’s highest-grossing superhero movie. Superman was performing so well at the box office that it likely would have had a longer theatrical run were it not for Peacemaker Season 2 debuting this month.

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Superman‘s success has generated excitement for the future of the DCU. Gunn has already confirmed he’s busy working on a Superman follow-up and hopes to begin production in the not-too-distant future. Movies about the franchise’s Batman and Wonder Woman are also in development, though no release dates have been set.

Notable titles ahead of Superman on the all-time chart include Zootopia ($341.6 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($343.2 million), and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ($345.5 million). It will be interesting to see how higher Superman can soar before its time in theaters is over. The film is now available to rent and purchase on digital PVOD platforms like Apple and Amazon, meaning people now have less incentive to check it out in theaters. Since Superman is on home media, things will likely slow down at the box office even more than they already have (last weekend’s haul was $7.9 million).

Regardless of where it settles on the all-time charts, Superman has accomplished what it set out to achieve. DC was in dire straits before Gunn’s film arrived, as 2022’s The Batman was the only real bona fide box office hit over the past few years. Now, the DCU has gotten off on the all-important right foot, allowing Gunn and Peter Safran to further develop their 10-year plan for the franchise. Hopefully, Superman will be the first in a long string of DC Studios blockbusters.

The post James Gunn’s Superman Passes Major Marvel Sequel at Box Office appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The future of the DC Universe is becoming clearer by the day. Following the success of Superman, James Gunn is wasting no time getting his version of the Man of Steel back on the big screen, writing the next movie in the “Superman Saga,” which he plans to direct. Details about the project are scarce, but it’s sure to feature both Superman and his cousin, Supergirl, who is getting her own solo movie in 2026. Rather than hanging around Earth, Supergirl will send its titular character to the stars as she searches for another planet that enjoys partying as much as she does.

Gunn has made it clear that the DCU’s version of Supergirl is a hot mess, attempting to drown out her sorrows with booze. It’s hard to blame her because she lost everyone she cared about growing up, but Krypton didn’t seem like that great of a place, given the message that Kal-El received before leaving for Earth. However, I think there’s another Krypton-based twist coming in the next Superman film, one that will shake the Man of Steel to his core.

Jor-El Might Not Be Who He Says He Is in the DCU

Lex Luthor’s plan to take down Superman in the 2025 movie leads him to the Fortress of Solitude, where he discovers a control panel that houses a message from the hero’s parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. The first part of it is wholesome, informing Kal-El that he’s heading to a planet in need of help. However, Luthor obtains the second half of the holographic video, which has a significantly different tone. It turns out that Superman’s parents meant for him to conquer humanity and force women on the planet to bear his children. The twist takes the character into new territory, as he’s never had to deal with the idea of his parents being evil in live-action.

The message’s contents have been controversial, to say the least. There is a lot of heat on Supergirl, as she fails to tell her cousin the truth. It may not be her fault, though, as there’s a chance the Jor-El she came to know and love isn’t the one in the video. There’s no doubt that the next DCU movie to feature Superman will continue to tackle his identity crisis head-on, and the only way to properly do that is for another Kryptonian to arrive and provide clarity. I believe that Jor-El could show up, potentially after escaping the Phantom Zone, and try to encourage his son to embrace his true destiny. Of course, Superman would be hesitant, and it would soon come to light that Jor-El is actually the evil General Zod, who posed as his nemesis to ensure that his vision for Krypton lived on. Pulling the rug out for a second time will allow Kal-El to embrace his dual citizenship, which is a much-needed message in today’s day and age.

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The DCU Doesn’t Need to Start Off on the Wrong Foot With Superman

One of the biggest issues with making Krypton something Superman wants to forget is that it tells the audience that being from two worlds means choosing one over the other. Countless people struggle with their identity, and a character like Superman typically provides relief by showing what embracing every aspect of one’s self looks like. However, unless the DCU decides to swap out Jor-El with Zod, it runs the risk of alienating a large portion of its fanbase. By doing the right thing, the door would open for Gunn and Co. to really explore Kryptonian culture, good and bad aspects, and allow both Superman and Supergirl to choose which lessons they want to take away from their home world and its people.

An added bonus of taking this route would be having Bradley Cooper play General Zod. While it was great to see a familiar face as Jor-El, it felt like the actor was wasted in a minor part. Taking over as Zod would make up for that and let Cooper let loose as a villain who would rather die than let his dream disappear. The Kryptonian ball is in Gunn’s court, of course, as he’s the one in charge, but he shouldn’t feel like he has to stick to his guns because he made a strong choice the first time around.

Superman is in theaters now.

Could you see the next Superman Saga movie revealing that Jor-El is actually Zod? How would that change the DCU for you? Let us know in the comments below!

The post I Think the DCU Super-Family Movie Will Throw a Major Twist Into Superman’s Controversial Origin Change appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Green Lantern is DC’s embodiment of the power of will, with that attribute captured in many iconic Green Lantern comic book stories. In the mythos of DC lore, the Green Lantern Corps was formed by the Guardians of the Universe on the planet Oa, who summon recruits from each sector of the universe to oppose evil throughout the cosmos. Upon being summoned into the Green Lantern Corps, a new Lantern is granted the most powerful weapon in the universe known as the Power Ring, which grants the wielder such powers as flight and space travel, universal translation of any language, and the ability to create constructs of pure emerald energy from virtually anything a Green Lantern can imagine.

Many humans have taken up the mantle of the Green Lantern who protects Earth (and by extension sector 2814), most notably Hal Jordan and John Stewart, with others like Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, and Jo Mullein also becoming Green Lanterns. In addition to being a member of the Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern is also one of the founding members of the Justice League, with every Lantern going on many enthralling universe-spanning adventures both as a solo hero and a member of the League. Here are seven iconic Green Lantern comic book stories that every Green Lantern fan must read.

1) DC: The New Frontier

While technically a story the encompasses the involvement of the entire Justice League, DC: The New Frontier also places Hal Jordan firmly at the center of its story in his alternate origin as a Green Lantern. Set during the Cold War with stunning artwork designed to reflect that era, The New Frontier serves as an alternate re-telling of the Justice League’s origin story, with the heroes of Earth uniting to defeat a monstrous creature known as the Centre. The New Frontier zeroes in heavily on Hal Jordan as a pilot haunted by PTSD from his war-time experiences, and how he gradually becomes Abin Sur’s successor in the Green Lantern Corps. DC: The New Frontier has also been adapted into the great animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier, with both being essential stories for Green Lantern fans to dive into.

2) Green Lantern: Rebirth

Virtually every superhero experiences their obligatory death and resurrection story, and Hal Jordan’s arrived in the early 2000’s in Green Lantern: Rebirth. Years after Hal’s turn to darkness after being overtaken by the villainous Parallax, Green Lantern: Rebirth brought Hal Jordan back into action as a hero separated from his bond to Parallax, with Hal finally bearing his Power Ring as a seasoned member of both the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League again by the end. Hal’s fellow Lanterns John Stewart and Kyle Rayner play pivotal roles in the story, as do many of the Justice League and Green Lantern Corps’ most most well-known members, with Green Lantern: Rebirth bringing Hal Jordan properly back to life in a true love letter to the stalwart space cop.

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3) Green Lantern/Green Arrow – Hard-Traveling Heroes

Among Dennis O’Neil’s signature contributions to DC Comics was uniting the company’s two Emerald heroes as a duo, with Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen becoming a heroic duo in the book Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Pairing a wielder of the Power Ring with a purely human but highly skilled master of archery was a true pairing of total opposites, but it was really Hal and Oliver’s personalities and ideologies that made him a head-butting superheroic buddy cop duo, especially in the Green Lantern/Green Arrow story Hard-Traveling Heroes. With Hal’s tight-laced approach to justice running up against Oliver’s bleeding heart liberalism, Hard-Traveling Heroes is not only a great ideological riff, but the perfect snapshot of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow era.

4) Sinestro Corps War

No other foe has challenged the Green Lantern Corps like Sinestro, a fitting turn since he used to be one of their own, and Sinestro Corps War brings all the power of fear that its namesake wields. Sinestro Corps War acts as a follow-up story to Hal Jordan’s return in Green Lantern: Rebirth, with Sinestro forming his own Corps consisting of such villains as Parallax and the Anti-Monitor. Sinestro Corps War fully delivers on the epic scope of its title with an epic battle in the stars between Sinestro’s assembly of villains fueled by the power of fear and the Green Lantern Corps opposing them with the power of will. With hundreds of Green Lanterns giving their lives in the showdown, Sinestro Corps War is another powerful, epic must-read for Green Lantern fans.

5) Absolute Green Lantern

With how much DC’s Absolute Universe has set the comic book world on fire, recency bias simply isn’t a factor in ranking Absolute DC as one of the most enthralling DC Comics runs ever, complete with its own new take on the Green Lantern mythos. With the Absolute Universe an alternate reality sparked into existence by the energy of Darkseid, Absolute Green Lantern tells a new origin story for not one but multiple Green Lanterns, namely Jo Mullein, John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and Guy Gardner, who find themselves pulled into the realm of the Green Lantern Corps when a massive Lantern literally falls to Earth with the Green Lantern Abin sure released from within. It still may be in the single digits of its issue count, but Absolute Green Lantern is a superb re-imaging of the Green Lantern mythos that is an invaluable addition to both it and DC’s growing Absolute Universe.

6) Green Lantern: Earth One

Speaking of Green Lantern re-imaginings, DC’s Earth One might not have reached the heights of its potential, but it told some outstanding new origin stories in its time, both volumes of Green Lantern: Earth One being among them. In Green Lantern: Earth One, Hal Jordan is re-imagined from as a former pilot working as a space-faring miner for Ferris Galactic, with Hal happening upon the deceased Abin Sur and finding himself becoming the next inductee of the Green Lantern Corps. Green Lantern: Earth One delivers a wholly fresh new take on the Green Lantern mythology, re-working both Hal Jordan and John Stewart’s origin stories in unexpected ways, and standing as an eternal testament to the unrealized potential of DC Earth One (that Absolute DC has begun rectifying).

7) Blackest Night

The oath of the Green Lantern Corps tasks new Lanterns with combating evil in both brightest day and blackest night, and the latter forms the basis for one of the most seminal Green Lantern comic book stories ever told, Blackest Night. Like Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night builds upon Hal’s return in Green Lantern: Rebirth, with the villainous Nekron reviving deceased heroes as soldiers in the Black Lantern Corps, with virtually the entire DC roster playing into the story and many of its core heroes pulled into the mix with many being forcibly transformed into Black Lanterns themselves. Arguably the most epic Green Lantern tale in DC Comics history, Blackest Night was instrumental in codifying the Green Lantern mythology into what it has become. Without question, Blackest Night is a foundational Green Lantern story that belongs in the collection of every Green Lantern fan.

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The Legion of Super-Heroes is one of the best superhero teams from DC Comics, yet it is also one of the most neglected. The team has undergone numerous reinventions, making it difficult to keep track. It’s unfortunate because the group represents an optimistic viewpoint of the future, featuring a colorful cast of characters and many iconic stories. Some of the team’s variations were more successful than others, but the group’s most recent reboot was probably one of DC’s worst attempts with the team. Brian Michael Bendis’s attempt to reinvent the Legion fell flat on its face and is likely one of DC’s biggest blunders.

Writer Joshua Williamson and artist Dan Mora have introduced an evil version of the Legion, working for Darkseid. The new evil Legion of Super-Heroes have been recurring characters throughout DC’s All-In Initiative, specifically in the Superman comics. Mora has shared preview pages for the upcoming issues of Superman, revealing that the good Legion of the future have been wiped out. While it’s upsetting to see characters we love decimated, the silver lining is that the most recent incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes has been wiped out. This leaves room for a better, and hopefully a more classic, version of the Legion to appear.

The Legion of Super-Heroes Are Wiped Out

The preview pages shared by Mora show Superman in the future, where he sees buildings toppled and the bodies of the Legion of Super-Heroes scattered across the ground. The interesting thing about the image is that the Legion presented in Mora’s artwork appears to be a mix of various designs from the many reboots. Lightning Lad from Geoff Johns’ Legion Threeboot is shown impaled, whereas Bendis’ Chameleon Boy and Saturn Girl lie stiff in the foreground. There are also the skeletal remains of three giants, suggesting it’s the corpses of all three versions of Colossal Boy. Mora’s preview image doesn’t offer any dialogue, leaving only up to the readers’ interpretation of the gruesome image.

Darkseid seemingly perished in a conflict with the Justice League, but his essence was corrupted and formed a new universe that became known as the Absolute Universe. Darkseid has bigger ambitions with the Prime DC Universe, creating his own evil version of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Darkseid and his Legion likely caused the carnage depicted in Mora’s preview pages. It’s theorized that Darkseid is slowly corrupting the Prime Universe and is working his way backward from the future to the present. The corpses of the multiple different Legion teams imply that all versions of the group teamed up to try to stop Darkseid, but failed. Different Legion variants have teamed up before with Geoff Johns’ Legion of Three Worlds comic, with a Legion of Four Worlds storyline being foreshadowed in Johns’ Justice Society comic.

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The Legion of Super-Heroes has suffered from many bad storylines and reboots. When Superman’s past as Superboy was erased after Crisis on Infinite Earths, that essentially rendered a good chunk of Legion lore moot. The team needed to reboot, yet it never seemed as if DC was ever satisfied with where they left the team. They would continuously make changes to the team, several reboots and relaunches that eventually led to DC giving Bendis the keys to the Legion kingdom in the latter half of the 2010s. Bendis gave the Legion of Super-Heroes radical new redesigns to make the team more diverse and better represent the modern-day youths.

While there was some hesitation towards the redesigns, genuine hype surrounded Bendis’ Legion. Bendis was an all-star creator who made Ultimate Spider-Man and Alias bona fide hits. Ryan Sook’s artwork was also phenomenal, with his redesigns, if anything, delivering interesting new aesthetics to the team. There were even announcements that Bendis was going to work on the next major Legion animated series. Bendis’ Legion had all the hallmarks to be a modern classic, but ended up falling short. The new Legion book was mostly a retread of the team’s greatest stories, with nothing necessarily new. The comic also featured too many characters at one time, with no one character’s voice standing out from the sea of dialogue. The addition of Jon Kent over Superman in the Legion also rubbed fans the wrong way, with many not welcoming the aged-up Superboy as quickly as Bendis and DC wanted.

It wasn’t all bad; there were some standout issues, and the artwork was generally terrific. Unfortunately, the Justice League vs. Legion of Super-Heroes comic felt very disjointed, and Bendis ultimately left DC before he could follow through with any of his Legion subplots. The Legion has since been stuck in a weird limbo, with many fans preferring to ignore Bendis’ version of the Legion altogether. It felt like Bendis left DC with a bag of something that they had no clue what to do with. Even though DC could’ve continued where Bendis left off with a new writer, it was probably for the best that the company wiped the slate clean and started over again. It’s clear that fans and other creators want a Legion of Super-Heroes that are closer to the classic version we recognize.

The post DC Annihilated One of Its Best Teams (and That’s a Good Thing) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Wolverine has transcended his roots as an enemy of the Hulk to become one of the most popular heroes out there. Wolverine has teamed up with pretty much every Marvel hero can you name (and a decent amount of non-Marvel heroes, as well) and has battled against some of the most formidable villains out there. Wolverine has fought alongside the X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Defenders, SHIELD, and basically any group in the Marvel Universe. He’s helped defeat some of the deadly villains of all time, both on his own and with teams, and has proven his oft repeated catchphrase — he’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very pretty — to be true.

Marvel and DC Comics are starting to have crossovers again, with the elderly Wolverine known as Old man Logan taking on the senior citizen version of Batman from The Dark Knight Returns. It’s only a matter of time before the present Wolverine gets his chance to fight some DC villains, and that’s going to be something. While there are lots of DC villains that Wolverine can’t beat, there are also a lot of them that Wolverine would cut to ribbons. These seven DC villains are as tough as they come, but Wolverine would be able to slice them down to size.

7) Ra’s al Ghul

Ra’s al Ghul is one of Batman’s most formidable villains, and has even given the Justice League and the Legion of Superheroes (in the now forgotten Legion series from the late ’90s/early ’00s) a run for their money. Ra’s al Ghul has spent centuries cementing his power base, using the League of Assassins as his personal army. The Demon’s Head has survived this long because of the Lazarus Pits, which allow him to come back to life, albeit in a short berserker rage, and fight again. The Pits have also given Ra’s a measure of superhuman strength and agility. These enhancements have gone well with the fighting skills that Ra’s al Ghul has mastered over the century. He’s a wizard with a sword, and loves to challenge his foes to sword fights. Ra’s al Ghul and Wolverine is an interesting match-up. The Demon’s Head wouldn’t have a lot of respect for Wolverine at first, and would underestimate Wolverine, thinking him little more than a beast. This is going to give Wolverine the chance to take him down. Ra’s al Ghul is one of the few people out there who can say they have more experience than Wolverine, but Wolverine’s unbreakable skeleton and healing factor, as well as his own strength, speed, and fighting skill, are going to be too much for Ra’s al Ghul. It will be a bloody battle, but this is a Wolverine fight; when aren’t they bloody battles? In the end, Ra’s would need a Lazarus Pit.

6) Deadshot

Deadshot is one of the toughest mercenaries out there. Deadshot began his criminal career as a gimmick villain, his being that of a river boat gambling dandy who’s an expert with a pistol. After some heavy losses, Deadshot would change things up, and become the villain we recognize today. Deadshot doesn’t have any superpowers, but his time with the Suicide Squad and the Secret Six have showed that he is more than smart enough to deal with enemies with powers. Deadshot is an amazing shot, and can take a pretty heavy beating. However, in the end, Deadshot is only human, and that’s going to cost him in battle with Wolverine. Deadshot is definitely going to get some shots off on Wolverine, but it’s not really going to matter. Wolverine’s unbreakable skeleton and healing factor are going to allow Wolverine to tank everything thrown at him. Deadshot has the reach advantage, but that’s only going to last so long. Once Wolverine gets close enough, the fight is pretty much over. Wolverine is stronger, faster, and a better fighter, and can survive anything that Deadshot can throw at him. That’s going to allow him to handily win this fight.

5) Merlyn

Green Arrow has had some amazing adventures, but unlike many other heroes with his pedigree, he doesn’t really have a great rogues gallery. However, he does have a few pretty good villains, and one of them is Merlyn. Merlyn started out as a member of the League of Assassins, helping Ra’s and Talia al Ghul in battle against Batman. Merlyn’s a master of the bow and arrow, and that has seen him move over to being a Green Arrow villain. Merlyn, as a member of the League of Assassins, is an expert hand to hand combatant, so even without his bow and arrow, he’s still formidable. However, he really doesn’t have a chance against Wolverine. Sure, he can keep Wolverine at bay for a while, but Wolverine has been an arrow pin cushion before and kept fighting. His unbreakable bones and healing factor means that even if Merlyn hits him in the eyes, the lungs, or heart (those last two would mean making a shot through Wolverine’s ribs, but if there’s anyone who can make that shot, it’s Merlyn), Wolverine is going to keep coming. This fight is going to come down to a one on one fight, and that’s where Wolverine wins. Merlyn is good, but Wolverine is so much better, and he would make mincemeat out of the villain.

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4) Vandal Savage

Wolverine usually has more experience than the people he fights, but there’s one DC villain who has more experience than Wolverine can imagine — Vandal Savage. Vandal Savage was a caveman a 100,000 years ago and found a meteorite. The meteor’s radiation changed Savage forever; he gained superhuman strength, durability, and agility, a healing factor, super intelligence, and immortality. Vandal Savage has spent millennia traveling the world, killing anyone he feels like killing, and mastering the arts of combat. Savage has also created weapons the likes of which no one in the world has seen before, and amassed riches that are quite literally incalculable. Vandal Savage has been fighting people who considered themselves heroes for longer than modern human culture has existed, and tasted the flesh of his enemies. Vandal Savage vs. Wolverine is honestly one of the coolest fights that I could imagine. Savage has the experience advantage and is possibly stronger than Wolverine, but Wolverine is faster and arguably more ferocious. Vandal Savage and Wolverine would tear each other apart, but Wolverine can take more damage than Savage can, and that’s going to make all the difference. Vandal Savage is going to be a name Wolverine never forgets and he’ll shudder at the thought of their battle. However, he’d come out of it with a win.

3) The Joker

Batman doesn’t really fear many people. It’s a very short list, but at the top of it is the Joker. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal in a city full of the most dangerous criminals you can possibly imagine. He’s a master of everything that can kill people, and is especially good with gases and poison. The Joker isn’t a martial artist, but he’s still a wily and dangerous fighter that can give Batman a run for his money in a fist fight. He doesn’t look like much, but he’s preternaturally strong and fast. His insanity hides a clever villain who has figured out a way to win against the greatest of odds. All of that is great, but nothing is really going to help him in battle against Wolverine. The Joker’s mastery of gas attacks is probably going to give him early advantage. Joker gas would certainly have an effect on Wolverine, but then the healing factor would kick in. Wolverine is basically unstoppable in battle against human foes, and unfortunately for Joker, he’s a human. It would be a pretty decent fight, but the Joker is pretty overrated in battle; he’ll get some tricky shots in, but Wolverine is going to take the Joker out.

2) Bane

Bane is a villain that has done something no other DC villain has. He’s broken Batman not once, but twice. Bane broke Batman’s back in battle and later was able to dominate Batman so handily that he kicked him out Gotham City for a time. Those victories are pretty unprecedented, and made Bane into one of Batman’s most dangerous villains. Bane, in a lot of ways, is very similar to Batman. He’s an expert hand to hand tactician, amazingly strong and fast even without the super steroid Venom, and is as smart of a tactician as anyone other villain out there. Bane and Wolverine would have a hellacious fight; Bane and Wolverine are both pretty great fighters. They’re both strong and fast, and that’s going to lead Bane to take some Venom. Wolverine fights super strong enemies all the time — he tangles with the Hulk a lot —so Bane’s strength isn’t going to give Wolverine pause. Wolverine can take more damage, and his claws will be enough to cut Bane up. Bane will certainly do some damage to Wolverine, but there’s no way that he can beat Wolverine in a fight.

1) Deathstroke

Deathstroke is one of the most formidable villains in the DC Universe. Deathstroke became an expert soldier, and was chosen to be a part of super soldier program. Deathstroke was given superhuman strength and agility, and had his mind enhanced. Deathstroke is an expert planner, and has used those skills to score some wins over entire teams of superpowered heroes. Deathstroke always survives and comes back, and that has made him exceedingly dangerous. Wolverine and Deathstroke is one of the coolest fights on this list. They’re both amazing soldiers, known for their strength, tenacity, and skill. Deathstroke is going to hurt Wolverine, but Wolverine is going to keep coming. Eventually, Deathstroke isn’t going to be able to do enough damage to Wolverine, and that’s the end of the fight. Wolverine is just about unstoppable, and Deathstroke is going to learn to fear him.

What DC villains do you think Wolverine can beat? Do you think I’m wrong? Sound off in the comments below.

The post 7 DC Villains Wolverine Can Beat appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Unlike the DC Extended Universe, which likes to pit its heroes against each other, the Arrowverse goes out of its way to make everyone friendly. Sure, Team Arrow, Team Flash, the Legends, and Team Supergirl can have issues, but they all come together at the end of the day, putting their differences aside to save their cities. Of course, characters from different shows are able to mingle with one another as well, leading to partnerships like Green Arrow and The Flash, who work together on several occasions and always find time to sneak away at the end of a crossover to get a beer together.

Based on his status, it would be fair to assume that Superman also has his fair share of friends in the Arrowverse. After all, he’s a legend on Earth-38, revealing himself years before his cousin, Kara Zor-El, makes her debut as Supergirl. However, there’s one character that has serious beef with the Man of Steel, which is a shame because they’re a great duo in other DC media.

Superman and Martian Manhunter Don’t Get Along in the Arrowverse

Supergirl gets to have the spotlight to herself in the first season of her solo series. While there are references to Superman and his exploits, he’s nowhere to be seen, as he calls Metropolis his home, while Kara patrols the skies of National City. It becomes clear pretty quickly that Supergirl needs a support system, so she begins working with the Department of Extranormal Operations, aka the D.E.O., led by Hank Henshaw. Throughout Season 1, Hank begins exhibiting strange behavior, and when other people catch on, he reveals that he’s actually J’onn J’onzz, otherwise known as the Martian Manhunter. Having another superhero around isn’t much of an issue, but things get complicated when Superman comes around in Season 2.

When Kal-El arrives in National City, Kara takes him straight to the D.E.O., wanting to show off her cousin to all her friends. While Winn Schott starts to geek out immediately, the hero gets an ice-cold welcome from J’onn, which makes it clear that the two have history. Things are tense at the D.E.O. headquarters until it comes to light that J’onn keeps Kryptonite around in case a Kryptonian ever goes rogue. Superman doesn’t appreciate J’onn having little faith in him, but it’s a matter of world security for the D.E.O., especially with another member of the El family flying around. After battling Metallo together, the two come to an understanding, and Superman takes the Kryptonite with him to the Fortress of Solitude. It’s just a shame that J’onn couldn’t work through his issues earlier because few characters in the DC Universe understand him better than Superman.

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Both Superman and Martian Manhunter come to Earth after losing their homeworlds, but their paths diverge thereafter. While Clark Kent gets to grow up on a farm with a loving family, J’onn has to hide his real appearance and find a way to fit into society. Thankfully, the Justice League becomes the Martian Manhunter’s new family, one that doesn’t care what color he is or whether he can read people’s minds. The comic books do a wonderful job of portraying J’onn’s journey, showing him grow from someone skeptical of humanity to one of its sworn protectors. However, the Justice League cartoon does an even better job, especially in the Season 2 episode “Comfort and Joy,” which features the best Superman and Martian Manhunter team-up.

Around the holidays, the entire Justice League finds different ways to celebrate, such as The Flash working with the Ultra-Humanite to deliver gifts to children. Superman wants some peace and quiet, though, so he heads back to Smallville and invites the Martian Manhunter to join him. Despite finding the human customs strange, J’onn enjoys feeling like a part of the Kent family and learns all he can about the people who are important to them. He also finds a way to remember his people by singing a song in his native tongue, allowing Clark to learn a little more about his friend. The Arrowverse has its reasons for starting Superman and the Martian Manhunter off on the wrong foot, but it’s a shame that drama takes the place of wholesome moments like the one from Justice League.

Supergirl is streaming on Netflix.

Did you enjoy the Martian Manhunter and Superman’s relationship in the Arrowverse? How would you have changed it? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Arrowverse Nearly Ruined One of DC’s Most Wholesome Friendships appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman has shown that the future of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is bright indeed. The movie was able to find its audience by focusing on one of the most important aspects of Superman — his humanity. Superman is definitely a larger than life icon, and that’s definitely there in the movie, but David Corenswet was able to perfectly capture who Clark Kent was as a person. He was human, and that was the most important part of the character. Clark felt real, like a person everyone knows and likes. One of the best parts of the movie was his trip home to Smallville, where we got to see his relationship with Ma and Pa Kent. We also got to learn something else important about Superman — he loved the Mighty Crabjoys.

The Mighty Crabjoys are a pop punk band from Clark’s youth. They have a song — “The Mighty Crabjoys Theme” — and it’s rather catchy. Sharp eyed buyers of DC Comics may have noticed an ad in their comics in recent weeks for a Mighty Crabjoys reunion concert, scheduled for August, with a code to scan, which takes you to an empty page on the Warner Brothers website (I have a feeling they’ll be doing something with that on August 16th, so be on the look out and scan that day to see). Readers will also have noticed that Superman had the same Mighty Crabjoys poster in his room in Superman #28. A big part of Superman‘s success was its comic accuracy, and the Crabjoys are becoming a part of Superman’s life in the comics. Can a Mighty Crabjoys comic be far behind?

A Mighty Crabjoys Comic Would Be Perfect

Superman‘s success already has people talking about sequels, and one thing that fans, both readers and non-readers, are wondering is the future of the Mighty Crabjoys. DC Comics incorporating ideas from the movies is nothing new; while Marvel is more known for it (and known for angering readers by doing it) than DC, it’s not something out of the ordinary. Superman having a Mighty Crabjoys poster in his room in the comics is a very interesting development, (and if you’re interested, fans are getting more of the young Superman in Action Comics), because it builds the bridge between the movies and the comics. However, it’s time to take the next step. The Mighty Crabjoys need to be more than Easter Eggs in the comics, and there’s actually precedence for this sort of thing. Music and comics have gone together many times over the years, starting with 1977’s Marvel Comics Super Special #1, a series that would eventually also include the Beatles. Of course, there was also Dazzler, when Marvel decided to try to cash in the disco craze in 1980, partnering with Cassablanca Records. There were other connections between comics and music — Rock n Roll Comics from Revolutionary Comics ran from 1989 to 1993 — but the one that we’re going to talk about today is DCYou’s Black Canary.

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DCYou was the last gasp of the New 52. There were some cool ideas and comics from this time, but one of the most interesting was Black Canary. It took the iconography of Dinah Lance, who hadn’t appeared in the New 52 DC Multiverse up to that point, and used to inform a punk band (who is also in house ads for DC books that we talked about earlier) led by D.D., Dinah Drake. Written by Brendan Fletcher with art by Annie Wu and Pia Guerra, the book ran 12 issues, and went the way of the dodo despite getting good reviews from critics and the fans who read it (a small number). The Mighty Crabjoys could easily slot into this sort of story. Maybe it can be a book about the reunion tour that is being advertised, featuring an unknown part of Black Canary’s life (Black Canary has since been made back into her post-Crisis version). Maybe Lex Luthor learns that Superman loves the Mighty Crabjoys and decides to use them in a scheme to kill the Man of Steel. Maybe Martian Manhunter could pose as a member of the group to protect them, or they could be villains of a sort trying to make one last score. There’s so many places that a Mighty Crabjoys comic can go, and that’s the most important thing about any book — story options.

The DC Multiverse Needs Some Punk Rock

There’s a word that has become associated with Superman — “hopepunk”. Superman is very much a hopeful movie, and learning that Superman and Lois Lane are both fans of punk rock was a great moment. Gunn’s movies always have a rock n roll, and it’s about time we got some of that from the comics.

DC and Warner Brothers seem to have some kind of plans for the Mighty Crabjoys, and those plans need to include a comic. There are so many ways to make a comic about the band work, and most importantly, it could get movie fans into comic stores. DC has been doing a lot to give new readers something to latch onto, and a Mighty Crabjoys book would be the perfect step to take (also remember to keep an eye out for more information and ads about the band in your DC Comics).

Do you want a Mighty Crabjoys comics? Sound off in the comments below.

The post The Mighty Crabjoys Need Their Own Comic, Stat appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman: Dark Patterns is easily one of the best Batman books going on right now. It’s probably the best, and a huge part of that is because it perfectly understands how Batman ticks. The series is centered around three-part mysteries set early on in Batman’s career, and focuses primarily on the Dark Knight’s famed skill as the World’s Greatest Detective. The most recent storyline, titled “Paraeidolia,” focuses on Batman as he battles with a resurfaced Red Hood Gang deep in one of Gotham’s poorest neighborhoods, the Rookery. The last issue ended with Batman being captured by the old man running the scheme, and issue #9 concludes this tale. Beyond being an incredibly engaging mystery with a heartwrenching ending, this issue also beautifully shows us the impact that Batman has on Gotham City.

The Truth Behind the Red Hood Gang

This adventure started with Batman recalling how many fires there’d been in Gotham recently, and trying to convince himself he was seeing patterns that weren’t there. Then another fire started at an old laundromat in the Rookery, and inside the burning washing machine was a dead woman. The killing resembled the old Red Hood Gang who terrorized Gotham over seventy years ago and inspired the Joker’s iteration, the victim’s face burnt off with bleach. Batman attempted to get answers from the Rookery, but nobody came forward to supply answers. Instead, the Dark Knight continuously patrolled around the neighborhood for days, until the old man got the drop on him. He woke up, hands and arms tied behind his back, with the old man in a wheelchair and two young boys with red hoodies pulled up.

Batman immediately realized how stupid he’d been, lost in some magical or evil explanation for a very simple reality. The Red Hood Gang wasn’t back, the old man just wanted everyone to think they were. The reason nobody snitched on them is because they had no idea who did it, and the woman in the dryer was someone murdered by the actual gang and buried beside the laundromat decades ago. The old man and his two grandsons dug the woman up and left her in the dryer to inspire fear, but when nobody noticed they set it on fire, and even then, the only person who cared enough to pay attention was Batman. The old man wanted to make it seem like the gang was back to try and enforce some order in the Rookery through fear, scare them into treating each other better. But in modern Gotham they were just another fire in a city full of arsonists. Based on the fact that they didn’t even take off his cowl, Batman deduced that they never killed anyone before and were terrified to do so.

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The old man had never even been a member of the Red Hood Gang. He was just a kid who watched the woman be buried. They sent the younger boy, Jake, outside so they could kill Batman, but Bruce intimidated them by breaking down how it would look to watch his face melt and taunting the old man. The other boy, Sam, tried to take the bucket of bleach to kill Bats, but the old man fought him because he wanted to do it, and in the struggle the gun went off, killing Sam. The old man had a heart attack, his final words being that all he wanted to do was improve his neighborhood. It took the exhausted Batman another twelve minutes to escape his ties, and by then it was far too late.

Batman’s True Impact

Batman left, telling Jake not to go back inside until the police arrived. He told Alfred how he accomplished nothing by patrolling the Rookery, how all he brought was pain. But back with Jake, several men approached, poised to attack him, until they saw a shadow on the roof. Paraeidolia is seeing faces or patterns where there are none, and these would-be assailants saw the Dark Knight in a chimney and rags. They took off running, saving Jake. While Batman doubted his own importance, saying that he couldn’t do anything to really help the Rookery, he was unaware that he already had. Those nights he spent relentlessly patrolling one of Gotham’s most overlooked parts left its mark, and the people within felt his presence even when he wasn’t there. He had done exactly what he always wanted; become a symbol of fear to scare criminals into not hurting anybody.

Where the old man thought he could dredge up someone else’s crime to inspire fear, Batman did so himself. Batman can’t be everywhere at once, but nobody ever knows where he is, so the idea that he could come from any shadow and beat you to a pulp terrifies the cowardly lot of criminals. His unending crusade to protect Gotham and solve this crime left a positive impact, even if he couldn’t see it. While Batman the person is the one who deals with crimes and emergencies that are actively happening, Batman the legend prevents countless other crimes from starting up in the first place. It’s easy to forget, especially for the Dark Knight, but he does have an impact, and it is protecting Gotham even when he fails to believe in it.

Batman: Dark Patterns #9 is on sale now!

The post DC’s Best Batman Book Reveals the Hero’s Real Impact on Gotham appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman has taken control of the year 2025 in a way that no other superhero has in years. Superman has been a hit with critics and viewers, and DC Comics has been preparing for this moment since the beginning of the year. Superman comics have become a huge focus of the company’s publishing slate, all in an effort to give moviegoers a nice variety of Superman comics if they decide to check them out. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is one of those titles, brought to readers by the Ice Cream Man team of W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. It’s a book with a definite All-Star Superman vibe to it, and the first issue does a great job of giving readers a compelling story with some great moments.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 sees Superman find a meteorite that contains multiple examples of new Kryptonite, bringing it to Earth in order to test these new types of the mineral, which gains the attention of Lex Luthor. Kryptonite is a very important part of the Superman mythos, the different colors of Kryptonite having different effects on the Man of Steel. DC has made a Kryptonite a focus of Superman comics lately, and Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum keeps that up. The book introduces four new varieties of Kryptonite, with the issue showing us what two of them do to Superman.

Purple and Cobalt Kryptonite Are Very Different From Other Types of Kryptonite

Kryptonite has long been the most dangerous substances to Superman. It was first introduced in the Superman radio series before making its way to the comics. Since then, it has been used by multiple foes of Superman to get an advantage over him. There is always something tragic about Kryptonite; the pieces of Superman’s destroyed homeworld are deadly to him, the place that should have been his home made into a toxic enemy. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 introduces four new types of the mineral: Purple, Cobalt, Speckled, and Rainbow. Superman calls in Batman for help, because he needs to test the Kryptonite; while these are the first time he’s encountered these new types of Kryptonite, it almost certainly won’t be the last. Batman is one of the few pople that Superman actually trusts with Kryptonite, as shown by the fact that he allows Batman to carry Green K, Batman tries to talk him out of it, just in case one of them is a type that could kill him instantly or something similarly damaging, but Superman won’t allow Batman to sway him. So, the two of them prepare for the test, and Superman is blasted with Purple K radiation.

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At first, it doesn’t seem to have any ill physical effects on Superman, but there is a change. Several of Superman’s speech bubbles on the page are purple and he seems to be talking about something that isn’t happening in-panel. Before the two of them can figure out exactly what’s going, they get an emergency call from Metropolis, as Lex Luthor (who has learned that Superman found new types of Kryptonite and wants to get his hands on it) sends Solomon Grundy to attack the city to distract Superman. This is where the effects of Purple Kryptonite become even more apparent. Panels don’t follow a linear flow of time, with events disjointed. Purple K affects the way Superman perceives time. Suddenly, Superman is jumping around the fight with Grundy at different moments, and has to figure out how to make the whole thing work. He saves a little girl, overcoming his messed up temporal sense, and is able to take down Grundy after Batman is injured in the fight.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 uses the way that panels set the pace of time wonderfully, something that really couldn’t be done in other types of media. Purple K is more annoying than dangerous to Superman, as he was able to easily overcome its effects to win the fight. Superman and Batman return to the Fortress of Solitude, where we learn that one of the visions Superman has been having about a dinner with Lois has already happened, showing that Purple K can also throw Superman’s perception into the past as well as the future. Before the end of the issue, we get a glimpse of the future, which seems to show the effect of Cobalt K: making Superman grow. However, at this point, we can’t be sure if that is its only effect.

These New Types of Kryptonite Don’t Seem as Dangerous as Other Kinds

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum has a definite Silver Age feel to it. Back in those wild old days, the different colors of Kryptonite would have vastly different effects on Superman. These new colors seem to be less dangerous than Green K or Gold K (Green is the classic “Kill Superman” variety and Gold takes away his powers), but we’ve only been completely introduced to one and a tease for the other.

Purple K is one of the most interesting types of Kryptonite in existence. What I like about it is that it does have some beneficial uses, as Superman can use it to get a glimpse into the future (but only for a day or two). However, it can also be used to mess with his perceptions in battle, and there’s a chance that if he’s subjected to it for too long, its effects could become permanent. Cobalt also looks interesting from what we’ve seen; making Superman bigger is right out of the Silver Age. We’ll have to wait until the next issue to find out its full effects.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is on sale now.

The post DC Just Got Two New Types of Kryptonite (but What Do They Do?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe may never face a challenge like Thanos again. After watching his people suffer on Titan, the villain vows never to let something like that happen again and begins tracking down the Infinity Stones. The task seems simple enough at first, so Thanos sends out lackeys like Loki and Ronan the Accuser to do his dirty work. However, they fail spectacularly, forcing the Mad Titan to get up out of his throne and take matters into his own hands. Once the gloves are off and the Infinity Gauntlet is on, the MCU’s heroes can do nothing but fight to survive as Thanos gets closer to his goal.

By the end of Avengers: Infinity War, all the pieces are in place for the villain, so he wipes out half of existence with the snap of his fingers. He’s lucky he wasn’t in another comic book universe, though, because he wouldn’t have been as successful. Here are 10 DC heroes that could have beaten Thanos in Infinity War.

1) Superman

The character who does the most damage to Thanos in the third Avengers film is Thor, who nearly kills the villain with Stormbreaker. Well, Superman doesn’t need a giant axe to prove his strength, as he can punch the Mad Titan until the villain’s purple face turns blue. With the Man of Steel also having super speed, Thanos isn’t going to be able to get his hands on one of the Infinity Stones, let alone six.

2) Batman

While the Dark Knight isn’t going to be able to beat Thanos in a fist fight, he’s surely going to be able to outwit him. When Batman learns about the threat to the universe, he’s going to find a way to lock up all of the Infinity Stones. After all, he has a contingency plan for Superman, so taking care of the Mad Titan is going to be a walk in the park.

3) Wonder Woman

There is one hero that the evil gods of the DC Universe hate to see coming: Wonder Woman. In addition to her impressive strength and combat skills, Diana Prince has an edge to her that most heroes in the MCU don’t. Wonder Woman will think Thanos’ plan is foolish and do everything in her power to ensure that he doesn’t ever get the chance to snap.

4) Doctor Fate

Doctor Strange gives Thanos trouble on Titan in Infinity War, but he throws in the towel because he only sees one path to victory. Doctor Fate isn’t going to hand over the Time Stone or anything else to the villain because his master, Nabu, rarely shows mercy. Fate will conjure up a spell that makes what Strange did to Dormammu look like child’s play.

5) Shazam

Unlike some of the other characters on this list, Shazam doesn’t embrace his dark side because, well, he’s a kid. Billy Batson isn’t going to let a deranged maniac destroy his home, though, so he’ll lean on his magic to lead him to victory. Since Shazam can go toe-to-toe with Superman, Thanos isn’t going to want to underestimate his opponent despite his immature attitude.

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6) Supergirl

In some iterations of the DC Universe, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, is stronger than her cousin, Superman. She’s also a lot meaner, and as her run-ins with heavyweights like Darkseid prove, she’s not going to go easy on anyone. Thanos will learn that Kryptonians aren’t a race of people he wants to cross after a battle with Supergirl.

7) The Spectre

The most powerful beings in the MCU opt not to intervene when Thanos is preparing to kill trillions, but DC’s strongest characters aren’t so hands-off. The Spectre serves The Presence, considered the god of the DC Universe, who won’t appreciate a villain trying to undo all his hard work. Facing an omnipotent opponent, not even the Infinity Gauntlet can save the Mad Titan from The Spectre’s wrath.

8) Captain Atom

Energy is the name of the game when dealing with the Infinity Stones, as they dish out incredible amounts. Well, there’s no one better suited to contain their power than Captain Atom. It also doesn’t hurt the hero’s case that he’s incredibly powerful, being able to give Superman fits when the story calls for them to battle.

9) Martian Manhunter

Despite being a member of the Justice League, Martian Manhunter is usually in the background, making way for characters like Superman and Batman. However, he’s every bit as dangerous as his teammates, and he can prove it when he goes up against Thanos. Being able to shape-shift and turn invisible will give Martian Manhunter the edge, buying him enough time to enter Thanos’ mind and mess with it.

10) The Flash

The Flash can’t breathe in space, which means he isn’t going to be able to stop Thanos from getting the first couple of Infinity Stones. Once the Mad Titan gets to Earth, though, the race is on, and the villain is going to lose. The Flash will grab the gems and run around until Thanos gives up, and even if the hero fails, he can just go back in time and try again.

Avengers: Infinity War is streaming on Disney+.

Do you think the DC heroes on this list could beat Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War? Who else has a shot at taking the Mad Titan down? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 DC Heroes That Could Have Beaten Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Spider-Man isn’t Marvel’s most powerful hero, but he’s got it where it counts. Over the years, Spider-Man comics have given readers some of the coolest fights in comic history. Spider-Man is a character who lends himself well to motion, his dynamic costume making him look like a red and blue whirling dervish of action. He’s faced off against some of the most formidable villains in the Marvel Universe, both those of his own rogues gallery, and those from other heroes’. He’s battled alongside the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and basically every other Marvel team out there, and has helped fight against the most dangerous threats in multiple major events. Spider-Man is extremely formidable.

Marvel is crossing over with DC Comics again, and it’s only a matter of time before we get some team-ups between Spider-Man and the heroes of the DC Multiverse. This is going to open up a whole world of villains to Spider-Man. Now, there are some DC villains that Spider-Man would be able to beat, and beat handily. However, there’s also a lot of DC villains that Spider-Man wouldn’t have a chance against without help. These seven DC villains would defeat Spider-Man, doing something many villains have tried but never succeeded at.

7) Mongul

Mongul is the master of Warworld, and one of the most feared villains in the DC Universe. There’s been multiple versions of Mongul over the years; it’s more of a title than a person. Basically, one of the Warzoons, the name of the beings that live on Warworld, rises through the ranks and then kills the last Mongul, becoming the new one (there’s also Mongal, who was played as a sister of Mongul, but that was before the survival of the fittest, multiple Mongul thing was established). Mongul is Superman level strong, and that’s going to be a big problem for Spider-Man. Modern Superman isn’t throw planets like beachballs strong anymore, but he’s still mind-numbingly strong. Mongul can punch it out with Big Blue, so Spider-Man really doesn’t have much chance against him. Honestly, it’s highly doubtful that Mongul would even feel Spider-Man’s attacks. Spider-Man’s speed would allow him to keep away from Mongul, but eventually, he’d get tired or make a mistake, and that would be that. Mongul could kill Spider-Man with one good punch. Spider-Man has to be flawless the whole fight; Mongul just needs to get lucky once.

6) General Zod

There are few actual threats to Superman, but one villain has proven able to get the drop on Superman — General Zod. Zod was Krypton’s greatest tactical mind, and was actually friends with Jor-El in some versions of his story. However, all versions of the characters have the same fate — they try to take over the Kryptonian Science Council and fail, thrown into the Phantom Zone. As a Kryptonian, General Zod has amazing power under a yellow sun and has combat training on top of that. Zod is much, much stronger than Spider-Man. He’s also vastly faster. That’s basically going to be it for Spider-Man. Spider-Man can usually beat enemies stronger than him because he’s faster, his spider-sense allowing him to avoid attacks from anyone. That’s not going to work with Zod, as even with the spider-sense, Spider-Man couldn’t avoid attacks from Zod. General Zod has every advantage over Spider-Man, and there’s really no way for Spider-Man to win without getting his hands on some Kryptonite or creating a red sun gun.

5) Doomsday

Doomsday is one of the most feared villains in the DC Multiverse for one big reason — he killed Superman. The monster has changed a lot over the years (Doomsday is currently the Time Trapper, a time powered titan trying to get Superman to kill him so he can become a god), but one thing that hasn’t changed is how powerful he is. Doomsday is basically the Hulk; an indestructible being with titanic strength, which allowed him to overpower Superman. He can’t be killed the same way twice, so he can never be bludgeoned to death ever again. He’s probably actually stronger than the Hulk which would be a big problem for Spider-Man. There’s no doubt that Spider-Man could easily avoid Doomsday’s attacks, but there’s really nothing else that he could do. Webbing wouldn’t work on Doomsday — he’s too strong to be held by it long — and all of Spider-Man’s usual tricks against vastly stronger combatants wouldn’t work either. Much like the fight against Mongul, Spider-Man would have to be able to avoid every blow, but Doomsday only needs to get lucky once.

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4) Gorilla Grodd

Gorilla Grodd is an extremely dangerous villain. Grodd is the Gorilla City equivalent of Green Goblin in a lot of ways. He’s a super genius who has become twisted with rage and greed. He’s a titan of physical force, but his greatest power is his Force of Mind, a telepathic skill that allows him to control and assault minds. Grodd usually battles the Flash, which means that he’s more than ready to deal with fast opponents. All of this is going to be a problem for Spider-Man. Grodd and Spider-Man are probably pretty even on strength, and Spider-Man is faster than Grodd. However, Grodd is smart and his telepathy gives him a huge advantage over Spider-Man; he’d quickly discover that Spider-Man has some kind of spider-sense and would be able to use his mental powers to mess with it. This would probably be a pretty close fight, but Grodd’s mental power and tactical know how would mean this is a fight that Spider-Man would lose in the end.

3) Reverse Flash

Reverse Flash is one of the most dangerous and powerful villains in the DC Multiverse. The master of the Negative Speed Force, Reverse Flash is obsessed with destroying Barry Allen. He’s used his time travel powers to wreck Allen’s life, moving up and down the timestream in order to make the man he hates the most suffer. Reverse Flash may not be as strong as Spider-Man, but he’s many magnitudes faster than the Wall-Crawler. That’s going to be a huge problem for Spider-Man. His spider-sense only works if he’s actually faster than the opponent. Spider-Man is nowhere near as fast as Reverse Flash, and that’s basically going to be all she wrote for this fight. There’s a chance that Reverse Flash will mess up and allow Spider-Man to tag him a few times or a webbing trick will work, but in the end, it’s not going to be enough to win. Reverse Flash can end this fight anytime he wants.

2) Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is Superman’s greatest enemy. The two of them are complete opposites; where Superman is physically strong, Lex is intelligent. Where Superman is selfless, Lex is selfish. Lex Luthor is the smartest villain on Earth (he might be the smartest person on Earth, but DC goes back and forth on whether Lex is smarter or Batman is), and it’s this intelligence that has allowed Lex to hang with the most powerful heroes and villains. Lex Luthor and Spider-Man are an interesting match. Spider-Man is obviously more physical powerful (unless Lex is wearing his armor), but Luthor is vastly more intelligent. This is going to make a lot of difference. Lex Luthor isn’t going to walk out and just start fighting Spider-Man, he’s going to study him first. Lex will be able to figure out that Spider-Man has spider-sense, and then will be able to figure out how to use that against Spider-Man. Lex is only going to go after Spider-Man after that, and that’s going to be a huge problem for Spider-Man. See, Lex is only going to actually fight Spider-Man in his armor. Lex’s armor in much more powerful than any suit of armor that Spider-Man has ever dealt with before. It gives Lex enough strength to fight against Superman, so it is much more powerful than Spider-Man. Lex would be able to devastate Spider-Man in this armor, and that would be that.

1) Darkseid

Darkseid is basically the Thanos of the DC Multiverse, and Spider-Man would have no chance against. Darkseid is the God of Evil and the lord of Apokolips. Darkseid was able to defeat his father, Yuga Khan, and take his throne. Since then, Darkseid has battled not only the New Gods of New Genesis, he’s also fought all of the greatest heroes in the multiverse. Darkseid is stronger than Superman, and has been known to battle entire teams of heroes by himself. His body in nearly indestructible, and his Omega Effect eye beams can kill just about anyone with one hit, and tracks its quarry where ever they go. So, Darkseid is much stronger than Spider-Man, although Spider-Man has the speed advantage, and can take way more damage. The spider-sense isn’t really going to matter too much in this fight. Sure, Spider-Man can avoid everything thrown at him for along time, but he’ll get tired. However, the real problem for Spider-Man is going to be the Omega Effect. It can follow Spider-Man anywhere and it’s eventually going to get him. Darkseid is much too powerful for Spider-Man, and the Web-Slinger can’t win.

What DC villains do you think can beat Spider-Man? Do you think I’m wrong with any of these? Sound off in the comments below.

The post 7 DC Villains Spider-Man Can’t Beat appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Green Lanterns have one of the coolest power sets in all of comics. With their rings they can quite literally make just about anything that they can imagine. From a giant sword to an army of cattle ranchers, the various Green Lanterns have all put their minds to the test to create some wild and utterly baffling constructs throughout the years. Today we’re going to take a look at what I think are five of the most creative and coolest constructs that the GLs have willed into existence. There are hundreds, even thousands of different constructs to choose from for this list, but the ones I’ve chosen here are stand-outs against plenty of the bog standard constructs that are effective, but far less fun than they could be. So with that said, let’s get started.

7) Multiversal Symbol of Terror

This beautiful tribute to Gotham’s symbol of fear came about in one of the DC/Hanna-Barbera crossovers, Green Lantern/Space Ghost. After responding to a distress signal took him to a different dimension, Hal Jordan got into a fight with Larfleeze, but Space Ghost arrived and thought the Green Lantern was a villain himself. Hal was knocked down planetside, where he was surrounded by the heavily-armed local militia. He was desperate to find a way out without hurting anyone due to this obvious misunderstanding, so he tried to think of what he could use to scare everyone off. He dug deep to imagine the most terrifying thing he’s ever seen that could scare you off no matter what universe you were in. Having battled against agents of Death and been possessed by the literal Entity of Fear, Hal naturally decided his only option was a giant Batman construct. And hey, it worked! Even people in an entirely different universe know not to mess with Batman.

6) Eva GL-01

Each Green Lantern has their own strength, and Kyle’s is his boundless creativity. He’s an artist, and that special perspective has helped him create some of the funnest, most creative constructs imaginable. Like this one which appeared in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #48, where Kyle makes an actual Eva armor from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Giant robot armors are hardly out of the ordinary for our green-wearing space cops, because I mean seriously, who wouldn’t have that be one of the first things you make when you need to beat down on some big problems? But what’s special about this one is that it’s so clearly a reference and it is a treat to see. It’s a reminder that this type of referencing is exactly what a ton of Lanterns would do if they didn’t have to worry about copyright. It’s always neat to see, and Kyle putting his own spin on it is just awesome. Who doesn’t love giant robots? Personally, I would have made a giant Megazord, but an Eva is definitely just as awesome to see.

5) Universe’s Biggest Pinball

Yet another Kyle construct, this one came about when he was helping to train Simon Baz, specifically to show him that their powers aren’t limited by real world objects. Simon had a habit of creating normal machines like drills and cars, so Kyle trapped him in a giant pinball machine being played by a giant Kyle to demonstrate that one of a Green Lantern’s greatest strengths is being weird. Everyone knows how to react to a giant hammer coming at them, but suddenly trapping them in a ball that’s being knocked every which way against pillars that make ding sounds? That’s the type of thing that can throw someone off their game and give the Lantern a chance to end things before someone gets hurt. Creativity is one of a Green Lantern’s greatest strengths, and this is the perfect example of thinking outside the box. This construct is so great not just because it’s a creative use of the ring, but because of how it is the perfect teaching tool in the moment. It’s both awesome to see and narratively satisfying, which are both massive plusses in my book. 

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Lanterns: What Is a Green Lantern’s Power Ring? Explained

4) Lobo’s Main Man

The Injustice 2 comics bridged the gap between the first and second Injustice: Gods Among Us video games, and it went wild whenever it could. One of the coolest arcs it held was a war between the Green and Red Lantern Corps, where the Reds recruited Starro the Destroyer. To combat the planetary conqueror and fill their weakened ranks, the GLs decided that the main man himself, Lobo would temporarily serve as a Green Lantern. It went about as well as you’d think. Lobo set his eyes on Atrocitus by kicking Dex-Starr halfway across the solar system and creating the absolute funniest construct ever. Lobo is one of the crassest, dirtiest guys in the DC Universe, so you can imagine the type of horrors he has locked away. So what did he build when his imagination was given shape? A giant penis. Lobo smacked Atrocitus with a giant green penis, and it was amazing. Give Lobo a ring again, do it now. This is not an impressive construct, it’s actually about as creative as making a giant rock, but dang if it isn’t the perfect thing for Lobo to make. It’s also so gosh darn funny. Is it smart humor? No, but I don’t care.

3) The Space Ship

While most Green Lanterns just fly wherever they need to go, when Kyle travels, he goes in style. Case in point, Kyle once made an entire to-scale pirate galleon to sail the stars. He made a literal space ship, and I want to give it first place just for that spectacular pun. This is one of the clearest examples of Kyle just having fun with his wish-granting ring, which is exactly what makes his style of constructs so fun. Any other lantern would just launch blasts at someone who attacked them, but when Captain Kyle’s ship comes under fire he verbally directs the construct wench to light a construct fuse with a construct match to fire a construct cannonball from the construct cannon. There’s so many unnecessary steps here and it’s incredible, and also demonstrates the sheer lengths Kyle will go to complete the logic of the idea in his head. This is Kyle at his absolute best, and comes from Green Lantern volume three #87.

2) Hal Recreates Coast City

There are few feats more impressive than when, upon finding his home Coast City blown off the map by Cyborg Superman, Hal recreated all of it, down to the tiniest detail. The constructs were powered by the memories of his town, and each one acted exactly as Hal remembered them. Of course, these were all facsimiles of how they really were, but still, this is an entirely functional city operated by sheer force of will, running hundreds of thousands of different actions all at once, from one person taking out the trash to a car starting when the key is inserted. Of course, this scene came about in Green Lantern volume three #48, the infamous “Emerald Twilight” storyline that assassinated Hal Jordan’s character for no real reason at all. That definitely drags this construct down a bit in context, but overall, this is still incredibly impressive, and demonstrates the simple, indomitable will that Hal Jordan is so well known for.

1) John Stewart Remakes His Sister

Like I said, every Lantern has their strength, and John Stewart’s is that he is easily the most methodical in what he creates. He’s an architect, so when he makes something he imagines every little piece coming together from the ground up. He makes every little piece and fits them together instead of just making a whole object from the start. Without a doubt, one of the most impressive Green Lantern feats ever was when John Stewart created a construct copy of his deceased little sister, Ellie in Green Lantern War Journal #1. This isn’t just a puppet either, but a fully sentient copy of her built from John’s memories. He initially created her to help keep his mother happy while she battled dementia, but she has become so much more as she evolved. Now she is entirely independent, a construct given sentience, sapience, and a will all her own. John Stewart literally created life with his ring, which is absolutely insane and should probably be outlawed in the Corps, but massively impressive nonetheless. Ellie is living proof of the power of will and love, and stands as the most creative and impressive construct to date.

So there’s my list of seven of the best constructs the Green Lanterns have ever thought up. Like I said at the start, there’s literally thousands to choose from here, and limiting it to just a few from Kyle was already difficult enough. I also desperately wanted to pay tribute to Jessica Cruz’s fantasy inspired choices, but we only have so much space on this list. Which constructs would you include on this list, and which one would you have stand as number one? Let us know in the comments below!

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Damian Wayne is the son of Batman and the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. Ever since his introduction, he has struggled to reconcile the legacies he will inherit. Eventually, Damian chose to align himself with his father and the good-natured legacy of Batman, but recently he’s been faced with a new branching path. Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run on Batman and Robin has Damian learn more about Thomas Wayne’s history as a doctor. Now Damian’s standing at a crossroads where he questions if he wants to continue fighting for Gotham City as Robin, or find a way to help it in the daylight as only Damian Wayne can. Unfortunately for him, the villain Memento has arrived in Gotham to wreak havoc, and Robin. He only just managed to escape with the aid of some of Gotham’s lost youth, but now the killer has taken Batman and detective Katherine Lautrec captive. Damian is finally forced to make a choice.

Memento Is Here to Punish Gotham

Memento is a creature of nightmare and very real mystery. He is either a supernatural creature that possesses a host to torture humanity for their worst actions, or a madman who uses drugs to drive people insane and is obsessed with recreating cities’ crimes. He recreated several monstrous events in Gotham City, but it was all just build-up to his true purpose; recreating the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne using Batman and Lautrec as stand-ins for the parents, and Damian in his father’s role. Memento believes that Gotham fell to its darkest pit after the murder of the Waynes, the last good family in power who truly believed their home could change for the better. He has Batman and Lautrec tied to a pole in the drug-induced hallucination and possibly magical realm version of Crime Alley, and waits for Robin to arrive to murder them in front of him.

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Damian, for his part, has been on a journey of self discovery this entire time. Being forcibly separated from Batman and saved by the young street urchins of Gotham has opened his eyes to the fact that the good work the Waynes do is essential to Gotham City, but so are Batman and Robin. People need to be healed by doctors, but they need heroes to save them from the villains to be healed. With renewed determination, Damian charged back to save his dad and new friend in a makeshift mask made of civilian clothes and a clothesline rope. With Robin fully determined to be a hero and distracting Memento, Batman managed to free himself and join the fight. Memento’s identity, or host, was revealed as Daniels, the student of master detective Blye, who studied alongside Lautrec and Bruce. In the end, Memento was shot by Blye, who made his way to Gotham to get revenge for all of Memento’s victims. Memento was shot and disappeared in a crowd of his victim’s spirits, and everyone was saved. His cycle had ended, and Damian started a new one.

The New Damian Wayne and Robin

Damian has finally put all of his demons to bed, and is ready to move on with full confidence of who he is. By day he will help Gotham in its hospitals and as a Wayne, and by night he will be Robin, bringing justice however he can. Instead of being forced to inherit something, he is choosing this destiny himself. Besides, this isn’t something he has to do on his own. Not only does he have Batman to stand beside him, but he also has a brand new partner in the form of the little monkey he adopted near the start of this run. In the drawing Damian made in the final part of the issue, he drew the little gal in her own Robin costume. Obviously this doesn’t imply that the monkey will become a brand new super-pet, but it’s definitely possible, and Damian has already adopted plenty of other super-pets, so there is a definite chance we’ll be seeing her sometime in the future.

To signify that he has finally rejoined his father emotionally and accepted his position as Robin, Damian also created a brand new Robin costume. It’s far more reminiscent of his classic Robin costume with a hood, and has the traditional green, red, and yellow that has been missing from his gray version these past few years. Damian has fully accepted every part of himself, and the criminals of Gotham better look out, because a fully realized Robin is a very powerful thing indeed.

Batman and Robin #24 is on sale now!

The post Robin Just Made a Major Life Choice (and Got an Adorable New Partner, Too) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Action Comics is in the middle of recounting Clark Kent’s first days as Superboy, and quite frankly, it’s not going well for the Boy of Steel. His identity was all but immediately uncovered by his teacher Mr. Blake, who in actuality was the long-forgotten superhero Captain Comet. Unknown to Clark and his family, Comet had been watching Superboy for some time now, and for better and worse he was moving to be a bigger influence on the fledgling hero. Unfortunately, his motives aren’t anywhere near as clean as they appeared, and they didn’t look very clean at all. Clark is going to have to learn fast, because Captain Comet has set his eyes on Superboy.

Surprising Revelations

Mr. Blake showed up at the Kents’ door and outright asked if Clark was Superboy, and given that this was the first time something like this had ever happened, Clark picked the worst possible answer and asked if Blake was from the government.

With that all but confirming his suspicions, Blake revealed that he was actually Captain Comet, a mutant with powers similar to Clark’s, only with some psychic abilities like clairvoyance. Superheroes had completely disappeared decades earlier, so it was a definite shock to see one show up out of the blue, but he wasn’t here to talk about himself. He told Clark that he thought he was reckless and needed to make sure he could trust him. He recounted stories of other young heroes from across the universe, all of which ended in failure and decimation because of their lack of experience. The narrator, modern day Superman, noted how everything about what Comet said should have been several red flags. Captain Comet promised he’d talk to Clark soon, then vanished.

Understandably upset by what Captain Comet said, and following a very bad morning, Clark hoped that his schoolday would only be filled with sneaking glances at Lana Lang, but he could never be that lucky. Comet embarrassed him all through class, and when it finally let out Clark’s usual bully decided to double down on making his day worse. Clark just about lost his temper and shoved Braverman, then flew away before he went off the handle. He planned to smash through a mountain to make himself feel better, but Captain Comet grabbed him out of the air and forced him into a lesson. A plague of locusts was about to hit Smallville, so how could Superboy stop them? Before Clark could ask any questions, Comet was gone, and he was alone with the bugs.

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Superboy’s Problems Keep Getting Bigger

First he tried to blow them away or send them flying with a sonic clap, but that only scattered them for a second. Superboy panicked, trying to think of a way to save Smallville’s crops without burning them all to a crisp, when he remembered that locusts were very perceptible to high frequencies. He used his greatest power of super-whistling to stun all the bugs, then flew fast enough to cart them away in a slipstream. He guided the swarm back north, where the cooler temps returned them to normal grasshoppers. Clark celebrated his first win of the day, but was secretly being monitored by Captain Comet and General Lane, who decided that Superboy was dangerous enough to move onto some kind of next phase.

Clearly, there’s a lot going on that Superboy doesn’t know about. Not only do Captain Comet and the government think he’s a threat, but they’re planning to take him down. Except, if he was really an enemy, Comet could just tell them who Superboy is and be done with it. Things definitely aren’t what they seem, and it probably all harkens back to the mysterious reason that superheroes disappeared overnight all those years ago. Captain Comet could be an enemy working to bring Superboy down, a misguided mentor who thinks he’s too dangerous as is, or someone who has deeply laid plans involving the legality of superheroes, and is working towards a goal that Superboy’s existence undermines. I’m willing to bet that Comet isn’t actually an enemy, but Superboy’s debut might be causing way more waves than he could ever have anticipated.

Action Comics #1089 is on sale now!

The post Superboy’s Mentor Is Not Who You’d Think (and He’s a Surprising Threat) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman is quite possibly the most popular fictional character ever. Batman has been fighting evil since 1939, and his adventures have become ingrained into the imagination of multiple generations. Batman has teamed up with just about every hero in the DC Multiverse (and some from other universes as well) and has helped them battle some of the most powerful and dangerous villains in fiction. Batman has trained himself to perfection; he can do things that are physically impossible for anyone but superhumans and has a mind that has allowed him to figure out plans to beat gods and create technology that evened up the odds with his sometime superpowered foes. Batman wins. It’s just what does.

Marvel and DC Comics are having crossovers for the time in ages and of course, Batman is involved. He’s going to have a crossover with Deadpool, and the elderly Batman of The Dark Knight Returns is going to have a battle with Old Man Logan. Batman has taken down pretty much every villain in the DC Multiverse you can imagine, so giving him a whole new universe of villains to battle is going to give readers some amazing fights. While there are plenty of Marvel villains that would give Batman trouble in a fight, these seven Marvel villains wouldn’t. Batman would be too much for them to deal with, his tactics and skills giving him the win.

7) Batroc the Leaper

Batroc the Leaper seems like a silly villain, and truth be told he can be. The French mercenary is known for his corny jokes and French-accented English, and isn’t known for his great victories. However, he’s a ridiculously skilled fighter. Batroc is a master of savate, the French martial art that combines boxing and kicking (yes, I could have just said kickboxing, but that’s not completely accurate). Batroc is known for fighting Captain America and while he hasn’t really won any of those fights, he’s put up a much better fight than most would have thought he would. Batroc vs. Batman is a cool fight. Batman won’t need any of his gadgets or his tactical wherewithal, this would just be the two of them beating on each other until one of them falls. Batroc will definitely gets some good jokes in during the fight, but Batman is a much more skilled fighter, and that’s before we get into how strong Batman is. Batman would win this fight, but he would gain the respect of Batroc in the process, just like Captain America did after fighting Batroc so many times.

6) Taskmaster

Taskmaster is the king of the henchmen. Taskmaster’s claim to fame is his photographic reflexes, which allow him to copy any thing he sees. So, he’s a master shield fighter like Captain America, a master archer like Hawkeye, a master swordsman like Swordsman, and basically anything else you can imagine. Taskmaster has fought against basically everyone out there, so he’s memorized more fighting styles than you can shake a stick at. He carries an amazing arsenal, allowing him to take advantage of everything he’s learned. Taskmaster started a special school for henchmen, training the next generation of cannon fodder, and in recent years has been less of a villain than he was before. Batman and Taskmaster is one of those fights that everyone wants to see. Batman is technically a better fighter than Taskmaster, having devoted himself to training for ages, but Taskmaster is no slouch. This is going to be an amazing fight. Batman will quickly realize that the best way to win this fight is to disarm Taskmaster. This will take a bit, and Batman will definitely take some hits, but eventually, this will come down to a fistfight between the two of them. Taskmaster is good, but Batman has him beat; he’s stronger, faster, and smarter. Taskmaster can copy anything, but Batman’s inventiveness will definitely give him an advantage. The bright side for Taskmaster is that he’d learn some great new fighting techniques.

5) Baron Zemo

Baron Zemo is a second generation supervillain, and he’s easily outclassed his father. Baron Zemo has one of the coolest villain costumes in the Marvel Universe, but he’s more than just an amazing looking villain. He’s a hand to hand combatant that can hang with fighters as skilled as Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson. He’s a master tactician, and has led the scrubs of the Masters of Evil to victory over the Avengers. Zemo is smart and dangerous, but Batman has him beat in every way. Zemo’s best hope against Batman is his tactical skill, but even then, that can only get him so far. As good as Zemo is at planning, he’s not as good at improvising. Batman, on the other hand, is a master of improvisation, and that’s going to allow him to take this fight. Anything that Zemo throws at him, he’ll be able to overcome, getting closer and closer to a hand to hand showdown. Once this happens, the fight is over. Zemo is a crafty, skilled fighter, a master of many different weapons. However, he doesn’t have anywhere near the skill that Batman has in battle. Plus, Batman is much stronger than Zemo. Zemo will give it his all, but there’s no way he’s getting out of this fight with a win.

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4) Red Skull

Red Skull is one of the most hated supervillains in the Marvel Universe. Red Skull has been a homicidal maniac since his youth, his first kill being a little girl who had the temerity to be nice to him. Skull’s viciousness caught the attention of Adolf Hitler, and he made the Red Skull into his servant, unleashing him anywhere Hitler wanted to cause the most death. Red Skull met Captain America during this time, and the two became bitter enemies. Red Skull has changed a lot over the years, always surviving to fight Cap again. Red Skull is an expert combatant, and is made all the more dangerous because he’s taken to transferring his mind into clone bodies created from Captain America, meaning that he’s just as fast and strong as Cap. Red Skull isn’t a martial artist, but with Cap’s strength and speed, he doesn’t need to be. However, this isn’t going to be a problem against Batman. Red Skull is almost certainly stronger and faster than Batman, but Batman is a much better fighter. Red Skull is pretty vicious, so he’s definitely going to get some hits in on Batman. However, Batman has shown that he can survive pretty much anything that isn’t a one-hit kill. This would be a hard fight for Batman because of Red Skull’s strength and speed, but he’s the better, smarter fighter. This will allow him to win the fight, taking Red Skull down like the Nazis he loves so much. Batman always wins; Nazis don’t.

3) Bullseye

Bullseye is one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the world. Sure, Batroc and Taskmaster are tough, but neither of them take the glee in their work that Bullseye does. Bullseye can hit anything with anything; he can kill people with a paper clip if he wants to. He’s an amazing fighter, and can take pain at a level that even most superhumans can’t. Bullseye has an adamantium spine, and has had other bones of his replaced with the metal (this was in the days before Marvel established adamantium poisoning was a thing, and we all just sort of accepted that Bullseye wasn’t affected by it because reasons), making him extremely durable. Bullseye fights Daredevil, one of the most OP heroes in the Marvel Universe, and gives him a run for his money and has challenged heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Punisher, and more. Bullseye and Batman is going to get hardcore. However, while Bullseye’s insanity has helped in battle against other heroes, Batman is more than used to that sort of thing. Batman is stronger and faster than Bullseye, and Bullseye likes to play with his food. Instead of killing Batman quickly, he’s going to want hurt him first. This is going to give Batman the chance to defeat the villain.

2) Kingpin

Kingpin is the most dangerous crime lord on Earth. Kingpin is as ruthless as they come, and has risen through the ranks of the criminal underworld because of that and his intelligence. Kingpin knows when to use the carrot and when to use the stick. He’s basically untouchable by the authorities, which is why superheroes have had to deal with him so much. Kingpin is Daredevil’s greatest enemy, but he’s also challenged basically every other hero residing in New York City. Kingpin doesn’t like to get his hands dirty, but when he does, he’s just as dangerous. He’s able to go toe to toe with super strong heroes, and is a Sumo master. Batman and Kingpin is one of those confrontations that every fan of Marvel and DC wants to see, but we all know how it’s going to go. Kingpin is going to hurt Batman, but Batman is faster and a better fighter. It’s going to be a hard fight, but Batman has the skill to beat Kingpin.

1) Green Goblin

Green Goblin is going to be a tough fight for Batman, but he can handle it. Norman Osborn is an Avengers level villain, an evil genius who can out think his enemies, while surprising them with his tenacity. Green Goblin’s Goblin formula gives him superhuman strength and durability, and his Goblin Glider and pumpkin bombs give him advantages that his physical capabilities don’t. However, Batman is used to fighting enemies who are more powerful than him. Green Goblin’s insanity isn’t going really be an advantage against Batman, either. He fights the Joker all of the time, so he’s used to enemies like Green Goblin. It’s going to be a tough fight for Batman, but he knows how to take advantage of someone as controlled by his anger as Green Goblin is. He’s going to take a beating in this fight, but in the end, Batman is going to do what he does best — win.

What Marvel villains do you think Batman can beat? Any I’m wrong about? Sound off in the comments below.

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Being a superhero isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of sacrifice to put on a mask and take to the streets every night to protect the innocent. Even the Arrowverse, which prides itself on embracing the campy side of the source material, puts its heroes through the wringer. Barry Allen, aka The Flash, gets it worse than most, losing his mother at a young age and watching his father die after finally reuniting with him after years apart. Central City’s resident hero also has to watch his daughter from the future cease to exist, powerless to save her because she threatens the stability of the timeline.

While Barry has a rough go of it, he’s not the only Arrowverse hero to lose people over and over again. The hero who started it all, Oliver Queen, can’t catch a break during his run on The CW’s Arrow. Eventually, the franchise throws him a bone by allowing him to make up for his major mistakes, but even then, there’s one moment that he can’t set right despite having all of the power in the world.

The Queen Family Never Finds Its Footing in Arrow

Oliver Queen is a typical rich kid early in his life, opting to party instead of making something of himself. His parents, Moira and Robert, don’t set the best example, making shady business deals to keep their empire flourishing. Where the money comes from doesn’t make a difference to Oliver, though, so when his father offers a trip on the family boat, he takes it. Of course, tragedy strikes when the Queen’s Gambit goes down, with Robert sacrificing himself so his son can live. Oliver doesn’t waste the opportunity, training for five years before returning to Starling City to become a vigilante. Unfortunately, being a hero doesn’t stop darkness from coming Oliver’s way.

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Oliver loses his best friend Tommy shortly after coming home, and when Slade Wilson comes to town to get revenge, he doesn’t pull any punches, killing Moira in front of her children to prove a point. The losses mount in subsequent seasons when Laurel Lance dies in Arrow Season 4 at the hands of Damien Darhk, and her father, Quentin, can’t survive a run-in with Ricardo Diaz in Season 6. It’s hard to imagine Oliver being able to withstand much else, but he doesn’t get a choice when his half-sister, Emiko, shows up. While she’s out to take down Oliver, he understands where she’s coming from. Sadly, she dies as well, making sure the siblings never have a chance to connect. Oliver doesn’t forget about any of his departed loved ones, though, and he gives nearly all of them a second chance.

Oliver Queen Becoming the Spectre Changes the Arrowverse for the Better

During the “Elseworlds” crossover, Oliver makes a deal with the Monitor to save the lives of The Flash and Supergirl. The upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will kill him, but he’s ready to make that sacrifice. When the time comes, it’s a shock to everyone but Oliver, who is content to pass the baton. However, the multiverse has other plans for him, sending Jim Corrigan to offer him the chance to become the Spectre, an omnipotent being who has the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Anti-Monitor. Oliver confronts the villain at the end of “Crisis” and creates a new multiverse to replace the one that was destroyed.

When the other heroes arrive on the newly dubbed Earth Prime, many things are different, such as Supergirl and National City being on the planet. Oliver also helps the people in his life by bringing Tommy, Quentin, Moira, and Emiko back to life. They all gather at Oliver’s funeral to remember their hero, but there’s one person missing: Robert. It turns out that the Queen family patriarch’s death is a fixed point in time that Oliver is unable to change, which can’t be an easy pill to swallow. While Robert wasn’t the best father, he was the one responsible for Oliver turning his life around, and he’ll never get to learn what kind of man his son turned out to be.

Arrow is streaming on Netflix.

Were you happy to see all the dead Arrow characters return? How do you feel about Robert Queen not being able to return? Let us know in the comments below!

The post One Arrowverse Hero Got to Reset All of Their Mistakes (With One Major Exception) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

If you were a DCU conspiracy theorist, you might have something to say about the subtext of a new story in the expanding shared universe that presents its envious hero with a shiny new alternate reality where everything is a dream come true. And while that’s not for me to say, one of the most notable things about Peacemaker Season 2 is that it has so much depth given what it appears to be on the surface. Because, like Season 1, John Cena’s Peacemaker is very, very different to Superman. Now that I’ve sat on the first five episodes, I’m also convinced it’s better.

This is not a cheap shot at Superman, by any means, because I liked the first DCU movie a lot. It was almost everything I wanted, but the accusations of it being a little… busy, let’s say, did ring true. And watching Peacemaker Season 2, you get to see what might have been if Gunn had the same amount of time to flesh out his Superman story. And make no mistake, this is very much a James Gunn joint, even though he’s only marked director on three of the eight episodes. It’s just not exactly the same one who made Superman.

Peacemaker Is Definitely the Grown-Up Side of the DCU

Peacemaker Season 1 generated a lot of conversation thanks to the creative team — and Gunn at its head, of course — embracing far more outrageous subject matter than the Snyderverse had dared to; than any DC property had dared to, actually. Or Marvel for that matter. Pot shots were taken at DC superhero royalty (including scatalogical accusations), there was near-nudity, drugs, swearing, and the unthinkable claim that Wookiees have teeth in their buttholes, and yet it still managed to have heart and depth. Peacemaker Season 2 pushes all of the naughty stuff, right from the start of Episode 1, and uses the multiverse to tell a disarmingly deep story.

That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, though, because while Gunn handled the god-like majesty of Superman, he’s proved repeatedly that he has a way with broken, seemingly irredeemable characters. If you thought making you care about Rocket Raccoon was impressive, it’s nothing compared to how compelling Gunn makes Cena’s redemption tour as Peacemaker. Episode 1 features a sequence that belongs on The Boys as a backdrop to Chris’s existential crisis, and the juxtaposition of full-frontal nudity and heartfelt message storytelling works perversely well. It also features another exquisite C-bomb (and as a Brit, I can confirm Harcourt is right about the meaning).

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Some of the more NSFW elements will no doubt lead to accusations that Gunn is being provocative for the sake of it, but it’s mostly well-balanced, thanks to the substance. The story is more compelling than some of the jokes suggest. Alongside Cena, Jennifer Holland happily gets more story as Emilia Harcourt, Freddie Stroma is reassuringly great as dangerous dipsh-t sidekick Vigilante, and Steve Agee is again good as John Economos. The only slight casualty of the story this time is Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, whose story is just a little less interesting than I wanted it to be.

Cena’s performance, meanwhile, is once again genuinely charming and just goofball enough without him becoming a victim of the jokes. When you look back at his WWE career — and indeed, the wider circus-like context of “sports entertainment” as a whole — you get all of the background to this layered performance. As Peacemaker, he manages to be both clown and charismatic hero; provocative and empathetic, and I genuinely can’t wait to see him return. It all makes a lot more sense when you go back and watch him rapping before crowds of thousands of adoring fans who made him the hottest ticket in WWE for a long time.

Peacemaker’s Return Makes It 3 out of 3 for James Gunn’s First DCU Releases

But of course, this isn’t just a continuation of a popular show: Peacemaker Season 2 was also tasked with integrating Gunn’s precious pre-DCU treasures into the new timeline (according to whichever rules he wanted to bend). That means quite a few Superman characters return, notably including a more prominent role for Frank Grillo as the vengeful Rick Flag Sr. He’s good, but you will struggle to see how he’s the same character as the one previously seen in Creature Commandos.

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The other new cast members include David Denman in a role I’m not allowed to reveal, Tim Meadows (who has lots of fun as an oddball ARGUS agent), and Michael Rooker as Eagly’s nemesis, Red St. Wild. They all integrate seamlessly, which is important, because Gunn has been very insistent that this whole canon-defying gambit was going to work. And when the explanation for how Peacemaker is still DCU canon despite everything, it’s incidental, while also feeling like Gunn is winking at you over the back of the TV. If it means I get more Peacemaker, I honestly couldn’t have cared if it was 70% less well-handled, but I didn’t have to worry about that.

Peacemaker Season 2 has the same flood of heart as Superman, is another excellent exercise in world-building, and by virtue of feeling more like a pure expression of Gunn as a creator, I’d confidently say it’s the better of the two. It almost goes without saying that the music is also typically brilliant. So, all in all, that makes it the third success in a row for the DCU for me, so I think we can all agree that the franchise is in the right hands.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Peacemaker Season 2 debuts on HBO Max on August 21st.

The post Peacemaker Season 2 Might Genuinely Be Better Than Superman (Review) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We’ve been here before. Jump back to the early 2010s, and comic book movie fans were having the exact same debate about DC and its movie universe future as they are now. Around 2011, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy ended, and the new DCEU was still in its formative stages. By 2012, fans everywhere were wondering if Christian Bale’s Batman would stand alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, bringing the worlds of Nolan’s trilogy and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel together. It ultimately didn’t happen; Snyder tried to introduce Ben Affleck as a new vision of Batman, and the rest is (infamous) history. Cut back now, and fans are once again wondering: will Robert Pattinson’s Batman (from director Matt Reeves’ The Batman film series) share the screen with David Corenswet’s Superman, in James Gunn’s new DCU franchise?

There is already a long list of reasons why this onscreen collaboration isn’t going to happen, but here’s a hot take: it would be oddly perfect if it did. Below, you’ll find some pretty good arguments for why it would work better than most fans (or even the studio) think.

“Robert Pattinson’s Batman Is Too Dark & Scary For the DCU!”

Robeter Pattinson’s (emo) take on Bruce Wayne, and the over aesthetic of Gotham City that Matt Reeves and co. created in The Batman, are definitely polar opposites to the bright, fantastical version of Metropolis that James Gunn introduced in Superman. And that’s exactly the point, isn’t it?

DC Comics lore is constantly going back to the idea that Batman and Superman are very different kinds of heroes, in large part because of the different kinds of environments they grew up in and/or currently live in. So, while many fans look at The Batman franchise as being incongruent with DCU shared universe films, that juxtaposition may be the best way to finally highlight the different worlds of Batman and Superman, onscreen. Moreover, James Gunn has made it clear that DC Studios projects will come in a wide range of genres, tones, and even ratings. If Creatures Commandos and a Clayface body-horror movie can stand alongside Superman in the DCU, The Batman can too.

The Batman’s World Is Dark, Yes, But He Still Has DCU Values

Yes, Reeves made his version of The Batman feel like a David Fincher serial killer movie, with a more fanciful detective, femme fatale, and killer at its center. However, Reeves was also very careful to convey that while Pattinson’s Batman may have a darker, edgelord personality, he also had the Dark Knight’s strict moral code. Pattinson’s Batman admonishes Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) for trying to kill, and despite personal risk (and numerous injuries), he refuses to use fatal attacks or return gunfire in the climactic showdown with The Riddler’s army of incels. More so than Affleck’s Batman, Pattinson’s Caped Crusader seems to be very rigid in his moral code.

So, when we’re imagining what it would look like to have Corenswet’s Superman working with Pattinson’s Batman? Yes, the awkward clash of personalities would be there (as it should be), but at the end of the day, both heroes would find common ground in their values about where to draw the line on killing. It’s a core foundation to build a DCU Justice League on, while still allowing Batman to be appropriately harder and edgier in how he approaches crimefighting.

It’s NOT “Bad For (DCU) Business”

The real story of “success” or “failure” when it comes to Superman‘s performance isn’t just box office receipts. For a reboot that’s also meant to launch an entire shared universe IP, it’s also very much about branding and merchandising. And, if you haven’t been tracking those, it’s already clear that DC Studios and Warner Bros. achieved wins on both fronts. In that sense, there might be some fairly measured worry within the studio that The Batman franchise doesn’t have the same kind of wide marketability as Superman. That’s a game-changing predicament for DC/WB, as Batman has been the company’s go-to cash cow for decades now.

Yes, it should be obvious to anyone that The Batman films aren’t going to ever sell as many toys, lunchboxes, backpacks, bedding sets, and other kid-themed merch as Superman – but it doesn’t need to. DC Studios is going for a diversified portfolio of content, and the same philosophy should carry over to the merchandising campaign: they should vary with each project. Sell kids and pet stuff as the major thrust of Superman’s tie-in merch; for The Batman Part II, start re-aligning things to sell goods more toward collectors, teens, and young adults. High-end collectibles; higher-end fashion items (motorcycle jackets, cosplay costumes, prop gadgets), tabletop games, tie-in novels or world-expanding comics, etc. The bottom line here is that following only one marketing and merchandising standard for the DCU already seems impossible; The Batman can be just as valuable to the business if marketed correctly.

The Batman Already Set Things Up Perfectly

Reeves’ film admittedly got a bit muddled in its third act (thanks, Covid!), but the director managed to land the plane (bumpily) onto the thematic tarmac of having Bruce Wayne/Batman come out of the Riddler case and subsequent terrorist attack on Gotham with a new outlook. R-Bat was committed to leaving behind the frightening ‘vengeance personified’ aspect of being Batman, and evolve himself into a symbol that can heroically inspire the people of Gotham to believe in their city again, and fight for it. (Meanwhile, villains like Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb/Penguin are feasting on the dying city.)

With Robert Pattinson’s Batman character left in that kind of place, who better to help him achieve that heroic evolution than Superman? It cannot be stressed enough that the exact kind of odd-pair fun DC fans want from a Batman and Superman collaboration is exactly what we’d get watching Corenswet’s good-natured Superman trying to get Pattinson’s brooding Batman to lighten up, be hopeful, or connect with others. Think of Rain Man with superheroes. It would be fantastic.

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The Batman Part II can make this happen sooner before later. As Batman struggles to be more hopeful, while Gotham is slipping into being a second-world city on the brink, a cameo from Superman could galvanize some key thematic motion. By the time Reeves ends the sequel, Pattinson’s Batman could be fully formed and ready to be a Justice League leader.

Pattinson’s Batman Is the Awkward Daddy The Brave and the Bold Needs

The hardest hurdle to overcome with the DCU Batman and his The Brave and the Bold movie is how to find the right actor to play The Dark Knight. This will be a Batman who both interacts with an entire library of fantastical DC heroes and villains, while also acting as a father figure to characters in the Bat-Family (Nightwing, Oracle, Robin III, Red Hood, Batgirl, Huntress), and an actual father to his biological son, Damian Wayne. Again, the fun in this approach will clearly be found in seeing Batman (the notoriously stoic, harsh, vigilante-of-few-words) trying to navigate these personal and interpersonal relationships.

The film needs to be serious enough to be on-brand for Batman, but still lighthearted enough to be an engaging metaphor for modern parenting that both kids and adults resonate with. So, if you start to envision a film that’s more like Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy with superheroes, suddenly a pick like Robert Pattinson doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. And, for those not tracking age, Pattinson is about to enter his 40s next year: A brooding and traumatized Millennial struggling to instruct and guide the naive, narcissistic, socially inept Gen Z son he didn’t even know he had? Now that sounds like a movie!

This Fixes DC Studios’ Batman Problem Entirely

No recasting. No rebooting. No more behind-the-scenes tensions. Learn the lessons of history: the DCEU tried to sundown a popular Batman franchise in favor of ‘doing its own thing.’ For as much as there will forever be diehard Batfleck fans, it’s now undeniable that the movie didn’t work: fans just weren’t willing to embrace a new Batman mythos onscreen, as quickly as WB and Zack Snyder hoped they would. So maybe this time around, let’s try the road not taken: turn your sole vestigeal “standalone” franchise (The Batman) into a cornerstone of your universe, and reap all the likely rewards to come.

Do you want to see Robert Pattinson’s Batman and David Corenswet’s Superman together in the DCU? Let us know in the comments!

The post I Think Robert Pattinson’s Batman and David Corneswet’s Superman Are the Perfect Odd Pair the DCU Needs appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC Comics codified what superhero costumes could be. Way back in the Golden Age of comics, superhero costumes shared a common design language, one that would change as the years went on. There are some early gems from this period, but right off the bat, there were already bad costumes. It’s one of those things that you can’t get away from; sometimes, artists want to try something different and it just doesn’t work. Over the years, fans have gotten a lot of great superhero costumes, but they’ve also gotten a lot of terrible ones. Usually, you take the good with the bad, and hope that the next costume is better.

Everyone has a different idea of what makes a bad costume. Sometimes, it’s the colors. Sometimes, it’s the cut. Other times, the costumes are so of their time that they just don’t work at all outside of a specific era. There are loads of bad DC costumes out there (I would honestly say that DC has more bad costume changes than Marvel, but that’s just because most DC costumes are iconic and any change to them doesn’t work for fans), but these ten are the worst.

10) Golden Age Mister Terrific

Mister Terrific II is finally getting a chance to be seen the greater pop culture, and it’s awesome. His costume is very cool, and people might expect that the first Mister Terrific would have a great costume as well. However, this isn’t the case. From the “Fair Play” emblem on his chest to the weird overcoat, it just feels like a costume that is much too busy for being so simple. The red and the green go together, but it’s just a lot of weird design choices that don’t really work together.

9) Silver Age Elongated Man

Elongated Man hasn’t really had a lot of great costumes, but his worst is his first. It’s just a simple purple fully body suit with a domino mask. Sometimes, simple is good, but sometimes it’s not, and this the latter. There’s nothing to remember about it, nothing that really sticks out. Superhero costumes need to grab the reader’s attention, and this costume doesn’t do that at all. It’s so bad and boring, that it’s not even worth insulting.

8) Justice League Europe Power Girl Costume

Power Girl has one of the most eye-catching costumes out there. However, even beyond that, it’s the perfect example of a simple costume that works. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC tried to change Power Girl’s costume and that’s where we get this ’80s nightmare of a costume. Because it’s Power Girl, it still had to have a “boob window,” but every other decision they made with the costume was bad. The shoulder pads and tiara scream ’80s, and the blue just doesn’t feel right on Power Girl. Also, changing the color of her cape is a mistake. There’s really no eye-catching colors to the costume, and this is a huge problem with it. It’s a boring, badly designed costume that forgets the timeless aspects of her original costume and makes something that would never work outside of the decade in which it was created.

7) Cosmic Boy Swimsuit Costume

There have been a lot of weird costumes changes, but Cosmic Boy’s swimsuit costume is one of the weirdest. Look, there’s nothing wrong with sexy male costumes; nearly every female costume gets sold by sex so what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, but there’s something about this costume that just doesn’t work. Sure, it shows a lot of the beefcake, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good. In fact, this costume is honestly pretty unsexy when it comes right down to it. It’s hard to even think about why they changed Cosmic Boy’s costume for this. It didn’t even keep any of the design elements or colors from Cosmic Boy’s other costumes. It wouldn’t be much better if it did, but at least it would look like a Cosmic Boy costume. This one doesn’t have any elements that scream Cosmic Boy, and that’s what makes it so bad.

6) Lex Luthor’s Bronze Age Costume

Lex Luthor is DC’s smartest villain, and he’s honestly had some great looks over the years. His green and purple armor is one of the coolest armors in the history of comics, able to fight it out with Superman who at that time could throw planets while looking great. However, in the late Silver Age and Bronze Age, Lex Luthor had this extremely lame costume. First off, it has the disco collar, which ages it immediately. The purple and the green coloration does work, but there’s just something about the way the purple overpowers the green that just doesn’t work. The cylinders all over the costume are meant to be pouches, I guess, but they feel really weird on this costume. The bandoliers at least break up the purple, but they don’t really feel like anything Lex Luthor would wear. Lex was on the right trail with his costume, but it never gets anywhere near the destination.

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5) ’80s Black Canary

There have been very few costume downgrades as huge as the ’80s Black Canary costume. Black Canary’s original costume was basically perfect; even her current costumes use it as a guiding light and they look great. However, the ’80s happened to DC and they were trying their best to “modernize” their characters. Unfortunately, those “modern” costumes just never really worked. Black Canary’s is easily one of the worst of all time. Everything about it is bad. It has the ’80s headband thing that never looked good at all and the shoulder pads. I get that they were trying to give her a symbol of some sort with the shoulder pads/black section, but it’s just very ugly. Black Canary is a tough as nails fighter, but this costume doesn’t get that across at all. It threw away perfection and replaced it with complete and total garbage.

4) Earth-Two Dick Grayson’s Batman Homage Costume

DC’s Earth-Two has a lot of great costumes, and a lot of bad ones. Some of the bad ones stick out and this Dick Grayson costume is one of the worst of the bunch. Now, Earth-Two Dick Grayson had some great costumes, ones that used the red, green, and yellow colors of Robin and but changed the cut and design (the costume he wore in Crisis on Infinite Earths, for example, is awesome). However, this costume is completely terrible. One of the problems with DC back in the day (and still in the modern day at times) was that no one ever got to move up in the ranks. So, when Earth-Two Batman retired, Dick wasn’t going to become the new Batman. Instead, we got his costume, which took some of the design of the Batman costume and some of the design of the Robin costume and just smushed them together. It’s basically a way of saying, “Sorry, Dick, you’re never getting promotion, but we will give you this monstrosity.” Now, there’s a certain campy appeal to the costume (I personally like it; not because it’s good, but because it feels like The Room of superhero costumes), but that doesn’t change that it’s such a bad costume.

3) New 52 Tim Drake

The New 52 is full of terrible costumes, but the Teen Titans easily have the worst. The New 52 was a horrible time for the Teen Titans in general, but there are several especially bad costumes, and Tim Drake’s Red Robin costume is one of the worst. Tim Drake had been having a hard time of things since Damian Wayne debuted; Tim was still popular enough to stay around, but no one seemed to know what to do with him. They gave him the Red Robin name, the name that Kingdom Come Dick Grayson took on, and the Red Robin costume, which was excellent. However, the New 52 had to change everything, and that meant that Tim’s costume had to change as well. This costume kept the red and black colors that were part of the original Red Robin costume, but took away the full head mask for the Robin-style domino mask. From there, they made the design way more busy, with the red section on the chest not looking good at all. There’s the ’90s style bandolier and arm pouches that shouldn’t have still been a thing in the early ’10s. Finally, it took away his cape to give him wings. They seem to have done this to change Tim’s gimmick as a superhero, gliding instead of swinging through the city, but it just doesn’t fit who Tim ever was at all. It’s an all around terrible costume. Tim Drake earned being Robin, but he definitely didn’t deserve this eye sore of a costume.

2) New 52 Superboy

Superboy is one of the biggest failures of the New 52, and that’s saying something. Superboy has changed a lot over the years, but the New 52 tried to do something completely different with the character and fell right on its face. Of course, we all should have known that was going to happen when we saw this terrible costume. Black and red had been Superboy’s colors since he joined the Teen Titans in the ’00s, but this one took away the coolness of t-shirt and jeans Superboy, and went in a direction that didn’t feel right. There’s a grimness to this costume that Superboy costumes never had before, and it just doesn’t work at all. The red piping at least breaks up all that black, but that doesn’t save this costume because the piping design is ugly. It’s a bad design right from the rip, and it’s thankfully been relegated to the dust bin of history along with everything else about New 52 Superman.

1) Azrael’s Batman Costume

The ’90s have been called the decade of extreme, and there are a lot of examples among that in superhero costumes. For exhibit A, I present to you Azrael’s Batman costume. It takes all of the bad designs choices of the ’90s — high tech armor, pouches, blades, and full face masks — and throws them up all over the Batman costume. One of the things that people don’t always realize is that Azrael was meant to be a critique of the grim and gritty heroes of the ’90s, a parody of the trends. His costume is a perfect example of this. It takes everything that was bad about ’90s costumes and put them all together into a terrible package.

What are your least favorite DC costumes? Sound off in the comments below.

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Superman is now available on home media, which means fans have an opportunity to pause the film and go through it frame by frame with a fine-toothed comb and spot any details they might have missed in theaters. Someone has already found something that could reverse one of Superman‘s most controversial moments. The X account DC Film News shared a screenshot of Maxwell Lord’s appearance on Metropolis Today as seen at the end of the movie. The ticker at the bottom of the screen states that a Daily Planet report has evidence proving Lex Luthor manipulated the message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents that plays such a critical role in the film.

Introduced in the first 10 minutes of Superman, audiences see a portion of a message from Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van that they recorded for Kal-El before sending him to Earth. The recording was damaged en route from Krypton, so Superman has only heard the first half. He believes his biological parents have tasked him with being a beacon of hope and inspiration for the people of Earth, but the truth is deeply unsettling. After the Engineer restores the corrupt file, Lex Luthor reveals to the world that Superman was sent to conquer. Check out an image of the screenshot below:

While the House of El twist has roots in DC Comics (and even Smallville), it still proved to be controversial since Jor-El and Lara have traditionally been portrayed as noble figures in other Superman movie adaptations. Director James Gunn said he was aiming to tell a story that was “interesting for the DCU” while also still honoring who Superman is. He has said that Lex Luthor did not doctor the footage of the message’s second half. In the movie, even Mister Terrific says the message is real, seemingly clearing up any confusion.

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Jor-El and Lara’s sinister portrayal in Superman has been subject of much discussion since the film premiered. Some theories posit it was actually General Zod who recorded the message, posing as Jor-El to ensure Kryptonian supremacy for the future. Others have wondered if Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, was aware of Jor-El’s plans for Earth.

Since Gunn has maintained Jor-El’s full message is true, the existence of that Metropolis news graphic is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Some may interpret it as the filmmakers backtracking from previous statements, allowing them to go in a different direction with Jor-El if they so choose. It’s also possible the chyron is from a period in development where Luthor was actually lying about the message, which would make this a goof that was never fixed. More plausibly, however cynical it may sound, is that someone in a position of power is using the Daily Planet to give Superman a PR boost and restore his reputation by planting a false story. Jor-El’s message was always real, but now the media is saying it wasn’t because Luthor is incarcerated and Superman helped save the world.

It’ll be interesting to see if future DC Universe installments address Jor-El’s message. Perhaps it’ll be revealed who told the Planet the message was fake (or that someone at the Planet was the one who fabricated the story). Regardless, within the context of Superman‘s story, it makes the most sense for Jor-El’s message to be true. Otherwise, it would take away from Kal-El’s emotional arc. The film’s ending scene of Superman watching home movies of Jon and Martha Kent is a very powerful moment, and it only has that impact if the audience knows Superman proved he was better than what his biological parents wanted him to be. Superman is all about the titular hero reconciling his Kryptonian heritage and embracing his Earth family.

The post Newly Discovered Superman Detail Could Undo Movie’s Most Controversial Twist appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman is one of the world’s oldest and greatest superheroes, and has starred in more books than a lot of heroes put together. He’s been one of DC’s headliners for the vast majority of his existence, and in that sense, has been on an awful lot of comic book covers. Some of the greatest, most creative, and most dynamic covers of all time have come from Batman comics, so today we’re going to look at ten of the ones that have stuck with us the most from the first time we saw them. Believe me when I say that narrowing this list down to ten was beyond difficult, as there could easily be fifty plus entities, so don’t be surprised if covers that definitely deserve to be here unfortunately aren’t present. There are thousands to choose from, so this list contains a broad range of covers that are iconic, creative, and just plain awesome to look at to cover all our bases (pun always intended). With that established, let’s dive right into ten of Batman’s most memorable covers of all time.

10) Detective Comics #367 – by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson

While this is probably the least iconic of all the covers here, this is probably the most unique of them, maybe of all of Batman’s covers. I mean, how many other comic books can you name that added a jigsaw puzzle? I’ve always been a big fan of when comic books make use of the fact that they’re personal magazines meant for one person and talk directly to that reader. Nowadays there are plenty of characters that break the fourth wall, but especially back then this type of behavior was very rare and basically delegated to a character winking at the reader at the close of a story. In contrast, the authors would directly talk to the reader a lot more, and this is one of the funnest ways they’ve ever done that. This cover is fun and truly unlike anything else, and we have to appreciate the courage to ask “How weird can we get?”

9) Death in the Family TPB – by Jim Aparo

While the original “Death in the Family” storyline had incredible covers in its own right, the art chosen for the trade paperback is truly haunting. The image of Batman holding the broken, mangled form of Robin, knowing that he failed to save the young man who relied so much on him, hits you right in the heart every time. This is Batman at his most defeated, and you can see the indescribable grief etched onto his face even through the shadows covering him. The black space all around them only makes the tragic scene stand out all the more, and provides a great contrast and sense of fading color from Robin’s bright costume, to Batman, to the darkness. It’s sadness personified, and is one of the best uses of negative space of all the covers of all time.

8) Legends of the Dark Knight #50 – by Brian Bolland and Rachel Birkett

No Batman cover list could be complete without art from Brian Bolland, and this one was massively competing against the cover for The Killing Joke. I wound up picking this one because this one features the classic Joker and Jokerized cat smiles, which are equal parts unnerving and funny. It’s the detail that really elevates this cover art. Between every line on the Joker’s face and inhumanly large smile to the white makeup plastered across the cat, this cover seems more like a picture than a piece of art, which is the classic form for Bollan’s Joker covers. The extreme detail in the foreground only makes the visage of Batman in the background, a shade of pure shadow with glowing white eyes, stand out even more, like he’s a ghost here to rain down vengeance on the Clown Prince of Crime. 

7) Detective Comics #38 – by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson

We have to include at least one of the phenomenal character debut covers in this list, and what better one to bring in than the introduction of the Boy Wonder? Like most classic covers, this one has been referenced and paid homage to dozens of times, and it’s easy to see why. The image of Robin bursting through the ring simply explodes with energy, and the smile on Batman’s face says that he is so proud to be able to introduce the young crime fighter. It’s great to see one of the very first takes on both Batman and Robin’s costumes, and this cover especially gives us details that you don’t normally see in the pages, which were far less detailed back in the day. The too-large belt on Robin perfectly captures that he’s supposed to be such a young man, and personally I really love the blue on Batman’s utility belt. I think the imperfections on this cover only add to the greatness, like how the background color bleeds into Batman’s face. It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to be perfect to be iconic.

6) Batman #423 – by Todd McFarlane

This era of Batman saw massive exaggerations taken with his profile, especially with the flow and shape of his cape. Nobody made use of this sheer physics-breaking style better than Todd McFarlane, shown so masterfully with Batman and the woman he’s holding. The woman has entirely normal proportions, but everything else about this cover bends reality. The sky is blood red in contrast to the bright yellow sun, with bats fluttering all around the pair like a storm. Batman himself looks like a creature of nightmare, with his cape resembling sharp, cutting limbs that stretch out without bones, but you can see the single human hand wrapped around the woman, protecting and comforting her. This depiction of Batman is at once a monster that belongs in Spawn and a human man offering comfort. It’s fantastical and deeply human, and is downright awesome to look at.

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5) Batman #244 – by Neal Adams

Neal Adams is one of the most influential and important artists to ever draw the Dark Knight, playing a huge part in defining his modern style. This cover is one of his greatest hits, which makes it a diamond among chunks of gold, but still. This image is so full of life and action. Batman’s fallen form is massive as it stretches out to the reader, while Ra’s al Ghul looms like a specter of death, which he might be, considering the blade that is stuck in the ground beside Batman and the fact that the immortal villain clutches his costume in his hands. A huge amount of detail is also paid to depicting Batman’s shirtless form, to the point where you can literally count the hairs on his chest, and you have to respect the dedication it took to craft that. This art promises a duel that can reach intensity like nothing else, and the desert ambiance is spectacular in setting the mood.

4) Batman #9 – by Fred Ray and Jerry Robinson

This is easily one of the most referenced Batman covers of all time, and Batman has a lot of referenced covers. This one is very simple, just having Batman and Robin illuminated in a spotlight against a dark wall, but that’s all it needs. Not only is this cover fantastic at creating drama on its own between the dynamic poses of the Dynamic Duo and the shadows, but it provided the perfect template for plenty of other covers to look back and emulate. So many covers for Batman alone recreate this iconic pose, but plenty of other heroes have tossed their hats in this ring too, posing with their partners against a black backdrop while they’re under siege by the law. It’s simple but perfect, and there’s really not much else to say.

3) Detective Comics #31- by Bob Kane

Even to this day, this comic cover is one of the coolest ones that’s ever been put to print. The villain dragging the captive up to the mist-covered castle already creates this oppressive, horrific atmosphere, which is brought up to eleven by the visage of Batman overseeing it all. Batman is a massive, imposing figure that literally looks down upon the villain with nothing but contempt and judgement on his face, promising to deliver justice above all else. The ears on his cowl stretch up so high that they overtake the lettering of the title, which is such a cool visual piece. It’s always awesome when cover artists play around with the title, and to see this one done so early in Batman’s career is really cool. This is a masterclass in building tension with just a cover, and is always awesome to look at.

2) Batman #251 – by Neal Adams

I said Neal Adams is one of Batman’s most important artists, and this cover more than proves it all on its own. The Joker returns to fight Batman once again, and this art gives him all the terrifying charisma such an event deserves. The Joker is a giant that looms over Gotham City, cackling maniacally as he traps the Caped Crusader against the massive ace of spades, and the terror Batman feels is so palpably shown through his face and body language. This whole cover is pure comic book delight, and I’ve seen more posters and wall-ornaments made of this one image than I have of any other comic book cover. This cover is a gold standard that beautifully captures so much so perfectly, from the dread the Joker causes to the flow of Batman’s costume. One of the best Batman covers of all time with ease.

1) Dark Knight Returns #1 – by Frank Miller

The most memorable Batman cover can only come from one of the most memorable and important Batman comics of all time. It’s so simple, but does so much with so little. That dark silhouette of Batman is illuminated by the crashing of lightning behind him, which lights up the sky but only serves to highlight the Dark Knight’s shadow. The pose he strikes is incredibly dynamic and screams power, both showing off Batman’s larger frame and the fact that being a bit bigger will never slow him down. Batman is leaping boldly through the dark and the elements into the fight of his life in Gotham City below, and he does so with all the acrobatic joy only a character like Batman can have. This cover is pure iconicness from the ground up, and left an impact on all of us when we first saw it. It says that this is going to be a Batman adventure like no other, and the book behind the cover more than delivers.

So there are ten of the most memorable Batman covers of all time. Like I said at the start, this is far, far from a comprehensive list, and I could easily include over fifty more entries on this list before I start to have to dig to find ones that have earned a place here. From The Killing Joke to Batman #404 to Detective Comics #457 and many more, there are hundreds of incredible covers for Batman’s many comics, and they all deserve their praise. You should never judge a book by its cover, but covers are often what sells someone on a comic, and make a beautiful argument for all of the action inside the pages. Covers are an essential and often overlooked part of comic book history, and we should give them all the dues they are owed. Which Batman covers would you include on this list? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 Most Memorable Batman Covers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After the box office success of this summer’s Superman, the next chapter in the DC Universe is arriving shortly with Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres on HBO Max on August 21st. Fortunately, it looks like James Gunn and Co. have another winner on their hands. The first reviews for Peacemaker Season 2 have been published, and critics are loving what they’ve seen. As of this writing, Peacemaker‘s second season boasts an impressive 100% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes with 30 reviews submitted. This makes it the third consecutive Certified Fresh project in the DCU since the new continuity kicked off late last year with Creature Commandos.

The animated series sports a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%. Superman actually has the DCU’s lowest critics score to date with 83%. When compared to entries in the old DC Extended Universe, Peacemaker Season 1 had a score of 93% and The Suicide Squad came in at 90%. A critics consensus for Peacemaker Season 2 hasn’t been published yet, but skimming over the reviews shows it’s being praised for the performances of the cast, the over-the-top, R-rated humor and violence, and a surprisingly strong emotional core.

Gunn has described Peacemaker Season 2 as the “direct follow-up” to Superman. Though the two projects are very different in terms of style and tone, there are plenty of connections between them. Multiple characters from Superman return in Peacemaker. In fact, these connections were why Superman was released on home media so quickly after its theatrical premiere. Gunn wanted to give people an opportunity to watch the movie before Peacemaker returns.

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HBO Max has been busy putting together a notable promotional campaign for Peacemaker Season 2. The show received a Hall H panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where a trailer was revealed. That preview set up the basic premise of the upcoming season, showing Christopher Smith discovering the existence of a different reality where his life is seemingly perfect. The multiverse angle brings a show that started life in the DCEU into the DCU. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, Gunn has been co-hosting a Season 1 rewatch on the official Peacemaker podcast, sharing what is and isn’t canon in the DCU.

Peacemaker Season 1 was one of the few DCEU projects to earn widespread praise, and it’s great to see Season 2 follow suit. The DCU now has another notch on its belt as things really rev up, winning over critics and audiences with stories that are entertaining and heartfelt. After experiencing its fair share of ups and downs in the 2010s, it was vital for DC Studios to get the DCU off to a strong start, and they’ve achieved that. The reception to Peacemaker Season 2 will only continue to build forward momentum for the franchise, generating excitement for what’s to come.

One of the more notable takeaways from the Peacemaker Season 2 reviews is that multiple critics have called out the show’s genuinely affecting story. Throughout his career, Gunn has mastered the art of balancing comedy with heart. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies make people laugh hysterically in one moment and uncontrollably sob the next. With that in mind, it isn’t a shock that Peacemaker Season 2 makes viewers care about the characters with an emotionally charged narrative about finding a sense of belonging. But it’s great to see there’s much more to the show than just R-rated shenanigans. It sounds like Peacemaker Season 2 might be even better than its predecessor.

The post Peacemaker Season 2 Rotten Tomatoes Score Continues Great DCU Trend appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Kryptonians are some of the most powerful beings in all of DC. Just one of them has the capability to alter the course of an intergalactic battle, or protect a planet like nobody else can. Superman is the world’s greatest hero for a reason, after all. One of its other greatest defenders is Supergirl, and she recently fought hard to prove she was who she said she was in her old home of Midvale. The end of that adventure directly led into the introduction of a brand new Kryptonian superhero, and while that is an incredible addition to the forces of good on Earth, the catch is that she is the supervillain that Supergirl spent the entire last arc taking down. Lesla-Lar is Luminary, and she is the world’s newest hero, for better or worse.

Luminary, the Probationary Hero

After the chaos she caused in Midvale, Lesla was taken back to the Bottle City of Kandor to be judged for her crimes. Supergirl, deemed a bad influence on Lesla, was tried as well. Supergirl was sentenced to community service that she already did, but Lesla was to be locked away for years. Instead, Supergirl argued for Lesla to serve her sentence making up for her mistakes. She offered to serve as Lesla’s probation officer as she did hero work on Earth, and the Science Council agreed. The two Kryptonian girls headed back to Earth, and Lesla decided on a brand new identity to fight alongside her idol and former-rival; Luminary.

Supergirl and Luminary flew around Midvale, saving buses and rescuing people from fires, but neither woman was comfortable with the arrangement. Kara wondered if she could be a proper mentor to someone, especially someone who had no idea how to be a hero. She remembered how strict Superman was with her, and sees herself doing the same overbearing teacher she hated when she was younger. Lesla, meanwhile, believes that she’s totally unworthy of working alongside the legendary Supergirl, especially after everything she’s done. Supergirl stuck her neck out for her when she had been given every reason not to, and as much as Lesla wanted to repay the kindness, she was sure she was too incompetent or worthless. Both women felt they were going to fail the person that was supposed to rely on them, but they decided to put that fear behind them when Lena Luthor suggested that they all attend a party at Midvale’s local goth club.

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Dancing With Danger

The three women gave themselves some goth makeovers and headed over to the dance, hoping to give Lesla some perspective on humanity and show Kara a new side to the town she thought was boring to its core. They tried to get into the music, but Lesla saw the local douchebag Howard harassing Luna Lustrum, yet another alliterative L-name for the cast. Lesla scared the drunk off, and tried to make a new friend in Luna. Kara, meanwhile, immediately wound up falling for a strangely familiar looking man on the dance floor, but trouble brewed before she could learn his name. Howard tried to hit Lesla for roughly throwing him off of Luna earlier, and to compensate for her ability to turn his head into playdoh, she covered her fist with some thought activated super-substance she snuck out of Kandor. It cushioned her punch, but unfortunately the goop got into Howard’s mouth, and immediately reacted to his drunk rage, transforming him into the monster called Decay.

Supergirl and Luminary battled him while Lesla apologized for already breaking her probation by keeping some of her super-substance. Decay kept absorbing people, and Luminary realized that the goop was responding both to Howard’s anger and the civilian’s fear, which only made him more unstable. Kara decided to let herself be absorbed to counteract their negative emotions with her positive ones, and with some extra assistance from Luminary’s belief in the Girl of Steel, Supergirl rescues everyone from Decay. In the end, Luna becomes Lesla’s friend and is discovered to have psionic powers. Unbeknownst to everyone, they failed to gather all of the super-substance, and a little cat swallowed a little bit. This comic reads like a Silver Age slice of life, and frankly, I love it for what it is. Let’s just hope Lesla’s hero arc lasts!

Supergirl #4 is on sale now!

The post DC’s Got a Brand New Kryptonian Superhero (But There’s a Catch) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A legendary cover from the DC Comics archive has been recreated with a hilarious twist. The two largest comic book publishers, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, are collaborating to bring an anticipated crossover featuring their legendary roster of heroes and villains. The headliners will be Batman and Deadpool in two separate one-shots, though there will be short stories featuring other major team-ups across publishers. Covers for Batman/Deadpool #1 by some of the biggest names in comics pair the fan-favorite characters together. Still, one in particular goes a step further by having the Dark Knight and Merc With a Mouth homage an unforgettable DC event.

A cover for Batman/Deadpool #1 by Ryan Sook is a homage to Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The legendary cover from 1985 originally had Superman holding Supergirl’s bloody body as tears stream down the Man of Steel’s face. The issue famously sees Supergirl sacrifice herself to stop the evil Anti-Monitor from destroying the multiverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC’s first big event series that helped to streamline its ever-growing multiverse. The success of Crisis on Infinite Earths gave DC the confidence to continue doing more events, with the story arc being adapted on the small screen in The CW’s Arrowverse and an animated movie.

Batman/Deadpool #1 Cover Leaves Batman Smiling Over Deadpool’s Death

The Batman/Deadpool #1 cover has Batman holding Deadpool’s body, but instead of grieving, Batman is uncharacteristically smiling, something that fans have hardly ever seen him do before. Batman isn’t the only hero smiling, as other Marvel and DC heroes stand in the background cheering Deadpool’s death.

This cover is an example of the type of comedy that can happen when characters like Deadpool and Batman are paired together. Batman is much more straight-laced compared to the wisecracking Deadpool, so to see Batman with a big grin on his face is something you don’t see every day. It also goes in line with the comedic tone that DC is taking with Batman/Deadpool #1. The main story by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora is described as “a reality-bending saga that’s equal parts cosmic horror, slapstick noir, and metafictional therapy session. It’s the kind of comic book that knows it’s a comic book, revels in being a comic book, weaponizes its comic bookiness—and dares you to keep reading anyway!”

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This isn’t the first cover from the Batman and Deadpool team-up to honor a comic from the past. Ryan Stegman’s Homage Variant Cover for Marvel’s Deadpool/Batman #1 reimagines Todd McFarlane’s iconic Incredible Hulk #340 cover with Deadpool and Batman in the place of Wolverine and Hulk.

The other team-ups fans can look forward to in Batman/Deadpool #1 include Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson joining forces with Hayden Sherman to conjure a spellbinding Constantine meets Doctor Strange saga. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo deliver a kinetic, emotionally-charged encounter between Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), where acrobatics meet adamantium in a story that cuts deep. Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner unleash chaos and charisma in a riotous Harley Quinn vs. Hulk showdown, while G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan electrify the page with a high-voltage tale starring Static and Ms. Marvel.

Batman/Deadpool #1 goes on sale Wednesday, November 19th. Let us know your thoughts on the crossover in the comments below!

The post Batman & Deadpool Recreate a Beloved Crisis on Infinite Earths Cover in Hilarious Fashion appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The wait for news on The Batman Part II has been long. Matt Reeves and his collaborators have been working hard on the script for the last couple of years, but they only recently delivered it to the heads of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran. After reading through it, Gunn has been singing its praises, though he won’t divulge any details about the story. What he is doing, though, is taking to social media to comment on rumors about the second movie in Reeves’ universe. One story that made the rounds in recent days claims that Robin will play a significant role in The Batman Part II, teaming up with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight to keep Gotham’s streets clean.

Gunn made it clear that only a handful of people have read Reeves’ script, so the idea of information from it already making its way onto the Internet is preposterous. However, he didn’t shoot down Robin being in the movie. With that being the case, here are seven actors who would be perfect as the Robin to Pattison’s Batman.

1) Cary Christopher

The talk of the town right now is Zach Cregger’s Weapons, which is dominating the box office in its first week. While Julia Garner and Josh Brolin do a lot of the heavy lifting in the horror movie, the real star is Cary Christopher, who plays Alex Lilly, an elementary school student who has his entire life turned upside down. Without giving away too much, Cary proves that he has what it takes to be a hero on the big screen, and the fact that he’s only nine years old means he can grow as the franchise does.

2) Walker Scobell

If Reeves wants his Robin to be older, he doesn’t have to look farther than Walker Scobell, the star of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Other than Harry Potter, Percy Jackson is arguably the most famous YA hero, which means he fights his fair share of bad guys. All the weapon work that Scobell does playing the demigod will help him tremendously if he turns in his sword for a bo staff.

3) Ryan Kiera Armstrong

While Dick Grayson will probably be the first Robin to appear alongside Pattinson’s Batman, Reeves could throw a curveball and bring in Carrie Kelley, who does her best work during Frank Miller’s Dark Knight trilogy. Taking that route could lead to Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who recently appeared in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and will star opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in the Buffy reboot. Armstrong already has experience bucking authority, which is one of Robin’s favorite pastimes.

4) Alfie Williams

Another 2025 horror film that puts a lot on its child star’s shoulders is Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. 14-year-old Alfie Williams plays Spike, a young boy who wants nothing more than to save his mother. Unfortunately, doing that means facing off against countless infected monsters. Williams holds his own against acting greats like Ralph Fiennes, so going back and forth with Pattinson shouldn’t be a problem for him.

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5) Archie Barnes

Reeves is doing things his own way, there’s no doubt about it. One way he could continue pushing the boundaries is to make a minor character from The Batman the new Robin. A Reddit user suggests that Mayor Mitchell’s son should become the Boy Wonder because Bruce Wayne sees himself in the boy. By bringing him into the fold, Bruce could save him from a life of pain.

6) Mason Thames

It’s not unusual for studios to want to go for the hot hand when casting major roles, and Mason Thames certainly fits that description. His latest movie, How to Train Your Dragon, did the impossible by successfully bringing the iconic animated film to live-action, and his next project, Black Phone 2, is sure to continue the winning streak. DC Studios would be smart to find a spot for Thames somewhere, but Robin may be the best option.

7) None of the Above

While it would be fun to see a familiar face in the Robin suit, the most likely scenario is that Reeves goes with an unknown actor. After all, almost every iteration of the character comes from the streets of Gotham, and to keep that feel, it’s best to avoid someone the audience can picture in another role. Reeves hit a home run when he went with Pattinson, and he can do it again by giving a kid trying to make a name for themselves their dream role.

The Batman Part II hits theaters on October 1, 2027.

Would you like to see Robin in The Batman Part II? Do you think any of the actors on this list have what it takes to play the character? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Casting Robin for The Batman 2: These 7 Actors Would Be Perfect With Pattinson’s Dark Knight appeared first on ComicBook.com.

As James Gunn’s Superman hits home media, the film’s first 10 minutes have officially been released online. Fans can see what Warner Bros. Entertainment calls a “Full Movie Preview” on the company’s YouTube channel. The extended sequence contains the opening text that provides fans with a basic overview of the history of metahumans and Superman in the DC Universe, Superman being treated for injuries in the Fortress of Solitude, and some of his rematch against the Hammer of Boravia in Metropolis. The video cuts off as the Engineer tries to reach the Fortress of Solitude and relay information to Lex Luthor.

A portion of this footage was released ahead of Superman‘s premiere as a special preview attached to screenings of A Minecraft Movie. Now that Superman has been out for a while, WB doesn’t have to hide certain details and can give people a more comprehensive look at the film. Most notably, this is the first time we’ve seen Bradley Cooper’s Jor-El in promotional materials. Check out the video in the space below:

Though Superman continues to perform well at the box office and has grossed $585 million worldwide as of this writing, the decision was made to release the film on home media a little over a month after it opened in theaters. The film is now available to rent or purchase on digital platforms, and the Blu-ray comes out on September 23rd. Gunn revealed Superman had a shorter exclusive theatrical window so more people can watch it before Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on HBO Max.

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Superman is hitting home media as excitement builds for the DCU’s future. Peacemaker Season 2 is set to have some major Superman connections, and Gunn is hard at work ironing out the upcoming film slate. The filmmaker is busy developing the next film of the Superman saga, and Batman and Wonder Woman films for the DCU are currently being written.

Rewatching the first 10 minutes of Superman, one of the things that stands out is how much it sets up. The message from Kal-El’s parents, initially presented as something that soothes Superman, is the main catalyst for the narrative after Lex Luthor uncovers the disturbing truth behind it. Lex’s girlfriend Eve Teschmacher is seen taking selfies in the LuthorCorp building. At first it looks like nothing more than a superficial influencer taking photos for social media, but Eve’s pictures play a key role in exposing Lex’s illegal activities. We even see falafel vendor Malik Ali come to Superman’s aid, setting the stage for arguably the film’s most tragic moment.

These first 10 minutes may not feature what many consider to be the best fight scene in Superman, but they do a great job of establishing the film’s foundation and drawing viewers into this new take on the DC mythos. Fans can’t wait to see what Gunn and Co. come up with next as the burgeoning franchisee continues to grow, but for now, it’s the perfect time to revisit the film that kicked off a new era.

The post Superman’s History of the DCU and First 10 Minutes Are Now Online To Stream Free appeared first on ComicBook.com.

As one has come to expect from massive superhero blockbusters, James Gunn’s Superman was full of thrilling, breathtaking action that kept us on the edge our seats in the theater. While the titular character certainly had his work cut out for him battling a fire-breathing kaiju, a clone of himself, The Engineer’s relentless nanites, and internet trolls all courtesy of Lex Luthor, Superman wasn’t the only character in the film who had the opportunity to kick butt. Arguably, the best fight scene in Superman doesn’t involve Superman at all, and you can now watch it without having to spend money on a ticket.

Superman‘s best action sequence actually features the film’s breakout favorite Mister Terrific and his main squeeze Lois Lane. And now, with the film soaring from theaters to digital this week, you can watch it online for free. Watch the scene below.

Mr Terrific’s “Five Years Time” Fight Scene Is Gunn’s Best Work

The fight sequence is Gunn at his best. Though Superman is the most score-heavy of the filmmaker’s superhero films, Mister Terrific’s takedown is set to folk group Noah and the Whale’s “Five Years Time”. The needledrop adds the perfect dose of cheeky humor with the upbeat, sunny song contrasting the violence taking place in the scene. Furthermore, most of the action is seen from inside the forcefield with Lois, providing an immersive, 360-degree perspective of the fight that allows the audience to experience the fight just like she is. Even though the scene combines two of Gunn’s signature as a filmmaker — a massive fight scene from an unconventional POV and an ironic needledrop — the sequence still feels fresh and is massively entertaining, whether one is familiar with Gunn’s previous work or not.

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Narratively, the beach fight scene serves a fun breather between the heavier sequence of Superman suffering from Kryptonite exposure in Lex’s prison. It’s one of the darkest plot points in the movie — Metamorpho is being coerced to conjure and expose Superman to Kryptonite lest something happens to his baby son. Lex then murders an innocent civilian, street food vendor Malik Ali, when interrogating Superman for details about his origin and identity. The fight scene helps us restore some much needed hope when Mister Terrific and Lois arrive at Fort Kramer, plus is sets up that will Terrific will become one of Superman’s most important allies by the film’s end.

Superman releases on digital August 15th. Tell us what your favorite fight scene from the movie was in the comments!

The post You Can Now Watch Superman’s Best Fight Sequence Without Buying a Ticket appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Peacemaker has officially crossed over into the DC Universe. While the first season of The Suicide Squad spin-off series took place in the old DC Extended Universe, season 2 is set in the new DCU, which so far includes Creature Commandos and Superman. Linking the three projects is Frank Grillo’s General Rick Flag Sr., who defended the “naive, but well-intentioned” Superman (David Corenswet) after the Man of Steel intervened to stop a war between Boravia and Jarhanpur in the James Gunn-directed movie.

Before it was revealed that LuthorCorp CEO Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) manufactured the war as an excuse to kill his alien archnemesis with the support of the US government, Flag arrested Superman and outsourced his confinement to PlanetWatch, Luthor’s Department of Defense-backed answer to “otherworldly threats.”

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Superman was imprisoned in a pocket universe that Luthor created by replicating the Big Bang, but Luthor’s specialty “reckless science” — as the genius Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) put it — resulted in a rift between universal fabrics that nearly destroyed the planet. And like Luthor, who was able to access his pocket universe from multiple dimensional portals he set up across the globe, Peacemaker (John Cena) has access to a Quantum Unfolding Chamber (or the QUC for short).

“We need to find Peacemaker,” General Flag is seen telling DoD officials in the red-band trailer for Peacemaker season 2. “And like Lex Luthor, he’s in possession of some kind of dimensional portal.” Presumably, some insider information comes from Luthor henchmen Otis Berg (Terence Rosemore) and Sydney Happersen (Stephen Blackehart), who can be spotted as Flag addresses Secretary of Defense General Mori (James Hiroyuki Liao) — yet another character from Superman — in the same room where Luthor pitched PlanetWatch.

Otis and Sydney were among the technicians who input battle commands for Luthor’s Superman clone, Ultraman, from the command center in LuthorCorp, and the pair later unleashed the baby kaiju that grew into a giant kaiju overnight and attacked Metropolis. But Sydney, at least, offered to help Mr. Terrific shut down and close the rift threatening to destroy reality… only to be shoved aside by “goddamn Mr. Terrific!” Are we to believe that two of Luthor’s key subordinates were freed after their part in almost destroying Earth? Was Luthor alone blamed?

“I developed it along the way, in conjunction with the other DC projects that we’re doing, so it’s very much connected to Superman and it’s very much connected to what comes after,” Gunn previously told EW of Peacemaker season 2. “I had a rough idea of what I was going to do, but it was actually quite different than what the show ended up being.”

Besides Rick Flag Sr. and appearances by the Justice Gang’s Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), the Guy Gardner Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and their billionaire backer, tech mogul Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), the new season revolves around the QUC technology seen in both Peacemaker and Superman. “You’ve seen what we call the QUC, the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, in the first season of Peacemaker, and we see more about that technology in Superman,” Gunn noted.”The QUC is the center of the story in Peacemaker season 2.”

Gunn continued, “We see a lot of different characters from Superman in the [season] — Isabela and Nathan and Sean — and then we see a bunch of other characters later on in the season from other parts of the DCU and from Superman. There might even be one really, really, really big cameo near the end of the show.”

Superman is available to own digitally on August 15. Peacemaker season 2 — starring returning cast members John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick, with series newcomers Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows — premieres August 21 on HBO Max.

The post 2 More Superman Characters Confirmed To Return In Peacemaker (Raising a Major Question) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

What to do with a problem like Donna Troy? The story behind the original Wonder Girl’s creation is notorious among comic book fans, coming about because of a misunderstanding among the editorial staff. For a long time, DC writers and editors have attempted to make sense of Donna’s confusing backstory. Yet every attempt to fix Donna only made things worse in the long term. The issue stems from how little DC Comics values in keeping the Wonder Woman and Teen Titans mythologies in check through the various retcons. However, one of the best comic book creators in the business has finally given Donna the respect she rightfully deserves.

Artist and writer Phil Jimenez rocked the comic book industry by illustrating the first issue of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, delivering one of the all-time best Wonder Woman comics. Jimenez has not hidden his love for Donna Troy and set out to give the character the definitive origin that reconciles the multiple conflicting origins within the pages of Titans Annual #1 (2025). The comic is a love letter to Donna Troy as a character, and rather than playing into the character’s convoluted past, the story instead simplifies everything.

It All Started Because Wonder Woman Used Time Travel

The confusion began when the DC editors and writers decided to add Wonder Girl to the company’s then-newest teen superhero team, the Teen Titans. The problem is that there was no Wonder Girl. It turns out the creators got their wires crossed with some Wonder Woman stories, believing a Wonder Girl character already existed. However, it turns out those Wonder Woman comics had Diana teaming with past versions of herself, including a teenage version of herself named Wonder Girl, who was not a separate character. Nonetheless, the Wonder Girl character, who appeared alongside the Titans in The Brave and the Bold, was based on the teen Diana design from the Wonder Woman comics. Eventually, DC would recognize its mistake, and writer Marv Wolfman would construct a new origin for this new Wonder Girl.

Donna Troy’s origin by Wolfman was simple, establishing Donna as an infant orphan saved from a fire by Wonder Woman, who then delivered her to Paradise Island to be adopted by Hippolyta. It was a basic yet effective origin story that worked fine as is. Unfortunately, Donna’s backstory got increasingly complicated in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The event completely changed Wonder Woman’s history, with the hero only making her presence known to the world in DC Comics’ present time. Because Diana no longer had a pre-established history with the outside world after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Donna’s backstory no longer made sense. Since Diana was a vital character in The New Teen Titans books, a new backstory was created for her that replaced Wonder Woman saving baby Donna from a fire with the literal Titans of myths, who implanted her memories with Wonder Woman.

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DC Couldn’t Keep Things Simple

For some reason, Donna’s origins were rewritten again in the late 90s, where it was retconned that she was a magical duplicate to be a playmate for Diana. Donna would soon perish in the Graduation Day storyline, before resurrecting in The Return of Donna Troy by Phil Jimenez. The Return of Donna Troy was Jimenez’s first attempt to reconcile Donna’s many conflicting histories, revealing her as a multiversal anomaly and a survivor of the pre-crisis universe. All her origin stories were valid because of her status within the multiverse. Jimenez’s first attempt to streamline Donna was not nearly as successful as Titans Annual #1 because The Return of Donna Troy leaned so heavily into Donna’s behind-the-scenes baggage. DC doesn’t need to focus so much on Donna Troy’s confusing backstory. All the company needed was to simplify everything. Making Donna a multiversal anomaly only makes the character more puzzling and off-putting.

Donna was reintroduced in the New 52 as a clay warrior used to usurp Wonder Woman. Nevertheless, that new origin was completely contradicted by the Titans Hunt mini-series, which was published at the time. Titans Hunt unveiled that she was part of the long-lost Teen Titans team from the past. Donna’s backstory was left ambiguous in DC Rebirth, with her golem origin from the New 52 being accepted as her current origin. Infinite Frontier decided to have all DC history, including the contradicting lore, canon, with every character having different memories of various timelines.

Donna Finally Has Her Original Backstory Back

Jimenez decided to forgo the every backstory being canon when writing and drawing Titans Annual #1, instead bringing back Donna to her basics. Rather than untangling the confusing yarn that is every Donna Troy origin story ever, including the writer’s own The Return of Donna Troy comic, Jimenez chose to give back Donna her classic origin story from Wolfman. She is once more an orphan child rescued by Wonder Woman and went to live with the Amazons on Paradise Island. The Annual is a loving tribute to Donna Troy, detailing the character’s many ups and downs throughout her life, including her controversial marriage to Terry Long and the death of her infant son. The comic even brought back long-dormant elements of the character’s history, including Donna reconnecting with her former adopted family before living with the Amazons.

Jimenez was able to nicely piece together Donna’s life, finding the correct chronological events of the character’s history. The writer-artist smartly avoided bringing up the conflicting lore of Donna Troy, keeping the story focused on Troy’s emotional journey throughout her life. The only acknowledgement of the confusing history is Donna overhearing some train passengers remarking on false information about the Teen Titans. Jimenez realized that trying to fix Donna only caused more problems, and instead went back to the origin that worked best for the character. It’s a beautiful comic that truly understands what makes a character like Donna Troy work. While Titans Annual #1 has the same potential danger of being retconned in the next major reboot, we hope that the history of Donna Troy will be taken into consideration.

The post How DC’s Best Creator Gave Wonder Girl the Origin She Deserved appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman is the world’s most recognizable and first superhero, having created the genre that all other heroes have spawned from. He shocked the world when he first debuted in Action Comics #1, and became an instant sensation. Even people who don’t read comic books have at least a vague idea of what Superman gets up to on the daily through cultural osmosis. However, as awesome and iconic as Superman is, he’s certainly changed a bit since his first ever adventure. In fact, the story of Action Comics #1 is very different from what’d you’d expect, and far more wild than the average Superman story today. 

Champion of the Oppressed 

When Superman first started his heroic career, he didn’t fight villains or monsters like Brainiac and Bizarro, but societal injustices. In fact, the very first thing we see Superman do is arrive at the governor’s house with a tied-up woman in his arms, who he leaves in the yard while he goes inside. The butler attempted to keep Superman out, but the Man of Steel simply tossed him away and ripped his way through the governor’s excessively secure steel door, although in this instance I guess it wasn’t enough. Superman actually did all of this to bring the governor evidence that the woman in the yard had committed murder and framed someone else, who was about to be executed. After saving the innocent woman’s life, Superman leapt away. 

This introduction perfectly set the stage for who the Superman of the Golden Age was as a character. He would stop at nothing to deliver justice to those who need it, and he could be particularly mean about it to the people who got in his way, be they evil or not. He was outright a hero, but a wee bit harsher than the boy scout we all know and love today. Case in point, the rest of the issue.

Superman Was an Actual Menace (It Was Hilarious)

Having saved the woman, Superman makes a quick detour to terrify an abusive husband into unconsciousness before he could kill his wife. After returning to the Daily Star, mild-mannered and cowardly reporter Clark Kent asked Lois Lane to go out with him. She agreed, but only out of pity. The two went out dancing, only for some ruffians to harass and make passes at Lois. She demanded Clark stand up to them, but he had to act spineless as to not risk his secret identity, so Lois slapped the man and marched out on her own, which Clark secretly praised her for. The men abducted Lois to get revenge for their wounded pride, only for Superman to arrive and smash their car to smithereens, which gave us the classic scene on the cover. After making sure that Lois was safe, and asking her not to print this little adventure, he hopped away. 

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The next morning, Clark was given an assignment to go to the war-torn South American republic of San Monte, but instead headed directly to the Senate Building in Washington, D.C., where he overheard the corrupt lobbyist Alex Greer trying to convince the US to get into a war in Europe, which Clark figured meant he was connected to the people propagating war in San Monte. Superman proceeded to kidnap Greer and race across the city with him, running along telegraph wires that would shock Greer to death if they touched the poles, and leaping to the top of the Capitol Building and threatening to let the man go splatt if he didn’t tell Superman who he was working for, which would get resolved in the next issue.

Superman, like he always has, stood up for the little guy and fought to save the day, but back when he first started he didn’t care at all about being nice. He had four whole adventures in this first issue, in which he proceeded to; smash through the governor’s house and toss his men like baseballs, threaten to beat a man so badly he passed out, positively wreck some villains’ car and leave it in the middle of the street, and kidnap and psychologically torture someone. Now, all of the people Superman messed with were clear bad guys, but still, the modern Superman wouldn’t go anywhere near as far as his past self did. Golden Age Superman wasn’t going around killing people, but he was certainly way harsher and way less caring for the wellbeing of the villains he fought. Superman was a downright menace to the bad guys, and believe me this is nowhere near as crazy as some of the other things he would get up to in just a few issues. Some include forcing a man to join a war and constantly reminding him how close he was to death, and trapping dozens of rich partygoers in a mine for a full day to teach their host a lesson about not cheaping out on the safety measures.

In Superman’s first adventure and most of his earliest ones, he was an outright beast, and it’s hilarious to look back on. It was definitely all for the right reasons, however, and even when he was at his meanest, he was indisputably being a hero to everyone, even the guys he was tossing. Don’t worry, they’re fine, just stunned a little. Superman has changed a lot over the years, mostly for the best, but his start will always be awesome, no matter how much time has passed. Which era of Superman is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Superman’s First Adventure Was a Lot Weirder Than You Rememberent appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s a recurring gag in DC Comics that the unassuming, nerdy Jimmy Olsen is irresistible to women, whether he means to be or not. From Supergirl to a gorilla, you could say that Jimmy has run the “girlfriend gamut.” Whether it be because of his dorkish charm or his heart of gold, ladies everywhere can’t seem to get enough of Jimmy. The latest Superman movie goes even further with this joke, depicting Lex Luthor’s hot girlfriend Eve Teschmacher as head-over-heels in love with the Daily Planet’s top photographer. In 2023, Jimmy started a new and heartfelt relationship with one of Superman’s most powerful adversaries: Siobhan Smythe, aka Silver Banshee. 

A frequent enemy of Superman, Siobhan was born into an Irish clan that practiced the mystic arts. Siobhan wanted to be made the clan leader and partake in a sacred ritual. However, her family denied her request because she is a woman. Distraught by the rejection, Siobhan attempted to conduct the ritual by herself so that she could obtain great power, but the magical forces she conjured instead dragged her into the hellish Netherworld. Upon escaping, Siobhan was turned into a banshee and became a supervillain. Along with the powers of super strength and flight, Siobhan’s trademark ability is her Death Wail. Her sonic scream can instantly kill anyone whose true identity she knows. And, because her powers are magical, she is one of the few supervillains capable of hurting Superman.

The reveal of Jimmy and Siobhan’s relationship was nothing short of shocking. In Superman #4, Siobhan is manipulated by the supervillain Mr. Graft, who commands that she kill the Man of Steel or else he will kill everyone she loves. Backed into a corner, Siobhan transforms into her Silver Banshee persona and attacks Superman. The two fight across Metropolis until Jimmy suddenly runs in between them and begs Superman not to hurt Siobhan. It is at this moment that Jimmy declares his love for her, shocking both Superman and the audience. His declaration also introduces one of the most unexpectedly heartfelt relationships in recent DC Comics.

How Jimmy Started Dating a Supervillain

The start of Jimmy and Siobhan’s relationship is something straight out of a classic rom-com. A recently paroled Siobhan was putting up flyers for her band, The Banshees of Metropolis. As one blows away, Jimmy is there to catch it and hands it back to her. The pair immediately hit it off, and they started going on dates to the movies, karaoke bars, picnics, and for romantic walks along the beach. The scenes with them together are nothing short of adorable. As their closeness with each other grows, Siobhan decides that she must come clean to Jimmy about who she really is. Consequently, although fearful that Jimmy would reject her, Siobhan reveals her identity as Silver Banshee to Jimmy. However, to her surprise, not only is Jimmy unfazed by the revelation, but he states that he has been through much crazier situations – of course! He recounts how in the past he has been turned into a monkey, a porcupine, and even a giant turtle. Delighted with these revelations, Siobhan gives Jimmy the pet name “turtle-baby.” In turn, Jimmy gives Siobhan the pet name “banshee-baby.” With their secrets now known to each other, Jimmy and Siobhan move in together, with an official status of “in a relationship.”

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Jimmy and Siobhan Have Great Chemistry

After Jimmy openly confessed that he loved Siobhan, admitting it out loud for the first time, she was taken aback. Though clearly moved, she initially claimed not to love Jimmy in return, hoping to protect him from Mr. Grift. She tries to flee, but Superman and Jimmy chase after her. Still, Siobhan tries to push Jimmy away, explaining that dating her puts him in danger. But Jimmy is undeterred, saying he knew the risks when they first got together. Moreover, he is in love with her because he sees Siobhan for who she really is: a funny, creative, and kind person with the voice of an angel. Overwhelmed, Siobhan finally gives in, embracing Jimmy as she admits that she loves him too.

The day ends with the two lovebirds going on a double date with Clark and Lois to watch Siobhan’s band perform. And, in a special romantic moment, Siobhan sings a song she wrote for Jimmy about his love for bowties. They say that opposites attract, and these two certainly prove them right. There’s no denying the spark between the bowtie-loving dork and the leather-clad former supervillain. Two years later, and they’re still going strong. 

It’s a Story of Redemption

Supervillain redemption stories are a dime a dozen in comic books, but they are almost always doomed for failure because the writers must maintain the status quo. Yet, Jimmy’s kindness and admiration have proven successful in motivating Siobhan to be a better person and give up her life as a supervillain. Even when she falls back into her villainous habits, Jimmy is there to risk his life to pull her out. Supporting her with the affirmation she needs, he reassures her that she isn’t a monster and is worthy of love, especially perhaps, his love. As a result, even when it looks like Siobhan is planning to become a supervillain again, she never follows through with it. 

This more sympathetic and tempered side of Siobhan emerges when Jimmy is seriously injured in the crossfire of a battle, one in which Lois Lane has temporarily taken on the mantle and powers of Superwoman. With Jimmy in a coma as the result of his injuries, Siobhan, transforming herself back into the Silver Banshee, swears revenge against Superwoman and declared herself to be the superhero’s first archenemy. However, in a surprising subversion of the failed-redemption trope, under Jimmy’s calming influence, Siobhan never goes through on her vow of vengeance. In fact, after Jimmy gets out of the hospital, her supervillainy becomes a bit of a joke between them. When Siobhan tells Jimmy that she plans to give Superwoman “an earful,” Jimmy lovingly reminds her, “No supervillainy,” and she responds jokingly that she’d only do a tiny bit of supervillainy. It’s unknown if or when Siobhan will discover that Lois was Superwoman, but with Jimmy’s soothing and supportive nature, she is far less likely to try to take her revenge.

So, in the end, Jimmy and Siobhan’s love story is instructive about what makes for the perfect couple. Natural opposites where there is always good banter, knowing glances, and a willingness to die for each other? Sounds about right. While the romance between a photographer and a banshee might seem strange, it makes a strong case that odd couples can make the best couples – and certainly, the most entertaining ones.  

The post Why Jimmy Olsen and Silver Banshee Belong Together appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Warning: Spoilers for James Gunn’s Superman follow. The new red band trailer for DC Studios’ Peacemaker season 2 showcases the next adventure of John Cena’s Christopher Smith, with the trailer also establishing a major connection between the show and James Gunn’s introductory DCU movie Superman.

The trailer includes a scene of Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) emphatically stating that “We need to find Peacemaker. And like Lex Luthor, he’s in possession of some kind of dimension portal”. With this one line, Peacemaker season 2 establishes a direct link to the pocket universe created by Lex Luthor (Nichols Hoult) seen in Superman. Logged in YouTube users can view the new Peacemaker trailer here (it’s understandably age restricted for violence, language, and nudity, which gives you some indication of the tone of the show).

The pocket universe is introduced an interdimensional prison in which Lex Luthor houses his most sworn enemies. After Luthor manages to sway public opinion against Superman (David Corenswet) by unveiling a message from Kal-El’s Kryptonian parents revealing he was sent to conquer Earth, Luthor gets the approval from the U.S. government to imprison and interrogate the Man of Steel in the pocket universe. Superman manages to escape the pocket universe, but Luthor’s efforts to re-capture Superman create a rift in the pocket universe’s portal, causing it split open uncontrollably through the streets of Metropolis.

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Fortunately, Superman manages to stop Luthor’s plot with Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) shutting the doorway to the pocket universe. However, given the significant destruction that the pocket universe’s rift caused, it makes sense that Rick Flag Sr. and the U.S. government would be extremely wary of Peacemaker having his own key to open doorways in the multiverse. This not only sets up Peacemaker season 2 as a rather direct continuation of Superman‘s plot line, but also builds upon the role of the multiverse in the story.

Peacemaker season 1 served as a spin-off of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad, with both the movie and the show taking place in the DCEU. With Peacemaker season 2 occupying the new DCU, the show’s second season is set to be quite multiverse-centered story, with an alternate Peacemaker already seen in the show’s first trailer, and the trailer referencing the existence of alternate realities. Peacemaker season 2 will also reportedly address the Justice League’s cameo in season 1, with the show explaining how and why that element is canon only to the DCEU and the not DCU.

Peacemaker season 2’s multiverse-traveling fun doesn’t stop there either, with the show reportedly set to establish that a minimum of 100 parallel DC universes co-exist, including one such universe populated by giant spiders with human skulls for heads (as seen in the first trailer). Additionally, Gunn has also teased a plethora of cameos for Peacemaker season 2, and the direct link the show’s red band trailer establishes to Superman makes it a good bet that the Last Son of Krypton could be flying in to prevent another pocket universe from cause another rift in reality.

While Superman‘s use of Lex Luthor’s pocket universe kept that plot element relatively centralized within the movie’s story, it is clear that Peacemaker season 2 will throw open doors to other realities much more gleefully than Superman did. What that means for the DCU’s upcoming future is open to endless speculation. Nonetheless, Peacemaker season 2 sharing a plot element with Superman in the role of pocket universes could indicate that it could be a fairly significant element of the DCU as it moves ahead.

The first episode of Peacemaker season 2 will be released on HBO Max on August 21st.

The post Peacemaker Season 2’s Unhinged Red Band Trailer Reveals Big Superman Connection appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Although Peacemaker Season 2 doesn’t premiere until next week, writer/director James Gunn is already giving us details to watch for in the new season. As if following Peacemaker’s journey in and out of an alternate DC Universe wasn’t enough to entertain audiences in the upcoming season, which hits HBO Max August 21st, Gunn also confirmed that there will be another dance number on the show. Gunn, known for his soundtracks, not only revealed to the press which song would be used in the new season’s dance number, but also which actor struggled the most to master the dance moves this time around.

The Peacemaker Season 1 opening dance routine, set to “Do Ya Wanna Taste It?” by Norwegian glam metal band Wig Wam, surprised and delighted fans. In Season 2, series star John Cena and his cast mates will be busting a move to the Foxy Shazam song “Oh Lord.” For Gunn, the rock tune was a fairly straightforward choice.

“I don’t know if there were any other tracks that were close,” Gunn revealed during a press round table for the upcoming season. “There were a couple of other tracks that I considered, there was another Foxy Shazam song I considered, but at the end of the day, I thought this, ‘Oh Lord,’ fit the season the best in the same way that, you know, ‘Do You Want to Taste It?’ fit the first season. So I think that that was that.”

Gunn also collaborated with the American rock band on his recent blockbuster Superman. Foxy Shazam’s lead vocalist, Eric Nally, and Lou Lou Safran recorded a song belonging to Clark Kent’s favorite band, The Mighty Crabjoys. The fictional band is glimpsed in Clark’s bedroom at his parent’s house in Smallville and their theme can be heard during the credits of the film.

The other rock songs in Superman, including “Punkrocker” by Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop and “Five Years Time” by Noah and the Whale, have enjoyed massive streaming boosts thanks to Gunn including them in the blockbuster. It remains to be seen if the eight-year-old “Oh Lord” will receive a similar surge in popularity once Peacemaker returns.

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Gunn Names Frequent Collaborator as Worst Dancer in Peacemaker Season 2

As for the dance component of Peacemaker Season 2’s musical number, Gunn didn’t shy away from naming the actors who couldn’t land the choreography to “Oh Lord”. And yes, according to the filmmaker, there were several performers who struggled to keep up.

“I think the biggest challenge for me really was that we have many more bad dancers this season. And so, you know, shout out to Frank Grillo and Tim Meadows and Michael Rooker, who were what Robert Patrick was, sort of singular bad dancer last season now, is many…” Gunn said. “If you rewatch it enough, you’ll see it. Focus on Rooker and you’ll see his dancing abilities.”

Rooker, who’s with Gunn for nearly 20 years and is perhaps best known for playing the Ravager with a heart of gold, Yondu Udonta, in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Though he made a brief voiceover cameo as Superhero Robot #1 in Superman, he formally joins the DCU in live-action as Red St. Wild, an eagle hunter, in Peacemaker Season 2. Since Rooker never fails to bring heart and depth to Gunn’s projects, we’ll give him a pass on his subpar dancing on the show.

Peacemaker Season 2 premiere on August 21st on HBO MAX. What do you think of the song fo Peacemaker Season 2’s opening dance number? Let us know in the comments.

The post James Gunn Breaks Down Peacemaker’s Season 2 Dance Scene, And Who Is the Worst Dancer appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC’s Absolute Universe is officially headed for its first crossover of characters, and the manner in which it is unfolding hints to what the larger plans for future Absolute DC crossovers could be. The Absolute Universe began in late 2024 from DC’s All In Initiative, with an all-new DC Universe created from the energy of the intergalactic conqueror Darkseid. Carrying the official designation of the Alpha-World as its title in DC’s multiverse of realities, Absolute DC kicked off with new interpretations of DC’s Trinity in the fall of 2024. Absolute DC has continued expanding greatly since, with Absolute versions of The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter, along with Green Arrow being the next hero to join the Absolute Universe.

The Absolute Universe has been nothing short of a phenomenal hit for DC Comics, and while it has thus far focused upon DC characters in individual books, that is set to change with the release of Absolute Wonder Woman #15. As announced at 2025’s San Diego Comic Con, that issue will see the Absolute versions of Wonder Woman and Batman meet, with Absolute Wonder Woman #15 set to hit comic book shelves on Christmas Eve of this year. As the first instance of DC superheroes in the Absolute Universe meeting, the inbound team-up of the Absolute versions of Wonder Woman and Batman actually could hint to quite a bit more about what the future plans for the Absolute Universe could be.

Batman & Wonder Woman Meeting First Indicates Heroes Crossing Paths Slowly

With Absolute DC’s first crossover being not a larger ensemble team-up, but one consisting exclusively of Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman, this suggests that the overlapping of the Absolute hero roster’s worlds and stories is likely to unfold gradually. The fact that Batman is teaming up with Wonder Woman first, as opposed to a more traditional World’s Finest-style alliance of Batman and Superman, also indicates that the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel probably won’t cross paths for a while. Ditto for Superman meeting Wonder Woman and the Absolute version of DC’s Trinity coming together.

All of those factors combined point to the Absolute Universe mixing and matching different heroes as teams, which could be planned to happen either in pairs or smaller groups of characters. With Green Arrow also soon to enter the Absolute picture, DC might be kicking off some regular meetings of various characters in the Absolute continuity following Batman and Wonder Woman’s alliance, but it seems likely to be holding off on uniting them as a larger heroic unit for some time, which also points to another big Absolute DC twist.

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Absolute DC’s Justice League Could Be Further Away Than We Thought

Since the individual debuts of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman in the Absolute Universe, the attention of many comic book readers has inevitably been locked in on not just when the Absolute Trinity will unite, but also on when the Absolute Justice League will form. With over a year before the beginning of Absolute DC and when the very first unity of heroes will occur in Absolute Wonder Woman #15, that strongly suggests that DC is in no hurry to bring the Absolute Justice League together just yet.

That is not to say that the Justice League is on the back burner or not a priority for the Absolute Universe. However, the picture of how the individual Absolute characters are meeting is gradually becoming clearer, and points to the formation of heroic alliances indeed being a gradual one in the Absolute Universe. With Batman and Wonder Woman first meeting in the Absolute Universe at the very tail end of 2025, it seems likely that it could well be at least another year from that point before the Absolute Justice League finally unites.

Why the Long Road to Absolute DC’s Justice League Will Be Worth the Wait

While seeing the Absolute versions of DC’s heroes forming a new take on the Justice League is a pay-off comic book fans are undoubtedly yearning for, it is also important to remember how much Absolute DC has absolutely thrived with each hero operating solo. With all of DC’s heroes in the Absolute Universe presented as completely new versions of their heroic namesakes, DC has really taken the opportunity to put each of them under the microscope in a way that has allowed them to stand out from their previous origin stories and make a huge impact on the comic book world. That has also undeniably been a huge factor in the ongoing success and popularity of the Absolute Universe.

In turn, Absolute DC has been a shining example of “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” in how much its individualized approach has made it such a hit. Of course, an Absolute Justice League and a larger interconnected Absolute Universe was surely always meant to be how the new DC Comics continuity was going to culminate. Moreover, the Justice League’s immediate debut as a team in DC’s New 52 reboot was a strong intro that equally argues for the validity of kickstarting a new universe from a team story then branching off individually. There is no right or wrong approach, but DC’s Absolute Universe elected to go with solo stories first before very gradually bringing the heroes together. The success the Absolute Universe has achieved is testimony to the strengths of its own strategy, and ultimately, while it will take longer than expected for the Absolute Justice League to form, the lead-up to shows that starting with Batman and Wonder Woman’s first meeting and tip-toeing towards the Justice League will be a pay-off worth waiting for.

The post What Absolute DC’s First Crossover Means (And It’s Exciting) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman & Robin received a chilly reception when George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell’s dynamic duo hit theaters in the summer of 1997. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the toyetic fourth installment in Warner Bros.’ blockbuster Batman franchise saw the caped crusaders kick some ice against a trio of villains — the chilling Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the seductive Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), and the brutish Bane (Robert “Jeep” Swenson) — a triple threat that required Barbara Gordon (Alicia Silverstone) suiting up as Batgirl to help save Gotham City from a second Ice Age.

The critically panned and commercially disappointing Batman & Robin was the campiest Batman adaptation since Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl joined forces with Adam West and Burt Ward’s dynamic duo in the 1960s television show, which has made the franchise-ending installment something of a cult favorite, according to Silverstone.

“When it came out, I don’t think people liked it very much,” the Clueless star told EW in a career retrospective. “But later on people told me it’s their favorite movie. [At least] all my gay friends. It’s very camp.”

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“My goodness. Did you see our outfits? I think we all have big boobies,” she continued, referring to the chiseled, rubber-nippled costumes. “All three of us have boobies. Getting the outfit on took so much time and energy, but once you had it on you couldn’t go to the bathroom. So these were not easy costumes.”

While her role as Batgirl earned Silverstone a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress — as if! — she fondly remembered costarring with E.R. and From Dusk Till Dawn leading man Clooney as “a dream.”

“He really was like a big brother in those circumstances. So cool,” Silverstone said. “He stood up for me and was reasonable when things were not.” (Clooney made a surprise cameo as Bruce Wayne in 2023’s The Flash movie, reprising the role sans Bat-suit.)

Thurman similarly defended Batman & Robin during a 2024 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “My kids are obsessed with Batman & Robin. They love Poison Ivy,” the Kill Bill star said of her role as the pheromone-powered femme fatale. “It’s the one that was actually made for children.”

But Tim Burton, who helmed 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, took issue with the rubber-nippled Batsuit in a “children’s movie” after backlash over Returns being “too dark” and “weird,” resulting in Schumacher directing 1995’s Batman Forever.

“They went the other way. That’s the funny thing about it,” Burton said in 2022. “But then I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Okay. Hold on a second here. You complain about me, I’m too weird, I’m too dark, and then you put nipples on the costume? Go f— yourself.’ Seriously. So yeah, I think that’s why I didn’t end up [doing a third film].”

The franchise-killing Batman & Robin made $238 million at the global box office, making it the lowest-grossing live-action Batman movie and resulting in Warner Bros. rebooting with Christopher Nolan’s darker and more serious Batman Begins in 2005.

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The post Alicia Silverstone Defends Batman & Robin’s “Camp” Almost 30 Years Later appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman is coming to home media faster than a speeding bullet, but there’s a good reason why. In an interview with Screen Rant to promote the upcoming Peacemaker Season 2, Superman director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn explained the surprising decision to release Superman on PVOD later this month. Though the filmmaker is always in favor of a long theatrical window, he also wanted to ensure everyone had an opportunity to watch Superman before Peacemaker Season 2 debuts on HBO Max. Initially, Gunn thought Peacemaker would return in September, but changes to the schedule forced DC Studios to send Superman to homes earlier than anticipated.

“Well, it’s very complicated, but the truth is it is because of Peacemaker,” Gunn said. “I originally thought Peacemaker was going to be coming out next month. There was a lot of things that are beyond our control, so that Peacemaker is coming out now, and, at the end of the day, I wanted everyone to be able to see Superman that wanted to, even those people who couldn’t get to a theater before Peacemaker. And that’s really the reason for it.”

Gunn has previously described Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres on August 21st, as the “direct follow-up” to Superman. Peacemaker is set to feature appearances from characters who were in Superman, such as the Justice Gang. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, Gunn teased that other Superman characters could have a role on Peacemaker.

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It was recently announced that Superman will be available on PVOD platforms such as Apple, Amazon, and Fandango on August 15th — a little over a month after the film debuted in theaters. Physical copies are set to release on September 23rd. Superman is one of the biggest box office hits of the year so far, having earned $583.1 million worldwide as of this writing, so many were surprised to see it hit home media so soon.

After exceeding box office expectations with a $125 million domestic debut, Superman has had strong legs throughout its box office run. It dropped only 53.2% in its second weekend, a great hold for a franchise blockbuster. Since the film is still making money in theaters, an argument can be made that DC Studios should have held off releasing Superman on digital. However, Gunn’s reasoning for the decision makes sense. As the next chapter of the DC Universe, Peacemaker Season 2 is connected to Superman; the movie shouldn’t be homework to enjoy and/or understand the show, but it’s nice that people have the option to watch both at home so they can get the full scope if they want.

With Superman about to hit PVOD, its box office numbers will probably take a hit in the coming weekends. But that shouldn’t negatively impact the film; it’s already considered a commercial success, getting the DCU off on the right foot. Though Superman didn’t fare as well internationally, it’s still the highest-grossing comic book adaptation of the year and the highest-grossing Superman film of all time in the United States. Gunn is already working on the next chapter of his Superman saga, so everyone is happy with how the movie performed. Whatever sales it makes from digital rentals and purchases will only complement the box office numbers.

The post Superman’s Short Theatrical Window is Peacemaker’s Fault (& It Makes Sense) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

DC Comics has big plans in store for its side of the crossover with Marvel Comics. The two publishers have been friendly rivals over the decades, but they’re putting their differences aside for the greater good of the comic book community in a new crossover featuring Batman and Deadpool. Things officially kick off in Marvel’s Deadpool/Batman #1 in September, and then DC brings it all home in November with Batman/Deadpool #1. While we’ve known the creative team of the latter — writer Grant Morrison and artist Dan Mora — details on their main story have remained a secret… until now.

The main story of Batman/Deadpool #1 by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora is described as “a reality-bending saga that’s equal parts cosmic horror, slapstick noir, and metafictional therapy session. It’s the kind of comic book that knows it’s a comic book, revels in being a comic book, weaponizes its comic bookiness—and dares you to keep reading anyway!” Those are some pretty lofty goals coming from DC. It seems to be welcoming the campiness of this unique crossover with open arms, which is how a crossover of this magnitude and featuring these characters should be treated.

Batman/Deadpool Is More Than Just a Comic Book Crossover

You can tell that DC had fun coming up with the press release for Batman/Deadpool #1. The verbiage is littered with humor, which we got a glimpse of above. But there’s even more. “What happens when the World’s Greatest Detective meets the Merc with a Mouth? Reality folds in on itself. Archetypes collide. Darkseid is. And, somewhere between Apokolips and Earth-TRN666, a sentient street named Danny hums show tunes about a crusading cape!” the press release reads.

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“But DC’s Batman/Deadpool #1 isn’t just a comic book crossover between iconic publishers, it’s a metaphysical car crash between two storytelling philosophies. One character broods in the shadows of trauma and justice. The other cartwheels through chaos, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally the laws of physics. Together, they’re forced to confront a threat that doesn’t just endanger their worlds—it questions their very existence as fictional constructs.”

Covers for Batman/Deadpool #1 put the Dark Knight and Merc With a Mouth together, and come from artists Dan Mora, Frank Quitely, and Ryan Sook. One hilarious cover by Sook has Batman and Deadpool recreating the infamous Superman/Supergirl cover from Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

Batman & Deadpool Crossover Includes 4 Bonus DC/Marvel Stories

Batman/Deadpool #1 is a 64-page one-shot crossover comic, and with that many pages, there’s plenty of room to expand the DC and Marvel crossover with more team-ups. The heroes and creative teams for these pairings have been revealed, and they include some of the biggest names in comics.

Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson join forces with Hayden Sherman to conjure a spellbinding Constantine meets Doctor Strange saga. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo deliver a kinetic, emotionally-charged encounter between Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), where acrobatics meet adamantium in a story that cuts deep. Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner unleash chaos and charisma in a riotous Harley Quinn vs. Hulk showdown, while G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan electrify the page with a high-voltage tale starring Static and Ms. Marvel.

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“I don’t do many comics these days but there was no way I could turn down the chance to work with Dan Mora again, one of my all-time favorite artistic collaborators — and definitely no way I could turn down Batman and Deadpool!” Morrison said. “Expect 4th wall-busting mayhem, owls, blood, blades, and at least one giant typewriter!”

“This is more than I ever imagined I could do in my career, and it is a huge honor to be part of this crossover: it doesn’t happen too often, and I am a huge Deadpool fan!” Mora shared. “When I first worked with Grant, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was an incredible team-up. I always hoped to work with Grant again, and working on Batman/Deadpool is like a dream come true. Grant and I working together on this once-in-a-lifetime project is going to be such a fun experience.”

Batman/Deadpool #1 goes on sale Wednesday, November 19th. Let us know your thoughts on the crossover in the comments below!

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Batman is one of the most formidable heroes in the comic industry. Batman is just a normal human being, having trained his body to the height of physical perfection — this is a man who kick large trees down (remember “Batman: Year One”?). He also trained his mind, becoming one of the most skilled martial artists in the history of the planet (he’s been able to beat Karate Kid in battle, and he’s a martial artist from the future who’s mastered even alien martial arts; not to be confused with Ralph Macchio), a master of strategy, and an amazing scientist. Batman is the first person you call when you need help against a mass murderer with a clown face and when a multiversal conqueror comes a-calling. Batman owns wins over many of the most formidable beings in the DC Multiverse; even when his foes are vastly more powerful than he is, he can figure out how to win nearly any battle.

Batman is crossing over with Marvel for the first time in decades in 2025, going up against Deadpool, before The Dark Knight Returns Batman meets Old Man Logan in a battle of the geriatric bruisers. Looking at the heroes of the Marvel Universe, there are plenty of heroes that Batman can beat (yes, he can beat Spider-Man and Daredevil; come at me). However, there are also some heroes that Batman would have no chance against. These seven Marvel heroes would make Batman regret the day he ever met them, doing something that very few have done — take Batman down and take him down hard.

7) Invisible Woman

The Fantastic Four are very powerful, but Batman could beat at least two of them. The Thing and Human Torch are nothing that Batman hasn’t dealt with before, but the other two members? Well, let’s start with Invisible Woman. Sue Richards is the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four, full stop. She can turn invisible, but the greatest part of her powers are her energy controlling powers. Invisible Woman is basically a Green Lantern without a ring, and there’s really nothing Batman can do against her. Sue’s power gives her basically impenetrable defense, something that Batman can’t match. She can batter him with invisible battering rams that he wouldn’t be able to avoid or hit him with invisible force blasts. She could simply box him in a cube of invisible energy and let the oxygen run out, something she’s done before to villains, knocking Batman out. Batman is good, but there’s no way Invisible Woman could lose to him, even with prep time.

6) Mister Fantastic

Batman is of the belief that Plastic Man is the most dangerous person on the planet. While he definitely has a plan to deal with Plas, there’s a good chance it’s something that keeps on him. So, with that in mind, we present Mister Fantastic. Mister Fantastic can’t exactly shape change like Plas can, but it’s close enough that it doesn’t matter. Mister Fantastic’s pliable flesh means that he can tank basically any hit — he’s stood up to the Hulk and other super strong foes — so nothing Batman brings with him could even hurt him. Mister Fantastic can stretch to about 1,500 feet and could stretch further, although it would hurt. Batman has a strategic mind, but Reed Richards is much, much smarter than Batman. When Batman can’t beat an enemy physically, he usually is able to beat them mentally. There’s really no way he can do that to Mister Fantastic. Mister Fantastic, much like his wife, is a master of defense and offense, and Batman wouldn’t be able to figure out a way to take him out before he took down the Dark Knight.

5) Black Bolt

Blackagar Boltigan is the king of the Inhumans, and also one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Black Bolt is most well-known for his powerful voice, which can level buildings with the slightest whisper. When speaking at a regular volume, Black Bolt can destroy entire city blocks, and when he yells? Even the Hulk is going to feel that one. Black Bolt is also super strong and invulnerable, making him a powerful physical combatant as well. However, what a lot of people don’t know is that all of Black Bolt’s powers are based on his control over electrons. Part of this ability is harnessed through his voice, but he can control electrons with his mind. Black Bolt is also a master strategist, able to think many steps ahead of his enemy. Batman has taken on very powerful foes, but that’s usually because he has a cheat — for example, his Kryptonite ring — to win. Batman doesn’t have a cheat to defeat Black Bolt, and that means that Batman can’t win. Bolt is faster, stronger, and smarter, which will give him the win over Batman.

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4) Deadpool

Batman is about to meet Deadpool, and he’s going to have a rude awakening when he tries to fight ol’Wade Wilson. Deadpool is an amazing hand to hand combatant. He’s skilled in multiple fighting arts, and is as good a fighter with weapons as he is without. Deadpool also doesn’t have any qualms about using lethal force, having racked up a sizable body count. His Project K enhancements give him superhuman agility, but it also gives him the one thing that would allow him to defeat Batman — his healing factor. Deadpool can regenerate from basically anything, surviving the loss of any part of his body. Batman is a better fighter than Deadpool, and possibly stronger, though Deadpool is faster. Now, there’s a good chance that when Batman realizes that he can’t kill Deadpool, he goes harder than he usually would against the Merc with a Mouth, but that doesn’t mean he can beat Deadpool. Deadpool’s healing factor gives him basically infinite stamina, something that Batman can’t say. Deadpool doesn’t have every advantage in this fight, but he has enough of them to win.

3) Phoenix

The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It’s the personification of rebirth, and it gives its bearer the type of power that only cosmic beings and gods have. Jean Grey is the greatest host of the Phoenix Force, and has become what amounts to a god. She has power on a level that is incalculable. Without the Phoenix Force, she’s still powerful. Her telepathy is on a level that most telepaths could never hope to reach and her telekinetic powers are great enough to smash mountains; her control of her telekinesis is so fine that she can even manipulate molecules. Batman is smart, but he can’t really beat someone who can read his mind. This is basically only a fight if Jean wants it to be; she can just put Batman to sleep immediately. Batman is good. Jean is better.

2) Hulk

Decades ago, Batman and the Hulk crossed over, and Batman was able to use knockout gas to take down the Hulk. That was a long time ago, and the Hulk powers have become much more fine tuned since then. The Hulk is the strongest one there is. The madder he gets the stronger he gets and he has a healing factor at the highest possible level. Hulk has a high level of invulnerability as well, allowing him to take shots that would kill nearly anyone, even those with enhanced durability. Now, given enough time and equipment, I’m sure Batman would be able to beat the Hulk; he’d probably figure out how to siphon off the gamma energy of the Hulk or something of that nature. However, in a fight without prep time, Batman doesn’t have a chance. He could probably stay out of the Hulk’s way for a while, but he’s going to get tired and the Hulk isn’t. Endurance wins fights, and Batman is going to get completely tired out before Hulk. After that, all it takes is one shot to end this battle.

1) Wolverine

Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and in this case, that’s beating Batman. Wolverine has pretty much every advantage over Batman. He’s faster, he’s stronger, and he’s a better fighter with more experience. Even before we bring anything else into the conversation, Wolverine has all of the physical advantages over Batman. He’s trained in multiple martial arts and has fought in every war since the 1900s began. He’s a master of multiple weapons, including his razor sharp claws, which allow him to cut through anything. His adamantium skeleton is basically unbreakable, and his healing factor allows him to survive basically anything thrown at him, as well as giving him basically limitless stamina. Now, Batman has the skill to do a lot of damage to Wolverine with pressure points and such, but to do that, he has to get in close. That’s where Wolverine wins fights. This would be an amazing and bloody fight, but in the end Wolverine would be able to triumph.

What Marvel heroes do you think could beat Batman? Sound off in the comments below.

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James Gunn’s first headline release in the newly launched DC Universe has reached an important milestone in terms of its box office performance. According to Box Office Mojo, Superman has now surpassed the domestic box office gross of Gunn’s debut Marvel Cinematic Universe installment Guardians of the Galaxy, climbing in the top 86 films in terms of lifetime gross in the U.S. This cements the success of the latest live-action adaptation of the Man of Steel, following Superman’s impressive critical reception and audience scores.

Since hitting cinema screens in mid July, Superman has now amassed takings of $333,784,195, and has now surpassed the $333,718,600 that Guardians of the Galaxy managed to achieve back in 2014.

The DC film still falls significantly behind the $773,350,376 in total worldwide gross of Guardians of the Galaxy, with Superman currently sitting at a total of $583,184,195 when the $249,400,000 of international gross is included. There’s also a way to go before Superman reaches the heights of Gunn’s other superhero movies in the form of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With digital and physical 4K Blu-ray releases of Superman coming in the near future, it may well not climb much further.

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The financial news comes amid revelations that Gunn wanted the titular hero of the film to be “huggable” rather than the terrifying figure of other DC characters like Batman. After discussions with Superman actor David Corenswet, the pair agreed that the Man of Steel should wear red trunks on the outside of his costume as a way of making him seem sillier and more relatable. The director and writer was eventually won over when Corenswet pointed out that Superman would not want to scare people.

Fans of the latest incarnation of the DC mascot might not have to wait as long as they may have expected to see him again on the big screen. Gunn has recently revealed that the next entry in the “Superman Saga” is already in the works. Speaking at the premier of Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn confirmed that he is hoping to head to production soon now that he has finished a treatment for the story, which will act as a direct sequel to the first film. 

The success of Superman will give comic book fans hope that the DCU heralds a new dawn for the DC brand. While it isn’t a runaway hit in the same way as The Dark Knight, it has already overtaken many of the DCEU entries, with only Aquaman and Wonder Woman ahead of it in terms of domestic box office gross. 

What do you think of the news that Superman has overtaken Guardians of the Galaxy at the domestic box office? Let us know in the comments!

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If Batman Beyond ever makes it to the big screen, his newest Batsuit would put anything that Bruce Wayne wears to shame. The Batman from Neo-Gotham always seems to find himself the subject of speculation, with fans hoping for some type of return for Batman Beyond. Also, when you add in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, anything is possible. But for the time being, Batman Beyond will be teaming up with Static for a new crossover series under the DC Elseworlds imprint. Covers for Batman/Static: Beyond #1 feature the two heroes, but what they’re missing is a new costume that Batman Beyond will be donning.

Batman/Static: Beyond is a six-issue limited series by writer Evan Narcisse (Rise of the Black Panther, Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City) and artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey (Static: Shadows of Dakota). It takes place in the same future timeline that fans are familiar with from the Batman Beyond animated series, and will also guest star the Justice League Beyond. Batman Beyond has always had one of the more distinct costumes in the DC Universe, but his latest upgrade puts him more in line with the original Dark Knight.

Batman Beyond’s New Costume Includes a Cape for the First Time

Nikolas Draper-Ivey shared more details about Batman/Static: Beyond on social media, including character design sheets for Batman Beyond, Static, and new characters Beacon and Shutdown. Terry McGinnis and Virgil Hawkins will both be getting new “Shutdown” costumes, named after the main antagonist of the series, Shutdown. While all of the character designs are exciting, we want to focus on the Batman Beyond Shutdown suit.

“Up until now, Terry has had it easy, taking many of his gadgets and technology for granted- Not anymore,” Draper-Ivey wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “When Terry encounters our new antagonist; he is struck powerless (Literally) and now must learn how to find a more old-school analog approach to being Batman, meaning he must learn how navigate Gotham as Bruce once did decades ago and truly earn his place as “The world’s greatest detective” without the new age technology to aid him.”

It’s definitely a more tactical look for Batman Beyond. He keeps his red and black color scheme, but instead of wings under his arms to help during flight, Batman Beyond will have a signature Batman cape. It looks similar to the capes worn by Damian Wayne when he was Robin, since they also engulf the neck area. Batman Beyond’s cowl even gets an upgrade

When Will Batman Beyond Return in a DC Universe Project?

New has been quiet regarding the status of Batman Beyond on either the small or big screen. Of course, fans are constantly clamoring for some type of Batman Beyond project, even if it were a revival of the popular animated series. Will Friedle, the voice of Terry McGinnis/Batman Beyond, recently said he wouldn’t be returning to that world again, and it comes down to the passing of Kevin Conroy. The beloved Batman voice actor passed away in November 2022. Friedle told fans at the Animate! Columbus 2025 convention this summer that he had always hoped to return to Batman Beyond, but now it wouldn’t be the same without Conroy’s voice as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

“If you asked me that question three years ago, the answer would be, ‘Oh my god, yes. Get me in front of the microphone right now,’” Friedle said at the GalaxyCon event. “Now that Kevin’s gone, I don’t know if I could do it again. I think they would need to recast both roles. Being Terry and not having him answer as Bruce, I don’t think I could do it.”

Mark Hamill echoed Friedle’s sentiments, saying that he did not plan on voicing the Joker again after Conroy passed away. Like Friedle, he broke the news directly to fans at a convention, Fan Expo San Francisco. “Without Batman, crime has no punchline,” Hamill said. He had previously revealed that his primary means of deciding whether to join a DC project was whether or not Conroy would be involved, too.

Batman/Static: Beyond #1 goes on sale Wednesday, November 12th. Let us know your thoughts on Batman Beyond’s new costume in the comments below!

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Retcons in comic books have a pretty bad reputation, usually being synonymous with changing everything about how a comic worked in order to tell a convoluted and unnecessary story, or simply trying to farm shocked interaction. There are definitely plenty of bad retcons that I could spend all day tearing apart, but there are plenty of awesome retcons too. They’ve been a core part of comic books for generations, and kind of become necessary when telling never-ending stories with these long-running characters. Some of the best aspects of characters come from retcons, like Superman being able to fly or the existence of the Emotional Spectrum. And it’s not just the old retcons that are great either, they are still plenty of great ones today. To combat the negative view of retcons in the community, let’s take a look at seven retcons that indisputably changed things for the better in the last ten years alone.

1) Heroes in Crisis Wasn’t Wally’s Fault

The limited series Heroes in Crisis remains beyond controversial, having the main plot involve fan-favorite Flash accidentally kill numerous innocent heroes (including Roy Harper, one of his best friends) and frame Booster Gold and Harley Quinn for the crime while he set up his confession. Everyone was outraged when this hit the shelves, immediately demanding that somebody retcon it out of existence, because really who wants the Flash to be responsible for the deaths of half a dozen heroes? Fans got their wish in the Flash 2021 Annual, which revealed that the Speed Force burst that killed the hapless heroes was actually the result of the Speed God Savitar attempting to channel it to break free of his prison. It wasn’t Wally losing control at all, but a tragic coincidence that it happened while others were around him when it went down. Fans were just ecstatic to finally have Wally exonerated of the blood on his hands, and if you’re still concerned over how Wally covered up what he did, then don’t fear, because that was taken care of too. Flash’s “Finish Line” story retconned Wally’s out of character choices as the result of Reverse-Flash’s ability to manipulate others with dark thoughts, and it was Eobard’s idea. All in all, Wally did nothing wrong.

2) Resurrection of the Kents

When the New 52 changed all of reality, Superman’s parents were unfortunate consequences, both Ma and Pa Kent dying when he was eighteen. This left Superman alone, and definitely matched the tone and Golden Age style that the New 52’s version of Superman and Action Comics were going for, but the years of Superman stories without the beloved Kansas farmers left us wanting some parental wisdom from two of the best parents in comics. When Doomsday Clock altered history to restore the damage that Doctor Manhattan had done, that meant changing it so Superman’s history as Superboy was reestablished, and how he managed to save his parents from the car crash that was supposed to kill them. Ma and Pa Kent are essential characters to the Superman mythos, and in my opinion always work better as symbols of a kind home and people who will always have your back, rather than a grieving memory of that feeling. Besides, the idea of Ma and Pa not being able to interact with Jon Kent and the Super Twins is an actual crime. The Kents deserve to be able to be loving grandparents.

3) Hawkman’s Consolidated Origin

Hawkman and Hawkgirl have long since had one of the most convoluted backstories in all of comic books, and that is some steep competition. Plenty of writers have tried to explain the often contradictory nature of the duo’s numerous reincarnations, especially when multiple versions of them have been alive at the same time, but they always either rang hollow or made things worse. That was until Hawkman (2018), which finally provided an incredible retcon to explain the mess that was his origin. His first life was actually close to the beginning of time, and he was a ruthless warlord named Ktar Deathbringer. Ktar slaughtered countless with his army of winged murderers known as the Deathbringers, and at the end of his life was given both a curse and a blessed mission. He would reincarnate across time and space to points where he could do the most good, and would fight until he managed to save as many lives as he destroyed, with Hawkgirl’s own soul always tied to his. This not only smoothed out the inconsistent reasoning behind the duo’s reincarnations, but also explained why there would sometimes be multiple of them. It’s a masterstroke of a retcon that fixed one of comics’ messiest problems, and definitely deserves to be commended.

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4) Kite Man, Hell Yeah!

While Tom King’s Heroes in Crisis gave us one horrible action that needed retconed, and his Batman run remains controversial to this day, one thing that everyone can agree was a universal home run was the change King did to Kite Man. Once the most forgettable Batman villain ever, Kite Man was reimagined as a tragic father and non-costumed criminal who was caught up in a war between the Riddler and the Joker, whose son was murdered for his participation. He passed his own love of kites onto his son, who in some of his last moments told his dad that he was afraid of going to Hell because he said hell when they flew kites together, and again later. After his son’s heartbreaking death, he created his own Kite Man costume and set about fighting with the one thing that connected him to his son, screaming “Hell yeah!” as his catchphrase. Not only is Kite Man having a catchphrase objectively hilarious, but this origin legitimately tugs at the heartstrings, and turned Kite Man into somebody everyone remembers. I mean, he even has his own TV show now, literally called Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. Wonder Woman doesn’t even have her own TV show yet! This retcon exponentially, monumentally elevated Kite Man. Hell yeah.

5) Hippolyta – Wonder Woman of WWII

The idea of Hippolyta being the acting Wonder Woman during WWII isn’t necessarily a new idea, as it first debuted way back in Wonder Woman (1987) #130, but that was due to the modern day Hippolyta traveling back in time and joining the Justice Society of America. New History of The DC Universe is DC’s current telling of its continuity, and in issue #1 it established that Hippolyta was the definitive Wonder Woman during that era while making no mention of time travel. This is a great change that opens up plenty of opportunities for stories to be told both about and in response to this history. For one, it keeps Wonder Woman’s connection to WWII without the weirdness of her main cast being tied to it. Wonder Woman has always had a direct tie to the war as much as the JSA, so keeping it feels essential, and this way doesn’t involve some convoluted explanation as to why Steve Trevor is still young. Furthermore, this means that Huppolyta has served as Wonder Woman, which was in flux ever since the New 52, and that opens the door for her perspective on the mantle her daughter has brought to famous heights. Overall, a great retcon that opens up so much potential, and ties Hippolyta to the grander hero community in a cool way.

6) The Metaverse

The sliding timescale of DC is the concept that the origins of its headlining heroes slide forward every couple of decades to be closer to modern day. It has always been a nebulous concept to explain why its main characters stay young despite being around for decades, but the introduction of the Metaverse in Doomsday Clock gave a perfect explanation as to how and why it happens. It introduced the concept that the entirety of the DC Multiverse was structured around Superman’s history, that he is the beating heart from which all of its stories and hope are drawn. Superman debuted in 1938, and the timeline of DC will constantly adjust around the Man of Steel, moving up with him to continue allowing Superman to guide the people of the multiverse. It’s both a smart way to introduce a meta reason for the sliding timescale and a beautiful love letter to the first ever superhero that celebrates his importance. Superman is the most important superhero of all time, and the Metaverse promises that he will continue to be so for the rest of comic book history, which is just so cool and satisfying to see. 

7) The Return of Wally West

When the New 52 rebooted the DC Universe, a lot of legacy characters were lost in translation, either being completely remade or outright removed. One of the biggest names who went through this was Wally West, with the new version introduced that, while great in his own right, was very different from the Wally fans knew and loved. For a while, DC pushed Ace as the new Wally West, but that all changed with the release of the DC Universe: Rebirth special, the book that kickstarted the Rebirth era and revealed that the original Wally West was still around, just lost in the Speed Force. Wally’s return wasn’t just a beautiful, wholesome moment of connection between two of DC’s most beloved characters, but also signified the return of a lot of DC’s old lore, wiped out by the New 52. Wally West was the return of hope in a really incredible way, and is without a doubt one of the best retcons DC ever implemented.

So that’s seven of the best retcons of the last ten years. There are plenty more that I could list, and I’m sure many more to come, but at the end of the day what I think is important is to remember that while there can be bad done with retcons, there can also be a lot of good done. We all love to see good stories flourish, and sometimes the best way for that to happen is to look back at the past and ask if we need to change certain things to better fit today. Obviously, there are some things that should not be touched, but these are great examples of how to do it right. Which modern DC retcon is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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Though the DCU Superman’s theatrical run is winding down, according to James Gunn, he may be soaring back onto screens before we know it. The Superman writer/director and co-chair of DC Studios teased when we’ll get the next installment of the hero’s story tonight on the Peacemaker Season 2 red carpet, which premieres on HBO MAX August 21st. Though Gunn was there to support the show, which he serves as creator, showrunner, and director on, the filmmaker wasn’t shy about what’s next for Superman.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn revealed his hopes to head back into production: “I’ve already finished the treatment for the next story in what I’ll call the Superman saga,” Gunn told THR. “And I’m working on that, and hopefully going into production on that, not too, too far away from today.”

Previously, Gunn has shared that his next DCU film wouldn’t be a “direct sequel” to this summer’s smash hit, and his boss, Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslov’s comments on a recent earnings call that Gunn’s “next movie [is] in the Super-Family”. Having both heavy hitters at Warner Brothers/DC being so open with the public about what’s next for the fledgling DCU is a good sign — not only does it demonstrate that the leadership is in lock-step with each other — but it could also point to optimism about how next year’s Supergirl movie will perform when it releases in June 2026.

Gunn told THR that his treatment for the next “Superman saga” film us “very, very worked out.” A treatment is essentially a detailed overview of a movie’s story in prose form that most writers work on before they go into writing the actual script for a film. And while Gunn alluded that he’d be going into production in the near-ish future, we’re likely still looking a few months of writing on Gunn’s end before cameras can roll and David Corenswet will don those iconic blue tights once more.

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It seems inevitable from both Gunn and Zaslov’s comments his new film will involve some form of a team-up between Superman and his wily cousin Kara Zor-El. That has us excited for a slew of reasons. Not only was their banter at the end of Superman hilarious and revealed a much different dynamic between the hero and Kara than Superman has with other metahumans, it also signals that Gunn doesn’t plan to overwhelm audiences with too many new characters to keep up with in the DCU to start.

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Gunn’s focus on fleshing out the pillars of the his new cinematic universe in solo films and then seemingly immediately pairing them together will cement a sturdy foundation for the DCU. Sure, Clayface and the Lanterns series are set to debut next year alongside Supergirl and there are plenty of other projects around other characters from the DC canon in development, but going narrow and deep on the Super-Family eschews Marvel’s previous missteps of introducing so many new characters across their films and Disney+ series that audiences could no longer be casual viewers of the MCU. Nor will they need to watch multiple origin films as Marvel did in Phase One before The Avengers.

Some may not agree with Gunn’s narrow and deep approach to the DCU and the characters spotlighted within it, but given Superman‘s $583 million global box office gross, and certified fresh rating, it’s clear he’s doing something right.

Superman releases on VOD August 15th.

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