Some span the stars, some pound the pavement, and some work outside of reality altogether,
but all of these superhero teams shared one thing in common: they'd be right at home on
the silver screen. These are the DC teams we'd most like to see in the DCEU.
Sometimes known as the International Club of Heroes, the Batmen of All Nations debuted
back in 1955. In Detective Comics #215, the legend of Batman has spread so widely across
the world that imitators have emerged, in everywhere from Argentina to Italy. The Knight
and the Squire clean up crime in England. The Gaucho rides through the streets of Argentina,
protecting them from vicious criminals. The Musketeer takes down Parisian ne'er-do-wells
in a plumed chapeau. This is straight-up Silver Age comic book story stuff, right down to
the Knight and Squire's horse-shaped motorcycles.
You might think this would be a hard sell for modern audiences, but the Batmen of All
Nations popped up in 2007's Batman #667, and the concept is as fresh today as it was the
year it made its debut. With just a little fine-tuning, the idea of Batman-styled vigilantes
the world over would fit smoothly into the DC universe. The DCEU's world is a highly
interconnected one, with its modern-day global conversation moving at the lightspeed pace
of social media. In fact, it might be stranger to imagine a world where there aren't Batman
imitators. Bring on the Batmen from every corner of the globe, and let them redefine
their group once more, this time, for DC's movie fans. Just don't invite this guy:
"What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?"
"I'm not wearing hockey pads."
Not every incarnation of the Teen Titans has been a rousing success, but every single one
has at least been pretty interesting. The very first lineup, referred to in earnest
as "the Fab Foursome?" Hey, it was the '60s; you'd have loved it at the time. The soap
opera melodrama that was the 1980s New Teen Titans? Who doesn't want their superpowered
teenagers served with a side of angst, romance, and betrayal? And then there's the 2003 cartoon.
You can bet any money that an entire generation has that theme song permanently stuck in their
heads. Most recently is the wacky wonderland that is Teen Titans Go!, which has been running
for an impressive seven years now.
The point is, the Teen Titans are arguably one of the best ideas DC has ever had. Every
lineup sizzles with storytelling possibility, and it's a big help that the Titans are also
already a familiar property to many fans, what with the last two decades' worth of smash-hit
cartoons and the DC Universe original series — so why not just go ahead and bring that
goodwill into the DCEU? And hey, if nothing else, who doesn't want to see the Titans try
to explain why a T-shaped tower isn't a disastrous idea to Robert Pattinson's steely-eyed Batman?
Originally, the Seven Soldiers were a Golden Age super-team who took on the Axis in World
War II. Then, in 2005, writer Grant Morrison and a roster of artists revamped the team
into something entirely different, and genuinely wonderful, to boot. Seven Soldiers of Victory
chronicles seven reluctant, second-string heroes' strange journey to coming together
as a team to fight the fiendish Sheeda, an Earth-inhabiting race of the far future.
What ultimately makes the story so tremendously unique is its format: The series consists
of two book-end issues, and between them, seven four-issue, character-specific arcs.
Though every hero fights the Sheeda, they do so separately, even in the climactic final
battle, they can't really comprehend the larger picture of what they are doing. In the end,
the Seven Soldiers are a team who aren't, in fact, much of a team at all.
This is a balancing act of a book, and one that would admittedly challenge any filmmaker,
no matter how skilled they may be. But the comic pulled it off, proving how great the
reward is for taking on the risk of the premise, and a movie could succeed in much the same
way. It helps that the Seven Soldiers include some of DC's most colorful characters, like
Zatanna and Mister Miracle. They're all a little weird, being rooted in their own particular
corners of the DC universe, swept up in dramas utterly unknown to everyone else in the story.
Combining their unique paths into one complete, satisfying big-screen arc would definitely
be a challenge, but one that would be well worth undertaking.
The Zoo Crew is a band of anthropomorphic animals from Earth-C, a parallel planet home
to places like Mew Orleans and Piggsburgh.
"That'll do, pig. That'll do."
The team's leader is Captain Carrot, known to most as mild-mannered Roger, a humble cartoonist
toiling away in Gnu York City. Then Superman crashed into his reality and accidentally
irradiated the carrots growing in Roger's window-box. One bite later, and Roger was
bunny-hopping his way across the city, hearing noises from miles away, and discovering he
had the strength of a whole warren's worth of rabbits.
The Zoo Crew ended up being DC's last "funny animal" property, but boy, did they make it
count. And sure, you might not think such a wacky, childlike group has a place in the
DCEU…but remember this?
"It can get weirder! I just washed my hands, that's why they're wet. No other reason."
Just as Into the Spider-Verse introduced audiences to the idea of using cartoon physics as actual
superpowers, so too have Captain Carrot and his furry friends enjoyed a long history of
turning their slapstick toughness into a tremendous advantage. Take the events of the entirely
straight-faced The Multiversity series, in which Carrot is plucked from his own universe
to fight in a far more serious one, beside heroes from more typical DC domains. While
they get burned, cut, and crushed, he is merely flattened into a coin, and springs back up
again. Try that on for size, Steppenwolf.
The Fourth World is one of the best parts of the DC mythos. It's high drama, psychedelic
science fiction, and pop mythology, all rolled up in Jack Kirby's techno-fantasy aesthetic.
Characters like Darkseid and Mister Miracle have gone on to figure in searing, post-modern
family dramas and vast, interstellar sagas alike.
Luckily, the Fourth World's characters are already set to be part of the DCEU, in the
New Gods movie directed by Ava DuVernay. But it's not all pomp and circumstance when it
comes to the denizens of Apokolips and New Genesis. Enter the Forever People, the flower
children from beyond the stars.
Bottom line: there is nothing subtle about the Forever People. They spend their immortal
lives zoomin' over the electron road in their Mother Box-powered supercycle. They have names
like Big Bear, Beautiful Dreamer, and Mark Moonrider, and they dress like they were waylaid
at a Power Rangers convention on their way to Coachella.
In a superhero landscape that tends toward stainless steel and desaturation, the Forever
People could be a heady breath of fresh air, telling a genuinely universal teenage superhero
story. They're young, they're invincible, and they're all tangled up in the wars and
triumphs of the adults in their lives. It's a tale as old as time…except for the cosmic
motorbike, that is.
Is there any super-team more beloved than the Justice League? These guys are to comic
books what apple pie is to pastry.
"Boo yah."
But Justice League International is not exactly the team you picture when that iconic squad
of superheroes comes to mind. Assembled in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the
Justice League International couldn't really get hold of Superman, Wonder Woman, or the
Flash. They're basically the B-side of Justice Leagues: Batman's there, but he's practically
marooned in a sea of lesser-known heroes like Blue Beetle, Doctor Fate, and Black Canary.
What results is a zany delight. The tension among these mismatched team members is palpable,
and the series' unflappable sense of humor remains a breath of fresh air. JLI blends
comedy with genuine heroics and keeps both parts all the more fresh by doing so. The
DCEU has struggled with dour po-facedness in the past, so why not inject it with a little
laughter?
Trouble's afoot in the DC universe! But Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are busy, so what's
a terrified bystander to do? Why, call the Hero Hotline, of course! Available 24 hours
a day, the Hero Hotline will dispatch one of its many qualified super-associates to
take care of whatever you need. Run by the mysterious Coordinator, the Hotline's heroes
include luminaries such as Microwavabelle, Zeep the Living Sponge, and Marie, a psychic
turtle sporting a truly adorable helmet.
As you might have guessed, the heroes of the Hotline are not exactly the DC universe's
premier good guys. But what a concept, for one, the Hero Hotline is unabashedly corporate,
offering a unique look at how a world with superheroes might actually function. And though
the Hotline's roster isn't exactly A-list, it's hard not to fall in love with them. Microwavabelle
juggles inexact bus schedules alongside her scientific exploits, Mister Muscle constantly
changes his name, and Stretch lives life with stretching powers that never stop working,
meaning he typically looks like a wad of thoroughly chewed gum. This could easily be the DCEU's
Guardians of the Galaxy moment, and would provide a fascinating new perspective on superhero
storytelling.
The Newsboy Legion began in the Golden Age as a group of orphans living in Metropolis'
notorious slums. They're a scrappy, rambunctious gang who sling papers and manage to get into
all sorts of thrilling trouble, going by nicknames like "Big Words" and "Scrappy." Years later,
they were reintroduced and mixed up in the more scientific corners of the DC universe,
leading to a whole lot of stories about Newsboy Legion clones getting involved in all different
corners of the DC Universe. They are, in short, that most classic of comic book inventions:
A pretty simple concept made wildly weird by continuity, reinvention, and science so
advanced as to border on magic.
The DCEU has a ton of options to pursue here, if they ever wanted to introduce the Newsboy
Legion. They could always go classic, after all, who doesn't like Newsies? But the Newsboy
Legion's involvement with the Fourth World and government cloning has been part of their
story for just as long as their gee-whiz golden years. That's not even the end of it, though
— Young Justice: Outsiders recently reimagined the Legion as composed of newsgirls, who stream
from their phones instead of slinging papers. Audiences could fall in love with any of these
takes…whether decidedly old-school or totally new.
It isn't exactly accurate to say that the Royal Flush Gang have worn many hats over
the course of their decades-long history. They have always maintained their playing
card theme, for example, they've always been bad guys, and they've always favored a sleek
aesthetic. But within those parameters, the portrayals of this particular team have varied
wildly.
Over the years, the Royal Flush Gang have been taken over by the Joker, dabbled in mind
control, and been revealed as a multi-generational operation perpetrated by one seriously villainous
family. There's one take that the DCEU should pay particular attention to, however: the
Royal Flush Gang as portrayed on Justice League: Unlimited. In one of the most affecting scenes
of the series, it is revealed that this incarnation of the team was created by Ace, a psychic
teenager who has warped innocent bystanders into filling out the Gang's ranks. Batman
is sent in to kill her before she breaks reality entirely — but all Ace wants is for someone
to listen to her. Batman does, and holds her hand until she passes away naturally.
A revamp of the Gang with this take on Ace at its core is practically begging to be put
on the big screen. Her story confronts DC's heroes with some genuinely hard truths, while
complicating the villains around her — and for all that subversion, it's a choice that
still allows for all the stylish fun of classic Gang interpretations. As far as villains go,
the Royal Flush Gang is a winning hand.
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