James Gunn’s “Superman” does a number of issues proper, however arguably the very best factor the film does as the primary movie within the new DC Universe is create an enormous world that feels lived-in. The opening textual content crawl opens the door for a universe the place superheroes have been round for hundreds of years (if not millennia), whereas the remainder of the film paints an image of a superhero universe filled with magic. Right here, kaiju assaults in Metropolis are simply one other day for the individuals of the town. Pocket universes will not be simply principle, they’re so actual that they merely annoy characters after they discover out a villain is utilizing them. That is a world full of heroes, and one the place there’s already a company superhero group.
And it appears James Gunn is constructing as much as one other group, however not the way in which you assume.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan, James Gunn revealed that he has an overarching thought for the DC Universe that revolves across the story of a singular character. “I believe I do know whose story it’s, and it in all probability is not anybody anybody would ever anticipate,” Gunn mentioned, confirming that it’s somebody we have now already seen on this universe.
Now, what can be essentially the most James Gunn factor to do, however to make an not noticeable and foolish character the protagonist of his universe? Maybe make it a personality performed by somebody near him, like his brother Sean Gunn? That is proper, we’re throwing down the gauntlet now and declaring that the DC Universe (at the very least its first massive story arc) is all about Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord.
The DC Universe is Maxwell Lord’s story
Here is why this isn’t only a foolish speculation however a correct principle. Gunn is saying the DC Universe is the story of a personality we have met, however not an apparent one, so it isn’t going to be a hero. He additionally mentioned that if audiences watch the following season of “Peacemaker,” we’ll see “the place a number of these items are going.” Out of the characters we all know for positive are coming again after showing in “Superman,” Maxwell Lord is about to be within the new season of “Peacemaker” — even being part of current promos for the present.
It might make a number of sense, too. “Superman” already improved upon one of many worst selections of the Snyderverse by not making an attempt to kind the “Justice League” immediately. As an alternative, by the point the film begins, there already is a superhero group however not one audiences are acquainted with. The Justice Gang is a superb concept that already does the heavy lifting of bringing collectively vastly completely different heroes, paving the way in which for the inevitable basis of the extra well-known Justice League.
Now, Maxwell Lord is finest identified within the comics because the founder (and sponsor/proprietor) of the Justice League Worldwide, which is unquestionably one thing the DC Universe is constructing towards. However, as Gunn mentioned in his interview, the DC Universe is constructing towards a giant occasion, simply “not what anybody thinks.” The formation of the Justice League is a given, however that is too apparent. To guess at what Gunn is likely to be constructing to, we have now to take a look at the opposite factor Lord is finest identified for — making an attempt to make use of his superhero group to take over the world.
Within the comics, Lords makes use of the Justice League Worldwide for his personal ends, all whereas gathering delicate details about each superhero on the planet (who he hates for varied causes and considers a menace to humanity). He even sabotages his personal Justice League group to render them as ineffectual as doable, till he beneficial properties management of Brother Eye, a satellite tv for pc system Batman created to observe metahumans worldwide. With Brother Eye below his management, Lord creates a military of robotic troopers named OMACs to kill all superhumans.
Blue Beetle already paved the street to Brother Eye
The obvious massive occasion the DC Universe can construct towards is a confrontation in opposition to Darkseid, the DC equal of Thanos in “Infinity Struggle” and “Endgame.” This may be the mistaken path to take, as comparisons with Marvel are unavoidable, and it might merely be a battle with a giant alien. As an alternative, one thing like Brother Eye and the OMACs, with the thought of a tool created by Batman to surveil his fellow heroes being taken over by a megalomaniac, is a contemporary thought that may put not simply the Justice League however each hero in peril. The OMACs present the faceless military that the heroes can destroy with out regret, and somebody good somewhat than sturdy like Maxwell Lord (particularly if he beneficial properties his thoughts management skills from the comics) could make for a special and extra morally complicated sort of last confrontation.
In accordance with Gunn, the seeds of the massive story of the DC Universe shall be planted in “Peacemaker” which may imply Maxwell Lord forming his group whereas hiding nefarious enterprise dealings. Or, there’s an alternative choice. We all know that “Blue Beetle” is a part of Gunn’s new DC Universe, and that film already launched the thought of the One Man Military Corps (or OMAC). We may see “Peacemaker” tie to that film by the use of some OMAC recordsdata making their approach out into the world and Lord buying them, slowly constructing as much as Brother Eye down the road.
