10 DC Characters That Deserve Their Own Series After Peacemaker – TVLine

“Peacemaker” achieved the unthinkable: It redeemed Chris Smith (John Cena) after he killed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) in “The Suicide Squad” and made fans care about a foul-mouthed C-grade DC character who wears a chromed toilet bowl as a helmet. It shouldn’t be all too surprising, considering showrunner and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn’s comic book adaptation track record of turning relative unknowns into franchise superstars (see: “Guardians of the Galaxy” for further proof of this).

There’s no shortage of characters to play with in the DC Universe, but it’s about striking a balance of where to feature them and how. Gunn told Deadline that he’s “probably not going to do certain movies with characters who [audiences] don’t know; it’s harder to get people in the theater for that kind of thing.” So, you know what that means, right? The opportunity for certain DC characters to get their own series like “Peacemaker” did. Of course, this excludes the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman from the equation, since it’s unlikely they’ll be leading any series when they have blockbuster movies on the horizon, though a cameo in a show set within their section of the DC Universe could be possible.

There are already a number of shows in production with the landscape always shifting toward more, so it’s entirely possible that the names mentioned below could be greenlit tomorrow. Whichever way, let’s take a look at who else deserves to be leading a DC series in the near future.

Wipe away the memory of the 2010 “Jonah Hex” movie starring Josh Brolin for a second. Despite the star-studded cast — including high-profile names like Michael Fassbender, Megan Fox, Michael Shannon, Will Arnett, and John Malkovich — nothing worked in this superhero Western’s favor. That’s okay. Sometimes, that’s how it goes, and a film just doesn’t click despite it having everything necessary to succeed. The character resurfaced in the Arrowverse, where Jonah Hex was played by Johnathon Schaech in “Legends of Tomorrow,” and this version proved to be much more warmly received by fans and critics.

Here’s the thing: Jonah Hex has never been a big-enough character to carry a movie on his own. Mention the name to anyone on the street, and they’ll say, “Who?” Instead, he’s tailor-made for a series about the antihero in the Old West. He’s a grouchy bounty hunter with a good shot and a strong moral code. By no means is he a perfect or lovable guy, but his actions speak volumes, as he never shies away from doing the right thing — no matter how many bullets may come his way.

Prior to the release of the 2010 film, Thomas Jane — a huge fan of the scarred gunslinger — organized a photoshoot where he transformed himself into the character, hoping that Warner Bros. would see his pics and give him a call to play Hex in the movie. It didn’t happen, but hey, what about a “Jonah Hex” series starring Jane as the character now?

Everyone loves a cute chimp in a TV show or movie, but Bobo T. Chimpanzee, aka Detective Chimp, is the primate equivalent of Sherlock Holmes. Possessing outstanding levels of intelligence and connections to other genius animals, he isn’t monkeying around when it comes to solving mysteries and crimes in the DC Universe. In fact, he’s someone who has even earned the respect of the World’s Greatest Detective, Batman, in the comic books.

Now, while it’s all too easy to turn him into a beloved CGI supporting character like Krypto the Superdog in “Superman,” an animated series centered around Chimp could hit a sweet spot for a niche section of DC fans. Considering Chimp has served as a part of Justice League Dark in recent times and specialized in occult crimes, there’s the chance to make the cases and villains he chases more sinister than the usual. Think of his show as “Scooby-Doo” meets “Sherlock Holmes” and “Supernatural” via the dark side of DC — with a smart chimp leading it all, naturally.

In addition to this, there’s the opportunity to introduce and slot in supporting heroes to help Chimp on his episodic quests. From John Constantine to Zatanna and Deadman, a “Detective Chimp” animated show allows for the darker characters in DC to share the spotlight they might not always receive due to the nature of their stories. If all goes well, this could lead to a series of spin-offs and an inevitable “Justice League Dark” show.

Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma) explodes as total chaos in “Peacemaker.” As Chris Smith’s self-appointed best friend, and someone with questionable methods and ideas about justice, the character never fails to bring the laughs. It’s to the point where you anticipate that Vig is set to blow up something or kill the wrong person, leading to even more outlandish consequences and trouble for the 11th Street Kids.

Now, James Gunn hasn’t confirmed a third season of “Peacemaker” — the opposite, if anything — insisting that the characters could show up in other series or movies down the line. In the case of Vig, he’s primed to take the spotlight from his BFF, Peacemaker, and have his own half-hour sitcom where he can get nuttier than a squirrel in a peanut butter factory. Heck, you don’t even need to focus on his vigilantism, or how he accumulated the jaw-dropping stash stored in his basement; there’s more than enough tomfoolery to cover by featuring what he gets up to at his day job, how he treats his poor mom at home, and all the animal facts he reads about but still gets wrong.

The only question is if Gunn feels that Vig could carry a series on his own. As a supporting character, he’s sensational in the role. Is there enough for him to lead his own show, though? If the writing is as strong as on “Peacemaker” and Freddie Stroma is locked in as Vigilante, it has every chance to be awesome.

Shivers still run down the spine when you think of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s ill-fated “Batgirl,” starring Leslie Grace, which was cancelled by Warner Bros. after it was in post-production. Whether the movie was binned because it was as bad as some insiders claim, or the studio wanted a quick tax write-off, it’s an ugly situation for cast and crew to see their hard work locked and sealed away in the Warner vault, never to be seen by the public.

Both Warner Bros. and DC Studios possess the chance to right a major wrong here, though. Maybe it might complicate the current universe-building plans to release the “Batgirl” movie as it was filmed now, especially with all its ties to previous DC films and different iterations of characters, but there’s nothing stopping the powers that be from inviting Grace to put on the cape and cowl again in an ongoing series, or miniseries. It’s the least she deserves after what happened with “Batgirl.”

At the same time, everyone’s spoiled for choice here, especially in terms of the Bat-verse side of the business. There’s the ability to set “Batgirl” in the brand-new DCU, or to integrate her into Matt Reeves’ isolated corner of Gotham City. As a matter of fact, you can intentionally keep the universe vague and have Barbara Gordon be inspired by Batman’s influence in the city and suit up to make her own difference, while never seeing the Dark Knight appear on screen at all.

HBO’s “Creature Commandos” introduced a host of new characters in the high-octane animated series, but the standout of the peculiar pack remains Weasel, who also appeared in live action in “The Suicide Squad.” The kooky-eyed furry dude doesn’t say much; he only makes a lot of weird noises and behaves like a rabid puppy that wants to play. And that’s exactly what makes him perfect to lead his own show.

One lesson that DC Studios likely learned from the past is the importance of creating family-friendly series and movies. Before, every production appeared to be geared toward the more mature audience, leaving a lot of kids in the lurch about what they could watch without adult supervision. It’s possible this won’t be the case moving forward, as there will be shows and movies made specifically with families in mind, especially those with young kids.

A character like Weasel is ideal for this market. Imagine animated shorts in the style of the “Looney Tunes,” where each episode captures a day in the life of this cheeky creature. Whether it’s him chasing a butterfly and stumbling into an alternate universe, attempting to escape Task Force M for good, or trying to make new friends at the most inopportune times, there’s so many adventures that could take place. So, yeah, let him become DC’s version of Groot! 

Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” features a plethora of memorable DC characters — and one of them received his own spin-off series after the Reevesverse officially expanded with the addition of “The Penguin,” which features TVLine’s best TV performance of 2024 from Cristin Milioti. It doesn’t need to end here either, as there’s certainly the opportunity to explore further characters in their own limited series on HBO, and a strong contender for this should be Catwoman. 

Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle plays a pivotal role in “The Batman,” especially due to her connection to Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), who is one of the keys to unlocking the Riddler’s (Paul Dano) mystery. While Selina doesn’t appear in “The Penguin,” Sofia Gigante (Milioti) receives a letter from her half-sister at the end of the series, hinting that their paths are about to cross. Since “The Batman” movies are mostly about Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) and his family’s history with Gotham City, television is the best place to explore the city’s other important citizens. The Falcone story isn’t over yet, and Selina is a major cog in it.

A “Catwoman” show allows the time and space to find out more about Selina, where she came from, and who she wants to become. Pairing her up with Sofia could also be fireworks. While it appears like they have a lot in common right now after recent events, their alliance holds the potential to turn deadly. This might be a sibling rivalry that’s all claws.

After laying down his trident as Aquaman and swimming away from the previous universe, Jason Momoa frags his way to a new role as Lobo in the DCU, making his bow in 2026’s “Supergirl.” Depending on how the Main Man is received in the film, doors could open for future appearances in other movies and TV shows.

Now, while it’s all too easy to scream for a solo “Lobo” feature, especially since Momoa is a big movie star, it feels like a single two-hour film might be a risky project if you take the intergalactic bounty hunter’s personality into account. From his controversial time in Czarnia to random violent trips around the universe on his spacehog and his foul mouth running amok at anyone and anything, an R rating will be necessary to capture Lobo’s true nature.

Everybody might point to “Deadpool” as proof that an R-rated comedic superhero film can work and succeed at the box office, but Lobo isn’t the Merc with a Mouth. Sorry, but he’s a lesser-known bad bastich among the comic book fandom — just spitting facts here! However, an MA-rated show on HBO, like “Peacemaker,” might be exactly what the character needs to showcase what he’s all about and to let loose. 

Ask anyone who was the unexpected MVP of James Gunn’s “Superman” and most will point to Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi). His deadpan delivery marks a welcome departure from all the quipping superheroes nowadays, while his love-hate relationship with Krypto is a serious laughing matter. Gunn noticed the positive reception toward the character, too, and he’s pondering if Terrific should receive his own spin-off series, according to the Wall Street Journal‘s source. Honestly, it would be a wise move to strike while the iron’s hot.

It’s already confirmed that the “Superman” sequel will be “Man of Tomorrow,” following David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. While there might be room for Terrific to appear in this movie in a supporting role like he did before, will he receive as much screentime as he would in his own solo series? Unlikely.

More importantly, it would be welcome to see a story that’s centered around Terrific. While an origin story might be unnecessary to find out how Michael Holt became Terrific, it would be nice to find out more about Terrific when he isn’t being, well, terrific. The character is often closely associated with the Justice Society of America, so maybe the next evolution in his story arc is following him to see how he sets up this team that’s decidedly different from the Justice Gang.

In theory, Plastic Man is DC’s version of Mister Fantastic but with a better sense of humor. The man born as Patrick O’Brian used to be a criminal until an encounter with an unknown chemical liquid (ah, the classic superhero origin story) left him with the superpowers of elasticity and shapeshifting, encouraging him to turn his life around and become a hero instead. While the character feels like a gag at times, this is the same type of humor that worked well in turning Peacemaker into a household name. It’s possible this could also happen for a B-lister like Plastic Man.

For years, there have been talks about “Plastic Man” live-action and animated projects, but nothing has ever materialized. Filmmaker Kevin Smith wrote a script for a cartoon show that was meant to star Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) as the lead character; however, that never went anywhere. Ben Schwartz, the voice of Sonic in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies, has also been incredibly vocal about wanting to play the role if the opportunity presents itself.

Well, since there’s no shortage of suitors and it’s been in the pipeline forever, maybe now is the time for James Gunn and Co. to pull the trigger and get bouncy about a “Plastic Man” show. The only question is: Who’ll have the honor of portraying him?

One character that was done dirty in the merry-go-round of executives at DC and Warner Bros. over the past decade was Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing. There were plans for a movie, which would have been directed by Chris McKay, but that died in the same black hole as other planned movies during the era known as the DC Extended Universe. Fortunately, Nightwing managed a consolation prize in the form of the “Titans” TV series, where he was fantastically portrayed by Brenton Thwaites, and served as the leader of the Titans team.

But wouldn’t it be great to see the former Boy Wonder have his own series where fans can follow his adventures as Blüdhaven’s protector? The best part about this is that there’s a key time in Nightwing’s life where he and Bruce Wayne aren’t on speaking terms, nor is he operating as part of the Titans, so you can focus purely on him.

If anyone has been following DC’s “Nightwing” comic book series for a while, there’s no denying it’s one of the more entertaining and uplifting books around. It also offers the prototype for what a show about him could be. While Batman is darkness, Nightwing is light. He inspires hope — not just by knocking the stuffing out of bad guys with his Escrima Sticks — but through his everyday actions as Dick Grayson. This is the man who inherited Alfred Pennyworth’s fortune after he died in the comics, but what did he do with the money? He gave it all away to make Blüdhaven a better place.