James Gunn's revamp of the DC Universe is set to introduce nine new live-action superheroes who were not included in Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
DC's next chapter, Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, will feature many heroes and villains, headlined by David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. Some familiar actors from the DCEU will play different versions of their characters, like John Cena's Peacemaker and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller. Fans will also see more new heroes that fans did not see in the previous iteration of the DC canon.
Every DCU Character Who Didn't Appear in Zack Snyder's DCEU
Guy Gardner
Outside of concept art for Zack Snyder's Justice League and a one-off appearance of an ancient Green Lantern in the Battle for Earth sequence against Darkseid in the movie, no other members of the Green Lantern Corps appeared in the DCEU.
James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU will change that as Guy Gardner is set to make his DCU debut in 2025's Superman, and he will be portrayed by The Rookie vet and Firefly alum Nathan Fillion.
In DC Comics, Guy Gardner is often described as the Green Lantern with an attitude problem. The DCU's iteration of the character is not too far from its comics counterpart since Fillion previously described his character (via Collider) as "90% flawed and doesn’t care."
In Superman, Guy Gardner is seen alongside Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, who appear to be new allies of the titular DC hero. Together, they are widely known in-universe as the Justice Gang in the James Gunn reboot.
The character is also set to make a prominent appearance in Lanterns alongside two more Green Lanterns: Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Hal Jordan
Another Green Lantern who is set to make an impact in the DCU is perhaps one of the well-known heroes of the franchise: Hal Jordan (portrayed by Kyle Chandler).
The character will make his debut in Lanterns, a TV series that will showcase a team-up between DC heroes Hal and John Stewart as they investigate a murder that happened on Earth. It will also push the DCU's version of the Green Lantern Corps into the spotlight.
The DCU's version of Hal Jordan is a veteran Green Lantern nearing retirement, who will be mentoring John Stewart as someone being groomed to replace him.
Hawkgirl
While Hawkgirl became one of the important characters in the Justice League animated series on Cartoon Network, the DC hero didn't appear in Zack Snyder's DCEU at all.
The new DCU is poised to change that as it is set to introduce Isabel Merced as the franchise's version of the Thanagarian hero in Superman.
Not much is known about Hawkgirl's role in Superman and beyond, but marketing for the David Corenswet-led movie already confirmed that she will be part of the team known as Justice Gang.
Given her prominence in DC lore, Hawkgirl is expected to be a crucial part of the overarching storyline of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
Mr. Terrific
Rounding out the members of the Justice Gang in 2025's Superman movie is Edi Gathegi's Mr. Terrific.
While Mr. Terrific is nowhere to be found in Zack Snyder's DCEU, the character did make a plethora of significant appearances in The CW's Arrowverse, where he was portrayed by Echo Kellum.
Ahead of Superman's premiere, the DCU's version of the hero is already making headlines after the official trailer highlighted Mr. Terrific's wild superpowers as he protects himself from being gunned down by using a force field from his T-Spheres.
Signs are pointing that Mr. Terrific will play a crucial role in the DCU's future.
Metamorpho
James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU will look to make their DC franchise stand out from Zack Snyder's DCEU by adding more metahumans to its vast roster.
One way of doing that is by including a unique hero like Rex Mason (aka superhero Metamorpho, the Element Man), who is set to debut in Superman. The character will be portrayed by Anthony Carrigan.
In DC Comics, Metamorpho can stretch and contort his body into a wide variety of forms.
The Engineer
One of the unique characters that the DCU will introduce in its expansive roster is María Gabriela De Faría's Angela Spica (aka The Engineer), one of the non-Lex Luthor villains in Superman.
Aside from not showing up in the DCEU, The Engineer's appearance in Superman marks the character's live-action debut as she is set for a clash with the titular Kryptonian.
In DC Comics, The Engineer can create weapons out of her body, imbued with advanced liquid machinery. She is also one of the founding members of The Authority.
Booster Gold
After being absent from the DCEU and a one-off appearance in DC's Legends of Tomorrow in the Arrowverse, Booster Gold is slated to make an appearance in the DCU, and the character is even set to headline its own live-action TV series (read more about all the upcoming shows of the DCU here).
While no actor has been cast yet for Booster Gold, rumors are swirling that Kumail Nanjiani may have already landed the coveted role of the time-traveling DC superhero.
Starfire
After appearing prominently on the small screen in Titans, where she was portrayed by Anna Diop, a brand-new version of Starfire will soon be introduced in the wider DCU.
Warner Bros. Animation has already announced that a "younger-skewing" animated series starring Starfire is in the works alongside My Adventures with Green Lantern and DC Super Powers.
In a post from Threads, James Gunn confirmed that the Starfire animated series is an Elseworlds project, meaning that it is not part of the mainline DC continuity.
Despite that, it looks like the DCU will have its version of Starfire after Creature Commandos (who is part of the main DC canon) showed the character as one of the victims of the looming war seen in Circe's vision of the future.
Robin (Damian Wayne)
Another character who will make his live-action debut in James Gunn's DCU is Damian Wayne as Robin (aka Bruce Wayne's son).
Damian is confirmed to appear in the rebooted DCU alongside an older Batman in The Brave and the Bold. The character's role in the larger DCU story is still shrouded in secrecy, but Robin is expected to play a crucial role in expanding the universe.
Which Other Characters Will Appear in the DCU?
As the DCU expands, it is widely expected that more characters will be introduced.
Other characters that are set to appear in DCU projects are the likes of Swamp Thing, The Authority, and the Teen Titans. It's worth noting that these characters aren't 100% confirmed due to them still being in development.
The Engineer's appearance in Superman could serve as a hint of what's to come for The Authority, considering that she founded the team. The movie may provide an update about The Authority, like whether or not the team is active or not during the movie's events.
As for the Teen Titans project, an update about it may not emerge anytime soon, considering that one of its most prominent members is Damian Wayne.
For the DCAU fans, fans may remember that Damian played a crucial role in forming that universe's version of Teen Titans, and the same could happen in the live-action DCU.
Meanwhile, Swamp Thing is still in development, but the good news is that James Gunn confirmed that the horror movie will be helmed by Logan and Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold.
As one of the DCU movies that have been facing challenges (as revealed by Gunn), Gunn revealed that he has been talking with Mangold "occasionally" about Swamp Thing, potentially indicating that they are still brainstorming story ideas.
