James Gunn is finally dropping nuggets about his DC Universe ahead of the release of Superman, including an important date on the timeline that could reveal who the franchise's heroes will face off against at the end of Chapter One: Gods & Monsters.
Before taking over the DCU, Gunn's only experience with comic book characters came while playing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sandbox. Marvel Studios had a specific plan from the start, kicking off its franchise with Iron Man, which saw Tony Stark become a hero and then learn more about the amazing world he lived in (read more about the characters who wore the Iron Man armor in the MCU).
To avoid any comparisons, Gunn is taking a different approach. Earth's residents in Superman have known about metahumans for 300 years, viewing them more like celebrities than terrifying beings that can do harm to them.
It's going to give Superman a very different feel, with the Man of Steel having to find his place in a world that already has an impressive roster of heroes. However, there may be more to it than that, as the idea of metahumans being in the public eye for hundreds of years is a specific one.
Gunn isn't saying that they showed up on Earth 300 years ago, but that humanity became aware of them then. That means it's safe to assume that they've been around much longer than that, possibly as far back as prehistoric times.
That probably seems like a stretch, but a major DC villain gained incredible power tens of thousands of years before modern times and spent most of his life plotting and scheming behind the scenes. And if he's active in the DCU, it's not going to mean good things for Superman and Co.
Vandal Savage Is Everything That Chapter One of the DCU Needs
After interacting with a meteorite, Vandal Savage became immortal. He realized that, by acquiring skills and information, he could influence events around the world and benefit himself.
Savage wore many hats, including being a pharaoh, a pirate, and a king. No matter where he hung up his coat, though, he would leave devastation in his wake.
By the Golden Age, heroes in the DC Universe were getting wise to Savage's schemes and challenged him. He battled the Justice Society of America in the 1940s and later found himself at odds with the Justice League.
While the villain didn't possess Superman's strength or Flash's speed, he had centuries of knowledge that gave him an edge. It also didn't hurt that he was proficient in just about every form of combat.
That sort of villain is exactly what the DCU needs to stand out against its competitors. Gunn can mold Savage into anyone he wants and have him be part of every major event in the franchise before unleashing him fully.
However, the thing Savage really has going for him is that, unlike Darkseid and Lex Luthor, there's almost no baggage. A good number of DC villains have already been done on the big screen, and in most cases, they failed to hit the mark.
Savage, on the other hand, only has one major live-action appearance under his belt. He tormented the heroes of the Arrowverse during the "Heroes Join Forces" crossover before making the jump to the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, but that was nearly a decade ago, and it wasn't like The CW's version of the character was anything to write home about.
The villain's story in the Arrowverse focused on his pursuit of Hawgirl and Hawkman, which started hundreds of years in the past. There wasn't much more to it than that, though, meaning there are plenty of notable comic book stories to draw inspiration from that have yet to be touched in live-action.
