DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn's latest social media tease pays tribute to Gorilla Grodd. The DCU's rogues' gallery will include Grodd in the coming years, as he will be the villain for HBO Max's upcoming Jimmy Olsen show, starring Superman actor Skyler Gisondo. The spin-off will follow a unique true-crime style, with Olsen as the host, developed by American Vandal creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda.
James Gunn took to X to celebrate the beloved Flash villain Gorilla Grodd as fans await his true DCU debut in an upcoming HBO Max show. The day of posting (Thursday, February 19) marks the 67th anniversary of Gorilla Grodd's DC Comics debut in The Flash #106.
Alongside a terrifying close-up of the Flash's gorilla nemesis, Gunn hyped up his ferocity and mind-bending superpowers, noting how he "immediately chose violence (and mind control, obviously)" from his debut appearance:
"When Gorilla Grodd made his comic debut, he immediately chose violence (and mind control, obviously). His first appearance was in THE FLASH #106, written by John Broome, with pencils by Carmine Infantino, and inks by Joe Giellaroome, with pencils by Carmine InfaInfantino, and inks by Joe Giella."
Gunn has often celebrated anniversaries and birthdays for major DC characters on his social channels, although these have mostly been limited to those being worked on under DC Studios, such as Guy Gardner, Mister Miracle, and Clayface.
Gunn has been vocal about his love and plans for Grodd for some time, as he told Entertainment Weekly last year after fans wrongly speculated he was set up in Superman, "I love Gorilla Grodd, so I've got other plans for that guy."
Nexus Point News stated in November that DC's true-crime spin-off is planning to shoot this spring in Atlanta, coinciding with Man of Tomorrow's production, just as Superman did with Peacemaker Season 2 in 2024. Currently, the DCU has no HBO Max shows scheduled for 2027, making a late-2027 release seem likely.
Gorilla Grodd's HBO Max Debut May Be Setting Up a Bigger Future
DC Studios doesn't seem to have any plans for The Flash himself, making Gorilla Grodd's debut in Superman's true-crime spin-off rather strange. That said, one has to wonder if the Scarlet Speedster could board the DCU with the Jimmy Olsen show, chasing Grodd while the Daily Planet reporter chases a story.
One also has to question how much Grodd will be able to appear directly in his streaming debut, as it's tough to imagine DC Studios or HBO Max giving a Jimmy Olsen show enough budget to regularly feature a giant CGI gorilla.
James Gunn may also be using this in-universe documentary to establish Grodd's character and tease him as a larger threat in his Chapter 1 plans. After all, the Daily Planet crew obviously won't be able to take down Grodd in the HBO Max series itself, so that job may be saved for the Flash or the Justice League later.
Fans caught a glimpse of Grodd and the Flash in the DCU's first project, Creature Commandos, through a future vision that saw him ally with Princess Illana Rostovic to conquer the world. However, Rostovic's assassination in the finale seemingly averted that future, and left Grodd's uncertain for now.
Creature Commandos hinted that Grodd would one day command an army with Princess Rostovic that would one day conquer the world. Just because Rostovic is, of course, dead, that's not to say the super-genius gorilla won't still execute those plans, as DC Studios likely placed him in that vision for a very specific reason.
