James Gunn's Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is changing the game for DC storytelling with one key hero. Moviegoers are less than a year away from seeing Man of Tomorrow fly into theaters on July 9, 2027, starring David Corenswet's Superman, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and a host of other familiar faces from the DCU. Unlike the DCEU, DC Studios has had the unique ability to expand the DCU across movies, TV, and animation, aligning with other major franchises like the MCU and Star Wars. As such, Man of Tomorrow will feature characters from both the big and small screen to face off with Lars Eidinger's Brainiac.
Man of Tomorrow will be a major turning point in DC history next year, as Aaron Pierre's John Stewart will become the first superhero who debuted on a TV show to appear in a blockbuster movie, following his origin story in HBO's Lanterns. The scope of the rogue Green Lantern's role in the Superman sequel is still unclear, but he is expected to team up with other DCU superheroes against Brainiac.
The marine veteran's theatrical debut could be a precursor to joining Superman as a founding member of the Justice League, setting up more big-screen appearances, but that doesn't mean he has gotten too big for his HBO-sized boots. DC Studios is in early development on Lanterns Season 2 ahead of a renewal, and Pierre would presumably remain the series' face and leading superhero.
While John Stewart is the first DCU superhero to jump from the small to the big screen in a major role, other non-superhero characters have had that honor. For one, Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. debuted in Creature Commandos before appearing in Superman and soon playing a pivotal part in Man of Tomorrow.
Additionally, DCU fans met Matt Hagen in Creature Commandos and will soon discover his origin in Clayface, although he is either a villain or anti-hero, and Alan Tudyk provided the voice in animation, not his live-action actor, Tom Rhys Harries.
Meanwhile, the DCU hasn't been shy to take theatrical characters to streaming, including Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Amanda Waller, John Economos, Emilia Harcourt, Lex Luthor, and many more heroes and villains in varying-sized roles.
Lanterns is only the fourth DC TV show to be canon to a theatrical cinematic universe after Peacemaker and Creature Commandos in the DCU, and The Penguin in Matt Reeves' The Batman universe. These crossovers are bound to become more widespread in future years as the DCU expands...
7 DCU TV Show Characters Who Could Come to Theaters Next
Booster Gold
Despite canceling multiple originally announced DCU shows, DC Studios has persevered with several writing teams now for a live-action Booster Gold show. That determination is the strongest sign that James Gunn has big plans to use the far-future loser-turned-modern-day superhero in a big way, perhaps as a member of the Justice League International, which the DCU seems to be heading for.
Mister Miracle
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran just recently confirmed that The Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson will voice Scott Free, aka Mister Miracle, in the upcoming animated series from Tom King. The escape artist grew up on Apokolips in Darkseid's orphanage, resulting in a heavy dose of PTSD, making him a uniquely complex character who is worthy of a larger role on the big screen.
Big Barda
Scott Free may suffer mentally, but he doesn't do so alone, as he is married to Big Barda, a powerful New God warrior with PTSD of her own. Terminator: Dark Fate star Mackenzie Davis has secured voice acting duties for Big Barda in Mister Miracle, and her significant height over Josh Hutcherson is the best sign yet that James Gunn has every intention of bringing them both to live-action.
Captain Atom
The military officer-turned-energy-based superhero Captain Atom will reportedly appear in Creature Commandos Season 2. The character has joined the Justice League before in DC Comics, and it's tough to see why James Gunn would be introducing him this early in the DCU unless there were bigger plans for him, likely in live-action as part of a grand-scaled superhero crossover event.
Circe
The plot of Creature Commandos kicked into gear through a vision from Wonder Circe of Princess Illana Rostovic taking over the world with a giant ape at her side, presumably Gorilla Grodd. It's possible that Circe could appear in HBO Max's The People v Gorilla Grodd to testify about her vision, but after that, Anya Chalotra could reappear in the DCU's Wonder Woman reboot due to her Themysciran ties.
Gorilla Grodd
James Gunn's DCU already featured Gorilla Grodd in a post-apocalyptic vision and is now exploring him in greater detail in mockumentary form. But it's tough to imagine that it isn't all building toward something bigger for the super-intelligent ape, whether that be as the big bad for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, or even as the villain of a potential DCU Flash reboot movie, if it ever happens.
Sgt. Rock
Audiences were briefly introduced to Sgt. Rock, a World War II hero and the leader of Easy Company, in Creature Commandos' G.I. Robot flashbacks. However, there was once a plan for Sgt. Rock to lead a DCU flick, originally starring Daniel Craig and later Colin Farrell. While DC Studios seemingly put the project on ice, it could be resurrected down the line once bigger heroes get their due.
BONUS.) Peacemaker
John Cena's Peacemaker was introduced in The Suicide Squad and had a cameo in Superman, but he has become synonymous with his two-season HBO Max show. Having been left stranded on Salvation, it is time for Peacemaker to return to the big screen, either in Man of Tomorrow or the DCU's Deathstroke and Bane team-up movie, which could take place in Rick Flag Sr.'s pocket dimension prison.
