DC Teams We Want To See In The DCEU

The Batmen of All Nations, sometimes also known as the International Club of Heroes, debuted on the comics page in 1955 — and it shows. As Detective Comics #215 has it, the legend of Batman has spread so widely across the world that imitators have emerged everywhere from Argentina to Italy. The Knight and the Squire (actually the Earl of Wordenshire and his son) clean up crime in England. Man-of-Bats and Little Raven keep their South Dakota reservation safe from all who threaten it. The Musketeer takes down Parisian ne'er-do-wells in a plumed chapeau. This is straight-up Silver Age comic book story stuff, down to the Knight and Squire's horse-shaped motorcycles.

You might think this would be a hard sell for modern audiences. But the Batmen of All Nations popped up in 2007's Batman #667, and the concept is as fresh today as it was the year it made its debut. With just a little fine-tuning — Man-of-Bats also works as a doctor, the Musketeer gets rich off selling the rights to his image — the idea of Batman-styled vigilantes the world over fits smoothly into the DC universe. The DCEU's world is a highly interconnected one, its global conversation moving at the lightspeed pace of social media. It might, in fact, be stranger to imagine a world where there aren't Batman imitators. Bring on the Batmen from every corner of the globe, and let them redefine their group once more for today's modern viewing audience.

Originally, the Seven Soldiers were a Golden Age super-team who took on the Axis in World War II. Then, in 2005, Grant Morrison and a roster of artists revamped the team into something entirely different and absolutely wonderful. Seven Soldiers of Victory chronicles seven reluctant, second-string heroes' strange journey to coming together as a team to fight the fiendish Sheeda, an Earth-inhabiting race of the far future. What ultimately makes the story tremendously unique is its format: The series consists of two book-end issues, and between them, seven four-issue, character-specific arcs. Though every hero fights the Sheeda, they do so separately — even in the climactic final battle, they can't really comprehend the larger picture of what they are doing. In the end, the Seven Soldiers are a team that isn't, in fact, much of a team at all.

This is a balancing act of a book, and one that would admittedly challenge any filmmaker, no matter how confident. But the comic pulled it off, proving how great the reward is for taking on the premise's risk — and a movie could succeed in much the same way. It helps that the Seven Soldiers include some of DC's most colorful characters, like Zatanna and Mister Miracle. They're all a little weird, rooted in their own particular corners of the DC universe, swept up in dramas utterly opaque to everyone else in the story. Combing their unique paths into one complete, satisfying big-screen arc would definitely be a challenge, but one that would still be well worth undertaking.

The Fourth World is one of the best parts of the DC mythos. Grand figures pontificate upon the cosmic stage, declaring themselves "the tiger-force at the core of all things." It's high drama, psychedelic science fiction, and pop mythology, all rolled up in Jack Kirby's techno-fantasia aesthetic. Characters like Darkseid and Mister Miracle have gone on to figure in searing, post-modern family dramas and vast, interstellar sagas alike. The Fourth World's characters are already set to be part of the DCEU, and will likely blow everyone's minds. But it's not all pomp and circumstance when it comes to the denizens of Apokolips and New Genesis. Enter the Forever People, flower children from beyond the stars.

There is nothing subtle about the Forever People. They spend their immortal lives "zoomin' over the electron road" in their Mother Box-powered supercycle. They're named things like Big Bear, Beautiful Dreamer, and Mark Moonrider, and they dress like they were waylaid at a Power Rangers convention on their way to Coachella. In a superhero landscape that tends toward stainless steel and desaturation, the Forever People could be a heady breath of fresh air, telling a genuinely universal teenage story. They're young, they're invincible, they're tangled up in the wars and triumphs of the adults in their lives — they're just doing it with a cosmically-powered motorcycle.

Trouble's afoot in the DC universe! But Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are busy — what's a terrified bystander to do? Call the Hero Hotline, of course! Available 24 hours a day, the Hero Hotline will dispatch one of its many qualified super-associates to take care of whatever you need. Run by the mysterious Coordinator, the Hotline's heroes include luminaries like Microwavabelle, Zeep the Living Sponge, and Marie, a psychic turtle sporting a truly adorable helmet.

As you might have guessed, the heroes of the Hotline are not exactly the DC universe's premier good guys. But what a concept they introduce! The Hero Hotline is unabashedly corporate, offering a unique look at how a world with superheroes might function. And though the Hotline's roster isn't the A-list, it's hard not to fall in love with them. Microwavabelle juggles inexact bus schedules alongside her scientific exploits, Mister Muscle constantly changes his name (Brother Bicep is a particularly good choice), and Stretch lives life with stretching powers that never stop working, meaning he typically looks like a wad of thoroughly chewed gum. This could be the DCEU's Guardians of the Galaxy, and a fascinating new perspective on superhero storytelling.

The Fourth World is very much part of the DCEU already, from Steppenwolf's assault on the Earth to Cyborg's Mother Box-powered cybernetic body. With a New Gods movie already in production, speculation is sizzling as to what elements of Apokolips and New Genesis will make their mark on the DCEU. We submit the Female Furies as one part of the Fourth World that simply cannot be ignored.

The Furies are sort of like Black Panther's celebrated Dora Milaje: Darkseid's elite, all-female strike force and honor guard who are, at all times, prepared to fight for their leader. Unlike the Dora Milaje, they have been raised by the ruthless Granny Goodness within the nightmare that is Apokolips, and are, as a result, completely twisted. But oh, how thrillingly theatrical that twistedness is: The Furies have names like Bernadeth, Mad Harriet, and Gilotina, rhapsodize about the chance to "earn [Darkseid's] love through pain and blood," and sometimes, in Big Barda's case, defect to Earth for a chance at love and freedom. From their bold costumes to their imaginative powers, the Furies were made for the big screen. Luckily enough, New Gods director Ava DuVernay has confirmed they will definitely be part of her movie — alongside Darkseid, of course.

It isn't exactly accurate to say that the Royal Flush Gang have worn many hats over the course of their 50+ year history. They have always maintained their playing card theme, have always been bad guys, and have always favored a sleek aesthetic. But within those parameters, their portrayal has varied wildly. The Royal Flush Gang have been taken over by the Joker, worked with androids, dabbled in mind control, and been revealed as a multi-generational operation perpetrated by one seriously vile family. There's one take that the DCEU should pay particular attention to, however: the Royal Flush Gang as portrayed on Justice League Unlimited. In one of the most affecting scenes of the series, it is revealed that this incarnation of the team was created by Ace, a psychic teenager who has warped innocent bystanders into filling out the Gang's ranks. Batman is sent in to kill her before she breaks reality entirely — but all Ace wants is for someone to listen to her. Batman does, and holds her hand until she passes away naturally.

Revamping the Gang with this take on Ace at its core practically begs to be put on the big screen. Her story confronts our heroes with hard truths, while complicating the villains around her — and for all that subversion, it's a choice that still allows for all the stylish fun of classic Gang interpretations. As far as villains go, the Royal Flush Gang is a winning hand.