For 90 years, DC Comics has created some of the most beloved superheroes in the genre. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and so many more have even broken free from the paneled page and made their way onto the big and small screen. However, there are plenty more that haven’t received the attention they deserve. The Justice League has had an ever-shifting roster for decades, meaning many heroes have been introduced and become fan favorites within the comics. However, since many aren’t as immediately marketable as the Trinity and the League’s heaviest hitters, they have yet to see the transition to live action.
All of that may be changing, though. With James Gunn taking the reins of the DC live-action universe moving forward, there is a chance that many of DC’s more obscure characters could find the spotlight. After all, Gunn once brought a Marvel superhero team known as the Guardians of the Galaxy from comic book obscurity to massive mainstream popularity in the MCU, and he did so again with his iteration ofThe Suicide Squad.The following 20 Justice League members are some of DC’s best characters, but directors have yet to lean into their potential. Now is the time to change that and give them the solo movies that they deserve.
20Plastic Man (1941)
Debuting in 1941 under Quality Comics,Plastic Manwas acquired by DC in 1956, and he has become a fan-favorite superhero for his offbeat superheroics. A former criminal, Eel O’Brian, was left to die during a heist, but exposure to an unknown chemical saved his life. Developing insane stretching powers, Eel took the name Plastic Man and turned away from his life of crime.
His powers would later evolve, allowing him to alter his appearance. While a main member of Grant Morrison’sJustice League, wherein the League often relied on his criminal background, Plastic Man has recently joined the Terrifics after exposure to Dark Multiverse energy.
Plastic Man is Not a Mr. Fantastic Clone
While Plastic Man is often compared to Marvel’s Mr. Fantastic, Plastic Man actually debuted 20 years earlier, but he hasn’t received the same mainstream attention. However, Eel O’Brian is the perfect character for Gunn’s DC universe. Gunn loves to play with the ridiculous and bizarre in his films, and given Plastic Man’s original DC Comics' moniker of “the World’s Weirdest Hero,” he could help provide a fun comedic foil to more serious superheroic adventures. With the right comedian behind the role, the character could bring a fresh and wild perspective to modern superheroes, enlivening the genre with some truly bizarre antics.
19Zatanna (1964)
Created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in 1964,Zatanna Zatarais one of the DC Universe’s most gifted magicians. The daughter of Giovanni Zatara, Zatanna grew up with magic, mastering a unique spell casting method called Logomancy that utilizes words spoken backwards. Zatanna began her superhero career while searching for her missing father, taking time from her work as a stage magician to aid the Justice League in various mystical capers. She has since become one of the most trusted names in the superhero community, leading the Justice League Dark in recent years to confront supernatural threats.
Zatanna Could Help Introduce DC’s Live-Action Supernatural Superheroics
It sadly makes too much sense why Zatanna hasn’t found the mainstream popularity of DC’s other greats. Other than a handful of miniseries and one-shots, Zatanna is normally just a secondary character in various teams. This has changed in recent years with her leadership roles, but even there, she doesn’t receive the attention she deserves.
She is one of DC’s most powerful sorcerers, deeply embroiled in its supernatural realms, but she is constantly overlooked in favor of bigger names. Given the live-action reboot, now is the right time to introduce her, giving her the leading role she has deserved and bringing viewers into DC’s brilliant mystical domain.
18Martian Manhunter (1955)
Martian Manhunter,a.k.a. J’onn J’onnz, made his debut inDetective Comics #255in 1955. While his origins differ between the various continuities, the general story sees a Martian peacekeeper displaced in space (and often time). Teleported to Earth, this Martian took the name J’onn J’onnz and took on a human appearance. Using his immense telepathic powers and his unparalleled shapeshifting abilities, the Martian Manhunter became a staple of the superhero community. He was once recruited by Amanda Waller as the only possible opposition to Superman, and in recent years, he has become the chairman of the Justice League itself.
The Time Has Come for a Martian Manhunter Solo Film
Can anyone tell me why Martian Manhunter hasn’t received his own solo or team film debut? Yes, J’onn J’onnz did make an appearance in the Snyder Cut ofJustice League,and he has made several small-screen appearances. However, this hero is afoundingmember of the Justice League of America.
In universe, he is considered one of the most powerful superheroes of all time, with Superman even admitting that he might not win a one-on-one match with the alien telepath. There is so much potential in Martian Manhunter’s story, and yet no filmmaker has fully explored this brilliant character. It’s time for that to change.
17Kyle Rayner - Green Lantern (1994)
Kyle Rayner debuted as the fourthGreen Lanternof Earth in 1994 during Emerald Twilight. After Hal Jordan’s break with sanity and his subsequent slaughter of several Green Lanterns, the Guardian Ganthet comes to Earth to bequeath the ring on this aspiring artist. Gaining all the power of a Green Lantern, Kyle pushes the ring to its limits, creating constructs based on his love of pop culture and his own extensive creativity.
His prowess and willpower were so great that he once became the host for Ion, the spirit powering the Green Lantern power battery, and during the New 52, he even became the embodiment of life itself as a White Lantern.
Kyle Rayner Needs to Rise Above the Controversies of His Past
Despite being one of the coolest and most interesting Green Lanterns in the DC Universe, Kyle Rayner’s absence fromDC’s live-action filmsmakes sense. Firstly, Green Lanterns in general have been underrepresented, especially after Ryan Reynolds' failed adaptation in 2011. More pressing, though, is the controversy surrounding the character, namelythe issues surrounding “women in refrigerators.”
With that said, the character deserves another chance, one not marred by this unnecessary violence. Kyle Rayner’s creative flair would be perfect for the big screen, and outside of John Stewart, he is easily one of the best Green Lanterns in comics.
16Aztek (1996; 2017)
The originalAztek,the alter ego of a man simply known as Uno, debuted in the 1996 miniseriesAztek: The Ultimate Man, while his legacy counterpart Nayeli Constant filled his shoes in 2017’sJustice League of America.Uno grew up in a secret facility, trained for decades to the peak of human physical and mental ability so that he could one day become the champion of Quetzalcoatl and battle the Aztec god of conflict, Tezcatlipoca. After sacrificing himself to save the world, the mantle went unused for nearly two decades before Nayeli was chosen to become the new champion due to the return of Tezcatlipoca.
The Azteks Bring Mesoamerican Mythology Into the Modern Day
Both iterations of Aztek are among some of the most obscure characters in DC Comics, which makes them a perfect addition to this list. As mentioned earlier, Gunn has a talent for finding the potential in very obscure characters, and both of these heroes have potential to spare. While the original Aztek was short-lived,Blue Beetleproved that a legacy character can be a great way to dynamically introduce the original character.
No matter how the story plays out, though, these characters would give the DC live-action universe a chance to expand on their mystical realms while simultaneously bringing underrepresented world mythology to life.
15Animal Man (1966)
First appearing in 1966 within the pages ofStrange Adventures,Animal Man or Buddy Baker is a film stuntman with the power to mimic the abilities of animals. While hunting, Buddy stumbles upon a crashed alien spaceship, whose radiation bestows upon him his amazing gifts. Originally, this power was limited to animals within his vicinity, but he soon realized that he could access power from throughout the animal kingdom, even extinct creatures. He would later discover that his exposure to the alien energies somehow bound him to the Red, a mystical energy connected to all animal life, and this connection has even passed to his children.
Animal Man is the Star of Some of DC’s Most Groundbreaking Stories
While not a household name, Animal Man has featured in some of the most beloved storylines in the comic book continuity. Grant Morrison’s run took the character in some absolutely bizarre directions, transforming him into a metafictional icon that was meant to deconstruct superheroics.
The focus on Buddy as a family man, first and foremost, helped set him apart from other superheroes at the time, and it also allowed future writers to explore less typical story beats, introducing the Red and major horror elements, in future arcs. All of this is to say that Animal Man’s place in comic book history has at the very least earned him a shot at the big screen.
14Vixen (1981)
Vixendebuted in 1981 inAction Comics #521,but her story starts centuries in the past. Her ancestor, a Ghanan shaman named Tantu, made a deal with the spider god Anansi to gain the powers of the animal kingdom to defend the innocent. Anansi gave him the power in the form of a mystical totem, one passed down through the generations.
After her father is killed by her uncle and the totem is stolen, Mari Jiwe McCabe moved to New York and became a model. Years later, she would return to Zambezi and reclaim the totem, discovering its powerful connection to the Red through her work with the Justice League and the Suicide Squad
Vixen Stands Out Amidst Other Animal-Themed Superheroes
Unlike many of the characters on this list, Vixen has seen quite a bit of screentime through her appearances in the Arrowverse, while also appearing in a number of DC’s animated ventures. Still, this is a character wholly deserving of her own solo film. While she and Animal Man share a number of big similarities, the visual appeal of her superpower (i.e. the summoned animal spirit) helps her stand out among other heroes of the Red.
More importantly, she is a fantastic representation of not only Black women but also the blending of modern society and traditional values, and her role in several iterations of the Justice League shows how important she actually is.
13Orion (1971)
In 1971, comic book mastermind Jack Kirby created his own space-age mythology in the DC Universe. DubbedThe New Gods,his series detailed the conflict between two factions of extraterrestrial deities. Darkseid, evil tyrant of Apokolips, and Highfather, benevolent ruler of New Genesis, warred for millennia, but in a bid for peace, the two traded one of their sons each. While the peace would not last, Highfather’s influence on his adopted son Orion would provide New Genesis with one of their greatest warriors. Taught to control and harness his rage, Orion came to value and love his new home, stopping his true father’s forces at every turn.
Orion is the Perfect Representative of DC’s New Gods
This entry and the following two are mostly just an appeal for DC to bring the New Gods to live action. The mythos of this cosmic conflict are highly regarded among the comic book community, and the dense lore has fascinated readers for decades. The reason Orion is mentioned specifically is in his fascinating story. He is the epitome of the nature vs. nurture debate, just on a cosmic scale.
Orion is the product of the universe’s greatest evil, but he instead chose his adopted father’s ideals and chose to defend instead of destroy. It’s a brilliantly constructed origin story, and it helps to flesh out and humanize what many consider to be Kirby’s masterwork.
12Mr. Miracle (1971)
Scott Freeis the opposing half of the New Gods' peace Pact, traded by Highfather to prevent a cosmic war. Raised in a Terror Orphanage, Scott suffered endless torture in an attempt to brainwash him, but despite never knowing his heritage, he refused to give in to Granny’s machinations. He later joined a resistance movement, where he met his future wife, Big Barda.
Fed up with the abuse, Scott managed to escape to Earth, where he met escape artist Thaddeus Brown, a.k.a. Mr. Miracle. After Brown’s death at the hands of Intergang, Scott took his mentor’s alias and decided to use his array of New Gods tech to protect his new home.
Scott Free Could Introduce the New Gods to the Larger DC Universe
If Orion represents nurture, then Scott Free clearly represents nature. Mr. Miracle is a product of New Genesis through and through, but while his origins and character are interesting, it is his role in the DC Universe that earns him a place on this list. Mr. Miracle is the bridge between the New Gods and the other superheroes of the DC universe.
Scott’s stories were based in more traditional superheroics, downplaying the New Gods mythology in favor of exploring Scott’s time on Earth. He even had a stint in the Justice League International, and several team-ups with Batman showcase his more grounded perspective.
11Big Barda (1971)
Introduced inMister Miracle #4,Big Barda has always been connected to the universe’s greatest escape artist. Like Scott Free, Barda was raised in an Apokoliptian training facility, bred from birth to be the next great leader of Granny Goodness' premier battalion, the Female Furies. Unlike her future husband, though, Barda served Darkseid faithfully for centuries until she met Scott.
Sensing his inner peace, she joined the resistance movement and helped him escape to Earth. She would later follow after, joining him as a stage performer and superhero, and she even served beside her husband in the Justice League International.
Big Barda Could Give DC’s Viewers the Next Great Female Lead
Again, any number of the New Gods could feature here, but Barda is so highly regarded among fans that she deserves a place on this list. She was one of the more multidimensional female characters at the time of her release, but she hasn’t seen many appearances in the modern day.
Outside of a few minor appearances in team-up specials, Barda hasn’t seen a starring role in some time. A live-action debut could bring this character back into prominence, and though a “solo movie” would likely have to include her future husband, it might provide a fun shake-up of the superhero genre to have a more heavy-handed romance subplot.
