DC Movie Villains

With the DC Films in something of a continuing flux, it has become fascinating to see which films get made and how they are tied (sometimes retroactively) into a broader inter-film narrative. What gets me is how the villains often seem wasted and/or repeated. About the only DC film villains of recent years that made any real impact on me were Black Manta and Doctor Sivana. Contrast this with Killmonger, Vulture, Thanos and more over on the competition's side. I find this odd because DC Comics are typically considered to have the "better" villains of the big two, I'd disagree, but it's mostly the Batman rogues gallery that people tend to think of, forgetting some of the great Fantastic Four antagonists. 

As I'm transitioning my "The Pitch" articles into a new format, I thought I'd be better off taking a look at some fun DC villains and how they may work in a film setting. I believe a good villain can not only be compelling in their own right, but can also inform us about a hero. Think of the contrast between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 or the first exchange between Superman and Luthor in Superman: The Movie, how the hero and villain interact build on who the hero is and how the audience perceives them. With that in mind, here are my ideas, mostly looking at any potential Justice League sequels.

Doctor Destiny

I'm not saying that Warner Bros should just adapt the Doctor Destiny episode of Justice League into a feature film, but I'm also not not saying that. The DCU's equivalent to Freddy Kruger, Doctor Destiny can enter people's dreams and battle them there, where he has the advantage. Any hero unfortunate enough to be trapped by Destiny can't wake up and must live in their worst nightmares for eternity. As well as a great concept for a film, showing the worst nightmares of the Justice League would be a fun way to introduce new characters without having to have a stand-alone film first. Just imagine Elogated Man, Vixen or John Stewart appearing like they've been there for ages and being informed of who they are by what they fear most. It would be even better if Batman's nightmare didn't involve the death of his parents.

Mongul 

To describe Mongul as a DC version of Thanos is both accurate and backhanded as the character is very interesting in his own right. A conqueror and warrior superb, Mongul rules by his own hand, being almost as strong as Superman and never afraid to get his hands dirty. Rather than just be another Thanos or Steppenwolf riff, imagine Mongul as the head of the Necromongers from Chronicles of Riddick, taking what they want by force of arms and getting bored by the lack of challenge. Stumbling across the exploits of the Justice League, Mongul decides to let down on Earth and start a ruckus. Sure, it's a big fight movie, but with a few guest stars like Massacre, Despero and Legion (who will never get a film of their own), it could be a lot of fun to watch.

Calculator and Clock King 

Now try this one on for size, Clock King and Calculator are sick of being seen as jokes, so they team up to take out as many heroes as they can. With the Supervillain answer to Oracle and the world's greatest Efficiency expert organising the heists from the shadows, soon the Justice League find third-stringers like Captain Nazi and Kite Man running rings around them and one of the big guns gets taken down hard. Capturing a few of the villains doesn't stop the crime wave, as no one seems to know who's really at the top. The Justice League are forced to resort to investigative tactics to uncover the truth, ending with not a massive fight, but a shocking anticlimax as godlike beings confront two nerds in a warehouse of computers. I'd watch it.


Prometheus 

I'm still a little disappointed as to how this character was used in Arrow, but that's no reason he couldn't make a return on the big screen. An ordinary human who has trained and equipped himself to take on superhumans, Prometheus takes the Batman factor and turns it to evil. Let's dial that up a notch, shall we, and combine it with the JLA Tower of Babel storyline? When a vigilante calling himself Prometheus starts taking down members of the League one-by-one, the trail leads back to Batman and a collection of files he keeps on his teammates in case he ever has to kill them. The mistrust Batman's secrets sews in the team makes taking on Prometheus an even bigger challenge, the heroes having to overcome their own paranoia to battle the bigger threat.

 

The Reach 

The only alien force to battle the Green Lanterns to a standstill, the Reach are long-lived and take over a planet with a smile rather than a gun. Playing a game of decades, the Reach cooperate with local authorities and operate in the open whilst getting species addicted to mind-altering drugs in soft drink and confectionery. In the interest of dropping all pretense, the Reach are Free Market Venture Capitalists and they need to be stopped, but everyone is brainwashed into thinking they're the "good guys". It's a metaphor. Justice League Vs Capitalism, I'm sure we could get Alan Moore on board to do a treatment.