From Batman to Booster Gold,DC Comicsis filled with exciting heroes and even more exciting titles. Just as the new DCU is getting on its feet and ready to have its true beginning with 2025’sSuperman, the film world is ripe for more comic book adaptations. Some of the best comic book movies have been straight-to-film adaptations, as the films often stand up better on their own if they reflect the true heart of their source material.
And there’s a lot of source material yet untapped inDC’s best comics. There are some iconic comics that are the pillars of the industry - and the superhero genre in particular - and then there are some lesser-known comics that are still some of the most cohesive stories today. In any case, there are some truly underrated DC gems that very much deserve to be adapted in the new on-screen version of the DCU.
10Swamp Thing (1984)
Alan Moore’s Subversive Take on Old Hollywood Horror
Thankfully,Alan Moorehas already seen adaptations of a few of his works - including DC’s Watchmen - in several different forms, but hisSwamp Thingera with a variety of artists redefined comics for a whole new generation. Redefining the consciousness of the monster Swamp Thing,he also invented the Green, a nature network that connects all plant life, which is still at play with Poison Ivy.
With major themes of body horror, pollution, and old Hollywood monster tropes, Moore broughtSwamp Thingback from cancelation and transformed it into one of DC’s staples.The plot of vicious nature fighting back against industrializationis no less applicable today than when it was written. The Swamp Thing character also fits perfectly into James Gunn’s chapter one of the DCU titled “Gods and Monsters,” considering that Alec Holland - the original Swamp Thing - is both.
9Booster Gold (2007)
Booster Gold Is Time’s Most Unknown Hero
With hints about the coming ofBooster Goldto the DCU, there is no greater time to bring DC’s greatest time traveler to the big screen. In his beloved 2007 solo series,Booster Goldby Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, and Booster’s creator Dan Jurgens,the hero out of time is tasked by a time master to fix all the flaws in the time stream, making him the greatest hero no one’s ever heard of. With this comic, Booster Gold became a DC icon.
Booster Gold’s character development through the series is one for the ages. Jon Michael Carter goes from a fame-hungry faker and DC’s worst hero to the secret savior of the universe. Superman and Batman mostly stay the same in their comics, butin Booster Gold’s title, he gets a story arc like no other.An adaptation is ripe for DC references while also providing a cohesive character-driven film.
8Animal Man (1988)
Grant Morrison Turns a Silly Power into a Fourth-Dimensional Ride
There’s really no comic book better suited to a movie thanAnimal Manby Grant Morrisonand Chas Truog. This story of D-lister Buddy Baker, who can take on the attributes of any animal in nature, quickly turns intoa story about alien invasions and a peyote trip into the fourth dimension where Animal Man meets his own comic-book maker.It’s a cohesive work that starts off simply and quickly makes Animal Man one of the most fascinating heroes whose titles still astonish today.
After the success of fourth-wall breaking movies and television likeDeadpoolandShe-Hulk,Animal Manis primed to hit a home run. Especially considering it’s not used as a trope for Buddy Baker to make meta-jokes but to meet his own author. More than that,Superman has gotten enough screen time- it’s time for lesser-known heroes with more interesting powers to get their shot.
7Mister Miracle (2018)
Dealing with Grief and Depression, Scott Free Learns How to Stop Escaping
Seeing as how Gunn is already working to adapt Tom King and Bilquis Evely’sSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrowinto the DCU, it’s a perfect opportunity for another of King’s major works to be picked up.Mister Miracleby King and Mitch Gerads is an Eisner Award-winning comic about the lesser known hero of the New Gods. His greatest power is in the art of escape, but whenMister Miraclefaces suicidal ideation,he has to reckon with the power of sticking around.
One of the most heartfelt and down-to-earth comics in DC’s history,Mister Miraclewould be a great addition to the DCU, especially considering that it already acts as an alternate universe story. But really, it’sa brilliant standalone story about family and love’s power.Aside from its plot of space war between gods, it’s a grounded, character-driven piece about mental health that resonates with modern audiences.
6Doom Patrol (1987)
The Wildest Ride in Comics History, Bar None
While it already has a television adaptation of the same name,Doom Patrolis the perfect missing ingredient for comic-book movies.Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxycame close, but nothing compares to the wild ride ofMorrison and Richard Case’s Doom Patrol, later followed by the fan-favorite writer Rachel Pollack. With villains that break the fourth wall, characters that are entire city blocks, and deep-dives into the backstory of the serial killer Jack the Ripper,Doom Patrolis one of a kind.
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A comic followinga bunch of misfits that are the only ones capable of saving the world from extraordinary and eldritch horrorsis a perfect choice for adaptation to complement films likeSuperman.Just as the MCU started withIron Manand allowed time for some weirder stories on the sidelines,Doom Patrolwould be a perfect fit to flesh out the DCU. In any case, it would be the most fun movie DC could make.
5Kingdom Come (1996)
DC’s Dark Future Sets the Stage for Every Elseworld Story
One of the most famous DC stories, which has been ready for a film adaptation since its creation, isKingdom Comeby Mark Waid and Alex Ross. Told from the apocalyptic point of view of a preacher learning of the future to come from the Spectre, the Justice League is fractured andall the iconic heroes are much older and engaging in a civil war among themselvesas a new hero with no problem with killing rises to fame and threatens what it means to be a hero.
A perfect Elseworlds comic,Kingdom Comeset the stage forInjusticeand other dark DC stories starring the Justice League. It showed fans a crippled version of Batman, an authoritarian Superman, and one of the first answer to the iconic question of who would win in a fight between Superman and Shazam. After some of these characters get their own films in the DCU, it would be a lot of fun to see a dark future, detailing one of DC’s most famous comics.
4Batman: The Long Halloween (1997)
Batman’s First Years Include His Best Detective Story
Batman’s best mystery comic,Batman: The Long Halloweenby Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, is ripe for the silver screen. Followingthe plot of the Holiday Killer,Batman investigates a year’s worth of killings, roping in every villain in Gotham, as well as changing the fate of the city forever. In this comic, some of Batman’s early history was reinvented, and pieces of the criminal underground are still being used in films today.
Whether in Matt Reeves' universe or in the DCU, the atmosphere is perfect for a slow-burn detective story. Fans have seen Batman go up against Doomsday and Darkseid, as he certainly does in the comics, but they have yet to seeone of his greatest comics, which illustrates just why he’s called the World’s Greatest Detective. In addition,The Long Halloweenis the perfect introduction to Two-Face’s origin story.
3Blackest Night (2009)
Green Lantern Heads DC’s Best Zombie Crisis
One of Green Lantern’s best story arcs,Blackest Nightby Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis still stands as one of DC’s best crises.Providing both the lore of the emotional spectrum for the first time on top ofa classic zombie apocalypse,Blackest Nightis also a story of hope and rebirth. Focusing on characters like the Flash and Green Lantern, the heroes fight the black light of death with the white light of life, changing DC’s legacy forever.
No comic book movie has really tackled zombie yet.After a few phases of the DCU, this crisis would be a perfect revamping for characters that had died in films. As a sort of crossover event, it would be wonderful to see the Flash and Green Lantern working together against their zombified friends in a way that resurrects them in fun cameos too. The story also proposes DC’s major theme: hope always exists in the midst of suffering - and that hope, more than ever, needs to be seen on the screen.
2All-Star Superman (2005)
Superman Gets His Most Fantastical Story to Date
After Gunn’s newestSupermanmovie becomes a hit, the stage will be set forSuperman’s biggest story.Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’sAll-Star Supermantells an imaginative story revolving around one ticking fact: Superman is dying. The question then becomeshow Superman can prepare the world for a world without Superman before he goes.What follows are fantastic feats - such as teaming up with alternate versions of Superman - and mythological battles with historical gods.
All-Star Supermanstill stands asone of the best Superman stories. Defeating the criticism that Superman is boring, he has some of the most fun adventures, all the while remaining that good-natured beacon of hope that makes him who he is. An adaptation of this comic would not only fit perfectly into the DCU but would become the best Superman film to date.
1Batman: Hush (2002)
Batman’s Most Compelling Mystery, Which Changed Everything
There’s no more cohesive story in the DC Universe thanBatman: Hushby Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. One of DC’s best mystery stories, Batman is sent down a rabbit hole to discoverwho the new villain Hush isand how he reckons with his past in a way that brings every villain in Gotham into the fray - and also has some surprising twists at every turn.Batman: HushisBatman at his best.
There are more than enough Elseworlds stories concerning Batman, and most of his films act as a sort of alternate reality. SeeingHushon the screen would finally give fans a chance to see the real Batman in live action. With this and all these other comic book titles,DC Comicshas a wealth of sources to pull from with its next films - and if those making the movies honor the source material, the best comic books can become the best movies too.
