James Gunn’sDCUcould allow an overlooked DC show to make the most out of its premise. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is set to explore an entirely new DC continuity its12-projectGods and Monsterschapter, which will introduce dozens of famous and obscure DC characters in both live-action and animation. DC icons such as Batman, Superman, and the Green Lanterns will start their DCU journey from scratch, little-known characters such as the Creature Commandos and The Authority will likely become important DCU figures, anda few popular DCEU characters will survive the DCU reboot, including Peacemaker and Blue Beetle.
A big part of the DCU’s appeal is its high degree of interconnectivity, as the DCEU’s failed plans to establish a cinematic universe left a bad taste in fans' mouths. The DCU promises to deliver self-contained movies and shows that work perfectly as standalone stories, but which also tie into other installments and the DCU’s overarching storylines. Not only will the DCU be able to improve on the DCEU’s formula and learn from its mistakes, but it could also integrate ideas from other popular and forgotten DC projects.One show the DCU could draw inspiration from is NBC’sPowerless— perhaps one of the most creative yet overlooked takes on the superhero genre in television.
Why Powerless Is DC’s Most Underrated TV Show
Powerless Explored The DC Universe Like No Other Movie Or Show Ever Has
Powerless' main hook is its incredibly simple premise: the DC Universe as seen from the eyes of regular people.AsPowerless' opening credits show, the series' main characters are those pedestrians who get kidnapped by the supervillains, get saved by the heroes, run away from catastrophic battles, or simply appear in the background of the comic book pages.Powerlesscenters around a group of regular citizens who deal with the side effects of metahumans' presence in the world. As the show progresses,Powerless' main characters dive deeper into the world of heroes and villains, yet they never develop superpowers or become vigilantes themselves.
Throughout its short one-season run,Powerlessremained faithful to its original premise and cast
Various movies and shows have started out as a grounded exploration of superhero stories from a regular human’s perspective. For instance,GothamandSmallvillewere initially marketed as semi-realistic shows centered around a child Bruce Wayne and a teenager Clark Kent, their home cities, and the eccentric characters who inhabit them. However, bothGothamandSmallvillequickly transformed into regular high-octane superhero shows, with the only difference being their young main heroes. Throughout its short one-season run,Powerlessremained faithful to its original premise and cast.
DC Universe’s Wonder Woman Prequel Can Avoid A Frustrating DC TV Problem
The DCU’s upcoming Wonder Woman prequel show, Paradise Lost, can avoid the flaws that kept Smallville and Gotham from fulfilling their premise.
Why Powerless Didn’t Connect To Any Other DC Shows & Movies
NBC’s Powerless Show Faced A Huge DC Obstacle Since Its Inception
Unfortunately forPowerless, the show lacked a key element that it needed to explore its innovative premise to its full extent. Back in 2017, DC still kept their film and TV projects separate, blocking several shows from using movie characters and storylines. In fact, this is why neitherSmallvillenor the Arrowverse could introduce Batman or Wonder Woman and only referenced them or only used their secret identities instead. Likewise,Powerlesswas able to establish a world populated by heroes like Batman and Superman, but it couldn’t feature them on screen.WhilePowerless' lack of superheroes played into its premise, it also kept the show from tackling bolder plotlines.
The Arrowverse’sCrisis on Infinite Earthscrossover featured Ezra Miller’s DCEU Flash. However, the DCEU never acknowledged this cameo, and the Arrowverse never really build upon it.
Now that James Gunn’s DCU is unifying movies, shows, and videogames — as well as live-action and animation — it could have its own version ofPowerless. The DCU’sPowerlesscould still follow regular humans exclusively, but it would be able to incorporate key DCU figures like Superman and Batman, as well as minor characters from every corner of the DC Universe. APowerless-inspired show could be a major asset for the DCU, as it would explore a superhero cinematic universe from an angle that’s rarely seen in franchises like the MCU, the DCEU, and the Arrowverse. It could be an essential source of worldbuilding for the lived-in DCU.
How The DCU Can Redo Powerless - But Better
A DCU Anthology Starring Regular Humans Could Be A Standout DCU Installment
With the DCU’s singular continuity and vast library of characters, a DCUPowerlessreboot could have the freedom to take bold risks with its style and format.DCU references in James Gunn’sSupermanare already expanding the franchise at an impressive rate with small details such as fictional brands (Chocos cookies), fictional companies (Stagg Enterprises), and hints to a large variety of future storylines (Green Lanterns, Justice League International). A DCU version ofPowerlesswould need to step up its already innovative premise to explore the DC Universe from a new angle, possibly with an anthology format and a wider variety of characters.
As an anthology, the DCU’sPowerlesscould follow several characters frommultiple fictional DC locations. For instance, the DCU could show what everyday life looks like for low-level Gotham criminals who find themselves escaping Batman on the regular, how half of Central City grows to love the Flash while the other half resents the many supervillains he attracts, and how LexCorp workers feel about working for an increasingly shadier Lex Luthor, as well as how Clark Kent’s Daily Planet coworkers get suspicious about his double life. If it ever happens, aDCUreboot ofPowerlesscould bring every DC project closer together in an unprecedented way.
