Warning: SPOILERS for Wonder Woman are ahead!
Many of DC Comics' superheroes have been thought of as "gods" walking among humans, and it's a fitting analogy. But there are also true gods in the DC universe, and at the beginning of this month, Wonder Woman revealed that the deities from Greek mythology once existed in the DC Extended Universe. Zeus created humanity in the image of the Olympian titans, and for millennia they lived in peace among us. Unfortunately, all of them were killed by Ares during the War of the Gods, leaving only the Themyscirans to know about the threat Zeus' treacherous son posed. Millenia later, Wonder Woman killed Ares, leaving her as the only Olympian left thanks to her demigod status.
Unless Wonder Woman 2 somehow brings the Olympian Gods back to life, it's doubtful we'll ever see them in the modern day DCEU. However, they still hold tremendous importance for the DCEU, both through a potential appearance in the new future and how they connect to other mighty beings from the DC pantheon. Let's begin by looking ahead at Justice League, which is five months away and arguably the biggest movie of this franchise yet.
They May Appear In Justice League
The majority of Justice League is set in the present day, but during the movie, there will be an important flashback scene which will show humans, Amazons and Atlanteans working together to fight Darkseid's forces, and in the aftermath, three Mother Boxes being left on Earth. This was briefly teased in the first Justice League trailer, and while the Amazons and Atlanteans are formidable warriors, it's hard to imagine that they would be victorious over an Apokoliptan army, especially since that army is packing a lot of firepower. That's where the Olympian Gods come into play. With their power, they can help turn the tide by driving Darkseid's minions off Earth and ensure that they don't come back for a long time.
Both Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright are reprising Hippolyta and Antiope, respectively, for Justice League, and since Nielsen implied that they share scenes together, that likely means they'll be seen far in the past given that Antiope was killed in Wonder Woman when the Germans attacked Themyscira. Seeing those two in battle isn't terribly surprising, but since a fair amount of time passed between when Zeus created the Amazons for humanity and when Ares killed the Greek gods, we can presume that this flashback takes place in that interim period. Throw in the fact that producer Charles Roven revealed last year that the "Old Gods" will play a role in hiding the Mother Boxes, and it's a good bet that we'll see the Olympians in Justice League, even if it's just for a few minutes.
They Set Up Other Powerful Beings
Even though the Olympian Gods are dead, they aren't the only "deities" in the DC mythology. Justice League will fully introduce the New Gods mythology through Steppenwolf and potentially Darkseid. The sinister warlord has many other minions for moviegoers to meet in the coming years, but they're just one side of the coin that is the Fourth World. On the other side are the denizens of New Genesis, including Highfather, Mister Miracle, Big Barda and Orion. It's unclear just how much of the Fourth World will factor into DCEU movies after Justice League, but a prequel movie showing how the conflict between New Genesis and Apokolips began would be a cool addition to the slate.
Of course, one doesn't have to be called a god in the DC universe to be extremely powerful. The Guardians of the Universe will almost certainly appear in Green Lantern Corps, as they're the ones that created the rings of willpower and lead the Emerald Knights from their home base on Oa. Then there's the wizard Shazam who will show up in the movie of the same name to turn Billy Batson into the World's Mightiest Mortal. There's a chance the wizard could also show up in the Black Adam movie. And let's not forget other mystical beings that DC has featured over the years, like Phantom Stranger and The Spectre. Taking these "god" elements a step further, the DCEU could even feature the Quintessence, a group of cosmic beings who make sure there's order in the universe. The membership in Kingdom Come included Zeus, Highfather, Phantom Stranger, Shazam and Ganthet (one of the Guardians of the Universe), but that lineup could be changed for live action.
To sum up, even though Zeus and his cohorts are dead in the DCEU, they've laid the foundation for other deity-like figures to be introduced in the DCEU. The superheroes, be they human, alien or something else entirely, are still the primary focus of the franchise since they're more popular and relatable. Nevertheless, keep an eye out in the near future for the beings who have lived for significantly longer, and in some cases are the reasons that some of these superheroes exist.
