Joker is out, and while it may be polarizing, there's no denying the movie has been a hit at the box office. The numbers may encourage DC to take more risks in story-telling, and maybe even give another villain in its stable an origin story worthy of the big screen.
So who should be the next major DC villain that gets a Joker-like movie? Here's some of the best picks of the litter, and some characters who could certainly use another movie to elevate their status within pop culture to the level of villains like Joker.
Sinestro
Sinestro is one of the few DC Villains that actually started out as a hero. For those that don't know, Sinestro was a Green Lantern, but was ultimately discharged from the Green Lantern Corps for his extreme methods and decision-making. They banished him to the antimatter universe as punishment, but ended up creating one of the most powerful nemesis the Corps has ever known, as Sinestro returned with a yellow ring powered by fear.
The story of Sinestro's rise and fall as a Green Lantern is a lot more nuanced than that, and could definitely be the focus of an entire film rather than the lightly touched-on subplot it was in Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern. Let's see a movie where we see Sinestro's questionable origins and some of his heroics, and let's really blur the line between who is truly the hero and villain in this story.
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is one of DC's most brilliant villains, and that should be relatively obvious based on one of the few things he's known for: being one of the only humans who can bring Superman to his knees without a Bat-suit. You'd think a man that powerful would be universally despised by the masses, but surprisingly, Lex Luthor has been popular enough in DC Comics to serve as President of the United States.
A movie about Lex Luthor's ascent to the White House would be great to watch, especially if it inevitably led to some grand confrontation with Superman in the movie's climax. Would the public opinion of Superman be enough to keep Lex out of office? That's a question we'd love to see a movie answer, and give an in-depth look at how a seasoned political campaign could smear the image of America's Boy Scout.
Bane
We've gotten a good number of Batman films that feature the Joker, but there have only been two feature films that highlighted one of Batman's other big rivals: Bane. Those features are Batman & Robin and The Dark Knight Rises, and neither didoes the best job of detailing the origins of this villain. That is, unless you count his description of being "born in darkness" as an adequate origin.
It would be great to see a young Bane grow up within the walls of the Santa Prisca prison and eventually grow into the brilliant tactician who becomes a lab rat and slave to his Venom addiction. There's a lot of stuff that could be covered with Bane pre-Batman, and a movie that highlighted how a young child was shaped and molded to be one of the Caped Crusader's greatest villains simply due to who his father was has some real potential.
Eobard Thawne (Reverse Flash)
We're still waiting on DC to pull the trigger on a movie centered on The Flash, so it feels highly unlikely we'd get a movie on his arch-nemesis, Eobard Thawne, first. If ever there was a movie where the villain film was made before the hero one though, this would be it. An origin story that can be told seamlessly while jumping forward and backward in time? Yes please!
Personally, I'd love to see the story in which Thawne starts out as a massive fan of The Flash, ends up traveling through time and discovering he eventually becomes Barry Allen's greatest enemy. Imagine the tonal shift a movie like that would have, especially if Thawne runs into future versions of himself far more gone than he was initially. Let's get that Flash movie in theaters so we can get someone started on this idea!
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage may be largely responsible for why it took The CW's Legends of Tomorrow so long to find its legs, but he's a much better villain than that series ever gave him credit for. He's 50,000 years old, immortal and can survive just about anything. What does a man do when he can't die? How does he decide to spend his days?
That's the story, and the fact that Vandal Savage has such a broad timeline that a screenwriter and director can cover, his direction is entirely up to the person who decides to tell his tale. There's also the potential to show him taking on heroes from the Golden and Silver Age, and going all the way up to feuds with modern day heroes. DC isn't worried about a shared universe anymore anyway, so why not take advantage of that with heroes shown across different eras?
Darkseid
For all the parts of its lore DC has covered on the big screen, audiences still have yet to see Darkseid make an appearance. That's probably for the best if that could only be accomplished through a Justice League sequel (which is currently on hold), though it wouldn't be the only way to bring in Darkseid in front of a mainstream audience. His origin story is pretty interesting, and involves the type of family conflict, betrayal, and fantasy that made franchises like Game of Thrones a hit.
The only real problem with Darkseid's origin is that his story is rife with characters that even seasoned superhero fans wouldn't know off the top of their heads. It's usually big news when the villain shows up to wreak havoc, but his origin hasn't been some major event that's been told time and time again. Now granted, it's been confirmed that Darkseid will appear in the New Gods script Ava DuVernay is writing with Tom King, but he's is a big enough character that he deserves a platform all to himself.
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Do you have any suggestions for a DC villain that deserves a Joker-like origin movie? Let us know in the comments below, and after making your case, be sure to stick with CinemaBlend to stay up to date on all the latest news happening in the world of movies and television.
