The DC Universe isn't quite ready for the Justice League just yet. As DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran build out their plan for the canon in what has been dubbed Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, they've put some notable heroes instantly in play, but DC's most famous superhero group has not yet assembled. Instead, for now, Superman is introducing fans to what has been dubbed the Justice Gang – and the stars of that ensemble have some thoughts about the JL roster.
CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb attended the Los Angeles press day for Superman last month, and while sitting down with Anthony Carrigan (who plays Metamorpho in the film) and the members of the Justice Gang (Isabela Merced a.k.a Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion a.k.a. Green Lantern, and Edi Gathegi a.k.a. Mr. Terrific), he asked for their first round Justice League picks. As captured in the video above, instead of going for some of more obvious choices like The Flash and Aquaman, they offered up some unexpected names who would be great to see on the big screen.
Interestingly showing a bit of bias towards heroes who could be described as follically challenged, Anthony Carrigan's first thought was Martian Manhunter (who is a classic Justice League character), but later he added Deadman to the mix – a character who audiences have never seen in live-action on the big screen. For those who aren't familiar, he is the ghost of an acrobat who has the ability to temporarily possess the living. Along with Metamorpho, it would be an interesting group, as Carrigan noted:
I’d want to see Deadman. Metamorpho and Deadman — just a couple of pasty white, bald heads.
Edi Gathegi also had the instinct to go a bit weird with the question and suggested that Plastic Man be a part of the Justice League conversation. The stretchy character would certainly be an easy method of injecting some humor into a big DC blockbuster with DC's biggest team, and it wouldn't be difficult to find a star who would be interested in taking on the role. While Ben Schwartz is best known to audiences for voicing Sonic The Hedgehog, he has been campaigning for the opportunity to play Plastic Man for years.
Of course, it's worth noting that the classic DC Trinity also got some love in the room as well. Wanting to see some fellow female heroes team-up with Hawkgirl on the big screen, Isabela Merced suggested the animal powers of Vixen and the dark magic of Raven, but she also wants to see the DC Universe of Wonder Woman. And as for Nathan Fillion, he is stoked to see the continuity's incarnation of Batman. Why? Because there is a famous scene from the comics where the Dark Knight knocks out Guy Gardner a.k.a. Green Lantern with a crack to the jaw, and it's a moment that he would love to bring to the big screen.
There will surely be a lot of speculation about the team on the way in the coming months and years – but let's not put the cart before the horse! Before we can see the DC Universe's Justice League, we're first being introduced to the Justice Gang, and that's happening this weekend with the arrival of Superman in theaters everywhere on Friday. As I note in my four-and-a-half star CinemaBlend review, it's an absolute blast, and after you see the blockbuster, be sure to head back here to the site for more of our interview and feature coverage.
