DC may be fighting to make up ground in the cinema, but they’ve made major strides in recent years in the less-chartered territory of your living room. With CW’s Arrow, the recently-announced Flash, Fox’s Gotham and other unannounced projects, DC seems very serious about making a play at controlling your television.
With a wealth of great characters at their disposal, the comics giant could ride the wave of success with numerous shows starring their properties. Such a thought would have any comic fan drooling at the possibilities. Here are five DC characters who we think deserve their own show:
1. Nightwing
Possible Actor: Matt Bomer
Once the Original Robin left the nest, he was never quite given the respect outside the comic world he deserved. Everyone knows the Boy Wonder. He has appeared beside Batman in numerous television and movie adaptations, but those who aren’t privy to the pages may not know that Dick Grayson eventually matured into an even more badass crime fighter named Nightwing. With the recent cancellation of the New 52 comic book, a TV adaptation would be a welcomed sight to DC fans. Nightwing’s story already lends itself to television: a young man trying to figure out who he is after leaving home for the first time. Sound familiar? It just so happens this young man was trained by Batman.
2. Cyborg
Possible Actor: Michael B. Jordan, but after Fruitvale Station we think he might be a bit busy. One could even say he’s on fire.
Cyborg’s tragic backstory and character history reflect more of our society than people might think. He’s a teenager that is horribly injured in a freak accident, saved only by having most of his body replaced with advanced robotic prosthetics. As a single character, he represents the massive struggle of balancing humanity and technology, and his struggle to accept who he is, with his new body and life as a superhero, could make for captivating watching.
3. Deathstroke
Possible Actor: Depending on the interpretation, Manu Bennett could continue his role as a younger Deathstroke. If an older, more grizzled version is desired, Stephen Lang would do quite nicely.
Sometime villain, sometime anti-hero, Deathstroke has already made a few appearances on television via CW’s Arrow. Thus, TV audiences are already familiar with him, and with his standing in the grey area of neither definitively good nor bad, producers could easily spin the character into a protagonist. Or, at the very least, someone good enough to build a show around. This could work especially if a showrunner dug deeper into Deathstroke’s backstory and showed how he became the super-assassin audiences know today.
4. Black Canary
Actor: Caity Lotz or Katie Cassidy
Another possible Arrow spin-off, Black Canary is one of DC’s oldest properties, first appearing in 1947. She’s also a total badass. In the New 52, Canary is a founding member and leader of the Birds of Prey, meaning a TV adaptation could feature appearances by many other fearsome ladies. On Arrow, the character is known simply as The Canary, or Sara Lance, and was thought dead until her reveal in season two. Of course, comic buffs know that Black Canary’s true name is Dinah Lance, who does appear on Arrow, only the character goes by her middle name, Laurel. Does this mean Sara’s days are numbered and Laurel will take over the mantle of Black Canary? We don’t know yet, but it would make a compelling set-up for a spin-off.
5. Rorschach
Possible Actor: Does Jackie Earle Haley do television?
The ultimate anti-hero; a character who would certainly rival Walter White in the race for “Most Loved Bad Guy” of all-time if he were to ever grace our TV screens. This is a fantasy at best, but what a fantasy it would be. The structure could be simple, merely following Rorschach as he attempts to rid the world of evil. Similar to a detective drama, only in this instance the detective doesn’t have to abide by the law, merely his own moral code. It doesn’t really have to be more complicated than that with such a compelling character as the driving force. The most difficult aspect would be finding the right actor, one that can be enigmatic but magnetic, even with his face obscured.