10 DC Characters That Deserve A Television Series

NBC’s Constantine may have failed, but that doesn’t mean viewers wouldn’t be open to seeing another one of DC’s mystical mainstays make her way to the small screen. It’s probably only a matter of time before Zatanna pops up in some shape or form in one of the Arrowverse shows, but why not get ahead of the curve and give the character her own series?

The premise of a twenty-something-year-old girl acting as a stage magician by night, and a defender against mystical threats by later night is something that could work on both cable and network TV. However, with fewer restrictions, an online streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Now would allow the series to explore some of the darker elements of the DCU that, until now, have either been tamed for cable/network TV or simply overlooked altogether.

In the mid to late 70s, we had the Wonder Woman series starring Lynda Carter and this June, Gal Gadot will don the tiara, bracers and lasso as the Amazon Princess makes her long-awaited jump to the big screen in her first solo outing. However, as we all know, Diana eventually leaves her home of Themyscira to travel to the world of man, leaving her fellow Amazons and her mother, Queen Hippolyta, behind.

Well, as they say, when one door closes, another one opens.

A series focusing on the Amazons of Themyscira, sans Wonder Woman, is an intriguing concept that, if done correctly, could have the high fantasy feel of an all-female Game of Thrones. It’s not an entirely unprecedented premise, either. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were both widely popular fantasy series (particularly the latter) that dabbled in mythology, so it isn’t a stretch to imagine one that also name drops Diana Prince and Steve Trevor from time to time could find equal, if not greater success.

Based on the success of the much-loved Teen Titans animated series on Cartoon Network, as well as the elation from fans when the Teen Titans: The Judas Contract animated film was announced, it’s a bit surprising that the Teen Titans, or even the Titans proper, haven’t popped up in live action yet. While the introduction of Deathstroke into the DCEU has many wishing for a film featuring the team that made him famous in the first place, there’s definitely a large market out there that would be thrilled to see a Titans television series.

At this stage, the only Titans/Teen Titans mainstays that we’ve seen in one form or another are Kid Flash (Wally West) on The Flash and Arsenal (Roy Harper) on Arrow. That being said, the series could either air alongside said series as a spinoff or another network could take the concept and start completely from scratch.

As far as additional characters, classic names like Starfire, Beast Boy, Tempest, Raven, and of course, Robin/Nightwing could fill the remaining gaps. Plus, if the series did end up on the CW, it’d be a prime reason for Manu Bennett to reprise his role as Slade Wilson, serving as a formidable, yet familiar foe to set the tone for the first season.

Maxwell Lord is a name that should be more than familiar with DC fans. After all, Lord is one of the focal points of the current Justice League vs. Suicide Squad mini-series by Joshua Williamson. However, for a series focusing primarily on Lord to work, let’s ignore the version of him portrayed by Peter Facinelli on Supergirl, as this depiction makes him out to be more of a Lex Luthor analog.

In the comics, Lord is a metahuman with the ability to telepathically influence peoples’ minds and has sometimes been written to have full-fledged mind control powers. However, the series would work best following him in his earlier years, with the first season focusing on his father’s death. It was at this point when Lord’s mother instilled in him an immense hatred for people of power, prompting him to become a ruthless control freak in his own right. As the series progresses, it could follow Lord’s descent into full-on villainy, taking a slow-burn approach like we saw with Lex Luthor in Smallville.

Would it be an award-winning series? Maybe not, but there’s definitely a niche market out there that could prove to be vocal enough to warrant five or so seasons of a series featuring Maxwell Lord.

Although it doesn’t appear Tyler Hoechlin’s two-episode stint in Supergirl will be leading to a spinoff series featuring the Man of Steel anytime soon, there’s another crime-fighter with enhanced strength, speed, durability, and reflexes that many hope will one day make his on-screen presence felt – Midnighter.

This season, Arrow saw Echo Kellum’s openly-gay Curtis Holt join Team Arrow as Mr. Terrific. However, an entire series featuring an openly-gay superhero as the lead character would be a groundbreaking achievement. Besides, that’s far from the only thing a character like Midnighter could bring to the table.

In addition to the aforementioned powers, Midnighter has the ability to predict how a battle will happen before it starts, instantaneously visualizing every possible result before a single blow has been struck. This could make for some incredibly dynamic visual sequences in each episode as Midnighter prepares for combat.

Additionally, Midnighter’s relationship with Apollo would be the perfect subplot when the two vigilantes aren’t fighting crime. It’s a concept that would likely appeal to a large portion of the CW’s core audience, already, though an online streaming service would allow some of the grittier elements of Midnighter’s Wildstorm roots to shine.

Blue Beetle is a property that’s been rumored to make its way to live-action, both on the big screen and the small screen, for quite some time now. From the test footage of a live-action series in 2010 to the talk of a buddy cop film also featuring Booster Gold in 2015, there’s clearly interest in the character, so why not pull the trigger?

Whether he joins the Arrowverse, or he makes his way to another network/cable station, a series featuring Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle would be sure to captivate viewers. The show could even take a cue from the current Blue Beetle ongoing comic series, with former Blue Beetle Ted Kord serving as Jaime’s mentor.

If show-runners did want to opt for a more traditional route, with Kord as the Beetle, that could work, too. After all, an incredibly wealthy vigilante with a vast arsenal of high-tech gadgets could help fill the void created by the lack of a small-screen Batman.

In five seasons, no villain on Arrow has managed to capture audience’s interest quite like Manu Bennett’s Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke. That being said, it’s nothing short of a travesty to know that in Arrow canon, the iconic mercenary is simply rotting away in an underground prison cell on Lian Yu.

Based on the character’s portrayal and motivations on Arrow, it’s hard to imagine Deathstroke doing anything aside from hunting down Oliver Queen if he were to ever be released. For that reason, a series following the early life of Slade Wilson, prior to his time on Lian Yu, would be an excellent option.

Considering the character was at least somewhat tame when Ollie first met him on the island, it might be a bit of a stretch to have an earlier depiction of him display the same ruthlessness and savagery as his comic book counterpart. Still, I’m sure few would complain at the opportunity to further explore the Deathstroke character in any capacity.

The last time Batgirl was seen in live-action, she was played by Alicia Silverstone in the cringe-worthy Batman and Robin. What’s more, the character we saw was far removed from the classic Barbara Gordon we all know and love.

While we already have a TV-version of Jim Gordon on Gotham, a series featuring Batgirl needn’t exist within the same universe. In fact, given the liberties Gotham takes with the entire Batman mythos, it might be better off ignoring that show altogether. The Barbara Gordon we see could already be college-aged, with the series only making passing references to her GCPD Commissioner father.

One of the biggest hurdles to jump over, though, will be “how can there be a Batgirl if there’s no Batman?” However, this can be easily addressed in the pilot episode. Have Batgirl operate in a different city; say that she broke off from the Bat-family to work solo; have Batman appear IN the pilot, telling Batgirl that she’ll be operating alone while he attends to larger-scale issues. However they decide to do it, fans will likely be able to suspend their disbelief once it sets in that they’re finally getting a Batgirl series.

This is it – the one that never seems to be absent from any fan’s DC TV wish list. Like Batgirl, the last live-action version of Dick Grayson also came from Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin. However, in that film, Chris O’Donnell played Robin. The fact is, for whatever reason, we’ve never had a live-action iteration of Nightwing.

There’s nearly limitless potential behind a series featuring Nightwing, as he defends Bludhaven from threats both large and small. Not only would the show help satisfy Batman fans; it could easily stand on its own two feet if it were to take cues from the tone of the first two seasons of Arrow.

The series could also push the envelope even further by airing on a streaming service, rather than cable or network TV. With Nightwing’s street-level nature, martial arts-style fighting, and high-flying acrobatics, this could easily be DC’s answer to Marvel’s Daredevil Netflix series.

While it would be great to see Nightwing on the big screen, it seems highly unlikely given the current climate of the DCEU. After all, we have a Batman who, based on the limited information we have, has only had one Robin, and he’s already dead. It would create too much convolution to try and explain where Nightwing fits into that picture. That being said, a Nightwing series seems like the perfect way to introduce the character to live action and would be nothing short of a dream come true for DC fans.

Are there other characters that you’d like to see on the small screen? Let us know if the comments section!