DC Universe in Live-Action: An Alternate Watchlist
An attempt to make a streamlined, inclusive, but not contradictory DC Comics live-action adaptation single-timeline watchlist.
If you are frustrated by multiversal stories, but also frustrated by these different takes not connecting like they do in the comic-book source material? This is an imperfect solution. Especially as regards tone. I've added as much as can fit, regardless of general public opinion or what I personally like.
I just drew the line at animation and black & white material as they seemed inappropriate for this.
If you are frustrated by multiversal stories, but also frustrated by these different takes not connecting like they do in the comic-book source material? This is an imperfect solution. Especially as regards tone. I've added as much as can fit, regardless of general public opinion or what I personally like.
I just drew the line at animation and black & white material as they seemed inappropriate for this.
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- CreatorDavid S. GoyerDamian KindlerStarsCameron CuffeGeorgina CampbellShaun SiposThe untold story of Superman's grandfather as he fights for justice on his home planet.Takes place 200 years before the birth of Superman so the ~1780s.
- DirectorJimmy HaywardStarsJosh BrolinMegan FoxJohn MalkovichIn exchange for his freedom, bounty hunter Jonah Hex must track down a terrorist with a superweapon.Takes place in the 1870s.
- CreatorBruno HellerStarsJack BannonRyan FletcherDorothy AtkinsonThe origin story of Alfred Pennyworth, a former special-forces soldier living in London and how he came to work for Bruce Wayne's father.Takes place in the 1960s.
- CreatorAlfred GoughMiles MillarStarsTom WellingMichael RosenbaumAllison MackA young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.Ideally, stop at the season 3 finale to avoid big contradictions.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleMichael CaineKen WatanabeAfter witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.Bruce Wayne becomes Batman just before Clark Kent becomes Superman publicly.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsChristopher ReeveMargot KidderGene HackmanAn alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.Clark met Lex Luthor during “Smallville” but not as Superman. Batman is considered a myth and therefore isn't mentioned. (If preferred, this can be swapped with “Man of Steel”.)
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.Flashback to the late 1980s from the Joker's point-of-view. The death of Bruce Wayne's parents is seen from his warped perspective.
- StarsKaci WalfallCranston JohnsonAlexander WraithFollows a young woman and her hero's journey.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.Batman has been operating for under one year.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsGene HackmanChristopher ReeveMargot KidderSuperman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.Batman is still considered a myth outside of Gotham. (If preferred, this can be swapped with Donner's "Superman II" director's cut.)
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsRobert PattinsonZoë KravitzJeffrey WrightWhen a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, The Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.Don't skip the deleted scene of the Joker in Arkham that specifies almost one year has passed since the Joker was captured. (If preferred, this can be swapped with "Batman Returns" then "Batman Forever" [after "Superman III"] then "Batman & Robin" [after Superman IV"].)
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsChristopher ReeveRichard PryorMargot KidderSynthetic kryptonite laced with tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsChristopher ReeveGene HackmanMargot KidderThe Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsRyan ReynoldsBlake LivelyPeter SarsgaardReckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps."Green Lantern" & the early seasons of the CW 'Arrowverse' shows fill a five-year gap between the Batman/Superman origin-story films and the DCEU films while Superman is searching for the remains of Planet Krypton, as explained at the opening of "Superman Returns".
- CreatorDaniel CeroneDavid S. GoyerStarsMatt RyanHarold PerrineauCharles HalfordA man struggling with his faith who is haunted by the sins of his past is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.A mystical "rising darkness" helps explain why things get much more supernatural, a bit chaotic, and generally darker from here on.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiMarc GuggenheimAndrew KreisbergStarsStephen AmellKatie CassidyDavid RamseySpoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.Ideally, stop at the season 2 finale to avoid big contradictions.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiGeoff JohnsAndrew KreisbergStarsGrant GustinCandice PattonDanielle PanabakerAfter being struck by lightning, Barry Allen wakes up from his coma to discover he's been given the power of super speed, becoming the Flash, and fighting crime in Central City.Ideally, stop at the season 1 finale to avoid big contradictions. Barry Allen is embarrassed to admit he is just doing an internship with the Central City Police Department through his adoptive father Detective Joe West. Offscreen. (If preferred, this can be swapped with the 1990 "The Flash" TV show.)
- CreatorAli AdlerGreg BerlantiAndrew KreisbergStarsMelissa BenoistChyler LeighDavid HarewoodThe adventures of Superman's cousin and her own superhero career.Ideally, stop at the season 1 finale to avoid big contradictions. (If preferred, this can be swapped with the "Supergirl" film.)
- CreatorSalim AkilStarsCress WilliamsNafessa WilliamsChristine AdamsA crusading school principal gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero.
- CreatorNeil GaimanDavid S. GoyerAllan HeinbergStarsTom SturridgeBoyd HolbrookPatton OswaltUpon escaping after decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, Dream, the personification of dreams, sets about to reclaim his lost equipment.John Constantine has been transformed into Johanna Constantine by some magic spell. He's bisexual so probably had a big laugh about it. Offscreen.
- CreatorTom KapinosStarsTom EllisLauren GermanKevin AlejandroLucifer Morningstar has decided he's had enough of being the dutiful servant in Hell and decides to spend some time on Earth to better understand humanity. He settles in Los Angeles - the City of Angels.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiMarc GuggenheimPhil KlemmerStarsCaity LotzAmy Louise PembertonDominic PurcellTime-traveling rogue Rip Hunter must recruit a ragtag team of heroes and villains to help prevent an apocalypse that could impact not only Earth, but all of time.Takes place across the timeline as well as outside of time itself but should be watched with the other 'Arrowverse' shows.
- CreatorGary DaubermanMark VerheidenStarsCrystal ReedVirginia MadsenAndy BeanAbby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, only to discover the dark, terrifying mysteries of the swamp.The "rising darkness" first noticed in "Constantine" continues unabated. (If preferred, this can be swapped with the "Swamp Thing" film and "The Return of Swamp Thing" [after "Blue Beetle"].)
- DirectorAngel Manuel SotoStarsXolo MaridueñaBruna MarquezineBecky GAn alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.Batman, Superman, and the Flash are mentioned and this marks the point superhero weirdness generally stops being surprising to new characters.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsBrandon RouthKevin SpaceyKate BosworthSuperman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.Ideally, stop at the 2 hours and 21 minute mark to avoid big contradictions. (If preferred, this can be swapped with the 2016 film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" theatrical cut or Snyder's extended cut.)