New fan art for James Gunn’s DC Universe depicts what it would look like if DCEU stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot became the villains.

SUMMARY

•  Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot are imagined as villains in James Gunn’s new DC Universe.
•  The new DC Universe will bring about a new era for DC Comics superheroes, signaling the end of the DCEU. The future of Batman and Wonder Woman is uncertain, although David Corenswet will replace Cavill as Superman.
•  The Justice League’s role in James Gunn’s DC Universe is unclear, with only Superman and Batman having solo films announced so far. The team’s formation may be delayed to avoid rushing it, considering the criticisms of the rushed Justice League in the DCEU.

Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot trade in their superhero roles to become iconic villains in James Gunn’s DC Universe through new fan art. A new era is coming for the DC Comics superheroes through Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, which will be kicking off through Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters.” But in order for a new continuity to be 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧, it means the end of the DCEU, which is finishing its run later this year with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

While David Corenswet will replace Cavill as Superman, it has yet to be decided who will take over as Batman and Wonder Woman for Affleck and Gadot. Even though other actors will portray the DC trinity, there are still other ways Cavill, Affleck, and Gadot could appear in the new DC Universe. Through artwork by House of Mat (shared via Marvel DC Geeks,) the former DCEU actors are depicted as the DC villains Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman, respectively.

In the comics, Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman are the Earth-3 doppelgangers of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, who are founding members of the Crime Syndicate of America, the evil incarnation of the Justice League. To this point, the Crime Syndicate has only appeared through animated DC projects, including the 2010 movie Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

What’s Going On With The Justice League In James Gunn’s DCU?

When it comes to the Justice League in Gunn’s DC Universe, it’s unclear what the actual plans are for the iconic superhero team. During the announcement for Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters,” Gunn and Safran revealed only a select number of upcoming DC Universe movies and TV shows, stating that more will be announced at a later time. In terms of Justice League characters, only Superman and Batman have solo films in the works, while a Wonder Woman prequel show, Paradise Lost, is being developed for Max, with Diana Prince’s place in the franchise still yet to be determined.

Other Justice League members who have projects in the DC Universe Chapter 1 are Green Lantern and Supergirl, but there isn’t an actual team-up movie as of right now. To this point, Gunn has been very vague about where they are going with the Justice League in the DC Universe, and it might be that they are going to wait for quite some time until the team is actually created. One of the big DCEU criticisms was that the Justice League was rushed rather than built up to the formation of the team, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Given how Gunn has talked about the DC Universe already having a lot of superheroes established, time will tell how they actually make the Justice League happen in this continuity. If they are taking their time with the Justice League, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the new DC Universe needs to avoid as many of the DCEU’s mistakes as possible. Hopefully, the Justice League will come to life in the DC Universe, and the wait will have been worth it.