Before DC decided to create the Black Label, Vertigo Comics was a famous DC imprint that produced a number of iconic characters over the years. While Neil Gaiman's Sandman continues to be the most famous of the lot, there's plenty of other heroes and villains from this darker and grittier side of DC who have actually been adapted to screen.
Whether they interact with the larger DC Universe or perhaps have continued to exist in a very separate world, these characters have been granted some kind of live action appearance. Down the line, they may become part of the expanding multiverse but for now, some Vertigo characters can only be explored further in their standalone films and TV shows.
10 Lucifer Morningstar (Sandman & Lucifer)
Lucifer Morningstar -- as in The Devil himself -- was not only a significant character in Sandman's run, but he also received his own Vertigo title, where fans got to know him a little better. The popular character eventually made his way to the small screen, with a TV show all to himself.
Although Lucifer has jumped between distributors and will be meeting its end very soon on Netflix after a successful fan campaign to save it from cancellation, the show has enjoyed great success and has become one of the biggest modern cult hits on TV. It even became a part of the wider Arrowverse, thanks to Tom Ellis' shocking cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths where he got into a fun snark-off with John Constantine. Speaking of Constantine...
9 John Constantine (Hellblazer)
John Constantine may be a DC character at the moment, but some of the best work on the sorcerer has actually been done in Vertigo Comics. From his villains to key narratives, many adaptations have been based on those titles.
The street smart mage has received a notable live-action film starring Keanu Reeves, which has since become a cult hit. After a cancelled show starring the now fan-favorite Matt Ryan, the latest iteration of John Constantine joined the Arrowverse and continues to travel with the Legends on the Waverider. Ryan even returned to voice Constantine for the DC Animated Movie Universe entries such as Justice League Dark and Justice League Dark: Apokalips War.
8 Liv Moore (IZombie)
Many DC fans don't know that IZombie is actually a vaguely connected DC property considering it's a part of the Vertigo line. It's recently become a smash hit on the CW and has been broadcast on streaming services around the world.
With the main character being a semi-alive zombie, it combines a number of fantasy and science fiction elements that fans have come to love from DC properties. The show wrapped up in 2019 with a satisfying conclusion, even featuring a comics accurate Liv!
7 Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing has seen a range of adaptations to the big and small screen and while the most recent one was well regarded critically and amongst fans, it was sadly cancelled after just one season. There's always hope for this green monster, though, so don't count him out just yet.
HBO Max could renew the show, or much like other characters before him there might be a place for Swamp Thing in the Arrowverse. What fans got, though, was an incredibly faithful adaptation of a character that mainstream audiences are only just learning about.
6 Jesse Custer (Preacher)
Jesse Custer is the preacher with the Word of God in him who fans have come to know and love for his complicated relationship with religion and the dangerous mission (i.e. to hunt down God) he goes on. AMC's Preacher is a brilliant adaptation of the famous Vertigo comics by Garth Ennis, and its cult success arguably led to the mega-successful Ennis adaptation of The Boys on Amazon Prime.
As one of the first major series published under the Vertigo banner, Preacher demonstrated that the brand could push further than mainstream comics of the time and its live-action adaptation proved the same. Custer is perfectly played by Dominic Cooper but it's a shame that more of the comics' characters weren't explored in the show.
5 Jonah Hex
Of its many old-school cowboys and Western heroes, DC's Jonah Hex is the most famous and iconic. However, to add a little more grit and edge to his stories, the character was given a line of comics in the Vertigo Imprint.
The writers created a flawed and fleshed out version of the gunslinger who went on to have an unsuccessful movie adaptation that starred Josh Brolin. Jonah Hex would finally find a role in the Arrowverse across a number of different shows, especially in episodes involving time-travel.
4 The Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol were in much a similar situation. To get the reinvention they needed, the team's creators decided to move them from mainline DC to Vertigo, where the true Doom Patrol was born.
From the wacky characters to the family dynamic, this comic run was a huge influence on the show. DC has another season of the TV series on the way and while that could be the last fans will see of the group for a while, it has to be said that it's one of the wackiest and most faithful adaptations of any superhero team out there.
3 The Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger has only made one TV appearance so far and that was as part of the abruptly canned Swamp Thing show. While well-known in the grander DC universe, the character enjoyed a run in Vertigo for years and had his own title throughout.
However, he was reduced to a supporting role on screen, despite the fact the character has so much more to give. Then again, his initial appearance in Swamp Thing may or may not have been a hypothetical springboard for more appearances and larger roles. It will be interesting to see if DC revisit the Phantom Stranger and pull further from his comic book legacy.
2 The Human Target
The Human Target had a TV show in the early 2010's before the character was re-used in the Arrowverse. He's a lesser known hero but one that is no less useful when it comes to the world of heroes.
The Human Target can change his appearance to quite literally become a human target. He's useful for larger plots and heists and was used most recently in live action to take the hit for Oliver Queen. The character should have a future in the Arrowverse, even if the central show Arrow has since concluded its run.
1 V (V For Vendetta)
It goes without saying that V is one of Alan Moore's greatest creations. The already (in)famous anarchist/freedom fighter has gone down in cinematic history after the incredibly popular live action adaptation of Vertigo's V for Vendetta. Though there are major thematic differences between the book and film, V as a character quickly became a pop culture mainstay and a symbol for real life rebellion, as proven in the ubiquity of the Guy Fawkes mask.
While owned by DC, the comic has never crossed over with the wider DC Universe. It's also not likely there will ever be another adaptation on screen of V himself considering the initial version was so well liked and such a great way of bringing that world into live action from the page.