Things appear to be looking up for the DCEU as of late, with Aquaman being a commercial success and the praise garnered during early Shazam! screenings. However, the only undisputed critical and commercial darling for the studio - at least until Shazam! releases - is Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot’s heroine pleased both fans and critics in a film truly worthy of the Amazonian princess.
Diana isn’t the only fascinating female character that DC Comics has to mine from. With Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) serving as the next female-centric superhero movie to hit theaters, we got to thinking about what other DC women deserve their moment in the spotlight. There's even word of a Supergirl project in the works, but who else warrants their own big screen adaptation?
10 Zatanna
Created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in 1964, Zatanna Zatara is an incredible magician, both on stage and in real life. She’s capable of casting pretty much any spell. All she needs to do is speak the words backwards and literal magic happens.
The films are already dipping a toe into the pond of DC’s mystical properties with Shazam!, so introducing Zatanna shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. They also seem to be taking a less connective approach to their shared universe as of late, which also makes Zatanna a solid choice. She has strong ties to characters such as Batman and John Constantine, but she’s always been an interesting character in her own right.
9 Catwoman
Selina Kyle has been a hero, a villain and pretty much everything in between since being created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1940. Debuting in Batman #1, Catwoman has been closely associated with the Caped Crusader from the beginning. However, there are plenty of awesome stories centering on her that pretty much ignore Batman’s existence.
The Dark Knight may be in a state of transition within the DCEU, but there’s no reason why Selina can’t carry a movie without him. She has long been an incredibly layered character and creators such as Ed Brubaker and Darwin Cooke, among others, have proven that she doesn’t need Bats in her corner in order to make the story compelling.
8 Poison Ivy
Another famous Batman villain, Poison Ivy was created in 1966 by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff. Like Catwoman, she has been portrayed as both straightforward villain and antihero. That’s not the only thing that she and Selina have in common though. Like Catwoman, Pamela Isley has quite a bit of depth to her and the best Poison Ivy stories have centered on the character’s humanity.
Whether the studio chose to have Ivy playing on the side of devils or angels doesn’t really matter too much. There are great stories either way and films like Maleficent have proven that a villain’s journey can be every bit as engaging as a hero’s.
7 Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya was created by Paul Dini, Bruce Time and Mitch Brian for Batman: The Animated Series, but she actually debuted in DC Comics before her first television appearance in 1992. Renee will be portrayed by Rosie Perez in Birds of Prey, but we were thinking of something different for the Gotham City detective.
Gotham Central is one of the best comics taking place in the home of the Caped Crusader, despite the fact that Batman is barely in it. Adapting Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark’s run would be amazing. A film focusing on Renee’s time as the Question could also be extremely cool. Montoya is an incredibly strong and layered LGBTQ character, which is something still sorely lacking in superhero cinema.
6 Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
Batgirl was created by William Dozier, Julius Schwartz and Carmine Infantino thanks to a request from the producers of the ‘60s Batman TV show. Her first comic appearance was written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Infantino. Babs had plenty of amazing adventures before the events of The Killing Joke left her without the use of her legs. However, even when the unthinkable happened, Batgirl rose from the ashes and continued saving lives as Oracle.
Plans for a Batgirl movie were previously announced with Joss Whedon at the helm, but since he left the project, the studio has made it clear that her story isn’t a priority. With no plans to include this version of Batgirl in Birds of Prey, we just want to make sure that no one is forgetting about Barbara Gordon.
5 Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
Like Renee Montoya, Cassandra Cain is set to make her big screen debut in DC’s upcoming Birds of Prey film, with newcomer Ella Jay Basco in the role. It’s excellent that the movie will include yet another awesome character, but we think that this Batgirl is just as deserving of her own film as the Gotham City detective.
Cassandra Cain was created in 1999 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott. The daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, her training from a very young age deprived the young girl of both speech and human contact. This fascinating character starred in her own title for quite some time, giving the studio plenty of stories to mine for a film centering on her.
4 Katana
Tatsu Yamashiro was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo in 1983. Katana had a long history on teams such the Outsiders before finally headlining her own series in 2013. Sadly, the book only lasted for ten issues, but we feel that this samurai warrior could hold her own in a big screen adaptation.
Katana did appear in the lackluster Suicide Squad, but honestly, the character deserves better. There is a new spin on the team in the works, but James Gunn’s upcoming film is said to be a total reboot. Let’s give Katana a solo film instead.
3 Vixen
There may not be too many great Vixen stories to mine from, but there’s no denying that Mari Jiwe McCabe has a super cool power set. Created in 1981 by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner, Vixen is capable of harnessing the spirit of absolutely any animal that she chooses. Mari’s powers can draw from creatures that are extinct or even mystical in nature.
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There is obviously a desire to see more of the character, what with Vixen getting her own animated series which led to her appearing in the live-action Arrowverse. Considering Mari's backstory and amazing abilities, a Vixen movie could be pretty great.
2 Batwoman
Kate Kane was recently introduced into the Arrowverse, but we don’t think that should mean that Batwoman doesn’t get to star in her own movie. Although there was a Silver Age Batwoman, Kate Kane is the version of the character that most modern readers are familiar with. Another one of very few LGBTQ heroes in mainstream comics, Kate Kane debuted in the 52 series in 2006. She was created by Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns and Keith Giffen.
Perhaps Kate could be introduced in a movie that focused on Montoya or vice versa. Those two have had an ongoing romantic relationship in the comics, although it hasn’t always run smoothly.
1 Bombshells
What would make for a more fun film focusing on DC’s amazing female characters than Bombshells? Interestingly, Bombshells began as a line of superheroine statues that had been given a retro ’40s look based on the designs of Ant Lucia. These statues were so well received that they spawned variant covers, various memorabilia and even their own comic series.
A Bombshells movie could include any of DC’s incredible heroines and, taking place in the ‘40s, it would not be bound by the typical constraints of modern continuity. The writers would be free to do whatever they wanted with the characters. Plus, seeing Lucia’s designs in a live-action setting would be amazing.