DC Comics have been around for so long, it’s no wonder they’re full with some of the best good guys, bad guys, storylines, worlds, and of course, weapons. Weapons are tools used by those on every side of the fight, heroes and villains alike, as they participate in their ongoing wars and battles across the DC multiverse. Some are signatures of characters, and others are passed between them. Some are their own entity and cannot be wielded by anyone. But, much like characters and storylines, not all weapons are best to be adapted for the big screen. As the Worlds of DC continues to roll out on the big screen, there remains a host of opportunity to adapt some of the most notorious weapons from the source material for the cinema.
Not all weapons are created equal however, and not all storylines they inspire are either. Some weapons would bring beloved characters to the screen, and some would take them away. Some are the main attraction to the story, while others can sometimes be the worst part of a tale. Weapons range from melee to all-powerful, meaning they're beyond the scope of the understanding of even the wielder. One thing that remains is that the early analogue weapons of some characters are not always instant losers against the divine weapons of the all-powerful, and each have their own benefits and detriments when brought to a fight. With that in mind, we put together 10 of the most notorious DC weapons we hope are adapted for the big screen, and 10 that can stay where they are -- in the comics.
20 WANT: ROBIN’S BATTLE STAFF
There have been a lot of great Robins throughout the years and even more great Robin costumes. But, though the yellow “R” and the red and green color scheme are iconic to the hero, it’s hard to imagine certain iterations of the character without his iconic staff. Though there are versions of Dick Grayson using the staff, the tool no doubt belongs to Tim Drake.
The Worlds of DC has not adapted a Robin for the big screen, and big screen adaptations of the character are ‘barely there.’ We want to see a Robin on the screen, even if it means a venture from Grayson. Tim Drake would be a welcome addition to the big screen Bat family, and we can’t imagine him without his staff.
19 DON’T WANT: PURPLE DEATH RAY
The Purple Healing Ray of the Amazonians was used for just that, to heal. But there was an on-paper and eventually real variation that didn’t sit too well with most of the inhabitants of Themyscira: the Purple Death Ray. This ray was conceived to fight the OMAC attack on the planet of warrior women, but wasn’t an idea they were too keen on.
Same, Amazon women, same. Though we aren’t the most keen on this weapon of mass destruction, it is a variation on the very thing that revived Steve Trevor after he was lost as sea in his crashed plane. Being that we expect to see Trevor back, the healing version of this weapon might make an appearance.
18 WANT: KUSAR BLADE
The Kherubim are some pretty scary dudes, travelling the cosmos to conquer races. They’re incredibly powerful beings with equally powerful weapons. A Kusar blade is one that was forged on Khera, home world of Majestro. The blades are incredibly powerful and sharp enough to shave an electron, the teeny tiniest of things. They can also absorb an incredible amount of heat, so are virtually indestructible.
But the ability to absorb the heat of a thousand suns isn’t why we want to see the blade on the big screen. Rumor has it, these blade can even cut beings like Superman. We would like to see a foe for Superman on the big screen that doesn’t rely on kryptonite.
17 DON’T WANT: THE SWORD OF SUPERMAN
There are a lot of famous swords and blades being hurled through the DC Universe, and the Sword of Superman has been floating through it since the big bang. This sword is semi-sentient, incredibly powerful, and somehow already has the Superman “S” logo on it despite existing long before him or the logo.
Superman’s most obvious character flaw is that he is too perfect and powerful, and this sword just doubles down on that. Upon touching the sword, Superman gains omnipotence and omniscience, making him even more all powerful than he already is. We’ll buy into a lot as DCEU fans but this is probably near the limit.
16 WANT: MAGEDDON
The Mageddon is a war machine that can reduce populations to their primal instincts, causing them to go mad, and resort to violent tendencies. Sound familiar? Because to us, it sounds like the plot of The Crazies, where humans are reduced to zombie like versions of themselves reduced to violence by an outside source.
If there is one thing the Worlds of DC can use, it is a change of theme, and maybe a zombie-like rage is what the doctor ordered. We’ve seen these sorts of stories work before, from Scarecrow’s fear toxin to Joker’s… Joker toxin, so we know it works well.
15 DON’T WANT: THE SPEAR OF DESTINY
This ancient melee weapon was allegedly the fist cut that a Roman solider made into Jesus Christ. Since then, it has appeared in comics being wielded by the greatest evil in the world. The artifact has the power for incredible curses and the evil uses it to turn characters into “bad” versions of themselves.
WWII themes are prominent and important in DC and other comic book lore, and we’ve already seen WWI play a huge part in Wonder Woman’s story arc. But we don’t see any reason to parade that kind of evil on-screen and give him any more powers, so this weapon can probably get skipped.
14 WANT: MOBIUS CHAIR
The MCU doesn’t have the only floating space chair for supervillains. Thanos isn’t the only space travelling baddie who demands a throne. Metron, the god of knowledge, possesses the chair that he created to fill in for the Mother Box which we have seen come and go. The chair allows him to travel through the harsh environment of space and allows him to fly and take on interstellar travel.
But the chair can bestow knowledge on whomever sits in it, and in comics, has bestowed the knowledge of the Joker’s true identity to Batman. With secret identities being such a strong theme throughout the DCEU, the chair would be a welcome wrinkle in any plot.
13 DON’T WANT: NTH METAL WEAPONS
Again, there are few things more boring than all powerful beings and weapons with impossible to track abilities. Nth metal weapons are one of those things. These weapons, wielded by Thanagarians, are capable of giving its wielder flight, immunity to magic, an increased healing factor, extra strength, superspeed, and the ability to shoot solar beams. Word is, they can also have random affects including reincarnation.
With so many god like creatures milling about in the DCEU, these weapons are a step too far. We prefer our reincarnation to come from Lazarus pits, and our flight to be an inborn ability.
12 WANT: JOKER VENOM/ JOKER’S JOY BUZZER/ ACID LAPEL FLOWER
We’ve seen a lot of Joker on screen, and with the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix lead film, there will likely be an appearance of some of the Clown Prince’s more iconic weapons on-screen in one way or another. But the DCEU has not seen it’s fully formed Joker for an extended period, and we’re still unsure if it ever will.
One thing is for certain, though, that Joker’s bag of tricks has consistently worked well on screen and his weapons are some of the most iconic elements of any DC battle. Of course, we want the massive world ending weapons, but the Joker’s tricks are never unwelcome.
11 DON’T WANT: KHAJI DA
Nothing gives audiences the willies quite like bug weapons, be that the truth-seeking bug in Star Trek given to the unlucky Captain Pike or the one that latches onto Neo in The Matrix. DC’s answer to these mech bugs that bond to human hosts are the form of the ancient Egyptian big, the scarab beetle, the weapons called the Khaji Da.
The alien conqueror, The Reach, used these computerized bugs, and sent some flying to earth. The Khaji Da was purified by the ancient Egyptians and cured of its programming, leaving it to bond to archaeologists who could use it to create armour. Basically buggy Iron Men. No thanks.
10 WANT: THE ALL-BLADES
The blades are pretty incredible. They are immaterial and can only be summoned by the user in the presence of evil, and can only harm evil magical entities and not the good. Much like some other of the most famous weapons, they are at the mercy of the wielder’s soul, and are only as powerful as the soul. So, as Jason Todd or Red Hood is the current wielder, they are at the mercy of his will and soul.
Yes, we are bringing up Robin again. We think the addition of a ward of Batman would be welcome to the DCEU, and that could be found in Jason Todd. Todd’s magical weapons would be a wonderful side.
9 DON’T WANT: JOKER’S CROWBAR
The thing about wanting Jason Todd is that we want to keep Jason Todd. Few can forget one of the most brutal moments in DC comics history, the moment where Joker ended Jason Todd. In the issues at the top of the A Death in the Family storyline, fans were tasked with deciding if the Joker should take the life of this Robin, and they decided to take Jason out.
These pages are some of the scariest, as Joker beats Jason to death with a crowbar, a scene that was mirrored later in the Batman story line by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. We are all in on scary Joker stories, but if we see Jason Todd, we want to keep him.
8 WANT: THE HEART OF DARKNESS
Not to be confused with an infinity stone, the Heart of Darkness is black diamond capable of some sinister delights. This diamond was originally found on godlike bad guy, Apokalips, and has since been bound to Eclipso. Now, anyone who possesses the heart becomes host to Eclipso, the incarnation of the wrath of god and the angel of vengeance.
The Heart of Darkness contains Eclipso, and when split into shards of a black diamond, Eclipso can cause those within range to experience rage.
When brought back together, the diamond contains immense power, and can allow Eclipso to possess powerful characters, and has taken a stab at Superman.
7 DON’T WANT: MICHAEL’S SWORD
Heaven and hell feature often in DC Comics, though the Worlds of DC has not ventured into this territory. Michael’s sword is rumored to be that of the archangel himself, and is wielded by Zauriel.
One of the most powerful of all the bladed mentioned, this sword is capable of cutting through space and time. Though rips in space and time have appeared in the Worlds of DC, we’re not sure it is ready for those rips to be associated with weapons of the divine. This incredible weapon is without a doubt one of the most powerful in the Worlds of DC, but from a grounded standpoint on-screen, it is not one we are hoping to see.
6 WANT: RA’S AL GHUL’S BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
R’as Al Ghul, or the head of the demon, is one of Batman’s most notorious enemies, having often been credited with training Bruce Wayne to be the bat, and being grandfather and mentor to a young Damian Wayne. Much like some other famous mega-villains, Ghul believes in a world with balance, and attempts to achieve that through far reaching weapons with large scale consequences.
Like the toxins of his fellow villains, Ghul’s weapons of choice are biological. Ghul’s most notorious of assaults are via the release of a genetically engineered virus. Ghul is such an insatiable foe, and the complexity of his relationship with the bat would be a welcome one on-screen. With that, we would love to see one of his most notorious assaults.
5 DON’T WANT: THE MIRACLE MACHINE
This machine is one of the weirder weapons to have appeared in DC history being that its capabilities know almost no bounds. One standing before the miracle machine can request almost anything, like asking a genie for the most powerful wish. It has the power to alter reality itself at the will of anyone who is lucky enough to be in front of it.
Though there are a lot of things in the Worlds of DC that defy what we know of the universe, few things defies its very laws the way the miracle machine would. We think this one can stay in Grant Morrison comic book adaptations, but maybe it will be the answer as to why Bruce Wayne looks different in coming films.
4 WANT: THE JUSTICE BUSTER
Maybe it would be a lot to see Batman in an even bigger and badder mech suit than we already have. Or maybe it would make perfect sense that after getting some use out of the mech suit, he would upgrade to the Justice Buster.
The natural progression of a lot of superhero team ups on film is an eventual divide. Being that Batman tends to have issues with trust, especially when trusting all powerful beings, it makes sense he would continue to prepare for the off chance that they “go bad.” Enter, the Justice Buster. This suit is so full up with tricks and armor, that it has specific tools to handle Wonder Woman’s whip and a neurotoxin spray.
3 DON’T WANT: THE ASTRO-HARNESS
Look, we love a good mech suit, and we are not above all powerful body armor with a host of tricks. We just told you we want to see the impossible suit strapped around Batman on-screen, but the astro-harness is too much, even for us. This Aliens towing rig looking mess was worn by Orion, and allows him to utilize all sorts of astro-energy to shoot, shield, and manipulate gravity.
It’s implied that only Orion can handle the power of the harness, and it tends to be associated with him. Thing is, we’ve no interest in seeing Orion on screen. With the gamut of incredible villains at the World of DC’s disposal, we think Orion can remain on the sidelines with his harness.
2 WANT: CATWOMAN’S WHIP
We have seen some incredible portrayals of Catwoman on-screen, from gothic and camp to comedic to restrained. The character is a legendary villain for having been not just a villain, but a love and confidant to Batman and often a member of the bat family.
So as the DCEU soldiers on and the Justice League grappled with what’s good and evil, we think a conflicted villain is just what the franchise needs. Grounded and skilled, Catwoman plays well on screen and the character has so much opportunity to be so much to a lot of people. We’d love to see her legendary whip make its way into battle and show up the JL big kids.
1 DON’T WANT: THE ANTI-LIFE EQUATION
The thing about the grim and gritty approach that the DCEU has taken, rolling off the success of Christopher Nolan’s gritty trilogy, is that it is already leaning into the dark and rainy side of DC comics. So nothing would turn up that already prominent factor quite like the anti-life equation.
Sought out by Darkseid, this mathematical equation leaves those who cross its path with a sense of dread, despair and that life is meaningless. With rage and madness inducing toxins abound, the last thing the universe known for trying to be the sad grim version of superhero madness needs is a weapon that makes people melancholy.