Although the DC Extended Universe has been around for almost a decade by now, there have been many storylines that still haven’t been adapted. Some movies have chosen to go with original plotlines of their own, while others have adapted only certain stories at present.
It’s a shame that there are so many good arcs out there that remain unseen onscreen. This should ideally change in the next few years as more movies are made, but it’s also worth bringing forward the stories that absolutely deserve to be adapted sooner rather than later. Knowing about these stories might just make casual fans pick up some comic books and learn about these plotlines that way as well.
10 Flashpoint
This is a story that looks set to be incorporated in The Flash movie, although things aren’t set in stone at the moment. Even if that is the case, the DCEU should adapt this story as it is rather than make any big changes to the outline.
The Flashpoint arc was used to reset quite a few things in the DC Universe, thereby wiping clean plotlines that needed to be changed without making too many plotholes. With Barry’s family background already teased in Justice League, the Flashpoint story is just waiting to be adapted.
9 Batman: Year Two
This has become something of a forgotten story in DC Comics by now, which is a shame since it was so effective that the animated movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was adapted with this story in mind. The plot saw Bruce Wayne falling in love with a woman called Rachel Caspian, whose father is a vigilante known as the Reaper.
With Batman’s moral code going against the Reaper’s violent tactics, he was put up against the father of her love interest. This will work well in the DCEU, as this version of Batman was shown in his forties, so featuring a story with a young Batman can be used to explain why he became so cynical later in life.
8 The Fourth World
It’s about time the New Gods showed up in full in the DCEU, as Steppenwolf’s appearance in Justice League does not do this story justice. The Fourth World details the backstory of New Genesis and Apokolips, two words at war with one another and led by Highfather and Darkseid, respectively.
This story is perfect to introduce Darkseid to the DCEU. Although Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be Darkseid’s debut, the Fourth World can show his backstory and set up the entire New Gods storyline.
7 The Red Hood's Origin
Often considered as the best comic book anti-hero, the Red Hood’s origins have already been planted in the DCEU. This is through the death of Jason Todd, whose Robin suit was shown in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as confirmation that the Joker had killed him to antagonize Batman.
The Red Hood’s origins showed how Jason survived and became a vigilante who used lethal force, eventually attempting to make Batman kill Joker to show him the flaw in his no-kill rule. This story would be superb for the DCEU as it would also bring both of its versions of Batman and Joker onscreen.
6 The Tower Of Babel
Those who watched Justice League would have wondered how the faction could ever be defeated. The Tower of Babel shows the best way of this possibility, where Ra’s al Ghul came across Batman’s contingency plans against the Justice League and employed all of them, thereby crippling the team.
This story will expand the lore of the DCEU by bringing all the superheroes together once again and setting Batman up as a master strategist once again after Justice League made him out to be a bit of a joke. Plus, it would be quite the sight to see all those superheroes brought down in one swoop.
5 Crisis On Infinite Earths
There’s always the argument over which event between Flashpoint and this one is better. Regardless, Crisis on Infinite Earths should be adapted in order to bring in the multiverse, which is something every comic book fan loves to see play out.
It’s already been done in the Arrowverse, which also incorporated the DCEU Flash. The DCEU’s version of this event should be an even bigger deal and can bring the very interesting possibility of multiple versions of the same characters interacting.
4 War Of The Gods
This would be a great set-up for Wonder Woman 3, as the storyline surrounds her character. It involves the supervillain Circe starting a war between all the gods on Earth which threatens to destroy the world in its collateral damage.
With Wonder Woman already having completed her personal arc in Wonder Woman 1984, it’s high time she’s shown battling enemies of grand scale, making this perhaps the perfect story for the character to explore next. Alternatively, the DCEU can change things up by placing the Justice League in this arc.
3 Justice League Against The Suicide Squad
This story saw the Justice League out to stop the Suicide Squad, who were being used by Amanda Waller again. The two factions even battled and Waller emerged victorious by exploiting Superman’s weakness. Eventually, the teams went up against Maxwell Lord to stop him from controlling the world.
The intrigue behind this story is how every character has now been introduced to the DCEU, meaning it’s a simple task of putting this story together for the big screen. With Maxwell Lord also having displayed his powers of influence in Wonder Woman 1984, all the pieces of the plot are in place for the DCEU.
2 Injustice
This was the original plan for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with Dawn of Justice showing flashes of the future where Superman went absolutely savage. The Injustice story involves Superman becoming evil after the death of his family, tearing the Justice League apart into two factions.
It appears as if the DCEU was on course for this angle as well, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be brought back. With all the superheroes set up well -- most have had their solo films by now -- the Injustice arc will feel personal and warranted.
1 The Killing Joke
It seems the only way Jared Leto’s Joker can come back and regain the faith of viewers is by having his version of the supervillain live up to the insanity of his comic book counterpart. The Killing Joke is the best bet in this regard, featuring Joker capturing Jim Gordon in hopes of torturing him into insanity.
The story also looks into Joker’s past as a failed husband and a crook, which led to his turn as the Clown Prince of Crime. This can serve as the origin story of the DCEU Joker by showing how he got to have the criminal empire he was shown with.