The New Gods Movie Should Draw From DC's Mister Miracle Comic

Over the course of her career, Ava DuVernay has been going from strength to strength. In 2014, her historical drama Selma, the story of Martin Luther King, Jr., was met with critical acclaim, and now she’s the driving force behind Disney's cosmic adventure, Wrinkle in Time. Next, DuVernay, working with Kario Salem on the story, will bring DC’S New Gods to the big screen.

The New Gods, of course, come from the brain of legendary writer and artist Jack Kirby. The super-powered cosmic beings story revolves around two races of aliens in the far reaches of space living on separate, sister planets, New Genesis and Apokolips. Locked in a fierce war for all eternity, both are armed with incredible powers and technology. Now, Ava DuVernay is going to introduce that war to the DC Extended Universe.

There are a host of characters from the New Gods that deserve their big screen debut, with Darkseid being the most obvious of them all, but the main focus of the film should be on characters audiences will be able to truly experience the highs and lows of New Genesis and Apokolips with: Mister Miracle and Big Barda. The two fell in love after Mister Miracle, aka Scott Free, grew up under the grueling care of Darkseid’s chief torturer, Granny Goodness. The two met as children, fell in love and eventually escaped together, fleeing to Earth and beginning a life together.

Big Barda & Scott Free

It’s their relationship that is the focus of the current Mister Miracle series by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. It’s been clear that even though it has five films under its belt, there still doesn’t seem to be a clear direction for the DCEU. Critics aren’t particularly fond of the universe as a whole, and fans have polarizing (at best) opinions on how it's been built so far. The best direction to go in, then, would be to just focus on making singular stories, instead of trying to interweave every minor plot detail and character.

The New Gods film should revolve around Big Barda and Scott Free’s relationship as they try to live a semi-normal life on Earth whilst simultaneously navigating an eternal war with Darkseid. Take Mister Miracle #2, for example. In it, the pair travel to New Genesis and fight a horde of Parademons (a race we’ve already been introduced to in Batman v Superman and Justice League) before negotiating with Granny Goodness as a conspiracy is uncovered. Adapting this storyline would allow DuVernay to tell a tale firmly based in the DCEU without being restrained by a stereotypical superhero origin story. Much like the way Deadpool explained who Wade Wilson was without following a powerless hero for half an hour before he wears the costume, New Gods should strive to do the same thing. Because it’s a cosmic adventure, the film shouldn’t waste too much time trying to set up the mythology for the first half of the story before delving into the intricacies of a plot.

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Eternal War

But the perfect potential starting point for a New Gods movie actually comes in the middle of Mister Miracle #3. Here, Scott is woken up by Forager, a member of The Bugs (ground forces looked down upon by higher ups) used in the war against Apokolips. The soldier tells him the army no longer wish to follow their Highfather, Orion – and will only follow Mister Miracle himself. And after he’s given an execution date by Orion himself, Scott does some soul searching before he awaits his death - which would be a perfect narrative framing device.

Starting the film at the lowest point in Mister Miracle’s life only to explain to us not only how he got into that position, but also how he’s going to make his escape -- it's just a perfect starting point. When its subsequently revealed that Barda is pregnant, it would be a poignant moment to reveal her history as a villain. Her previous exploits as a member of the Female Furies could be kept as an unexplained plot point until the Furies themselves make an appearance when Barda goes into labor on Earth.

The Wider DCEU

Both Mister Miracle and Orion have previously been members of the Justice League in the comics. While wedging them onto the team itself wouldn’t be a good idea for the DCEU, having potential interactions with some of the Leaguers in cameo appearances could work well. The costumes of all the New Gods are so bright, colorful and wild; contrasting that against the Earth-based heroes' drab, desaturated uniforms would be a visual treat. The DCEU has been quite dark and tries to bring a realistic approach when adapting the iconic imagery of its heroes and villains. By introducing the New Gods’ colorful costumes and their brutal nature, Earner Bros. could strike a harmonious balance between the two.

It would mean DC Films could still have its gritty heroes whilst staying comics accurate. Moving into future films in the DCEU, the New Gods' costumes could literally inspire other heroes to be as bright as they like, similar to the incredibly vibrant costume we've seen in the Shazam! set photos, for example.

If Warner Bros. and DC want to contend with other huge franchise like Marvel and Star Wars, this movie is the perfect chance to do so. New Gods can be the perfect blend of a cosmic adventure whilst also having a superheroic element to it. It’s obvious Kirby’s distinctive style is popular amongst mainstream audiences -- just look at the reception to Thor: Ragnarok, which was a literal love letter to the King's visual oeuvre. And then there's the casting opportunities that lie in some of the characters. Ron Perlman voiced Orion in the Justice League animated series, and would be perfect to reprise the role in live-action. Teaming him with someone along the lines of Oscar Isaac as Mister Miracle? We're already buying our tickets.