James Gunn has teased a movie based on the comic storyline Kingdom Come for the DC Universe, and if it does happen, it would be the perfect way to end the Snyderverse. The Snyderverse has seemed to be dead for a while, with the non-canonical film Zack Snyder's Justice League being the latest entry, DC now pivoting to Gunn's reboot. Although it has its problems, the Snyderverse has an incredibly dedicated fanbase, and DC Studios needs to figure out a way to give the Snyderverse a proper send off. Gunn's Kingdom Come movie could be the franchise's best opportunity for such a conclusion.
Since the beginning of the DCEU, the franchise has struggled to really get going. Zack Snyder's initial DCEU movies, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, did have a strong vision behind them, but their poor critical and box-office reception led to a change of plans. Once Snyder left the franchise, the DCEU began focusing on more self-contained movies, like Wonder Woman, Shazam!, and The Suicide Squad. These films were well-received, but they didn't ever feel like they were building up to anything. Now, James Gunn has taken over DC Studios and is implementing a new plan for the DC Universe - and he's leaving the Snyderverse behind.
DC's Kingdom Come Explained
DC Comics' Kingdom Come is a four-part series that was released in 1996, serving as a major crossover story that featured many of DC's biggest heroes. Kingdom Come is a bit like Marvel's Civil War storyline, with DC's heroes being divided into two factions and clashing with each other. Kingdom Come is one of DC's most popular Elseworlds stories, the label applied to non-canonical DC Comics stories in which almost anything could happen. Due to the number of deaths and amount of destruction that occurs in Kingdom Come, it had to be non-canonical, but it is still one of the most interesting Justice League stories.
Set in the future years after the Justice League has broken up, Kingdom Come starts with a new superhero named Magog. Magog is incredibly violent, and unlike DC's old guard, he has no problem with killing. Due to Magog's killings of high-profile villains like Joker, the hero quickly gains public support, with other superheroes following in Magog's more violent footsteps. After the increasing violence of superheroes and villains leads to the destruction of a large part of the United States, Superman decides to reform the Justice League and show the world what it truly means to be a hero. However, things don't go quite as planned.
Kingdom Come's superheroes don't all align, with the characters being split into four major teams. While the new Justice League is made up of characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash, Batman leads a team known as the Silent Calvary, which believes that the former Justice League members should stand down. Lex Luthor, looking to exasperate the situation, forms the Mankind Liberation Front, which features Shazam, Catwoman, and an Elseworlds version of Robin, while Magog's Justice Batallion features Captain Atom and Peacemaker. Throughout the series, these ideological conflicts lead to the deaths of many superheroes and villains, with Kingdom Come leaving it up to the viewer to decide who's right.
DC Universe's New Heroes Could Face Off With The Justice League In Kingdom Come
James Gunn has teased a DC Universe Kingdom Come adaptation, with the new head of DC Studios posting an image from the comic series on Twitter. This was a strange choice, as Kingdom Come would require the DC Universe to have a vast array of old and new superheroes, but Gunn is removing characters like Henry Cavill's Superman from the franchise. However, featuring Zack Snyder's version of the Justice League wouldn't only solve this problem - it could be the perfect way to end the Snyderverse.
Kingdom Come hinges on factions of superheroes fighting each other, with each group having a completely different dynamic. This would be perfect for Gunn's DC Universe, as it could easily feature the Snyderverse team on one side of the conflict, with Gunn's DCU Justice League on the other side. This would allow the film to have a clear divide between the darker Snyderverse characters and the modern Gunn characters, preventing audiences from getting the two sets of characters confused in their minds. In the comic story, Superman and his legacy team face off against a new generation featuring characters like Shazam and Peacemaker, which is exactly where the DC Universe is now.
Some changes would have to be made to Kingdom Come in order to make the film work, but changes to a comic book storyline have never stopped a movie adaptation before. Some members will have to be swapped around, with Batman probably joining Superman's team, but many characters like Shazam and Blue Beetle are already where they need to be. With Henry Cavill's Superman being recast, Gunn probably wants to ax several other legacy characters. Since Kingdom Come features so many major deaths, Gunn could easily use the movie to kill off anyone he doesn't want in the future, or choose not to kill off characters like Shazam.
Kingdom Come Could Also Address The DCEU's Biggest Criticism
Another aspect of Kingdom Come that makes it ideal for a DC Universe adaptation is that the core ideological battle that causes the conflict is actually one of the Snyderverse's biggest criticisms. In Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, some audiences pointed out the carelessness that the superheroes fought with, saying Superman wouldn't be so reckless or Batman wouldn't kill people. The whole reason Superman reforms the Justice League in Kingdom Come is due to the recklessness of other superheroes, meaning that the film could have a thematic connection to the DCEU's early projects.
Having the new superheroes point out the past actions of Superman and Batman would be an interesting dramatic twist, with Magog using Man of Steel's Metropolis finale to call out Superman's hypocrisy. Even better, the DC Universe's Kingdom Come could flip the teams, with the younger superheroes trying to stop the Snyderverse heroes due to their recklessness. Due to the sheer amount of characters and the storyline's depth, some things may need to be changed, but the core story and ideas of Kingdom Come would be the perfect way for the DC Universe to conclude the Snyderverse's Justice League.
