Ever since James Gunn took hold of the helm of the DCU, fans have been suspended in a never-ending state of shock with his plans to reboot the DC cinematic universe. Anything that doesn’t serve his vision for the fictional world has to go, and snipping away Henry Cavill after his return as Superman was confirmed proves that nothing is sacred in the DCU anymore.
While we know who has been officially put on the chopping block (Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Dwayne Johnson, etc), those actors who still retain their status as DCU stars aren’t necessarily safe either.
Jason Momoa
Rumors have been swirling about Momoa abandoning the Aquaman ship and instead switching roles within the DCU to play Lobo. So far, neither half of the claim has received an official stamp, but nothing is stopping Gunn from pulling a 360 and just being done with Momoa’s time in DC land.
Seeing that both Cavill and Affleck were part of the Snyderverse, it won’t come as a surprise if the Guardians of the Galaxy director doesn’t include Momoa as Aquaman in his plans moving forward. Insider reports about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom not giving the film a soaring score — and Gunn seemingly shooting down the actor’s plausible future as Lobo — isn’t exactly painting a bright future for Momoa in the DCU.
Xolo Maridueña
Between Gunn embarking on his DCU cleaning spree and Batgirl getting canned, everyone has been understandably worried about the fate of Blue Beetle, set to star Xolo Maridueña in the leading role. Though the new co-head of DC films has assured the public that the latest DCU superhero is not joining the cancellation fest Warner Bros. has going on and that the movie will hit theaters in August this year, Blue Beetle’s place in the new world order totally hinges on how well it performs at the box office.
We have seen how Dwayne Johnson got swept up in Gunn’s aggressive housecleaning after Black Adam disastrously failed to be the epic the actor promised it would be. Nothing is stopping Blue Beetle from joining the anti-hero if it ends up on the same road.
Gal Gadot
While Patty Jenkins’ script for Wonder Woman 3 has been shot down, Gunn has assured that there is a place for Wonder Woman in his plans, but he hasn’t confirmed what it means for Gal Gadot’s future in the DCU. Will she return with a new director helming the story of Diana Prince, or is the character going to be recast just like Superman? Judging by DC films’ boss’ penchant for a clean slate, chances are Wonder Woman 1984 was the last we saw Gadot trying — and failing — to bring the botched presentation of the Amazonian warrior to something like life.
Zachary Levi
Even with Cavill, Johnson, and Affleck departing the DCU, Levi’s presence in the rebooted franchise was never questioned. Or it wasn’t until his ant-vax comments riled up significant backlash on social media and the unimpressive trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods actually gained The Rock support for his previously criticized decision of not appearing as Teth-Adam in the film.
And while we are on the lookout for reasons why Levi might not get a callback, Gunn not explicitly establishing him as a DCU mainstay doesn’t make us very confident about his return as Billy Batson.
Ezra Miller
The sole reason for the controversial cloud that constantly follows The Flash, Ezra Miller’s exit from the DCU is more of a “when” than an “if” for majority of the fandom. Though the film is getting to see the light of day — because of the millions that went into making it in the first place — it is here to reset the DCU and with Miller’s less-than-stellar track record till now, who is confident that he won’t be behind one of the doors Gunn closes for good with The Flash?
Sasha Calle
Though many are still on the fence about seeing Miller returning after The Flash, after seeing the official trailer of the film, fans have made it known how much they want Sasha Calle to continue playing Supergirl even after the cinematic universe is reset. But seeing that Gunn’s plans for the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film didn’t specify Calle as the star, calling her a permanent DCU fixture might end up being a premature prediction.
Some would say that the new version of the Suicide Squad is also not free from getting a total makeover. But with the solo Viola Davis series en route, and the fact that Gunn’s meticulous selection of the supervillains for the 2021 film has been widely lauded doesn’t really spell doom for the likes of Idris Elba, Daniel Melchior, Harley Quinn, or John Cena.