DC Is Already Planning Two Superman Spinoffs
Superman’s legacy may lie in two unlikely characters.
Superman was always meant to restart the DC Universe under the guidance of James Gunn, and for a while, it looked like we knew the way ahead: It would be followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clayface, The Batman Part II, and multiple upcoming series. (Alas, Sgt. Rock, we hardly knew ye.)
But with a risky project like Superman giving DC movies a tabula rasa, there is always the prospect of projects planned just in case the movie is a smash success, and it looks like that may be the case. Two breakout characters from the movie may be getting spinoffs of their own, but do they have what it takes to carry a show all by themselves?
Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen provided much of the comic relief in Superman.
A new report from the Wall Street Journal dove deep into the economic side of Superman, including what executives expect it to make at the box office and what the stars took home. But one of the major factors in how the DC Universe performs from here on out is output. The plan going forward seems to mimic Marvel’s current plan: they expect to release two movies per year, one animated show, and “multiple TV shows.”
According to the report, James Gunn is considering two Superman spinoffs to be part of that roster, one focused on Mister Terrific and one focused on Jimmy Olsen. A spinoff focused on Mister Terrific, aka Michael Holt, is a bit easier to fathom, as he’s a superhero in his own right and the only member of the Justice Gang with an empty dance card, as Guy Gardner has Lanterns and Hawkgirl has Peacemaker. A spotlight series could focus on his origin story or his adventures after the movie.
Mister Terrific and Jimmy Olsen’s popularity with fans may clinch their own shows.
A spinoff about Jimmy Olsen, however, is a little harder to justify. Sure, he’s got the hilarious sideplot as a chick magnet, but he isn’t exactly saving the day on the regular. However, there’s already a precedent for DC spinoffs of non-hero characters doing well. Fans were skeptical about how The Batman’s Oz Cobb could carry his own series, but 2024’s The Penguin turned out to be a thrilling crime drama with no Bat in sight. Maybe an Olsen-focused workplace series about The Daily Planet could recapture that same energy.
It’s still early days for Superman itself, and these spinoffs are only being considered, not greenlit. But even the possibility proves that James Gunn isn’t afraid to go big with this new era of the DC Universe. If they’re going to rival the MCU, then a plethora of streaming spinoffs is clearly the new frontier.
