It has been a slow few days in regards to news for the DCU, but James Gunn now comes through and possibly teases Deadman.
Gunn posted a pic on his Instagram of the character from the comics.
Well, a fan pointed out that none other than Aaron Paul gave it a like, which of course may mean nothing, but the actor does look the part.
Deadman coming to the DCU?
Gunn could also be teasing Justice League Dark which was supposed to get released at one time or another and had Guillermo del Toro attached.
Deadman is also a character that fits with the DCU’s “Chapter 1: God and Monsters” phase that also includes movies with Superman, Supergirl, Batman, The Authority, and Swamp Thing.
Perhaps Deadman will be appearing in the Swamp Thing movie which has Logan director James Mangold developing?
On the TV side, “God and Monsters” also includes Creature Commandos, Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, and Paradise Lost.
A Deadman TV series was in development at least twice, with the last time prior to Arrow and being developed by Eric Kripke who we now know as the creator behind The Boys.
Aaron Paul is of course the fan-favorite actor known for Breaking Bad and Westworld.
Who is Deadman?
In the comics, Deadman is Boston Brand, a circus aerialist murdered in his prime, who hunts the Earth in search of justice.
DC.com describes the character as:
In life, Boston Brand was one of the world’s greatest acrobats. But in death, he became one of its greatest heroes. Brand performed as a trapeze artist using the stage name “Deadman” due to his death-defying acts, ghostly white face paint and flamboyant costume. But during one of his performances, he was murdered in midair by a mysterious assassin known only as “The Hook.” When he died, his spirit was granted the power to possess any living being by the Hindu god Rama Kushna, so that Boston could search for his killer and receive a measure of peace. Now a literal Deadman, he was both a ghost and a DC superhero.
Although Deadman would eventually catch his murderer, who’d killed him as part of an elaborate initiation ritual to join an elite group of assassins, he continued to use his abilities to help people in the mortal world. While the majority of Earth’s heroes don’t know about Brand’s existence as Deadman, there are a select few who do. He’s worked several times with Batman, as well as more supernaturally inclined heroes like the Spectre and the Sentinels of Magic. In more recent years, he’s served as a member of the Justice League Dark. Whether solo or partnered with other heroes, Deadman continues to haunt the Earth, protecting the innocent and working to balance the scales of justice.
