After years of highlighting lesser-known characters with Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos, James Gunn is tackling the most iconic superhero of all time: Superman. Following Zack Snyder‘s dark and divisive DCEU, the first official DCU film under Gunn and Peter Safran’s leadership, Superman, brings a more lighthearted cartoonish energy, and currently has an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although the film centers on well-known characters like Clark Kent/Superman (David Corenswet), Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), it also highlights not-so-known characters like Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría). As DC Studios co-head, Gunn makes sure to showcase his favorite characters, whether they’re popular or not.
As production is slowly moving to introduce the DCU Batman and a new Wonder Woman film is in the works, there is still the Wonder Woman prequel series, Paradise Lost, which was announced to be part of the first chapter in the DCU. The show will be set on the island of Themyscira years before Diana/Wonder Woman is born, and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran teased that it would be a “Game of Thrones-type story” with “all the darkness and drama and political intrigue behind this society of only women.” Because of when the show takes place and how much Gunn loves to introduce lesser-known characters, it’s the perfect opportunity for DC Studios to feature Nubia, the first Black superheroine in DC Comics history.
Who Is Nubia in DC Comics?
Created in 1973 by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck in Wonder Woman #204, Nubia’s backstory before Crisis on Infinite Earths was that she was Diana’s long-lost twin. Queen Hippolyta created both Nubia and Diana out of clay, but Nubia was taken by Ares, the god of war, and raised to be a weapon against the Amazonians. Nubia was strong-willed enough to never fully commit to Ares’ cause, so he used a magical ring to keep her under his control. Despite being the only woman on a floating island, Nubia eventually earned the men’s respect as she surpassed them in combat, and would later become their ruler, military leader, and lead strategist.
Nubia traveled to Themyscira under the guise of an armored warrior to challenge Diana. After proving herself to be Diana’s equal, she declares herself the true Wonder Woman, similar to how Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) challenged T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) for the throne in Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther. When Ares launched an attack against Themyscira, Diana destroyed the ring controlling Nubia, and the duo worked together to defeat the god of war. Hippolyta proudly accepted Nubia as her own, and Nubia decided to stay on Themyscira alongside her fellow Amazonians.
The character has hardly been featured in Wonder Woman comics since then. But following the DC Rebirth relaunch at DC, Nubia’s backstory was changed to no longer be Diana’s literal twin, but still born on the same day. She was an Amazonian champion tasked with guarding Doom’s Doorway, also known as the Gates of Tartarus, which is a portal under Paradise Island that leads to the Underworld.
When Diana seemingly dies at the end of Scott Snyder‘s universe-shattering event Dark Nights: Death Metal, Hippolyta had a test for any Amazonians to claim the Wonder Woman title. The contestants were to open a box with Medusa’s head inside, and if their hearts were just and their minds weren’t clouded by ambition, they wouldn’t be petrified and would be worthy (like with Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir). When only Nubia agreed to do the test, inside the box was a golden crown. Hippolyta declared Nubia the new Queen of Themyscira, while she would be Earth’s new Wonder Woman. Regardless of which route DC Studios chooses to go, there are options to introduce Nubia in the DCU.
James Gunn Mentioned Nubia During His ‘Superman’ Press Tour
In a recent interview with Pay or Wait during the press junket for Superman, Gunn said that there are already talks of having Nubia make her way into the DCU:
“I am very aware of Nubia. And yes, we are very much talking about that, and I want to have all sorts of people represented in the DCU and, yeah, you might be very happy in the not-too-distant future.”
With the Wonder Woman film and Paradise Lost already being worked on, Gunn could be hinting that Nubia’s “not-too-distant” debut could be coming in either of these projects. However, the best option would be to introduce Nubia in Paradise Lost before making her big-screen debut in the Wonder Woman film.
After Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot’s version of Wonder Woman was popularized recently in the DCEU, DC Studios could create their own spin on the mythology in a big way by showing that Nubia was actually the first daughter of Queen Hippolyta, before Diana. Considering that Paradise Lost will have a similar feel to Game of Thrones, the thrust of the series could be Amazonians trying to take the Wonder Woman mantle.
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While the comics initially explained that Ares took Nubia away when she was young and raised her to be a strong fighter, Paradise Lost can show what it’d be like if Nubia were raised alongside the Amazonians and perhaps became the first Wonder Woman. Unlike Batman and Superman’s origins, which we’ve seen countless times, Wonder Woman’s history has rarely been showcased. By having Nubia introduced as a key character in Paradise Lost, it not only highlights a different side of Wonder Woman lore but also gives the DCU more representation in terms of its characters.
Could Nubia Join James Gunn’s Justice League?
While fans and Gunn himself have suggested that Adria Arjona would make a great Wonder Woman, it’d be a fresh take if DC Studios changed the direction for the character by having Nubia be the modern-day Wonder Woman alongside Corenswet’s Superman whenever the DCU forms the Justice League. Nubia joined the team in Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan, and Stephanie Williams‘ Nubia & the Justice League Special #1, with Diana also as a member. There is precedent for having both Nubia and Diana in the Justice League, but it might be easier for new fans to follow one person carrying the Wonder Woman title in the present day. With Paradise Lost having the opportunity to build up Nubia as a crucial character in the DCU, it’ll lead to interesting stories with a new character that general audiences will grow to love.
It’s exciting to see what’s next for the DCU following the positive response to James Gunn‘s Superman. With the title of this first chapter being “Gods and Monsters,” there are so many possibilities for where this new universe can go with its big bad and the way each project connects to one another. Peacemaker Season 2 will be released next month on August 21 with Superman characters such as Nathan Fillion‘s Green Lantern Guy Gardner and Isabela Merced‘s Hawkgirl set to appear. Fillion is also confirmed to show up in Lanterns next year, featuring the DCU debut of Aaron Pierre‘s Green Lantern John Stewart and Kyle Chandler‘s Green Lantern Hal Jordan. As the DCU branches out to highlight different characters, fans can’t wait for when they get to see Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman share the screen once again. Hopefully, this time, Nubia will take on the Wonder Woman mantle in live-action.