DC’s Vertigo was one of the company’s most popular imprints. That’s why it’s surprising how few of its characters have made their way to the big screen. Luckily, it seems like James Gunn and other executives at DC Studios are going to be giving them a bit more attention. We’ve had a number of DC Vertigo characters end up in media in recent memory, like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman or Keanu Reeves in Constantine. But those have been released kind of haphazardly.
Perhaps the rationale behind not leaning into some of these properties is two-fold. First of all, Vertigo was specifically created to house characters and storylines that were notably intended for mature audiences, rather than general audiences. Secondly, it’s likely that DC was too lasered-in on recreating the MCU formula. As a result, they really leaned into setting up The Justice League and bolstering some of their biggest heroes. Somehow, heroes like The Flash and Cyborg were left in the dust before the release of The Justice League, and it really just ended up confusing filmgoers.
A fan recently reached out to James Gunn on Twitter to ask if we’d be seeing any other Vertigo characters, aside from Swamp Thing, who was announced as one of the ten films and shows coming to Gunn’s new DC Universe. He replied to say they’re looking into “a couple potential things.”
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Tons of fans are speculating that one of those things could be the return of Constantine, whether that means Keanu Reeves reprising his role or not. Hellblazer is perhaps one of the most integral parts of the Vertigo imprint. We could also see some projects that are maybe a bit more niche, such as Grant Morrison’ critically acclaimed The Invisibles. Maybe even a Sandman spinoff starring Death! There are a lot of interesting possibilities.
DC Comics That Can’t Become DC Movies
These popular DC Comics titles can never get their own DC movies. (Sorry.)