Nightwing? Red Hood? Who's Next For DC TV?

DC has done incredibly well in recent years with their characters jumping into television series. We've seen Arrow fire the first shot and show off what’s possible for a DC hero to attain on television, we’ve witnessed the speed in which The Flash has gained a freaky fan following and we’ve also seen the power of Supergirl as she made her debut on television. Everyone is talking about what Marvel has done with comic book characters on Netflix, and rightfully so. Marvel has created a connected universe of characters, and it looks to be incredibly promising over the next few years, yet by no means is DC playing second fiddle to Marvel.

DC actually stepped into the television realm first, they’ve stayed fairly consistent with the characters they have currently and expanding the cast rather than expanding into new shows. Until now that is, as we have the anticipated [DC's Legends of Tomorrow](tag:2937021) as well as a Teen Titans series to look to - but the question remains: what's next for DC's television universe?

Regardless of your opinion on the DC vs. Marvel debate, DC has some incredible characters that are definitely due for their own episodic series, and here are 10 DC properties that I think should be first on the list for live-action shows.

Booster Gold

This is a no-brainer, with the introduction of Rip Hunter through CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, we can only imagine that Booster Gold could make an appearance in the future as well. Through the history of DC, Rip Hunter has often been portrayed as a mentor and associate of Booster’s, so it would make sense to introduce the brash, big-headed hero as the next time-traveling hero to join DC on the big screen. Booster is arrogant and sure-of-himself but ultimately wants to be the hero that everyone remembers. This would give an interesting dynamic to his show as he struggles with the reality of who he is.

We will see how well a time-traveler fares once we see Legends of Tomorrow, but it would be easy to introduce Booster Gold through The Flash or even Legends as we’ve already been introduced to the multiverse. Booster could be a character that slips through in that way rather than traveling through time as Rip Hunter did. We could watch his story unfold as he struggles to make a name for himself, possibly as a young and fresh under the collar hero.

Blue Beetle

There’s been a lot of talk of a Booster Gold/Blue Beetle story line and while I think that could work, I’d rather see them as individual heroes first because the Blue Beetle story is large enough that it should be told independently. The Blue Beetle was rumored to have been in store for the 3rd season of Arrow, but DC ruled it out as they had other plans, which means he possibly could be turning up in his own show in the future. There have been 3 Blue Beetles: Dan Garret, Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes. Reyes, I think has the most potential to land his own show as he would appeal to the younger audience as he struggles with the same issues that the audience does – minus the whole alien artifact giving you super powers of course.

A Blue Beetle show could work in the current DC’s universe as he has been rumored countless times to be appearing. Reyes could show up as a Flash multiverse transfer, similarly to Booster Gold, and it’s through that dimensional shift that he gains a spin-off and possible tie-in with Booster. The show could watch as he matures in his own determination to be a hero but also as he grows to be able to control the scarab and communicate with it.

The Question

Vic Sage is the original Question and as he gets older he decides to choose a worthy heir to pass on his guidance. He chooses Renee Montoya, a defunct Gotham City detective after discovering corruption in the GCPD, to become the Question. Montoya accepts the name and dons The Question's trademark artificial skin and begins investigating the truth of crime and seeking justice and ultimately looks into the more sinister and supernatural occurrences as thy arise.

We’ve already seen that a detective story based in Gotham could work. The story of Renee Montoya would be easy to adapt out of Gotham’s success. Montoya would be a strong female character to take a lead show as well as adding some diversity as we’ve already seen that Montoya had a relationship with Barbara Kean in Gotham.

Batgirl

We all know that Batman is one of the most coveted and well-known DC characters who has had his fair share of partnerships over the years, and one of those partnerships is with a woman we all know as Barbara Gordon: the daughter of Gotham’s Police Commissioner James Gordon. Barbara’s story would fit well into the narrative started thanks to Fox’s Gotham. Granted that a Batgirl show would obviously be set in a future timeline as all the primary villains are just now getting situated in their identities.

Gotham has done, and continues to do a great job of setting the stage for the forth-coming cowl placement on Bruce Wayne. Since we’re unlikely to see the main man himself grace the television screen, Batgirl is the next best character to join the fray. Batgirl has her own ideals and reasons for becoming a superhero, and with the current success of Supergirl, it’s not a stretch to imagine that Batgirl could also become a lead character in her own show as she faces the villains we’ve encountered over the years.

Hawk And Dove

Hawk and Dove have been in a couple of partnerships over the years. We’ve had brothers Don & Hank Hall as well as sisters Holly & Dawn Granger, and even a variation of the two with Hank Hall & Dawn Granger and that is the partnership that I think deserves their own show. Hank Hall as Hawk – Hawk being the embodiment of war itself is endowed with superhuman durability, speed, stamina & strength as well as having enhanced senses. Hawk is a powerful force but often struggles with his anger as his mind is consumed by the power of Chaos. Dawn Granger as Dove – Dove being the polar opposite of Hawk as she is the embodiment of peace and has been endowed with superhuman agility and durability, as well as being hyper-vigilant and able to deduce situations and how people will react. Dove can also fly and is able to concentrate her radiance into a blinding beam of light.

A show focusing on these two and their dynamic together being near polar opposites as one is considered war and the other being peace. The two characters could show up as a crossover and bring a great new life to DC’s collection of shows.

Zatanna

Zatanna is a next-level magical hero, and where Constantine fell short in areas, Zatanna could succeed as she is seen more as a legitimate hero. Through her comic book history, she has partnered with many of the big names in DC like Batman, Atom and Green Lantern before being associated with the Justice League itself. Through the New 52 reboot, she has become a main character in Justice League Dark as well as a primary character in the newest story with Black Canary.

A Zatanna show could join the world of Batgirl, possibly even incorporating other DC characters. It would bring a different dimension to the supernatural element that DC tried to put on display through Constantine, yet Zatanna would be able to play as a lighter showing rather than the darkness that comes tied to Constantine.

Nightwing / Red Hood

Thanks to Christopher Nolan’s rendition of Batman, many fans want nothing more than to see John “Robin” Blake return to the screen, even if it’s only on a television screen. We fell in love with his character and the idea of having Joseph Gordon-Levitt in that role and becoming Nightwing. Now, granted it’s a stretch to think that it would happen in that way, but it’s definitely something to think about. With Nightwing sharing similarities with Marvel’s Netflix hit Daredevil this show would focus more on the character’s growth and fighting development rather than relying on an extreme amount of special effects ala Supergirl on CBS.

Yet, in the same breath that I say the above idea I think a Nightwing show would only benefit from carrying a character like Red Hood as the primary anti-hero with whom Nightwing must come to grips with. It would be an interesting dynamic watching these two **SPOILER** past-Robins interact with each other. Even more interesting would be having the show switch perspectives with one episode focusing on Nightwing and another on Red Hood as they each go about their own personal stories.

Etrigan The Demon

Etrigan the Demon is a unique character in DC mythos as he has direct ties to King Arthur’s Camelot, and more directly, the wizard Merlin. Etrigan is bound to a knight of King Arthur, Jason Blood, rendering him immortal. Jason and the demon inside him class as Etrigan is guided by his own desires whereas Blood wishes to use the demonic power for good. Etrigan has crossed paths with several DC characters over the years, most notably though is his connection to Batman.

Etrigan would be a similar property to Constantine, as it would face the darker side of magic but could easily become a show based on the more human character of Jason Blood as he faces a life of immortality and what to do with his life and his powers since as Jason he is often called upon to investigate occult matters. Etrigan should focus on the human element, only harnessing the demons powers on occasion when he is outmatched.

Aqualad

Aqualad, also known as Jackson Hyde, didn’t know about the truth of who he was until the events in Blackest Night. Jackson discovered that he had the ability to control water and soon after, he was informed that he was the son of Black Manta. Aqualad in a unique character compared to Aquaman since his origin is more alien as he is the product of experimentation while in an extra-dimensional prison of the Atlantean empire.

Aqualad could make a splash on television as a potential introduction to a Young Justice show, as he is a primary member of the team and his story could be used as an precursor to the teams formation as we could also see Nightwing step in near the end and invite him to something bigger.

Young Justice.

With the news of a Teen Titans series through TNT, this may be a bit of a long shot but I'll never give up on the possibility of Young Justice becoming a full fledged television series. With characters like Superboy, Nightwing, Miss Martian, Arsenal, Aqualad, Wally West, Artemis, Beast Boy, Static, Blue Beetle and Zatanna, there are so many stories that could be built out of these characters. Now I will admit that having a series based on so many characters could be difficult to budget as is the rumor that we’re hearing about Legends of Tomorrow, yet I could see Young Justice getting a 1 season special after we’ve seen all these specific characters on their own individual shows.

A Young Justice show would have to focus on a major baddie that has crossed paths with many of the individual characters in their own shows as we see them all band together to defeat their collective enemy before all returning to their own shows.

All of these characters have their own reasons to deserve a show in DC's universe.