HBO Max's 'Strange Adventures': Top 5 characters from canceled DC shows who could find new life on the upcoming series
Though they've had quite a lot of success on the small screen with shows like 'Arrow' and 'Doom Patrol', DC hasn't really given much of a push to its more terrifying characters. With 'Swamp Thing' being canceled despite an overwhelmingly positive response from the fans, we were starting to think DC might be done with horror stories for a while but all that changed with the announcement that we would be getting a new anthology series called 'Strange Adventures' that, in the words of producer Greg Berlanti, will tell "cautionary tales set in a world where superpowers exist."
With this new series, DC now has a chance to introduce audiences to some of the more twisted and terrifying characters from their vast catalog and also to bring back some of the more interesting figures from canceled shows like 'Swamp Thing' and 'Constantine'. Here are 5 characters from canceled DC shows that we would love to see brought back to life in 'Strange Adventures':
Blue Devil
In the comics, Daniel Cassidy started out as a Hollywood stuntman with a special devil-suit that he built for a movie but after he was forcibly bonded with the suit by a demon, Daniel became the hero known as Blue Devil and despite trying to reverse his condition for years, he eventually ended up getting himself permanently transformed into an actual demon.
DC Universe's 'Swamp Thing' gave Blue Devil his first appearance in live-action, played by Ian Ziering, but with that show now dead, Daniel could have his story explored as part of 'Strange Adventures' instead. He's an interesting character and his story fits the cautionary tone that the show is taking so we're very hopeful that we have not seen the last of Blue Devil.
Papa Midnite
Depending on the story Linton Midnite aka Papa Midnite is either an ally or an enemy of John Constantine. In the comics, he's a voodoo priest who's also a drug-dealing crimelord, cursed with immortality so long as white men rule over black people on the American continent.
Midnite was a recurring character on the short-lived NBC series 'Constantine' starring Matt Ryan as the titular magician where he was played by Michael James Shaw. After the show was canceled, Constantine himself had moved on to 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' but there's still so much that could be done with Midnite's character and he would be a perfect addition to 'Strange Adventures', though not nearly as much as the next character on this list.
Swamp Thing
Ah, Swamp Thing. The most iconic representation of DC's dark side may look like a monster (and often act like one) but in reality, he is a mystical guardian of all living things. Derek Mears played the character in his monstrous state in Swamp Thing's DC Universe show with Andy Bean portraying his human side, Alec Holland.
We're almost completely certain that Swamp Thing will be a part of 'Strange Adventures' as he is one of the most interesting horror characters that DC has ever come up with, notwithstanding the fact that he may or may not have been a rip-off of Marvel's Man-Thing. Swamp Thing's origin as a scientist who was consumed by his work makes for a pretty good cautionary tale and the fans would definitely love to see him return to screens even if it's not in his own show because let's face it, when it comes to mystical horrors, nobody does it better than the Swamp Thing.
Doomsday
Swamp Thing may be the most iconic DC horror character from the magical side of things but that doesn't mean he's the comic book giant's last word in terror. After all, science can throw up things as monstrous as magic and Doomsday is the perfect example.
Syfy's 'Krypton' gave Doomsday a highly-detailed origin that was very popular with the fans. We were hoping to see a lot more of the monstrous being in the series but now that 'Krypton' has been canceled, perhaps he could find a new place to rampage.
The Spectre
No one really knows where the Spectre comes from. Depending on the comic, he's either the Angel of Death, the personification of God's wrath, or the super-charged soul of dead cop Jim Corrigan. 'Constantine' featured Corrigan but the Spectre is yet to make an appearance in live-action, which is actually quite surprising.
As an immortal magical being, the Spectre has god-like abilities that he uses to punish the wicked in imaginatively ironic ways and his only real weakness, and a minor one at that, is that he needs to be tethered to a human host in order to manifest on Earth. Hopefully, we'll be able to witness the full extent of the Spectre's awesomeness sooner rather than later.
'Strange Adventures' doesn't have an official release date yet but it should be arriving on HBO Max sometime in 2020 or 2021.