Both Superman and Peacemaker have recently referenced Martians, suggesting that one of the Justice League’s founding members might be arriving in the DCU soon. James Gunn’s DCU is going strong, having introduced a wide array of characters from The Bride to Superman and Peacemaker, teased The Metal Men, and, on the horizon, will expand on briefly glimpsed characters like Sgt. Rock, Clayface, and Supergirl. Combine that with a rich tapestry of heroes across the DCU’s timeline that includes names from Bulletman to Wildcat and also Batman and Wonder Woman on the horizon, and this new shared universe is blossoming with potential.
The two DCU titles of 2025, Superman and Peacemaker, are worlds apart in tone, which has seemingly shocked some viewers. Yet one thing is consistent about both of them: they both reference Martians. While this wouldn’t be a big deal in another series, for a DC project, it is huge since one of the most famous founding members of the Justice League is a Martian. Is James Gunn teasing the arrival of Martian Manhunter, possibly for Man of Tomorrow?
Who Is Martian Manhunter?
DC Comics
Martian Manhunter was created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, debuting in Detective Comics #225 in November 1955. A Martian named J’onn J’onzz is pulled to Earth by an experimental teleportation beam constructed by Dr. Saul Erdel. When Edrel informs the Martian that it will take him some time to get the machine working to send him back, J’onzz shapeshifts into a human to wait on Earth. The shock kills Edrel, leaving J’onzz stranded on Earth and with no way home. He adopts the human persona of John Johns (an English version of his Martian name), a detective in Middletown, USA, while also assuming the superhero persona of Martian Manhunter. Like all Martians, J’onn J’onzz can shapeshift, fly, possess super strength, be restrained or entangled, and read minds. His biggest weakness is fire.
Five years after his creation, he became a founding member of the Justice League. In most continuities, Martian Manhunter is depicted as a founding member and, due to often not having his own title, is frequently featured in Justice League comics. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Martian Manhunter was used sporadically by DC, but gained significant popularity thanks to his inclusion in Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’ Justice League of America from 1987. That book, which put a humorous spin on the Justice League concept, featured Martian Manhunter as the straight man. Since then, he has been a regular fixture of the DC Universe, even receiving his own teen sidekick, White-Martian M’gann M’orzz, aka Miss Martian.
Justice League of America appears to be a big influence on James Gunn’s DCU, as it featured Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Booster Gold, and Maxwell Lord. Combine that with much of Martian Manhunter’s mythology, including his relationship to his people on Mars and his villainous brother Ma’alefa’ak, and it seems like Martian Manhunter might be a character Gunn could have a great deal of affection for.
Past Depictions of Martian Manhunter in DC
Warner Bros. Animation
Martian Manhunter is best known for his role as a founding member of the Justice League in both the 2001 DCAU animated series and the sequel series, Justice League Unlimited. Voiced by Carl Lumbly, this Martian Manhunter’s origins are closely tied to the formation of the Justice League. The popularity of the animated series is where most fans were introduced to Martian Manhunter. Martian Manhunter would go on to appear in a number of animated series, including Young Justice, The Batman, Batman: Brave and the Bold, and Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
David Ogden Stiers, best known for his roles on M*A*S*H and later in Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast and Lilo & Stitch, was the first actor to play Martian Manhunter in a live-action adaptation in a failed Justice League pilot. Phil Morris then played the character in a recurring role on Smallville. The character’s most significant role was in the series Supergirl, played by David Harewood. Initially disguised as Hank Henshaw, he soon reveals himself to be the Martian Manhunter, serving as both an ally and mentor to Supergirl and as a surrogate father figure. He went from being the head of the D.E.A. (Department of Extraterrestrial Affairs) to becoming a detective. In a nice bit of legacy casting, Carl Lumbly was cast as the character’s father.
Martian Manhunter has had a rough road in live-action films, as he was either included in canceled movies or as an afterthought in a Director’s Cut of a film that went straight to streaming. Hugh Keays-Byrne, who portrayed Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road, was set to play Martian Manhunter in George Miller’s planned Justice League: Mortal film before it was scrapped. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the director retroactively established that General Calvin Swanwick, from Man of Steel and later Secretary of Defense in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, was, in fact, the Martian Manhunter. This was not the original plan back in Man of Steel, as actor Harry Lennox said he never played the character with the intention of portraying Martian Manhunter. This was added retroactively when Zack Snyder completed his cut of Justice League. This explains why Martian Manhunter never assists the heroes in the final battle.
Hints at Martian Manhunter in the DCU and Why He Is Important
The CW
Two of Gunn’s past influences on the DCU, Justice League of America and the work of writer John Ostrander, have deep ties to Martian Manhunter. A lot of Gunn’s DCU is drawn from the 1980s, including upcoming titles like Booster Gold and Swamp Thing, as well as Peacemaker, which not only references his big revamp in the 1980s but also the series featuring the Adrian Chase version of Vigilante, introduced in 1982. These comics are what Gunn read as a teenager and young adult.
Superman featured two subtle nods to Martian Manhunter. The first is the Hammer of Borovia, destroying a building for Chocos. This fictional Oreo-like cookie exists in the DCU and was established as a major addiction for Martian Manhunter during the Justice League of America years. Then later in the movie, Lex Luthor says, “Tall, dark, and martian aren’t my thing,” before Superman corrects him. One Martian reference wouldn’t be anything, but then in Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 3, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” Adrian Chase references Martians, specifically the idea that they have one eye.
Two Martian references in the DCU in a month certainly raise some eyebrows. The one-eye line in particular is fascinating, as it resembles the recent design of Martian Manhunter in Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez’s excellent Absolute Martian Manhunter. While Absolute Martian Manhunter is a recent comic published after Peacemaker Season 2 was filmed, it can’t help but feel somewhat connected. Given the other Martian references and a reference to the alien’s favorite cookie, it’s hard not to feel like clues are being dropped.
Where Martian Manhunter could appear in the DCU is anyone’s guess. Man of Tomorrow would be fun, given that the character is another alien who can work alongside Superman, and also serves as a fun nod to the fact that Martian Manhunter also appeared in the animated film, Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Yet the character’s nature as a shapeshifter means he could theoretically pop up in any future project, hiding in plain sight, waiting to reveal his true identity. Superman seemingly implies that he is the first “alien” to reveal himself publicly, or at least one that the government is concerned about. That suggests that Martian Manhunter hasn’t made himself public and could still be operating in the shadows or only working as a detective in a human disguise.
James Gunn may also be planting the seeds for the DCU’s version of Justice League to draw heavily from the roster introduced in the animated series, which is the one most familiar to general audiences. The franchise already features David Corenswet as Superman and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and will soon introduce Aaron Pierre as John Stewart/Green Lantern. With Batman and Wonder Woman films in development, that only leaves The Flash and Martian Manhunter to complete a live-action incarnation of the Justice League. While these Martian references may be fun Easter eggs rather than true world-building, they suggest that James Gunn could reveal Martian Manhunter sooner rather than later.
Release Date
January 13, 2022
Network
HBO Max, Max
Directors
James Gunn, Brad Anderson, Rosemary Rodriguez
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Christopher Smith / Peacemaker
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Danielle Brooks
Leota Adebayo
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