Harley Quinn Timeline
Tag: dc comics
Batman Color Palette Quiz
DC Universe (DCU) 2025 Preview
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Geekly hasn’t covered any movies or television series recently and it’s the new year, so let’s talk about the properties being released by DC Comics Studios in 2025. Full disclosure: I haven’t purchased a Max account yet; I’m woefully behind on most DC Comics-related television series. But I plan on signing up for Max soon, and there’s plenty of a back catalog to watch. Yay!
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be as much for the DCU on Max in 2025 as in 2024. Our first property on this list was supposed to be released in late 2024 but was pushed back to January 2025. Let’s see what I’ll be binging as soon as I sign up for Max.
Harley Quinn (Season 5) (On Max Starting January, 16 2025)
Harley Quinn has lasted five seasons? My goodness!
Harley Quinn looks like a show I’d enjoy. It follows Harley’s exploits after she breaks up with The Joker. She discovers who she is without Mr. J and meets a lot of Arkham’s colorful characters along the way. The cast elevates this premise even more. Kaley Cuoco (of The Big Bang Theory) portrays Harley, while long-time voice actor Lake Bell takes on the role of Poison Ivy. Throw in Alan Tudyk as the Joker, Ron (Bunches of) Funches as King Shark, Tony Hale as Doctor Psycho, and Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman, and you’ve got yourself a party.
As I said, Harley Quinn’s Season 5 was supposed to be released in December 2024. The DCU must’ve thought that would make Max’s end-of-year schedule too tight. Creature Commandos began airing on December 5, 2024. I’ll have to add Creature Commandos to my laundry list of shows to binge.
Unlike the MCU, which shows its roadmap of titles for the following five or six years (mild exaggeration), the DCU keeps its schedule a mystery. Max didn’t even announce that Harley Quinn Season 5 was pushed back. It just vanished from Max’s December lineup with no warning. Mid-way through December 2024, it popped back up with a January, 16 2025 release. This will be a recurring issue with the DCU.
Superman: Legacy (In Theaters July 11, 2025)
As of December 14, 2024, Superman: Legacy was the only 2025 DCU release with an official release date of July 11, 2025. I’ve got a second one that I know the exact release date for. XD
The new DC Universe rides on the success of its first entry, Superman: Legacy. No pressure.
Fortunately, Superman: Legacy has a lot going for it. I trust James Gunn as a writer and director of comic book movies. Gunn used All-Star Superman as inspiration for the film. That’s another vote of confidence. (Note: Jim Plath made a Superman Starter Stories post several years ago, and All-Star Superman made his list; see what other stories made his list.) DC Studios cast a relative no-name to portray Superman/Clark Kent; I’m glad they resisted the urge to cast a big name. And the rest of the cast holds plenty of accomplished actors. My favorite may have to be Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner. This ought to be fun.
Superman: Legacy also precedes any other major DCU release. Man of Steel followed in the footsteps of The Dark Knight (not even the first movie of the Dark Knight Trilogy) and felt as if it had to mimic the Nolanverse’s vibe. The rest of the DCEU kept that same energy for too long. I know that The Dark Knight didn’t officially take part in the DCEU, but the DCEU maintained the Nolanverse grit, whether the characters warranted it or not. Superman: Legacy is a much better choice to anchor the DCU.
I’m excited for Superman: Legacy. I hope it goes well and that the DCU can become more than an afterthought to the MCU. DC Comics has way too many great characters to be overshadowed for long. But I’m also nervous about Superman: Legacy. It needs to be a hit.
Peacemaker (Season 2) (On Max Starting August 2025)
Peacemaker Season was a huge success. Like many other titles on this list, I have yet to watch it. More binging! John Cena returns as the titular Peacemaker. Season one’s premise sounds interesting. Peacemaker joins a black ops squad, “Project Butterfly,” as it identifies and eliminates parasitic butterfly-like creatures who have taken over human bodies around the world.
Peacemaker served as a “soft reboot” for the 2021 DCEU movie Suicide Squad. Showrunner James Gunn postponed the second season because of his involvement in the Superman movie. This time, we have a month for Peacemaker Season 2’s release, and we know that Peacemaker’s second season can’t be released until after Superman in July 2025 because the events in Peacemaker Season 2 directly follow Superman. Think of this season as the bridge between the old DCEU and the new DCU. Fingers are crossed for a great DCU one-two punch.
Sandman (Season 2) (On Netflix Sometime in 2025)
We have no idea when Sandman Season 2 will be released, but it will most likely be released sometime in 2025. And there may be a good reason for this delay: Sandman writer Neil Gaiman’s allegations of sexual assault. Gaiman denies any wrongdoing. He’s innocent until he is proven guilty. I don’t want to get into detail about his legal issues here.
I don’t know exactly why Netflix has delayed Sandman Season 2’s release or given it a month for its release, but I wager it’s because Netflix wants to wait and see how Gaiman’s legal battle goes. Netflix canceled Dead Boy Detectives, another show based on a Gaiman-penned DC comic book, shortly after the allegations in July 2024, but that was because Dead Boy Detectives didn’t get enough viewers. Sandman Season 1 received plenty of viewers.
I was looking forward to Sandman Season 2, but that was before these allegations came to light. It’s difficult to separate art from the artist. It’s even more difficult to ignore allegations when (as of this writing) five women have accused Neil Gaiman of sexual assault.
Deep breath.
Let’s get back to Sandman. Despite what some viewers claimed, Sandman’s first season stayed true to the source material. Kirby made an excellent Death, likewise for Mason Alexander Park as Desire. The rest of the cast was fantastic. I didn’t think anyone could effectively pull off Morpheus. Tom Sturridge gives a solid performance. Did the first season take some liberties? Yes. But the heart of the story remained the same. Sandman Season 2 was my most anticipated DC Comics project for this year, and that includes a year with a Superman movie.
Okay. I was stoked about Superman: Legacy, too.
That’s all I have for now. Let me know your thoughts on the upcoming DCU movies and television shows. See you soon. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Justice League Color Palette Quiz
Top 5 Ice-Powered Comic Book Characters
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the first day of winter. Let’s celebrate by listing the Top 5 Ice-Powered Characters in comic books.
5: Ice (DC)
The first of several DC Comics characters on this list, Ice is the successor to the Ice Maiden. Tora Olafsdotter is the product of Norwegian experiments with Ice Maiden, hoping to replicate her powers. Tora’s arrival in the human world led the original Ice Maiden feeling superfluous. Ice Maiden returned to Norway, while Tora took up the name Ice and joined the Justice League International. She’s had an off-again, on-again relationship with Guy Gardner and developed a friendship with a heroine named Fire.
4: Captain Cold (DC)
Leonard Snart, Captain Cold, started life as a gag villain, but over time, Cold has become an impressive DC Universe villain. Snart grew up in an abusive household and turned to a life of crime. He developed a cold gun. The gun has extraordinary power. It can create temperatures to absolute zero. He can freeze objects (and people), create ice patches and icicles, and create a “cold zones” which can slow down anyone, including the Flash.
Snart is one of the founding members of the Rogues. He’s joined the Ice Pack (a group of cold-powered supervillains) and the Secret Society of Super Villains.
3: Killer Frost (DC)
There have been two women who bore the Killer Frost moniker. Crystal Frost was a scientist working in the Arctic when an accident gave her the ability to generate extreme cold. She became a supervillain, but her powers were slowly killing her. In an attempt to save herself, she consumed the heat of Firestorm and died.
Following Crystal’s death, her friend Dr. Louise Lincoln became Killer Frost. She recreated the accident that gave Crystal her powers and sought revenge on Firestorm. Able to transmute heat to cold and create gusts of wind and structures made of ice, Killer Frost has teamed up with villains like Captain Cold (who we saw in our previous entry) and Mr. Freeze, who happens to be our next entry.
2: Mr. Freeze (DC)
Dr. Victor Fries (originally a mad scientist Mr. Zero) is another DC villain who began life as a joke villain. The 1990’s Batman: The Animated Series recreated him as a sympathetic villain in its Emmy-winning episode “Heart of Ice.” Mr. Freeze has a sad story behind his frozen smile. His wife Nora fell terminally ill. Dr. Fries dedicated himself to cryogenic research to save her. The head of the corporation funding Fries’s work shuts down his project, and Victor fights them to save his wife. A fight ensues, which results in Victor turning into Mr. Freeze.
Freeze can only survive in sub-zero temperatures. To survive, Victor built himself a cryo-suit. He also developed an ice gun (powered by diamonds) and pursued a life of crime. Freeze’s gun can freeze objects and people, while his suit gives him increased strength and durability. Combined with his intellect, Mr. Freeze is a formidable foe.
1: Iceman (Marvel)
Iceman Bobby Drake started as the youngest member of the original X-Men. Most fans ignored him; he was the Spider-Man of that early X-Men team, cracking jokes and acting as the conduit for younger X-Men readers to view the team through.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and Bobby made his weekend appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I know it’s hokey, but I still enjoy watching this Saturday Morning cartoon on Disney+. Little did I, or any of those early readers of X-Men, know that Bobby may be one of the most powerful mutants. Iceman is an Omega-level mutant. As a frame of reference, Magneto is also an Omega-level mutant. Yikes!
Iceman can become ice in an organic form. By doing this, he can change his size and size, becoming an enormous ice man. He can also add spikes of ice on his knuckles or other body part, becoming a living weapon.
Hello, Winter! Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Top 5 Underrated DC Villains
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re doing something very different this week and posting a much older post by our resident Star Trek Geek, Jim Plath. He shared his Top 5 Underrated DC Villains years ago, and I just found the copy. Sorry about that, Jim. Without further ado, here is the Top 5 Underrated DC Villains.
This one ended up being trickier than I expected. When you start digging, you can make a case for just about any villain of Batman’s not named Joker, Ra’s, Deathstroke, or Superman’s not named Lex, Doomsday, Darkseid, or Brainiac. Here’s my list though.
5) Cheetah:
You could make a case for just about any DC female villain not named Harley Quinn these days, but given that she’s really an anti-hero now, she might not make the list anyway. Cheetah’s history with Wonder Woman is pretty front-and-center in Wonder Woman’s current arc, and it’s doing wonders for drawing attention to her sympathetic qualities. As a character, she’s tragic, and as a villain, she’s got Wonder Woman’s durability and the speed of, well, a cheetah. That makes her a worthy adversary for a good portion of the Justice League.
4) Brother Eye
The OMACs/Brother MK1/Brother Eye have been used similarly to Marvel’s Sentinels. They’ve been involved in some great Justice League stories over the years, played a pivotal role in Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis, and always generate hefty stakes.
3) Mongul
Mongul is something of an ersatz Darkseid. In fact, that’s most likely why he’s underrated. Like a lot of characters, his backstory changes slightly here and there, but he’s proven himself a threat to each member of the Justice League individually, and given them a run for their money as a group. He even once destroyed Hal Jordan’s hometown of Coast City.
2) Psycho Pirate
With the power to affect people’s states of mind, he probably gets passed over too often for villains like Scarecrow, but Psycho Pirate’s powers are broader. He’s been shown to mollify hostile characters, even pacify Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. It isn’t always about fear with the Psycho Pirate.
1) Vandal Savage
When it comes to men made untouchable to father time, the bulk of the spotlight goes to Ra’s al Ghul these days. Some of that is the influence of the Arkham video game franchise, and the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy, but another factor is Savage is far more powerful. There just aren’t many DC heroes who can make a match for him, so he doesn’t get as many shots at the bigtime.
Do you agree with Jim’s list? Who would you add or remove? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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