By Drew Dietsch
| Published
James Gunn is the architect behind the new DC Universe in film and television. One of the most refreshing facets of Gunn as the creative shepherd for the DCU is that isn’t a spineless wimp when it comes to standing by his viewpoints and including them in his DC stories. Unlike the vapid centrist cowardice of Marvel with something like Captain America: Brave New World, Gunn’s Superman is willing to make a real statement and isn’t afraid at all to welcome actual topical discourse. The hope is that supporting this kind of storytelling will help permeate to all the other DCU movies and shows.
It’s both creatively invigorating and shows Gunn doesn’t want to fill the DCU with limp lip-service about topical issues; he actually wants to openly confront these ideas and put forth stories that get people talking about these elements. In that spirit, I want to issue a public dare to James Gunn: put Uncle Sam in the DCU and do an adaptation of the Steve Darnall & Alex Ross graphic novel.
Uncle Sam In The DCU
Before digging into that specific story, I’ll do your Wikipedia work for you. Uncle Sam was created by comics legend Will Eisner. He first appeared in 1940 as an expected heroic symbol against Axis enemies. He has been reinterpreted any number of times (comics!) but is often used to examine a style of American optimism in the face of adversity.
There are a myriad of potential ways to bring Uncle Sam into the DCU proper, and it could even be in a less directly provocative way than what I’m going to suggest, but Gunn’s willingness to be upfront with his topical superhero universe makes Uncle Sam the kind of character that could absolutely work in the DCU.
But my dare to James Gunn isn’t just to plop Uncle Sam into the DCU for some invisible social commentary points. I want him to facilitate a version of a comic book story that would prove he’s not here to pussyfoot around challenging themes.
Uncle Sam By Steve Darnall & Alex Ross
In 1997, DC’s adult-targeted imprint Vertigo released a two-part prestige miniseries called Uncle Sam, written by Steve Darnall with painted artwork by Alex Ross. The story is about a broken down old man dressed as Uncle Sam who begins to experience a hallucinatory journey through American history. He is confronted with the dissonance between America’s triumphant image and the many truthful horrors of the country. By the end, our optimistic Uncle Sam is engaged in battle with his corrupt doppelganger in a metaphor about the struggle for America’s soul.
It’s one of the most striking, confrontational, unapologetic, and ultimately hopeful tales about the constant struggle of the American Dream. It’s not the cheeriest story so I doubt an adaptation would be laden with cheeky one-liners or goofy jokes, but if there is ever a time this could actually get made, it’s with seasoned provocateur James Gunn steering the ship.
I’m very hopeful for the future of the DCU after Superman, and one of my biggest hopes is that this cinematic universe isn’t going to rush out the kinds of numbing. say-nothing movies that the MCU has been pooping out for a while. Uncle Sam would be the biggest confirmation of Gunn’s willingness to let truly challenging movies and shows be made from these properties.
I doubt Gunn will respond to my silly dare and I especially doubt any major studio would have the sack to make something like Uncle Sam. Hopefully, someone reading this will track down the comic book and see how you can craft a scathing satire of America while also looking for hope among the darkness.
