12 DC Comics That Can Never Become DC Movies

DC Comics has become one of the most valuable parts of Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio. Its characters fuel endless movies, television shows, comics, video games, and merchandising, generating numerous streams of revenue for the company. Superman’s never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way is now a never-ending cycle of new films and series and books and toys.

But even as there are new DC comics and characters getting turned into movies all the time — recent additions to the DCEU include Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and Batgirl — there are loads of DC comic books and characters that have never gotten their chance at films or TV series. That’s because while DC (and Warner Bros. Discovery) control the rights to all of their big characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, other series feature heroes and villains licensed from outside companies, or owned by their original creators. And these comics — even some that lasted hundreds of issues and sold millions of copies — can’t ever get turned into DC movies. (This isn’t an issue isolated to DC either; Marvel has its own hit books that never get their own movies.)

Below, we’ve collected a dozen of the most notable DC comics and heroes whose stories will have to remain on the printed page for the foreseeable future. Starting with…