The New DC Universe Needs One Thing, And That Thing Is Dr. Cool
Yesterday, /Film attended a press event wherein the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, were expected to announce a full lineup of films and TV shows based on DC Comics. What was known going in was that Gunn and Safran have openly intended to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. That means audiences will be seeing the final few films in the decade-old Snyderverse in 2023, and prepare for a proper reboot. Also, the Arrowverse — a collection of DC Comics-based TV shows centered on "Arrow" — will also be swept off the slate. Gunn and Safran, it seems, want no confusion. Cleanliness and clarity appear to be key.
As reported on by multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ben Mekler on his Twitter thread, Gunn took to his podium on January 30, 2023 to announce the future plans for the DC Universe, or DCU ... and made the most exciting announcement possible. The entire DCU will be predicated on a wholly original character named Dr. Cool. Frankly, this is what the DCU needs. (Mekler is a known internet prankster and his thread is entirely fictitious. So is this article. Let's see how many people skim this paragraph and miss this important point.)
Gunn spoke for over two hours about Dr. Cool, explaining the character's look, his origins, and how larger DC comics stories would stem directly from how cool he is. Gunn's new version of Superman was to be mentored by Dr. Cool on how to best use his superpowers. In Gunn's version of the world, Batman was to be "a shrimpier," nerd-like figure who needs the approval and advice from Dr. Cool in order to fight crime. He implied that Dr. Cool may be Wonder Woman's father. He also mentioned that Dr. Cool wears a "green ring" on a chain around his neck, but he didn't clarify if it was a Green Lantern ring or not.
Dr. Cool, the center of it all
Gunn pointed out that the Snyderverse was, as it stands, never properly unified. While characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman were able to unite in two different versions of "Justice League," other films in the series seemed tonally far away. How, for instance, was a film like David Ayer's "Suicide Squad" supposed to fit into a world with invading god aliens? James Wan's "Aquaman" featured a "Justice League" character, but was relatively silly when placed next to Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Dr. Cool is being brought in to wrangle everything.
Gunn described Dr. Cool at length, including the character's origin. Dr. Diego Robot-X Cool (Gunn stated multiple times that his middle name was "Robot-X") was born on the mean streets of Detroit, raised largely by gangland toughs, pool hall hustlers, and street magicians. He was also enamored of a local tattoo magnate and distillery owner named Otto who served as one of Dr. Cool's central father figures. Throughout his childhood, Dr. Cool learned fighting skills, sports, bar trivia, pool, biking, skateboarding, motorcycling, mixology, tattoo artistry, and DJ spinning. By age 18, Dr. Cool had already written several books, founded several charities, and displaced over a dozen crime lords.
By age 21, Dr. Cool had indeed received several degrees, including doctorates in medicine, physics, and a science Gunn referred to as "awesomeology." Evidently, it is the science of being awesome.
Gunn also spoke at length about Dr. Cool's wardrobe. He will wear a pair of Phantom Boots, an ornate pair of leather cowboy boots which ordinarily cost over $100,000, but which Dr. Cool received as a gift from Iggy Pop as special thanks for "helping me out of a scrape."
The coat
The boots are to be colored by an elaborate Italian dye process that Gunn promised he would explain in future films. Dr. Cool, he said, would be seen in those boots in every scene, and that Booster Gold would be especially impressed by them. Booster Gold, Gunn explained, was to be Dr. Cool's "gopher." Booster Gold will carry an old-fashioned, 1990s-style pager on his belt, and when it beeps, he will have to stop everything to help Dr. Cool, even if it was just to take mixology lessons or to discuss the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke (one of Dr. Cool's favorite hobbies). Dr. Cool really liked Blue Beetle, and once gifted the superhero a book Rilke poetry. Gunn didn't explain why Dr. Cool was so fond of Rilke, only to say that "the two have a past."
Gunn spoke about a vintage bomber jacket that he and the executives at DC designed and discussed for months, including the materials it was made of. The jacket will not be seen right away, however. Dr. Cool's wardrobe is far too extensive to include it right away. Gunn really, really liked that jacket.
Dr. Cool has large homes and ultra-cool loft apartments all over the world, and all of the DC superheroes are to spend portions of their respective films visiting Dr. Cool, asking for help, and being given important gifts. Dr. Cool will also possess the God Killer, the Miracle Machine, the Khaji Da, at least 400 Lantern rings of different colors (which he is too cool to wear), a dozen Mother Boxes, the Spear of Destiny, and multiple other item he refers to as "his trinkets." He will lend these things to superheroes as they request, but needs them back at the end of the day.
Teaching heroes a lesson
But here is why Dr. Cool appears to be important to the DCU, and why the world of superhero cinema needs him:
Vitally to the DCU, Dr. Cool will only lend out weapons to superheroes if the superheroes can explain why they're needed, and if they learn a lesson at the end of the day. Dr. Cool is to appear at the end of every DCU film to listen to a dissertation by Superman or Booster Gold as to why they needed to fight that day. Dr. Cool won't let them go until they prove that they've grown as people. Dr. Cool is providing a superhero series with moral accountability. In pervious superhero films, the heroes were permitted to commit any act of violence they wanted, as they were "the good guys." It seems that Dr. Cool, in a cool way, wants to make sure the heroes stay good and perhaps help repair any damage they might have done.
Dr. Cool will bring heroes together, but not as a freelance military force. For Dr. Cool, his goal is to convince heroes — and the occasional villain — to chill out and have a cocktail. Then Rihanna will come over and sing to them personally.
Dr. Cool is the DCU's mentor, weapons man, confidant, father figure, and leader all rolled into one. Plus, it seems, he can mix a mean Old Fashioned.
At this point at the DC Presentation, Gunn appeared to tire out and laid down on the floor to take a nap. /Film left the event, having heard enough. The DCU appears to be in good hands.