James Gunn tends to conceal big concepts in small spaces, and his most recent Superman set tease may be one of his most cunning. What looks like harmless Metropolis flavor dressing could actually be a promise, a quiet signal that the new DCU may finally give one forgotten hero the spotlight he never truly received.
To fans who are still stinging with the DCU’s missed opportunities, this tease feels less like trivia and more like hope.
James Gunn Could Be Quietly Laying The Groundwork For Martian Manhunter
One of the latest photos of the Superman set is a detail that is easy to miss: the Chocos building, spotted when the Hammer of Boravia is attacking Metropolis. On the surface, it’s just DC’s in-universe version of Oreos, the kind of brand parody Gunn loves to sprinkle into his worlds. However, comic fans know better. Chocos are famously tied to J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter.
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They are not only his favorite snack in the comics, but they are his obsession. Whole plots have been built around the fact that J’onn is in love with them. In a notorious storyline, a shortage of Chocos in the city causes him to descend into a horrifying, transforming frenzy.
The inclusion is not accidental because of that connection. Gunn is not a person who makes unintentional nods to lore, particularly when it comes to the main members of the Justice League. This, at least, is the appearance of the first breadcrumb of something much bigger.
‘Superman’s Martian Manhunter Tease Could Mean The Justice League Is Growing
Martian Manhunter was technically a part of the DCEU, but only in the most limited sense. His late reveal in Zack Snyder’s Justice League teased massive future implications that never came to pass. He cautioned Bruce Wayne about imminent dangers, gave him a clue of further involvement, and then disappeared. No arc. No payoff. And no chance to matter. This is why this possible reintroduction of DCU is so significant.
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J’onn J’onzz is not a niche hero; he is a founding member of the Justice League. He is a genocide survivor and one of the most emotionally complicated characters in DC. It was a disservice to reduce him to a cameo.
Gunn’s DCU is constructed in a different way. It is patient, intertwined, and freely exultant in the weirder, richer mythology of DC. If Martian Manhunter is being seeded now, subtly, quietly, it suggests a longer game. One where J’onn isn’t an afterthought, but a pillar.
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