James Gunn hasn’t ruled out one fan-favorite character appearing in the DCU, but he wants Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard to bring him to life. The rebooted cinematic universe has introduced a wide variety of characters, from popular heroes such as Superman, to lesser-known entities like the Creature Commandos. With Batman, Wonder Woman and Supergirl all on the horizon, as well as over 20 obscure DC heroes being established as part of the universe’s history, any character is on the table. One fan-favorite, Detective Chimp, has been a particular interest for fans given Gunn’s love of animals.
Gunn responded to a fan’s question on Threads on whether DC Studios had plans to bring Detective Chimp into the DCU, given his affinity for animal-based characters like Rocket Raccoon, Cosmo, and Eagly. Gunn revealed that Drew Goddard has been asking for Detective Chimp to show up in the DCU. However, according to Gunn, it’s going to be up to the Oscar-nominated writer behind Ridley Scott’s The Martian to introduce Detective Chimp into the DCU.
“Drew Goddard has begged me for this. I told him if he wants him, he has to write him!”
Detective Chimp Is Perfect for the DCU
Detective Chimp debuted in Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4 in 1952 and was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. Originally a common chimp that couldn’t speak but could understand humans, he later developed the ability to speak. He is typically seen wearing a deer stalker cap, and while he works as a detective, he also runs the magic-user hangout spot, the Oblivion Bar. Detective Chimp has been part of various superhero teams, including the Justice League, Justice League Dark, and The Shadowpact. While not a mainstream DC character, he has always been a cult favorite and, in recent years, has become a recurring presence in the DC Universe. He is the exact type of strange but appealing Silver Age creation that would fit well in James Gunn’s DCU, and Drew Goddard is the right person to bring him to life.
Goddard is certainly no stranger to superhero projects, but he has had a lot of bad luck with them, as every time he signs on for one, it gets stunted. He was the original creator of Daredevil on Netflix, but left shortly after it began filming to begin work on Sony Pictures’ Sinister Six movie. After Sony Pictures scrapped plans for the Sinister Six and all Amazing Spider-Man-related projects, Goddard then signed on to write and direct X-Force in 2017. However, just a few months later, Disney began the acquisition to buy 20th Century Fox, and all X-Men films were scrapped.
Goddard was among the writers James Gunn assembled for his DCU writers’ room when he began development of his shared DCU, so he feasibly could develop a Detective Chimp project, or even another story with him as a supporting character. That said, he is quite busy at the moment. Goddard wrote the script for the upcoming Project Hail Mary, and is currently set to direct a new entry in The Matrix franchise. Yet the dream of a Goddard-Detective Chimp project lives on, and, like Mike Flanagan’s pitch for Clayface, could potentially come to fruition.
