James Gunn Teases Martian Manhunter with DC Easter Egg

James Gunn‘s latest social media post might not seem like much, but it teases an iconic Justice League character joining the DC Universe. Gunn is the co-president of DC Studios, looking to launch a new era of interconnected stories across film and television. Creature Commandos is set for release later this year, while Superman has finished filming and will open in theaters next summer. Gunn has been active on social media teasing the various projects, and his latest might hint at a significant DC hero.

Gunn took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a photo of a box of cookies called Chocos. Chocos are fictional chocolate sandwich cookies similar to Oreos in the DC Universe. They are famously the favorite food and addiction of the DC hero Martian Manhunter. What appears to be a fun Easter Egg from the prop department for set dressing to fill out the alternate world of the DC Universe might be a hint of Martian Manhunter being another hero joining the ever-expanding DC Universe.

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Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is supposed to be one reflective of the real world, the DC Universe is an alternate universe that has elements of the real world but very different history, including fictional cities like Metropolis and Gotham City or fictional food items like the restaurant chain Big Belly Burger or the Chocos cookies. References like Chocos are nice references to make the universe feel lived in while potentially setting up future films. Man of Steel had LexCorp and Wayne Industries references before paying off in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, while the Blaze Comics logo in Metropolis has ties to Booster Gold, which was nothing more than a fun piece of set dressing.

While the Chocos could be a fun little Easter Egg to fill out the DC Universe, there is also a good chance it is a hint at Martian Manhunter entering the DCU. Gunn’s plans for the DC Universe begin with a world filled with superheroes like the Creature Commandos or the fact that Superman not only features the Man of Steel but also Mr. Terrrific, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and The Engineer. Martian Manhunter could be teased in Superman or even in the newest season of Peacemaker, which is currently filming. Characters like Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and Booster Gold, which Gunn confirmed is getting a television series, are all part of the Justice League International with Martian Manhunter, possibly what Gunn is setting up in the DCU.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Martian Manhunter was teased in a DC film. Zack Snyder’s Justice League retconned the idea that the character of Calvin Swanwick, played by Henry Lennox in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, was Martian Manhunter in disguise. While Martian Manhunter has had plenty of attention on television, being a founding member of the Justice League in the DC Animated Universe and having prominent roles in Smallville and Supergirl, played by Phil Morris and David Harewood, respectively, the character has not been given the big cinematic treatment his fellow Justice League members have. Martian Manhunter is a founding member of the Justice League in the comics, so Gunn might be laying the groundwork for that to be the case in the DCU, and it all starts with the tease of a cookie.