The Wildest Elseworlds Stories That Will Never Be Movies
DC’s Elseworlds imprint has always been where the company takes its biggest creative swings.
Forget continuity, forget canon… Elseworlds asks the question, What if?
What if Batman was a Victorian detective?
What if Superman landed somewhere other than Kansas?
What if the Justice League rose in a completely different world?
These stories are brilliant, daring, and often iconic. But Hollywood will likely never touch them.
They’re too bold, too weird, or too thematically messy for a major studio tentpole. And that’s exactly what makes them treasures on the page.
1. Superman: Red Son (2003)
Mark Millar’s tale of a Superman raised in the Soviet Union is one of the most famous Elseworlds.
Instead of truth, justice, and the American way, Clark grows into the ultimate symbol of communist power. It’s chilling, provocative, and asks whether Superman’s morality is truly universal… or just the product of Kansas farmland.
WB Animation gave us a decent adaptation, but a live action version? Forget it. The politics alone would send every studio executive running.
2. Gotham by Gaslight (1989)
Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola’s masterpiece puts Batman in the 19th century, hunting Jack the Ripper in Victorian Gotham. It’s moody, gothic, and visually stunning. It’s truly a horror tinged detective story with a retro edge.
While an animated film exists, a live action production would be an uphill climb.
Period piece superhero films are not just rare.. they are unheard of (save TMNT 3), and mixing Batman with true crime horror would terrify Warner Bros. accountants.
3. Kingdom Come (1996)
Mark Waid and Alex Ross created one of DC’s most ambitious stories ever.
Set in a future where reckless new heroes wreak havoc, the old guard of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman return to restore order.
It’s an epic meditation on morality, legacy, and the dangers of unchecked power.
As beloved as it is, Kingdom Come is too sprawling, too philosophical, and too dependent on DC’s entire mythology for a single film. To do it justice, you’d need a decade of worldbuilding…. If not more.
4. Batman: Holy Terror (1991)
One of the darkest Elseworlds, this story imagines Gotham under the grip of a theocratic regime.
Batman isn’t just fighting criminals… he’s battling a religious state.
It’s sharp, unsettling, and politically charged in ways modern studios wouldn’t dare.
This one stays on the shelf not because it isn’t great… but most likely because it may cut far too close to contemporary real world debates.
5. JLA: The Nail (1998)
Alan Davis’ The Nail is simple but brilliant. What if the Kents never found baby Kal-El because a flat tire kept them off the road that night?
The entire Justice League changes, and Earth is left vulnerable to chaos without Superman’s guiding hand.
It’s quintessential Elseworlds
Exploring how one small moment can alter everything. But as a film, it would require audiences to already know decades of DC history to appreciate the full impact.
6. Batman: In Darkest Knight (1994)
What if Bruce Wayne received Abin Sur’s ring instead of Hal Jordan?
This quick one shot makes Batman the Green Lantern, and the result is as wild as you’d expect.
As fun as it is on paper, combining Batman and Green Lantern in live action would create a tonal mess.
WB wouldn’t even let Green Lantern carry his own franchise… Yet!
Imagine mashing it into Batman.
7. Superman: Speeding Bullets (1993)
In this underrated gem, Kal-El is raised by the Waynes, only to see them murdered in Crime Alley.
The result? Superman becomes Batman!
He’s a God in a cape with Bruce’s trauma and rage.
It’s a haunting idea and visually incredible, but there’s no way WB would risk muddying their two biggest icons by fusing them together…. would they?
Why They’ll Never Hit the Big Screen
Elseworlds thrives on freedom. These stories break rules, push buttons, and twist characters in ways mainstream audiences might not accept.
Studios like DC Studios and Warner Bros. need that four quadrant appeal and Elseworlds doesn’t really care about that…. (Looking at you SnyderVerse)
But that’s exactly why these comics matter. They remind us that superheroes aren’t just brands… they’re archetypes, myths, and experiments. And sometimes, the best stories are the ones Hollywood will never touch.
