James Gunn’s DC Universe has established its foundation with the full releases of Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2. The conclusion of Peacemaker‘s second season, in particular, proved to be the critical turning point, initiating the Salvation storyline by having Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) exile Christopher Smith (John Cena) as the first test subject to an off-world prison. Gunn has been direct and vocal about the importance of this specific event, confirming it will serve as a primary driver for the plot of Man of Tomorrow and other future DCU projects, ensuring a tightly connected world in the making.
While the “Salvation Run” storyline in the comics is connected to Darkseid, Gunn has already confirmed that the Lord of Apokolips will not be the primary antagonist for this first saga. According to Gunn, the New Gods are being deliberately held back for later chapters to avoid creative overlap with previous interpretations and Marvel’s Thanos (Josh Brolin). This choice leaves the DCU without a unifying threat to rally its heroes against. However, one of the strongest candidates to fill this Thanos-sized role is Nekron, a cosmic horror who could be introduced as early as 2026.
In the DC Universe, Nekron functions as a law of nature rather than a conventional villain. He is the sentient personification of the primordial void that existed before life, a conscious darkness whose only objective is to return all of creation to a state of absolute nothingness. His immense power flows from his dominion over the Land of the Unliving, a dimension that makes him the undisputed master of every soul that has ever died. This status renders him an existential threat, a spiritual and absolute end that cannot be fought with physical force or outmaneuvered with battlefield tactics.
The crossover event “Blackest Night” provides the definitive showcase of the villain’s reach. Nekron is the architect of the black power rings, which he used to reanimate the corpses of fallen heroes and villains across the cosmos, creating his Black Lantern Corps. These reanimated bodies retain the memories of the deceased, allowing the Black Lanterns to target the deepest emotional vulnerabilities of their living friends and family. This assault generates the raw emotional energy on which Nekron feeds, turning love and grief into fuel. The conflict also forced heroes to battle the undead bodies of their parents, children, and closest allies, a profound violation that weaponizes their own history against them.
The bridge to Nekron’s arrival will almost certainly be the upcoming HBO series Lanterns. Scheduled for 2026, the show will follow veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) in a True Detective-style mystery, while they investigate strange murders.
While there is no official confirmation, fan theories strongly suggest that the deaths at the heart of the series will lead to Black Hand, Nekron’s mortal herald in the comic books. This speculation is heavily fueled by the casting of Garret Dillahunt as a character named William Macon. The shared first name with William Hand has not gone unnoticed, and Dillahunt himself fanned the flames by sharing a cryptic social media post that fans believe was a direct tease of him playing Black Hand. Before becoming a cosmic threat, William Hand was a disturbed man obsessed with death. That means a gritty murder investigation is the ideal setting to introduce him as a uniquely disturbing serial killer whose methods defy explanation, thus drawing the attention of the Green Lantern Corps.
This is where the pieces on the board begin to connect. The Lanterns series can establish Black Hand as the earthly anchor for Nekron’s power, while the ongoing Salvation Run storyline provides the fuel for his army. Sending a planet’s worth of supervillains to a deadly alien world is a recipe for mass casualties. That means every villain who dies in that conflict becomes a potential soldier for the Black Lantern Corps. This creates a brilliant domino effect: the events of Peacemaker provide the bodies, the mystery in Lanterns forges the weapon, and it all culminates in Nekron stepping onto the stage for a massive crossover event.
Do you believe Nekron has what it takes to be the DCU’s ultimate villain, or is there another character better suited for the role? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post This Villain Is Perfect for the DCU’s Thanos, and I’m Convinced 2026 Will Be Setting Him Up appeared first on ComicBook.com.
