DC fans must surely be acquainted with David Ayer’s work. Though many have likely vilified his role in 2016’s Suicide Squad, some fans still believe that releasing the film at all was a feat on its own. Now, Ayer is gearing up to participate in another DC-related feature – only not in the way some may think.
A Working Man, David Ayer’s upcoming film about a construction worker with some serious military experience, has a stealthy connection to DC Comics lore. The source material? A novel by Chuck Dixon – yes, that Chuck Dixon, who most DC fans will probably know as a part of the creative team behind Batman’s Bane.
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An Antihero for the Working Man
Jason Statham stars as Levon Cade, a retired Royal Marines commando trying to lead a “normal” life. Unfortunately, his retirement plans are abruptly canceled when some goons kidnap his boss’s daughter, sending him down a spiral of corruption, chaos, and conspiracies.
If there’s one thing comic book fans know about Dixon is that the man sure knows his antiheroes. Sure, Bane is the last person you could ever call a “hero,” anti or otherwise, but Dixon enjoyed a prolific run back in the ’90s with DC and Marvel. Whether it was The Punisher or Nightwing, Dixon created morally questionable characters that defied the usual perceptions of stereotypical comic book heroes – and that applies to Levon Cade as well.
Dixon and Ayer – The Bane of Conventional Heroism
Let’s talk about Bane for a second. Chuck Dixon essentially revitalized Batman for an entire generation of DC fans. The moment when Bane broke the Dark Knight’s back is etched in the minds of anyone who has ever read a Batman comic. Even Christopher Nolan recognized the importance of the Bane vs. Batman fight and immortalized the event in live-action in The Dark Knight Rises.
Dixon was part of the creative team working at DC during the Batman: Knightfall event, along with Dough Moench. Ayer, on the other hand, has also shown some love for flawed heroes aching for a better life. Recently, The Beekeeper proved the Suicide Squad director can deliver an amazing action thriller – and with Statham returning as the lead in A Working Man, he’s sure to knock it out of the park once more.
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From DC to Hollywood
Dixon’s work has quietly influenced Hollywood for years – as we already discussed with Nolan’s epic portrayal of Bane (much better than Joel Schumacher’s, that’s for sure) – but A Working Man flips the script: it’s a non-superhero story from a superhero storyteller.
Now that Marvel is losing some steam, DC finally has the chance to reclaim the top spot at the box office, and A Working Man is the perfect chance to prove that comic book writers have a knack for human drama that transcends capes and cowls.
Beyond being just “another Jason Statham action flick,” Ayer’s recent collaborations with the Fast and Furious star could be the prelude to a new chapter in the new DCU. After all, we can only imagine how amazing it would be to add more layers to whatever James Gunn has in mind for his version of Gotham.
And if they’re looking at someone to write the best Bane possible, Ayer and Dixon sound like the dream team. Ayer’s gritty, street-level storytelling combined with Chuck Dixon’s deep understanding of Bane’s character could bring a version of the villain that’s both physically imposing and psychologically complex – just the kind of Bane the DCU needs.
