DC Universe (franchise)

• 1. The Director in the Boardroom

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  The DC Universe, known as the DCU, is an American media franchise and shared universe built from characters in DC Comics publications. It was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were announced as co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios at the end of October 2022. They were set to take over from the previous head of the division on the 1st of November. Many people considered the choice shocking and unprecedented, because a high-profile director was moving into a top executive position at a film studio. Gunn was expected to run the creative side while Safran handled business and production. Their deal was reportedly for four years. Both men were also expected to keep directing and producing, but only for their new employer. Why would a studio place its superhero characters in the hands of a working filmmaker? What had gone wrong with the franchise they were inheriting? And how do you start a connected universe over when part of the old one is still standing?

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• 2. A Rival's Shadow

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  By late 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures was widely seen as lagging behind Marvel Studios and its Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio's answer began with Man of Steel in 2013, a Superman film meant to launch a connected world of its own. That world became known as the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU. In October 2014, the studio announced a full slate of DC films. Director Zack Snyder was to return for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 and Justice League in 2017, with spin-offs planned for other characters.

  Batman v Superman missed the studio's box-office expectations and drew negative responses from fans and critics. Warner Bros. decided it could no longer give Snyder the long leash he had enjoyed on his first two films. Future projects moved under a new division called DC Films, to be run by executive Jon Berg and comic book writer Geoff Johns. They wanted a more optimistic and hopeful Justice League. When the studio was unhappy with their efforts, it hired Joss Whedon to write reshoots.

  Snyder left Justice League after the death of his daughter in March 2017, and Whedon completed it with significant changes. The result was another critical and commercial disappointment. Warner Bros. then met with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to discuss whether he might lead DC. Feige apparently entertained the idea, but the talks reportedly fizzled. Berg and Johns departed, and a planned Batman spin-off was reworked into Matt Reeves's The Batman (2022), a film separate from the DCEU.

  Walter Hamada became president of DC Films in January 2018, with a plan for films that stood more on their own. That October, Gunn was hired to write and direct The Suicide Squad (2021), a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016). It kept some cast members but told its own story. His producer was Peter Safran, who had also produced Aquaman (2018) and Shazam! (2019). In May 2020, Warner Bros. and Snyder announced that his original vision of Justice League would reach the streaming service HBO Max as Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). By the end of 2020, Hamada was planning DCEU television series for HBO Max, including Gunn's spin-off Peacemaker (2022-2025). Around 25 other live-action and animated DC series were in the mix, and Hamada meant to tie them together through the multiverse. A new corporate owner, however, was about to arrive.

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• 3. New Owners, New Mandate

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  In April 2022, Discovery, Inc. and Warner Bros.' parent company WarnerMedia merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery, led by president and CEO David Zaslav. The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment so its film, television, and video game divisions lined up. Even before the merger closed, Zaslav began meeting candidates to run DC, including film executive Emma Watts. He hoped to find an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

  Zaslav and his team felt that DC lacked a "coherent creative and brand strategy" despite some recent successes. They also thought key characters such as Superman were being underused. Hamada was still under contract until 2023, and his supporters felt Zaslav was not crediting him enough for his plans and wins. In June, Zaslav announced that DC Films would be separated from Warner Bros. within the company structure. Warner Bros. film chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy would oversee it until a new head was named.

  At the start of August, the company decided not to release the DCEU film Batgirl on HBO Max or in theaters. It said the film "simply did not work" and ran against Zaslav's mandate for DC films to be "big theatrical event films". Soon after, Zaslav said he wanted a new 10-year plan for DC films. He enlisted Alan F. Horn, a former Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. executive, as a consultant to help find a leader.

  Hamada was reportedly upset by the Batgirl decision and tried to leave. De Luca and Abdy persuaded him to stay through the release of Black Adam in October 2022. Around then, Henry Cavill returned as Superman from Man of Steel for a cameo in Black Adam. That went against Hamada's wishes. De Luca and Abdy approved it after Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson approached them directly. Johnson began promoting a future Black Adam vs. Superman film co-starring Cavill, and Warner Bros. started pursuing a Man of Steel sequel with him.

  At the end of August, producer Dan Lin emerged as a candidate to take over DC. He left talks weeks later, partly because of his concerns about the Batgirl cancellation. Todd Phillips, director of Joker (2019), was also considered but stayed focused on directing Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). The job remained open.

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• 4. The Writers' Room

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  One week after taking their jobs, Gunn and Safran said they were working with a group of writers on an eight-to-ten-year plan for the new DCU. Zaslav said a bible for future DC projects was underway and would be finished soon. He added that the plan would borrow Marvel's habit of giving each character one unified approach, singling out Batman and Superman. By mid-November, Gunn was already writing a script for a new DC film, while Safran focused on "fixing" Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).

  On the 31st of January 2023, the pair named the writers behind the overall story. They were Drew Goddard, Jeremy Slater, The Flash writer Christina Hodson, Christal Henry, and comic book writer Tom King. The group looked to the Star Wars franchise, which has "different times, different places, different things". It also looked to the series Game of Thrones (2011-2019) and its morally complex characters. They had mapped out two chapters of story, with room for more.

  Gunn described a slate that mixed DC's "diamond characters", such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, with lesser-known figures he hoped would become just as popular. He chose not to retell the origins of Superman and Batman because "everyone knows them". He also pushed back on the idea that the DCU was chasing niche characters of interest only to comic book fans.

  Gunn drew a sharp line between his universe and Marvel's. The DCU is set in a fictional universe with an alternate history and places such as Metropolis, Gotham City, Themyscira, and Atlantis. The MCU, by contrast, sits in a version of the real world, with many heroes living in New York City. Gunn expected the DCU to be more planned from the start, centered on traditional superheroes with secret identities. Some projects were announced as adaptations of specific comic runs and story arcs.

  The effect on readers was immediate. The day after the slate announcement, several comics Gunn had named as influences appeared on best-selling lists, and some sold out. Gunn pointed to DC's tradition of limited runs with unique tones, such as The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Watchmen (1986-87), and All-Star Superman (2005-2008). He wanted each creator to bring a personal vision, so the DCU would have no singular company style. Most character deaths would stay permanent, unless a device like the Lazarus pits served the story. In September 2025, Gunn reflected that films about lesser-known characters, such as the Authority, would probably not be made because theater audiences are harder to attract for them.

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• 5. Rules of the Soft Reboot

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  In December 2022, rumors swirled that the DCU would be a complete reboot moving away from Snyder's actors, that Reeves's Batman would fold in, and that Aquaman star Jason Momoa would become Lobo. Concern spread among industry figures and fans. Gunn answered that he and Safran were "coming into a fractious environment" and that an "unavoidable transitional period" lay ahead. A week later he said he was writing a Superman film that would not star Cavill, and that Ben Affleck would not return as Batman. Gunn and Safran had talked with Cavill about a new character and with Affleck about directing. Affleck later said he was not interested in directing a DCU project.

  In January 2023, the DCU was described as a "broad but not blanket reset" of the DCEU. Gunn said The Flash would "reset" the old continuity, making the DCU a soft reboot that kept certain cast members and elements while replacing others. Cast choices mostly drove what carried over. Characters were to be played by the same actors across live action and animation, and no actor would play two characters. That is why Momoa, later cast as Lobo, would not also be Aquaman. Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and John Cena as Peacemaker would return, and a "rough memory" of their earlier projects would remain. A moment from the DCEU counts as canon only if a DCU project directly references it.

  Other actors were less certain. Xolo Maridueña's Blue Beetle would continue, though his film stood on its own. In July 2023, after the commercial failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Zachary Levi cast doubt on his return. The next month, Gal Gadot said she was developing a new Wonder Woman film with Gunn and Safran, but that was soon reported not to be the case. By October 2023, Variety reported that no actors from Snyder's DCEU films would reprise their roles.

  Projects that did not fit received a label borrowed from DC Comics' Elseworlds imprint for stories outside main continuity. Safran said non-DCU projects would face a high bar to be greenlit. The label covers Teen Titans Go!, Todd Phillips's two Joker films, Harley Quinn, and Superman & Lois. It also covers Reeves's Batman saga with Robert Pattinson, including The Batman and its sequel, The Batman: Part II (2027), and the spin-off series The Penguin (2024). Gunn and Safran briefly considered folding Pattinson's Batman into the DCU, but Reeves chose to keep his plans separate. Zaslav had put it bluntly: "There's not going to be four Batmans".

  The label also holds projects still in limbo, such as a Black-led Superman film written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J. J. Abrams, set during the civil rights era. Gunn said in January 2024 that it was still in development.

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• 6. Scripts Before Dates

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  Gunn objected to studios being "beholden to dates", which he called an industry-wide problem. He wanted screenplays right before production began, a contrast with Marvel Studios' approach. He said The Suicide Squad followed that method and needed no reshoots, unlike other DCEU projects. Safran said release order would stay flexible, though projects key to the overall story would need a set sequence.

  In December 2024, Gunn explained that he would not greenlight a project until its script was where he wanted it, even for titles already revealed. Shortly after, DC Studios greenlit Mike Flanagan's screenplay for Clayface, a body horror story about an up-and-coming actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. Desperate, he turns to a scientist who transforms his body into clay. Clayface had not been planned. Gunn was impressed by Flanagan's take after multiple drafts and decided to find a place for it in the larger DCU. Safran compared the tone to the 1986 film The Fly. Flanagan could not direct because of his Exorcist film (2027) and a Carrie miniseries, so James Watkins was hired. Filming ran from the end of August to the start of November 2025 in Liverpool, England. Release was scheduled for the 23rd of October 2026.

  Other projects slowed. The Brave and the Bold, a Batman and Robin story featuring Damian Wayne, was postponed in part so it would not conflict with Reeves's The Batman: Part II. In June 2025, Gunn said the quality of the Supergirl and Lanterns scripts won them early greenlights. The same month, he said the Sgt. Rock film was on hold because it "wasn't exactly where I wanted it to be creatively". That film, a World War II story about the Spear of Destiny, had drawn interest from director Luca Guadagnino and actors Daniel Craig and Colin Farrell. Guadagnino was no longer involved by July.

  The Authority met a harder fate. This team was created in 1999 by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for the independent publisher WildStorm, and DC Comics acquired it and introduced its characters to DC continuity in 2011. Gunn called the film a passion project and kept struggling with the script. In April 2026, he said it did not work "in terms of the larger DCU, both in terms of the story and practical concerns". It was no longer in active development, and Gunn had no intention of writing or directing it.

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• 7. Opening Moves

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  Creature Commandos came first. Gunn had discussed an animated series for HBO Max after the success of Peacemaker, and he wrote its seven episodes without a deal. After he was hired to lead DC Studios, he greenlit it. Warner Bros. Animation co-produced it, with Dean Lorey as showrunner and Yves "Balak" Bigerel as supervising director. Indira Varma voiced the Bride, whom Gunn called the main protagonist. The series follows a team of monsters assembled by Amanda Waller and led by Rick Flag Sr. It aired from the 5th of December 2024 to the 9th of January 2025, billed as an "aperitif" before Superman.

  Superman then arrived as the film Gunn and Safran consider the true beginning of the DCU. It is not an origin story. It follows a young Clark Kent working as a reporter while he reconciles his Kryptonian heritage with his human family in Smallville, Kansas. Safran called him "the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way; he's kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned". David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were cast as Superman and Lois Lane in June 2023. Filming began in Norway in February 2024, mostly at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and wrapped on the 30th of July. The film premiered on the 7th of July 2025 and was released on the 11th.

  The numbers give a first reading. Superman grossed $354,223,803 in the United States and Canada and $264,500,000 elsewhere, for $618,723,803 worldwide against a $225 million budget. It holds 83% on Rotten Tomatoes from 502 reviews and a Metacritic score of 68. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore and 86% on PostTrak. The soundtrack runs 77 minutes on WaterTower Music. Creature Commandos season one scored 95% from 40 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

  Peacemaker season two followed, with Chris Smith entering an alternate universe where he leads an idyllic life but must face his traumatic past. Gunn was set to write and direct all eight episodes, but he filmed alongside Superman and could not direct them all. Production ran from the 13th of April 2024 with a pre-shoot, then principal photography from June to late November. The season aired from the 21st of August to the 9th of October 2025 and holds 94% from 148 reviews. It reached back to the first season and swapped the DCEU Justice League cameo for Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, a silhouette of Michael Holt, Superman, and Supergirl.

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• 8. Timelines and Horizons

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  Clayface is the first DCU film not set in the order of its release, since it takes place before Superman. That film establishes that Clark Kent became Superman three years before its events, after arriving from Krypton three decades earlier. Metahumans emerged approximately 300 years before the film, and many superheroes have been active since. Superman falls about two to three years after The Suicide Squad. Peacemaker season two begins a month after Superman. Lanterns, the eight-episode HBO series with Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, spans 2016 and 2026, with Superman between them.

  Peacemaker season two also introduced the multiverse. Lex Luthor uses a pocket-universe device called the Quantum Unfolding Chamber in Superman to reach alternate dimensions, and at least 100 realities exist in the DCU. The season moves between the main dimension and Earth-X, a reality where the United States is ruled by Nazis. Its finale in October 2025 introduced Checkmate and the inter-dimensional prison Salvation. Gunn had planned both before he was hired, and both feed Lanterns and the follow-up film Man of Tomorrow. That film pits Superman and Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, against Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger. It was given a release date of the 9th of July 2027. Darkseid, meanwhile, was not planned as the main villain of the DCU, partly because of similarities to Marvel's Thanos.

  The universe also spreads beyond films and series. Krypto Saves the Day! is a series of animated shorts starring Superman's dog, beginning with "School Bus Scuffle!" in August 2025. They are not canon. Tie-in comics, including a Milk-Bone cross-promotion for Superman in May 2025, are also outside canon. Warner Bros. Games had been developing DCU video games since January 2024, meant to bridge films and series without requiring audiences to play them. Mister Miracle, an adult animated series from Tom King's miniseries, was greenlit in June 2025.

  In February 2025, Gunn and Safran said they aimed for three films, two live-action and one animated, plus two live-action and two animated series each year. They described a roughly six-year plan with an Avengers-style crossover and an eventual Justice League film. In December 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced formal plans to be sold, and the pair's contracts were scheduled to last until early to mid-2027. Safran said they had "only literally started scratching the surface". Analyst Rich Greenfield called DC "a tiny fraction of where Marvel got to under Disney".

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