A new era for the DCU has begun. James Gunn said that fans would see his and Peter Safran’s plans for the DCU in January and he delivered on that promise, waiting till the last day to reveal what DC had planned. Gunn announced what he is calling Chapter 1 (as opposed to Marvel Studios Phases) and that it would be titled “Gods and Monsters.” Gunn announced ten projects, across film and television including Superman Legacy which is set for release on July 11, 2025, an adaptation of the comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, television series for Green Lantern titled Lanterns, and a Wonder Woman prequel set on Themysica titled Paradise Island and many more.
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There is a lot of news to take in, and even with all the reveals there is still a lot of uncertainty around the future of the franchise. With four DCU movies still set for release in 2023 and no official directors or stars cast for the upcoming projects, there is a lot still up in the air. Here is a breakdown of what the biggest reveals mean for the future of the DCU and what audiences can expect moving forward, as well as some speculation about what this new slate means for the future.
It’s Not a Full Reboot
Warner Bros.
With the announcement that Henry Cavill would no longer play Superman, many assumed that Gunn was looking at a full relaunch of the DCU that meant throwing out the continuity established in other films. This rumor gained further traction after Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman 3 was canceled, and Dwayne Johnson said Black Adam would not be a part of the future plans.
However, James Gunn revealed the four upcoming DC films that were made prior to his appointment to DC Studios which include Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, will lead into the DCU’s future plans. Notably, he said the Shazam films seem to take place so far apart from the rest of the franchise, implying it is easy to fold into their new continuity. He also said The Flash will reset the DCU, meaning that the film will likely explain some of the major changes and recast.
Gunn also did not rule out stars like Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller reprising their roles. Peter Safran said Momoa has seen Aquaman as a trilogy, implying he wants to stick to that. Despite the troubling headlines surrounding star Ezra Miller, both Gunn and the heads of Warner Bros. have said that the star is looking into getting help and recovering, and no decisions on recasting The Flash will be made until later. Gunn also confirmed that actors will not be playing two roles, so the rumors of Momoa playing Lobo seem to be false for now. While it is still early, the stories of many previous DCU heroes might not be over just yet.
Further Emphasis on Connecting Film and Television
The 2010s were one of the biggest decades for DC properties, as more film and television series based on these comics were on the air than ever before. Yet the films and television series never shared the same continuity, so the DCU had their own versions of Superman and the Flash while the Arrowverse had their own separate versions of the characters.
While “Crisis on Infinite Earths” connected the characters through the concept of the multiverse, it was unlikely audiences would need to watch Stargirl on The CW to understand Black Adam, despite both featuring the Justice Society. This is in sharp contrast to the MCU, which really starting in 2021 had their Disney+ series become vital viewing for their universe, like WandaVision leading into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Ms. Marvel setting up The Marvels.
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DC tested the waters a bit with Peacemaker, which took place in the DCU and followed The Suicide Squad. Gunn having created Peacemaker seems to want to further connect the television series and films, and not just live-action but animation as well which is similar to how the Star Wars franchises see animated and live-action stories exist in the same universe and characters making the leap between mediums.
With the massive cancelation of popular DC series like most of the Arrowverse and recently Titans and Doom Patrol, the deck is being cleared for a fresh start. The current plan includes an animated series Creature Commandos, a series based around Viola Davis’ character Amanda Waller, a Green Lantern series, a Wonder Woman prequel, and a Booster Gold television series. Gunn also said characters in animation will be voiced by who plays them in film and vice-versa, so it makes a project like Creature Commandos even more interesting.
Official Elseworlds Brand
While Gunn and Safran are still looking to make a stronger connected DCU than ever before, they are still not going to try and make everything fit. Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise, which got an official sequel title The Batman Part II set for release on October 3, 2025, and Todd Philips Joker films will be their own unique thing. They will be released under the Elseworlds imprint, named after the Elseworlds comics DC published which were stories set outside the main DC continuity and allowed writers and artists to explore drastically different takes on popular heroes.
This appears to be the creative mandate for the Elseworld brands, as well as allowing Warner Bros. and DC to keep popular titles that are still making them money and not needing to cancel them or try to fold them into a shared universe. So while DC may have canceled series like Doom Patrol and the Arrowverse series, they can still keep the popular Teen Titans Go! running.
DC Films From a Variety of Genres
DC Comics
The first few films announced as part of the new DCU certainly are an interesting collection. In contrast to the original DCU plans announced in 2014 which were based around Justice League characters and expanding their world, the new plan features traditionally high-profile characters like Superman and Batman, but also some lesser-known heroes that paint an interesting picture of what the future holds.
Superman Legacy was already confirmed, and the DCU will feature a new Batman separate from the Robert Pattinson films in a movie titled Brave and the Bold which will feature Damian Wayne as Robin. It was also announced that they planned to adapt Tom King’s critically praised Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow as a feature film. Swamp Thing, a horror character who is one of the few DC characters besides Superman and Batman to have led his own feature film before the 2000s superhero boom, is getting a new film.
Most interesting is The Authority, based on the superhero team from DC’s subsidiary Wildstorm, which was a grittier take on superheroes who will do anything to get the job done. It is an odd pick to kickstart a new franchise, but one that also speaks to the wider direction the franchise is going.
The various film and television projects, despite being connected, will also vary in genre and tone. They are not just making superhero stories but horror stories, potential comedies, and even superhero deconstruction existing alongside their traditional superhero stories. James Gunn wants the DCU to stand out, and he appears to be doing so by having the first chapter explore various corners of the universe. The focus right now is less on setting up a large overarching meta-narrative (but there still could be one it’s far too early to know) and more on telling interesting stories and getting the audience hooked on this new era of the franchise.
