Batman Doesn’t Need a Movie to Be a Major Character in the New DCU

Friday was a bad day for Batman fans, but there may be some surprises in store from the Caped Crusader. We just learned that The Batman — Part II has been delayed a full year to October of 2027, the DCU’s Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, has reportedly paused its development altogether. However, with the DC Universe continuity ramping up, there are plenty of other places for Batman to appear — and perhaps to become an important character before headlining his own movie.

Deadline reported on Friday that the sequel to The Batman starring Robert Pattinson has been delayed again, with a projected release date of October 1, 2027. That’s definitely disappointing, especially for fans of that particular depiction of the Dark Knight, since DC Studios is treating it as an “Elseworlds” storyline in a different continuity. However, the DCU has a lot more room for Batman in it. The new franchise has technically already given us our first look at the DCU’s Batman in a non-speaking cameo appearance in Creature Commandos.

Fans online panicked on Friday when filmmaker Andy Muschietti told a Spanish-language interviewer that the DCU’s Batman film, The Brave and the Bold, “has been postponed a little bit,” adding: “I might do another film before that.” Muschietti has been hired to direct The Brave and the Bold, which is still in development with no screenwriter or cast attached.

[RELATED: Creature Commandos Is Setting Up Frankenstein as DC’s Biggest Monster (and Not Just Physically)]

That doesn’t change the timeline as we know it since The Brave and the Bold had no release date. In the meantime, the DCU will make its big screen debut on July 11, 2025 with Superman. We’ve seen a huge cast of characters in the trailer for that movie, and it’s not unreasonable to imagine that Batman could make an appearance as well. If not, there are three other movies expected before The Brave and the Bold where he could appear, and a long list of TV shows in the works as well.

DC Studios has not commented directly on Friday’s Batman panic yet, but we already have plenty of hints about where their heads are at. Co-CEO James Gunn has said many times that the DCU will not do origin stories for Superman or Batman because fans have seen those stories on screen too many times already. That means he’ll need different ways of re-introducing these flagship heroes and defining these versions of them. Skulking in the background of many other movies and TV shows might be the perfect way for us to get to know “the world’s greatest detective” before he takes center stage.

Where in the DCU is Batman?

If Batman is introduced early and DC’s goal is to surprise us, then anything goes. However, if we’re looking at the most likely candidates, we’ll probably meet him in fall of 2026. That’s when a standalone movie for Clayface is scheduled to premiere — notably produced by Matt Reeves, director of The Batman. Clayface is a Batman villain, and while DC wants to give him his own movie, it would make sense to at least allude to Batman in it. It’s hard to imagine DC teasing that out for too long — especially after witnessing the general failure of Sony’s Spider-Man-adjacent franchise.

After that comes The Authority, which is also in development with no release date. This movie is about a super-powered team that will go to any lengths to achieve their goals, so it’s important to contrast them against other DC heroes like Superman and Batman. We could see the Caped Crusader here in some form.

Over on TV, we have a few more episodes of Creature Commandos to go followed by Peacemaker Season 2 in August. After that, the only series in produciton so far is Lanterns, which still doesn’t have a release date. That show will have a head start after introducing Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and the concept of the Green Lantern Corps in Superman, so it might be able to spare some screentime for Batman as well. From there, it’s anyone’s guess what we’ll see and when.

What’s Holding up The Batman — Part II?

As for Pattinson’s Batman, we can only assume that it has been moved around for a combination of strategic and logistical reasons. Deadline‘s report points out many factors the studio is likely considering, including past performance of other DC Comics adaptations and a schedule saturated with other blockbuster titles. It’s also worth noting that Pattinson himself is shooting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in early 2025. That may have impacted his availability.

At the same time, the plans for Reeves’ stand-alone Batman franchise may be changing as well after the success of The Penguin. That was planned as a limited series, but there has been nonstop talk of a second season or a spinoff since it ended. The studio may be looking for ways to expand Gotham there before bringing the bat back into it.

Batman fans can’t be sure where they’ll see their favorite hero next, but in many ways, that’s what makes this an exciting part of the DCU’s rollout. The franchise is getting a strong start right now with Creature Commandos, and excitement for July’s Superman movie is already high. In the meantime, previous Batman movies are streaming now on Max.