James Wan’s Aquaman isn’t just the highest-grossing film in the DC Extended Universe franchise, it’s also the highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation of all time, bringing in $1.15 billion at the worldwide box office. However, that level of success doesn’t mean the film is being carried over into the canon of the new DC Universe continuity overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran. On the first episode of the podcast Peacemaker: The Official Podcast with James Gunn, Gunn cleared up what is and isn’t DCU canon in Peacemaker Season 1. Early in the series’ first episode, Peacemaker and hospital janitor Jamil have a rather humorous conversation about Aquaman. This is the only part of the episode that isn’t DCU canon.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“Is Aquaman canon? We don’t know, but I don’t think Aquaman is canon,” Gunn said. “It’s unlikely that Aquaman is a famous hero in the DCU as Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 is happening.” At the time of this writing, the YouTube video of the podcast has been set to private and is unavailable.
Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and the first season of Peacemaker are part of the DCEU, but Peacemaker Season 2 is in the DCU. Because of that distinction, Gunn is making an effort to resolve any questions fans might have. He’s already confirmed that Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, two DCEU films that featured Peacemaker characters Emilia Harcourt and John Economos, are not DCU canon. Peacemaker: The Official Podcast is kicking off with a full rewatch of Season 1, giving Gunn an outlet to clear up any issues.
Though metahumans have been active in the DCU for 300 years before the events of Superman, fans are going to have to wait a bit to see some prominent Justice League members in the shared universe. When outlining his plans for the DCU’s future, Gunn suggested it’ll be a couple of years at least before the Flash and Aquaman appear. Both of those characters were key parts of the DCEU and headlined solo films in 2023.
The DCU was an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over after the DCEU’s uneven tenure. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to hear Aquaman isn’t considered canon in the new continuity. If that film was carried over, it would have raised even more questions — such as why Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry was integrated while other DCEU heroes were not. Gal Gadot is not expected to return for the DCU’s first Wonder Woman movie, a new actor will play Batman in The Brave and the Bold, and David Corenswet is established as Superman. In terms of the big picture, it’s simply easier to hit the reset button and start from scratch. Plus, Momoa is now playing cosmic bounty hunter Lobo in the DCU’s Supergirl movie.
While the first Aquaman was a smash hit, the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, grossed only $440.2 million against a budget in the range of $200-215 million. Those diminished returns (and a worse critical reception) may have also contributed to the decision to not make Aquaman canon. There have been instances of pre-existing film series being carried over into new continuities; the Deadpool franchise started as a self-contained entity at 20th Century Fox and was later worked into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Deadpool & Wolverine after Disney acquired Fox. The difference there is that the Deadpool movies were well-received, so audiences were fully onboard with that version of the character. In the case of Aquaman, rebooting it after a handful of years is the better way to go.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
South Park Studios
