DC Studios intends to hit the ground running with its new DC Universe continuity, which means we actually know quite a bit about this world already. The DCU promises to be the most complete, faithful take on DC Comics to hit the screen, finally allowing it to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has incorporated a few characters and elements from the previous DCEU continuity, and we may see more of that in the future. The DCU started in December with the animated series Creature Commandos streaming on HBO Max, but it will launch to the big screen on Friday, July 11th when Superman premieres in theaters.
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Understandably, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery are eager to get fans onboard for the DCU, and they have done a lot of press to build it up. Co-CEO James Gunn in particular has dropped a lot of lore in advance, while recent comments by WBD CEO David Zaslav give us an idea of where the story is headed as well. We’ll learn more for ourselves soon enough, but in the meantime, here’s everything we’ve learned about the DCU so far.
Creature Commandos
First things first — the DCU is already underway thanks to the animated series Creature Commandos. There are seven episodes, each about half an hour in length, full of canonical information that may or may not become important down the line. The show picks up the story left off by Peacemaker Season 1, which lets us know that at least some of that show is canonical to the DCU. By extension, elements of The Suicide Squad (2021) may be fair game as well.
Creature Commandos tells us a familiar story. Once again, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has assembled a team of prisoners with superpowers in the hopes of creating a powerful black ops force. In this case, the team members all have monstrous characteristics to some extent, which is why their “Task Force M” is also known as the “Creature Commandos.” This team is led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), and it includes the Bride (Indira Varma), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), Weasel (Gunn), Doctor Phosphorous (Alan Tudyk), Clayface (Tudyk), and Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao).
There are references to history and worldbuilding throughout the series, such as Professor Aisla MacPherson’s (Stephanie Beatriz) study of Themyscira, the magical island where Wonder Woman comes from. The mission and structure of Waller’s organization A.R.G.U.S. could come up again as well, but these kinds of details will likely be explained more fully when the time comes. Lastly, it’s worth noting that, although Tudyk voices Clayface in the Harley Quinn animated series, that show is not a part of the DCU.
Superman
Superman is already facing the increasingly familiar complaint from fans that they have seen too many trailers, and know too much about this movie before it has premiered. In terms of the DCU, we know that this is not an origin story, but rather, it picks up with Superman’s (David Corenswet) crime-fighting career well underway. We know that other superheroes and supervillains are well-known in this world as well.
The cast will include the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Supergirl (Milly Alcock), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). On the villain side, we have Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), Angela Spica a.k.a. The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), and one more mysterious figure in the trailer whom many fans theorize is Ultraman.
Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl are all a part of pre-existing superhero team called the Justice Gang at the time this movie starts. Gunn shared this information in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, explaining that the group gets support from private corporations, calling their integrity into question. It’s an interesting way to set Superman apart in the modern era. Meanwhile, Spica is a part of a team called The Authority, which is expected to get its own movie later on in the DCU.
Peacemaker
After Superman, next up on the slate is Peacemaker Season 2 premiering on August 21st on HBO Max. The show is expected to return with a “soft reboot,” perhaps explaining which parts of the previous story are canon and which are not. The show itself is a spinoff of The Suicide Squad where John Cena first played Peacemaker. It’s about the antihero working with A.R.G.U.S. However, the trailers for this show don’t give us too much insight on the DCU so far.
Perhaps the biggest revelation is that the fictional rock band “The Mighty Crabjoys” is pervasive within this universe. It was referenced in Creature Commandos, and in the trailers for both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.
Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface
There are three more DCU productions that have made it past the development phase so far. Supergirl is our second movie, scheduled to premiere on June 26, 2026 in theaters. It has already been filmed and is in post production right now. Depending on how things go, this may be the next DCU title we see after Peacemaker Season 2, though Lanterns is still awaiting a release date. Last we heard, that series would premiere on HBO in “early 2026,” but that may change. It is currently filming.
Finally, the Clayface movie is in pre-production now and is expected to premiere on September 11, 2026. It will star Tudyk as the voice of Clayface, making him one of the most prolific actors in this first story arc as far as we can tell.
As for content, we have limited information so far, but what we know is intriguing. Supergirl is reportedly about Kara Zor-El celebrating her 21st birthday by traveling across the galaxy with Krypto. The adventure will bring her into contact with new characters, and will take her far from the action on Earth. Similiarly, while we’ll meet Gardner in Superman, Lanterns will be about two other human Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), who employ their skills throughout the galaxy rather than sticking to earth. However, in this story they will begin by investigating a murder in Nebraska.
Slate
The first story arc within the DCU is called “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters,” and it includes three more movies and three more TV shows, all of which are still in the development phase. The movies are The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, and Swamp Thing, while the TV shows are Waller, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold. These will introduce us to more main characters including Batman and Wonder Woman, and will bring the DCU together for some kind of climax, similar to the MCU’s “Infinity Saga.”
Meanwhile, there are a few other titles in development that have not been confirmed to be part of the “Gods and Monsters” story. On the movie side, we know there is a Teen Titans film in the works, as well as a movie about Bane and Deathstroke. Gunn just recently revealed the existince of a Wonder Woman movie as well. On the TV side, there is a Blue Beetle show in development, a Mister Miracle series, and a second season of Creature Commandos.
History
Finally, we can take stock of the tidbits Gunn and others have dropped in interviews, social media posts, and previews along the way. Perhaps the most important piece of background information came from Gunn’s EW interview, where he explained that superpowered people — or “metahumans” in DC parlance — have been known to exist for at least 300 years in the DCU. Gunn said that in this world, encountering a metahuman in public would be as exciting as meeting a celebrity, but not necessarily surprising to most people.
Additionally, Zaslav recently touted the DCU to investors, promising some big recognizable characters coming back into prominence soon. He mentioned that the “four pillars” of the franchise will be Superman, Batman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman. Gunn confirmed this in his interview with EW, mentioning that a Wonder Woman movie is in the works as well. For some fans, that may be a hint about the shape of the story, as well as the teams and factions that may be forming soon among the characters we know are coming.
The DCU is an ambitious plan, and right now it’s balanced on a knife’s edge as we await the premiere of Superman on July 11th. For now, fans can only wait, hope, and speculate about what may be coming up. Those that want to get ahead can watch or re-watch Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 1 on HBO Max, and check out DC Comics for hints of the story arcs to come.
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