DC Universe

The **DC Universe** (**DCU**) is an American media franchise and shared universe based on characters from DC Comics publications. It was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios. The franchise is a soft reboot of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), a film franchise featuring DC characters. The DCU retains certain cast members and narrative elements of the DCEU while replacing others. In contrast with the previous state of DC Comics adaptations, the DCU features a united continuity and story across live-action films and television, animation, and video games. Concurrent DC adaptations that do not fit within this continuity are labeled "DC Elseworlds".

After Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia merged to become Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), CEO David Zaslav revealed a plan to revitalize the DC brand following the poor reception of some DCEU films. Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly formed DC Studios in November 2022 after working on several DCEU projects, including the film *The Suicide Squad* (2021) and its spin-off series *Peacemaker* (2022–present). The pair spent several months with a group of writers developing the overarching story for a new DC continuity, which features a combination of popular and obscure DC characters. Some DCEU projects in development were abandoned in favor of new takes, while others (including *Peacemaker*) continued within the new franchise. Gunn and Safran wanted to focus on storytelling needs rather than forcing creators to produce their projects before specific release dates.

The story of the DCU is divided into chapters, starting with "Gods and Monsters" which will begin in 2024 with the animated series *Creature Commandos*. Gunn and Safran considered the chapter's first film, *Superman: Legacy* (2025), to be the true beginning of the DCU.

## Films

**Chapter One: Gods & Monsters**

* *The Suicide Squad* (2021)
* *Blue Beetle* (2023) (unreleased/post-production)
* *Superman: Legacy* (2025) (unreleased/pre-production)
* *The Authority* (TBA) (unreleased/development)
* *The Brave and the Bold* (TBA) (unreleased/development)
* *Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow* (TBA) (unreleased/development)
* *Swamp Thing* (TBA) (unreleased/development)

## Television series

**DC Studios Series**

**Chapter One: Gods & Monsters**

* *Peacemaker*
	+ *Season One* (2022)
	+ *Season Two* (TBA)
* *Waller*
	+ *Season One* (2024)
* *Lanterns*
	+ *Season One* (TBA)
* *Paradise Lost*
	+ *Season One* (TBA)
* *Booster Gold*
	+ *Season One* (TBA)

**Animated Series**

* *Creature Commandos*
	+ *Season One* (2024)

## Video games

After announcing the initial DCU projects, Gunn confirmed plans to include new video games in the DCU's shared storyline and said these games would be used to tell new stories that could bridge the gap between films and series. They were also being developed so audiences who do not play video games would not lose any overall story elements. He expected the games to take around four years to make.

## DC Elseworlds

When announcing the first projects for the DCU in January 2023, Gunn said any project that did not fit into the DCU's shared universe would be labeled as "**DC Elseworlds**" moving forward. This is the same as how DC Comics uses the Elseworlds imprint to mark comic books that are separate from the main continuity. Safran said there was a high bar that non-DCU projects would have to meet to be greenlit. Gunn later confirmed that DC's long-form animated films would continue at DC Studios under the Elseworlds label.

The following projects have been confirmed as part of the "DC Elseworlds" label:

* The animated series *Teen Titans Go!* (2013–present)
* Director Todd Phillips's films *Joker* (2019) and *Joker: Folie à Deux* (2024)
* The animated series *Harley Quinn* (2019–present)[*better source needed*]
* The live-action series *Superman & Lois* (2021–present)
* Director Matt Reeves's Batman shared universe:
	+ Films *The Batman* (2022) and *The Batman – Part II* (2025), as well as an in-development third *The Batman* film
	+ Spin-off series *The Penguin*, as well as in-development series featuring Arkham Asylum and the Gotham City Police Department