James Gunn explains the universe - the DC Universe, detailing if the DCEU movies belong in his new world

Is ‘Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom’ or ‘The Flash’ part of the DC Extended Universe, the DC Universe or is it no longer considered part of the mythology that director James Gunn has recently found himself in charge of? 

It might seem all confusing, with both Gunn and fellow DC Studios co-head Peter Safran assuming creative duties of DC between the current DCEU not yet completed, but having taken to Threads, Gunn has made it clear now what he considered canon and what is officially part of his DCU.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year - a sort of aperitif to the DCU - & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.” 

“And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until CC and Legacy.”

That means that projects coming up, such as ‘The Penguin’ with Colin Farrell, ‘The Batman - Part II’ with Robert Pattinson and ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ with Joaquim Phoenix and Lady Gaga, will not be canon to Gunn’s DCU, but will remain in the ‘extended universe’ as side-stories to the greater world Gunn and Safran are set to create.

Three of those characters that Gunn revealed will still be canon to his universe: John Cena’s Peacemaker, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle.

What comprises DCU’s Chapter One: ‘Gods and Monsters’?

Chapter One of the new DC Universe, titled ‘Gods and Monsters,’ is set to kick off next year with the release of ‘Creature Commandos’ on Warner Discovery’s MAX platform (formerly known as HBO Max), with Rick Flagg Sr. (played by Frank Grillo) joined by Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour), Bride of Frankenstein (Indira Varma) and is set to see the return of ‘The Suicide Squad’ character Weasel - once again played by Gunn’s brother, Sean.

That, according to Gunn, will officially launch what will be canon to the new DCU, with the ‘Superman: Legacy’ filmed, scheduled for release in 2025, “a deeper dive into the universe.”  That will then be followed by ‘The Authority,’ ‘The Brave and Bold,’ ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ (originally a DCEU title) and James Mangold’s reboot of ‘Swamp Thing’ in terms of films during chapter one.

In terms of television shows, ‘Creature Commandos’ will be joined in 2024 by ‘Wallers,’ based around the life of one of DC’s main antagonists, Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis), ‘Lanterns,’ based on The Green Lantern franchise ‘Paradise Lost’ and the intriguing prospect of a television series based around cult comic book ‘hero’ Booster Gold. 

Will there be a second season of ‘Peacemaker’?

Have no fear, John Cena will return as Peacemaker, but we have a little bit of a wait yet. Gunn has disclosed that there will be a second season, but it will take place once work has been completed on ‘Wallers’ and ‘Superman: Legacy,’ which means we could be looking at 2025 for the adventures of Peacemaker to return to our screens.