When Does James Gunn's New DC Canon Begin? Here's What We Know
There has been much talk about the future of the on-screen DC universe as of late. Some of it has been related to box office disappointments such as "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and "The Flash." Much of it though has been focused on the future, with new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran getting ready to reboot the universe in the coming years with a big slate of movies and TV shows unveiled earlier this year. The first chapter of this new DCU has been dubbed "Gods and Monsters," but what does this mean for the rest of the DC movies and TV shows?
The new DC Universe has led to some confusion over what will be canon in the universe and when, precisely, the new continuity will begin. Well, Gunn has addressed the topic, and in some ways, it has helped to clear up some confusion. At the same time, the various projects that the filmmaker-turned-executive has revealed so far form a somewhat blurry picture of the new DCU in terms of when it truly begins. Is it next year's "Creature Commandos" animated series? Is it the "Superman: Legacy" move? Or is it technically "Blue Beetle" coming this summer? Let's investigate.
What James Gunn has said
Gunn, best known for directing Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy, is gearing up to helm "Superman: Legacy," which is going to be the first film as part of the new DCU. David Corenswet was recently cast as our new Clark Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan on board as Lois Lane. Further casting has been taking place, with production looking to kick off early next year. Naturally, as the project becomes more real, Gunn has been fielding lots of questions. Because the filmmaker is very active on social media, those questions sometimes get answered.
Recently, a fan inquired about some continuity issues. For example, Nathan Fillion is going to play the Green Lantern Guy Gardner in "Legacy," but he also played TDK in 2021's "The Suicide Squad." So what's the deal there? With "Peacemaker" season 2 happening along with the "Waller" show, it seems like "The Suicide Squad" will remain canon, right? Not so fast. "DC Studios movies (and canon) start with Legacy," Gunn said in response to that fan on Threads.
That, however, does not exactly address how those "Suicide Squad" universe characters will carry over to the new universe. There's also the matter of something else Gunn said on Threads as well, which addressed the status of "Creature Commandos," a show that will feature Weasel from "The Suicide Squad" as well. "The first DC Studios movie is Superman: Legacy (the first DC Studios project is the animated TV show Creature Commandos)"
So wait a second, if "Legacy" begins the new DCU canon, then what's the deal with "Creature Commandos," since Gunn makes it very clear that it's a DC Studios project and not something inherited by the previous regime? Let's not forget that new DC projects are expected to have actors play the same characters across live-action and animation. This is where the lines can get blurry for the average person.
DC's messy situation
In fairness to Gunn and Safran, they did not come into an enviable situation. The DCU has been pretty messy pretty much ever since "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was met with wildly mixed reviews, which paved the way for an absolute debacle in the form of Zack Snyder's "Justice League." Now, we've got Matt Reeves' "The Batman" universe that exists entirely outside of what Gunn and Safran are trying to do, while several movies from the old regime, like "Blue Beetle" and an "Aquaman" sequel, are still making their way out into the universe. Warner Bros. needs to try and get people to see those movies despite also building interest in the new DCU. It's complicated.
That's likely why Gunn has left the door open for "Blue Beetle" to join the DCU, even as he previously stated that the film is "totally disconnected," meaning it could, in theory, still situate itself into the larger plans for the reboot. But there's no guarantee there. But that, perhaps, opens the door for more confusion, because retroactively, "Blue Beetle" would technically be the first film in the new DCU. But one thing that Gunn has consistently indicated is that "Superman: Legacy" really is the grand kickoff to these new plans.
"Superman really kicks off the DCU," Gunn said back in January when the DCU slate was announced. "Everything will be canon going forward after that." As far as those "Suicide Squad" connections go, Gunn also clarified, "We'll be using some actors from the past, we're not using other actors from the past, but everything from that moment forward will be connected."
The other important thing is that everything is going to be connected within a grand multiverse. "The DCU's a multiverse but we're gonna be focusing on one universe from that multiverse," Safran said at the time. So "The Batman" exists elsewhere in the multiverse, everything else will apparently be in the new singular DC Universe unless otherwise noted.
Trying to minimize audience confusion
At this point, we can't truly say what will be canon or what won't be. The only people who know that are Gunn, Safran, the higher-ups at Warner Bros., and the filmmakers they are working with, such as James Mangold on "Swamp Thing" and Andy Muschietti on "The Brave and the Bold." But Gunn can't just say, "Nothing made before we got her counts," because that would doom very expensive movies to a certain, terrible fate. Sure, saying nice things didn't really help "The Flash" any, but they at least need to try.
Having said that, it does really seem like "Superman: Legacy" is the true starting point for what comes next. "Creature Commandos" was more than likely given the green light before Gunn and Safran got the job to reboot the universe, but there's no point in abandoning that show if Gunn can find a way to fit it in with what he's got planned. At this point, it's all about making it easy on the casual viewer, and that's something the brass at DC Studios is well aware of.
"We are trying to minimize audience confusion and maximize their enjoyment," Safran recently said to Vanity Fair. While it may seem a little confusing now to those of us who are paying a great deal of attention, it seems like it's all going to make sense in due time. That's the hope anyway, assuming Gunn and Safran accomplish their mission. Here's hoping.
"Superman: Legacy" is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.