James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe (the DCU) launched in December 2024 and is still expanding. Unlike the older DC Extended Universe, this one is being built with a single connected continuity in mind from the start. Here's the order to watch it in, and what to read alongside it.
The viewing order so far
- Creature Commandos (HBO Max, Dec 2024) — the official starting point. It's animated, but skip it and you'll miss real setup for what follows.
- Superman (theaters, July 2025) — the DCU's first feature film.
- Peacemaker Season 2 (HBO Max, 2025) — continues directly from Creature Commandos and Superman.
- Supergirl (theaters, June 2026) — Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El.
- Lanterns (HBO, Aug 2026) — Hal Jordan and John Stewart, airing now.
- Clayface (theaters, Oct 2026) — a horror-leaning Batman-villain origin story.
- Man of Tomorrow (2027) — the next confirmed Superman-focused film.
Confirmed but not yet dated
Wonder Woman, The Brave and the Bold (the DCU's first live-action Batman film, introducing Damian Wayne/Robin), Swamp Thing, Teen Titans, Booster Gold, and a Amanda Waller-focused HBO series (with Viola Davis expected to return) are all in development as part of this same continuity.
What's deliberately NOT part of the DCU
This is the part that trips people up: Matt Reeves' The Batman and its upcoming sequel, The Batman: Part II (Robert Pattinson, now dated February 18, 2028), exist in a separate "DC Elseworlds" continuity and are not connected to Gunn and Safran's DCU at all. Todd Phillips' Joker films are similarly outside the main continuity. If you're building a complete DCU watch order, leave both of those out.
Read alongside it
None of these projects require reading the comics first, but a few pairings genuinely deepen the experience:
- Ahead of Clayface: classic Matt Hagen-era Clayface stories from Batman's rogues gallery back catalog
- Ahead of Lanterns: any Hal Jordan/John Stewart team-up era Green Lantern collections
- Ahead of Supergirl: Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which the film draws from directly
Details sourced from official DC Studios announcements and Popverse's ongoing DCU Chapter One coverage.