The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) was an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and was based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. Warner Bros. established its shared universe with the 2013 film “Man of Steel” and the 2016 sequel, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. These entries were followed by 13 other films and the first season of “Peacemaker”, a television series for HBO Max. The DCEU’s 15th and final film, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, was released on December 22, 2023.
After the final DCEU film entries were released, the series was given a soft reboot by co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, retaining select cast members and narrative elements of the DCEU but disregarding others. In contrast to the previous slate of DC Comics adaptations, the DCU features a unified continuity and story across live-action films and television, animation, and video games. Concurrent DC adaptations that do not fit this continuity are labeled “DC Elseworlds”.
001 Man of Steel (June 14, 2013)
Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
Russell Crowe as Jor-El
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Harry Lennix as Lieutenant General Calvin Swanwick
Christina Wren plays Capt. Carrie Ferris
Carla Gugino portrays the voice of Kelor
002 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25, 2016)
002 BvS: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition (June 28, 2016)
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman,
Amy Adams as Lois Lane,
Diane Lane as Martha Kent,
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent,
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White,
Harry Lennix as Secretary Calvin Swanwick,
Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris,
Rebecca Buller as Jenny Jurwich,
Chad Krowchuk as Glen Woodburn,
Carla Gugino as the Kryptonian AI Kelor,
Coburn Goss as Father Leone,
Joseph Cranford as Pete Ross,
Emily Peterson as Lana Lang,
and the corpse of General Zod also appears in the film in a crucial role; however, Michael Shannon did not film any scenes for the film and the corpse was created using the physique of fitness model Greg Plitt and a head-shot of Shannon.
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman,
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman,
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash,
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman,
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg,
Joe Morton as Silas Stone,
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth,
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor,
additionally, Chris Pine, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock appear in Diana Prince’s photo as Steve Trevor, Sameer, Charlie, and Chief Napi.
003 Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)
The film begins in the present, after “Batman v Superman”, then flashes back to tell Diana’s history.
Bruce Wayne is referenced but Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman as we learn the history of the photo plate she sought in the previous film, including those found within that photo:
Chris Pine as Steve Trevor,
Saïd Taghmaoui as Sameer,
Ewen Bremner as Charlie,
Eugene Brave Rock as Chief Napi.
004 Wonder Woman 1984 (December 25, 2020)
005 Suicide Squad (August 5, 2016)
005 Suicide Squad: Extended Cut (December 13, 2016)
006 Justice League (November 17, 2017)
006 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (March 18, 2021)
007 Aquaman (December 21, 2018)
008 Shazam! (April 5, 2019)
009 Birds of Prey (February 7, 2020)
aka “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” aka “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey”.
010 The Suicide Squad (August 5, 2021)
A fan timeline that Gunn liked placed “The Suicide Squad” around May of 2022.
Peacemaker Season 1 (Jan 13 – Feb 17, 2022)
A fan timeline that Gunn liked placed “Peacemaker” Season 1 in around October of 2022.
011 S01E01 A Whole New Whirled
012 S01E02 Best Friends, For Never
013 S01E03 Better Goff Dead
014 S01E04 The Choad Less Traveled
015 S01E05 Monkey Dory
016 S01E06 Murn After Reading
017 S01E07 Stop Dragon My Heart Around
018 S01E08 It’s Cow or Never
019 Black Adam (October 21, 2022)
020 Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, 2023)
021 Blue Beetle (August 18, 2023)
A fan timeline that Gunn liked placed “Blue Beetle” in 2023.
022 Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 22, 2023)
023 The Flash (June 16, 2023)
Michael Keaton’s Batman crosses paths with the DC Extended Universe.
Crisis on Infinite Earths (Dec 8, 2019 – Jan 14, 2020)
The DC Extended Universe collides with the Arrow Multiverse via a cameo by Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen / The Flash in Arrow S08E08 “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four”. The Crisis storyline involves elements of various DC continuities colliding and eventually rebooting in a new formation, which unintentionally, but conveniently explains the soft reboot from the DC Extended Universe to the DC Universe.
024 Supergirl S05E09
025 Batwoman S01E09
026 The Flash S06E09
027 Arrow S08E08*
028 Legends of Tomorrow Special
029 Clayface (October 23, 2026)
The film is a prequel to Season 1 of Creature Commandos, which featured the title character, who has been confirmed as being the same iteration, despite being played by different actors.
A fan timeline that Gunn liked placed “Clayface” in 2021.
Creature Commandos Season 1 (Dec 5, 2024 – Jan 9, 2025)
Though set in the new DC Universe, the series picks up plot threads and characters explored in several DC Extended Universe projects, most notably from “The Suicide Squad” (2021) & Season 1 of “Peacemaker” (2022).
A fan timeline that Gunn liked placed “Creature Commandos” Season 1 in 2024.
030 S01E01 The Collywobbles
031 S01E02 The Tourmaline Necklace
032 S01E03 Cheers to the Tin Man
033 S01E04 Chasing Squirrels
034 S01E05 The Iron Pot
035 S01E06 Priyatel Skelet
036 S01E07 A Very Funny Monster
037 Superman (July 11, 2025)
May 2025.
Peacemaker Season 2 (Aug 21 – Oct 9, 2025)
June 2025.
038 S02E01 The Ties That Grind
039 S02E02 A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird
040 S02E03 Another Rick Up My Sleeve
041 S02E04 Need I Say Door
042 S02E05 Back to the Suture
043 S02E06 Ignorance Is Chris
044 S02E07 Like a Keith in the Night
045 S02E08 Full Nelson (Series Finale)
046 Supergirl (June 26, 2026)
Set in 2026.
Lanterns Season 1 (Aug 16 – Oct 4, 2026)
The series features events from 1975, 2016, & the present day, which is 2026.
047 S01E01 Pilot
048 S01E02 Trust Fall
049 S01E03 OutKast
050 S01E04 The Weenie
051 S01E05 Lights Out
052 S01E06 Bad Optics
053 S01E07 The Jordan Boys’ Legacy
054 S01E08 Dirt and Stars (Season Finale)