What’s next for the DCU after Superman?

Ash Walker • 15 Jul 2025 Features

Up, up and away!

Superman is finally here! The reviews so far have been (mostly) positive, and James Gunn’s colourful reboot is smashing through box office records like an indestructible Kryptonian fist.

The stage is well and truly set for the brand new DC Universe. But what exactly does Gunn (and producer Peter Safran) have in store for us next? Where does this hype train lead?

Let’s find out!

** WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SUPERMAN THROUGHOUT **

How does Superman set up a sequel?

At the end of Superman the day is saved, and the Man of Steel kicks back in his fortress to watch some home movies and get a quick solar recharge. It’s a sweet, triumphant ending, but doesn’t really do much to set up what’s next for Big Blue. Nor do the two post-credits scenes, which are just fun little skits involving Krypto and Mr Terrific.

But there are a few seeds planted throughout the movie that might give some hints of what to expect in potential sequels or spin-offs.

By the end of Superman, big bad baldie Lex Luthor has been publicly disgraced and thrown in jail for treason. But as any comic fan knows, no prison can hold Lex for long.

With Nicholas Hoult’s performance as the supervillain drawing a lot of fan attention, you can be sure to see Luthor make a return in Superman 2 - although probably not as the main antagonist. Might we see another of Superman’s colourful rogues gallery come to the fore?

Evil alien intelligence Brainiac maybe, or the Kryptonite-powered cyborg Metallo. There’s even a hint in the movie at notoriously bonkers interdimensional imp Mr Mxyzptlk, who would certainly fit with Gunn’s more colourful, Silver Age-inspired universe.

We’re also likely to see steps taken towards an eventual Justice League movie. In Superman, the corporate-sponsored Justice Gang (they’re workshopping the name) are inspired by the Man of Steel to stop a war because it’s the right thing to do - not because they’re being paid for it.

This could be the impetus for forming a self-governing group like the Justice League, to save the world without being hampered by politics or corporate pressure. And it would make perfect sense for that group to form around Superman, as the ultimate example of do-goodery.

But the biggest set up for a spin-off has to be the brief cameo from Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. She turns up to drunkenly give Clark grief and collect her dog before heading out for a cosmic night on the town - leading directly into the events of her own movie. More on that later…

Peacemaker

Credit: Peacemaker Season 2 | Official Teaser | Max (HBO Max, YouTube)

First up after Superman is the second season of Peacemaker, which is due to begin on August 21st. Also written and directed by James Gunn (he’s a busy guy), this series follows Christopher Smith (John Cena) - a big dumb idiot who wants world peace at any cost, even if he has to murder every man, woman and child on Earth to get it.

The first season was a fun, anarchic alien invasion story, and this second installment looks to be introducing some multiversal shenanigans into the mix.

The big question here is how it’ll fit into the new DCU, as season one (and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which it span off from) was very much set in the old, Zack Snyder-led DC Extended Universe - you know, the one where everyone was all dark and miserable all the time.

How will Gunn explain the massive shift in continuity? Will he bother? Does it even matter? We’ll find out in August.

Supergirl

Next in cinemas will be Supergirl, slated for release in June 2026. This is directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella), and adapted directly from the acclaimed 2021 comic miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely.

In that story - and presumably in the movie, too - Supergirl is portrayed as a jaded, hard-drinking burnout, psychologically scarred because she was a teenager when Krypton was destroyed, and was forced to watch her friends and family die around her. While drowning her sorrows on a backwater planet, she’s hired by a young girl to embark on a mission of revenge against the man who killed her parents.

Yes, it’s True Grit in space.

Woman of Tomorrow is one of the best superhero comics to have been released in recent years, and might even be the best Supergirl story ever, so it’s a very exciting prospect to see it translated to the big screen.

Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) has been cast as Supergirl - and makes a big impression in her short cameo in Superman - while Jason Momoa, previously Aquaman in the DCEU movies, will be appearing as chaotic antihero Lobo.

And Krypto - the adorable, badly behaved, very good (super)boy - is due to play a pretty huge part in the story, too…

Lanterns

Back on the TV front we have HBO’s Lanterns, which is being billed as a grounded, gritty, True Detective-style murder mystery with cosmic connections. Perfect for a show about DC’s group of space cops, the Green Lantern Corps.

Not much is known about the plot beyond that elevator pitch, but it’ll star Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) as Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart respectively. Both of these continue the DCU’s history of exceptional casting.

It’ll also feature - in some supporting capacity - fellow Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) who is hilarious as the cocky leader of the corporate Justice Gang in Superman.

Filming is currently ongoing, and Lanterns is expected to be released early next year. This one could be something truly special.

Clayface

Somewhat unexpectedly, the next movie on the DCU slate seems to be this villain-centric film about the shapeshifting Batman baddie. Promising to bring full-on body horror into this burgeoning comic book universe, the story will purportedly follow a washed-up Hollywood actor who resorts to using a mysterious… substance to keep himself relevant.

Sounds a bit familiar, but to be fair this has been part of the villain’s origin story (one of them at least) for a long time. Just look at some of the more memorable episodes of Batman: The Animated Series for examples.

The most exciting thing about this film - aside from our first proper glimpse of Gotham City in the DCU - is the talent involved behind the screen. Horror god Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass) wrote the script, alongside Hossein Amini (Drive) and it’ll be directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil).

The Brave and the Bold

Speaking of Batman… The first proper outing for the Dark Knight in the new DCU will likely be in The Brave and the Bold, which will follow various members of the extended Bat-Family.

In particular, it’ll apparently focus on Batman and his young son, Damian Wayne, who has taken on the mantle of Robin. Yes, in the comics, Batman has a son. And he’s absolutely brilliant.

The spawn of Bruce Wayne and supervillain Talia Al’Ghul, Damian was raised in secret by Talia and her assassin death cult, the League of Shadows, and trained from birth to be a deadly killing machine. Unceremoniously dumped with his father, Damian initially struggles to stick to Batman’s code of, well, not murdering everyone.

It’s a fascinating dynamic, and one that would be really interesting to see translated to the big screen. The Flash director Andy Muschietti has signed on to helm this one, but there’s no word on a release date yet.

And in case you were wondering, this will be a brand new Batman, totally unconnected to Matt Reeve’s hotly anticipated, Robert Pattinson-starring follow-up to The Batman.

The Authority

A somewhat lesser-known superteam, the Authority was created in the late ‘90s by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for the independent publisher Wildstorm. But when Wildstorm was acquired by DC a decade or so later, the characters were folded into the mainline continuity, and it looks like they’ll be making the jump to the DCU too.

We’ve already met one of them in Superman - Lex Luthor’s nanite-spewing goon, the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), is a prominent member, alongside strange characters like Apollo and Midnighter (essentially Superman and Batman, if they were a couple), Jack Hawksmoor (can talk to cities) and Jenny Sparks (the living embodiment of the 20th Century).

Not much progress has been made on this one yet, but it should be pretty interesting if it ever materialises.

Swamp Thing

Surprisingly, there have been a number of Swamp Thing adaptations over the years, including Wes Craven’s shonky 1982 monster mash, the ill-fated (but pretty good) 2019 TV show and even a kid-friendly ‘90s cartoon series.

Not bad for a mossy, shambling swamp creature.

This new version will take specific inspiration from comics legend Alan Moore’s groundbreaking run, Saga of the Swamp Thing, and will be written and directed by James Mangold (Logan).

As befits the character, Swamp Thing will be a darker, more horror-focussed affair, but will still have strong ties to the rest of the DCU. If it’s anywhere near as good as Alan Moore’s Saga, this one should quickly become a fan favourite.

What else has been announced?

James Gunn and Peter Safran have announced a whole bunch of other potential DCU-expanding movies and TV shows, although most of them don’t even have completed scripts as of yet.

There’s progress on a movie following World War II hero Sgt. Rock, which may star Daniel Craig and be directed by, of all people, Luca Guadagnino (Challengers). We may also soon see an animated movie about rival Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, called Dynamic Duo.

But what about the third and final member of DC’s holy trinity? There’s definitely a new Wonder Woman movie in the works, as well as a prequel TV show called Paradise Lost, which will explore life on Themyscira.

There are also mooted TV projects about Amanda Waller, the shadowy leader of superspy organisation ARGUS, Mister Miracle, a cosmic ‘new god’ and the universe’s greatest escape artist, and Booster Gold, an airhead from the future who uses advanced tech to become a celebrity hero.

Not to mention a second season of animated monster-fest Creature Commandos, potential Mr Terrific and Jimmy Olsen series and a small-screen continuation of 2023’s Blue Beetle. Whew. That’s a lot.

Whether all of these projects eventually see the light of day remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure - it’s an exciting time to be a DC fan.

Superman is in cinemas now. See it for nothing with a Sky Cinema subscription, which gives you two free cinema tickets, every month!