DC Comics created the “DC Cinematic Universe” in response to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the “DCEU” (for DC Extended Universe, the other name of the DC cinematic universe), we find a dozen films already released whose main characters are members of the Justice League: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman. But beware, the films released over the past 10 years with characters from DC Comics are not necessarily part of this universe. We take stock of this issue.
If you are more Superman and Batman than Spider-Man and Captain America, that means you are more DC Comics than Marvel comics. The anthology of characters is as grandiose on one side as on the other. At Marvel, there’s Iron Man, Captain Marvel, the X-Men, Hulk, Thor, Fantastic Four, and more. And at DC, you find Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, etc. And each universe has its own “leg”.
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These two publishers have been competing on the stalls of newsstands, bookstores and comic book stores since the late 1930s in the United States. But they also compete on television and… in the cinema. Even if the films of Marvel heroes today monopolize the box office (in particular The Avengers Endgame which broke many records), these are the films of Superman in 1978 and Batman in 1989 that the spectators remembered more.
Hoping to regain some good momentum in cinema and capitalize on the craze for superhero movies (thanks to Marvel’s efforts), DC made the decision to create your own universe for cinema. With the same consistency. With the same care given to the visual. But not necessarily with the same scripting strategy. The project is formalized by Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics, in 2008. The decision is made thanks to the commercial success of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. And the first film to be part of this universe is Man of steel, the Superman reboot released in 2013.
As with the comics, the universe of DC in film and television is not unique, but multiple. Some films, even the most recent, are not included. This is the case of Joker, released in 2017, and The batman, which will be released in 2022. We have not retained them for this file. The same goes for the series of the ”Arrowverse”: Arrow, Flash, Constantine, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman and Superman & Lois (the 2021 reboot). Here we offer you two ways to see the DC Cinematic Universe movies. It’s up to you to choose the one that suits you best.
Order of films by release date
The cinematographic universe is made up today of 10 films released in theaters, including the original version of Justice League by Zack Snyder. Here we offer you a fairly classic viewing order: that of the release of the films. So that doesn’t take into account movies that take place earlier in time (both Wonder Women). We also leave Zack Snyder’s original version of Justice League here as it is released. We also include the four films confirmed which will be released between 2022 and 2023 and the Peacemaker series scheduled for next year on HBO Max.
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Justice League (2017)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Shazam! (2019)
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Peacemaker (series) (2022)
- Black Adam (coming soon)
- The Flash (coming soon)
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (coming soon)
- Shazam Fury of the Gods (coming soon)
Order of movies according to the DC Universe timeline
For this second order, we have taken care to respect the chronological order of the film scripts. Indeed, some films take place before other feature films previously released in the cinema. This is particularly the case of Wonder Woman. This new order is therefore intended to be more respectful of the chronology of the universe. And this even if consistency is not always there. We have not included the films currently in production, because the script of these films could change that order. In contrast, you will find the Peacemaker series there which claims to be a spin-off from the Suicide Squad films.
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Justice League (2017)
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Shazam! (2019)
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Peacemaker (series) (2022)
Note that since 2017 and the release of Wonder Woman, Warner Bros. and DC Comics prefer that DC Cinematic Universe films are more independent of each other. And this even if the next film The Flash, nicknamed Flashpoint in reference to the eponymous comic book during which Flash reorganized the DC multiverse, will include at least two versions of Batman. This dossier will continue to be updated as the next films hit theaters or arrive on streaming services. And if that isn’t enough for you, you can always take a look at the competition and our Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Folder.
