James Gunn Clarifies DC Universe Connections and Future Plans
By Published May 1, 2026, 1:05 PM EDT Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2026. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Though having largely started with a fresh slate, James Gunn confirms he will clear the air on the 's canon connections with the previous franchise, better known as the Snyderverse.
Gunn memorably joined the previous franchise, dubbed the DC Extended Universe, with 2026's The Suicide Squad, before later taking over as DC Studios co-CEO in late 2026 and aiming to do a soft reboot of the franchise. Though this new era technically began with HBO Max's Creature Commandos as part of its first chapter, "Gods and Monsters," Gunn indicated that Xolo Maridueña's Blue Beetle would return from his 2026 film, while offered some better clarification on what was still considered canon in the DCU.
In response to a recent question on Threads about the lingering Snyderverse and DCU canon connections from the original Suicide Squad, his standalone sequel and Blue Beetle after sharing further insight on the Peacemaker season 2 podcast, acknowledged that he's "been thinking about this a lot" in regard to the latter two movies. The DC Studios boss expressed that he's "been meaning to rewatch both with an eye" directed toward any unspecified canonical ties, particularly "knowing what I know now almost three years" into the new franchise, along with the "couple more years of scripts being actively filmed or created."
As such, Gunn shared that, after finishing production on his Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, and getting it out in July 2027, he may reunite with his stars and frequent collaborators, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, for "a special couple podcasts to discuss" any unspecified canon connections. He further opened the floor to questions from fans about what they "think is potentially or definitely NOT canon" from The Suicide Squad and Blue Beetle.
In addition to a variety of sequels and planned individual projects, the Snyderverse's early ending memorably led to the scrapping of Zack to round out his trilogy story plans. While the years since have seen Gunn affirm a variety of conversations with Snyder, he's also largely confirmed that the prior franchise is dead, while new projects, like the animated Mister Miracle, have recast key previous characters such as Darkseid.
Peacemaker season 2 had seemingly gone a long way to helping better clear up some of the unanswered canonical connections between the DCU and Snyderverse with its "Previously in the DCU" recap montage. The season 1 finale's Justice League cameos were instead , with only Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced actually being visible as the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Additionally, the other silhouettes were swapped to David Corenswet's Superman, Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific and Milly Alcock's Supergirl.
That being said, there are definitely a number of lingering questions from both The Suicide Squad and Blue Beetle tying the DCU to the Snyderverse that either a project will have to directly address, or Gunn himself. Idris Elba's Bloodsport was memorably imprisoned due to shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet, though is still unknown if this was in reference to Corenswet's or Henry Cavill's.
Related
Though a campaign for Zack Snyder's DC film series to revive on Netflix has caught on, the idea faces some difficult truths in execution.
Posts By
Additionally, Blue Beetle's infamous "Batman is a fascist" joke doesn't have a clear indication as to which Batman the movie refers to, and a shot of the LexCorp building instead of LutherCorp, as shown in Superman and the rest of the DCU, has created a few inconsistencies. While the latter is easily resolvable through CGI touch-ups, much like the opening montage of Peacemaker season 2, there is also still the unknown fate of , which may very well be answered in the upcoming animated series.
Gunn's indication that he'll offer some definitive answers on the canonical connections between the DCU and Snyderverse is sure to come as a mixed update for fans of the prior franchise. On the one hand, should he confirm that a few elements from previous films are still remaining part of his new franchise plans, it may keep the ongoing hope alive for Gunn and Snyder to team together for either an Elseworlds continuation of the DCEU, or something more closely part of the current plan.
However, there is also the possibility that in the special podcast episodes, Gunn will officially shut down any further canonical connections between the DCU and Snyderverse. It would go a long way to help further set the new franchise apart from the previous one to fully write off any lingering ties between them. Given he indicates he wouldn't have time to record said episodes until after , it does seem likely that the answers won't come until at least Fall 2027.
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Expand Collapse
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
