DC Studios' latest HBO Max sci-fi superhero thriller, Lanterns, just brought back a major Superman hero for its newest character poster. The series, which airs every Sunday on the streamer, introduced a bunch of fresh faces to the DCU, including Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, along with numerous supporting players. Adding a familiar character from the broader DC Universe was long overdue, and the show's latest poster features one who has made more DCU appearances than most.

The new Lanterns artwork spotlights Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, the obnoxious and brash Green Lantern first introduced in James Gunn's Superman in 2025. It marks the character's second-ever DCU poster despite appearing in three different projects. After Superman, he showed up in the second season of the John Cena-led Peacemaker, and he makes his Lanterns debut in the sixth episode, airing September 20, before jumping back to the big screen in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel arriving in theaters on July 9, 2027.

Lanterns star Aaron Pierre has already set his next major role in a $10 billion sci-fi franchise that everyone knows. 32-year-old British actor Aaron Pierre has been all the rage in recent years, thanks in part to his leading role in Netflix's Emmy-winning action flick, Rebel Ridge. The rising star has since voiced the legendary leading lion in Mufasa: The Lion King, a live-action prequel to the Disney classic, and appeared in Apple TV+'s The Morning Show Season 4.

Pierre re-entered the limelight this year as the co-star of DC Studios' Lanterns, playing the Green Lantern new recruit, John Stewart, alongside Kyle Chandler's veteran space cop Hal Jordan. The HBO Max series is just the beginning for Pierre in the DCU, as he will reprise the beloved Emerald Knight next year in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel directed by James Gunn himself. But that isn't the only major franchise that Pierre is signing on to join next summer.

Before Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027, Aaron Pierre is officially joining Star Wars for the 13th movie in the sci-fi franchise, which has already earned $10.72 billion worldwide ahead of its 50th anniversary next year. The Lanterns star will debut in Star Wars: Starfighter, the new post-sequel trilogy standalone story from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, set for release on May 28, 2027, nine months after his HBO Max series premiered.

One of DC's co-CEOs, James Gunn, recently reconfirmed that an upcoming animated series remains in development, solidifying the packed slate of projects in the works. Following the one-two punch of Clayface this October and Man of Tomorrow next summer, DC Studios' theatrical slate is surprisingly thin, aside from Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel, currently set for release in 2028. Nevertheless, Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU will continue expanding on the small screen through a variety of television projects, many of them animated, including one that maintains a connection to the former DCEU.

In response to a user on Threads asking for an update on the Blue Beetle animated series, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn reaffirmed that "It's still very much in development." The series was first reported in June 2024, with Angel Manuel Soto and Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, the director and screenwriter of 2023's Blue Beetle, respectively, attached as executive producers. Xolo Maridueña, who led the film as Jaime Reyes, was confirmed to reprise his role several months later, with the actor revealing that the story introduced in theaters would continue in the animated series. Maridueña is also set to reprise the role in Superman's sequel, Man of Tomorrow, which is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

DC officially introduced its newest live-action Flash (and he's not part of the DCU). The Flash is a DC hero who has had more live-action portrayals than almost any other hero in the franchise, aside from Batman. Rod Haase became the pioneer in the 1979 TV special, Legends of the Superheroes, before John Wesley Shipp completely defined the role for a generation as Barry Allen in CBS's 1990 series and later returning as part of the Arrowverse as Barry's father, Earth-90, and the real Jay Garrick in CW's The Flash. Speaking of the Arrowverse, Grant Gustin spent nine seasons as Barry Allen, and his long, extended tenure solidified him as the version synonymous with the Scarlet Speedster. On the big screen, Ezra Miller brought Barry to life in the DCEU, ending his run in 2023's The Flash. 

Episode 9 of HBO Max's Big Bang Theory spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, introduced a new version of The Flash set in a self-contained universe: Andrew Ridings' Jay Garrick. The story revolves around comic shop owner Stuart Bloom and his friends as they are trapped inside a DC comic book. Without the device that allows them to jump into different universes, the group decides to look for Barry Allen and the cosmic treadmill, but they find Garrick instead. 

In a post from Instagram, Ridings opened up about playing Jay Garrick in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, describing the experience as "surreal" while pointing out that his DC journey is "just as great as [he] hoped," and it was "a dream come true:"

DC Studios just revealed Clayface's most horrifying look yet ahead of his live-action debut on October 23. Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, the up-and-coming actor who transforms into the tragic Batman villain. The body-horror film, directed by James Watkins from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, is gearing up for its theatrical run by releasing a series of scary shots of Clayface. But the latest piece of marketing from DC Studios is the most blood-curdling look at the villain fans have gotten so far.

DC Studios unveiled the new Clayface poster on September 17 with the caption "Everyone sees him differently." The studio has released numerous character posters for the film, but this one is the scariest. The artwork boasts a gorgeous color palette, washed in a blood-red glow. Matt Hagen's colossal, disfigured head fills most of the frame, his skin dripping and melting as if made of molten wax. 

An upcoming HBO Max comedy series is the perfect revival of a Netflix award-winner that ended in 2018. HBO Max and DC Studios have officially begun production on their next eight-episode series, The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a true-crime-inspired mockumentary that is effectively a revival of Netflix's hit comedy series American Vandal. Releasing a decade apart, the two shows have a remarkable amount in common beyond being created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda.

2017's American Vandal put a unique comedy spin on the true-crime genre, which had seen a major uptick in the prior years through shows like Making a Murderer. Instead of solving murders, kidnappings, and the world's greatest heroes, Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund uncover the truth behind high school pranks: some vulgar vandalism on faculty cars in Season 1 and a laxative spiking in Season 2.

Unfortunately, Netflix canceled American Vandal in October 2018, just one month after Season 2, revealing to Variety that the mockumentary would not return for Season 3, despite its massive critical success. The streamer thanked the creatives for "bringing their innovative comedy to Netflix" and the fans for "[embracing] its unique and unconventional humor."

The new Lanterns trailer may have just provided fans with real confirmation of one of the show's biggest Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) theories. The HBO series is entering the final three-episode stretch of its first season, and five episodes in, it's already wrapped up most of the story it was telling back in 2016, Rushville, Nebraska. That leaves the 2026 present day, and the mysterious decade in between, still very much unexplored. Hal is shown dead in that present-day timeline, but fans have cooked up a bevy of theories about how he might still be alive, including one where he's actually a clone.

The latest Lanterns cloning clue comes about a minute and a half into the midseason trailer that just released. At the 1:23 mark, Hal is shown lying on the ground (not in his normal attire), breathing heavily, while someone stands in a doorway behind him. 

It's not clear who that second figure is, but the stature, the shoes, and even the jacket all look a lot like Hal's, which has fans wondering if it's some version of Hal himself standing there. The other main hint is the new marking on Hal's arm.

The DC Universe's Gorilla Grodd has a bigger connection to Superman in this universe than many fans would imagine. Grodd is typically known for his ties to the Flash, but he and Clark Kent share an unexpected link. The killer ape makes his live-action DC Studios debut in the upcoming HBO Max mockumentary comedy The People v. Gorilla Grodd, with Jimmy Tatro in the role. The series follows Superman character Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, as he produces an eight-part Daily Planet "true" crime docuseries reopening one of Metropolis' most famous murder trials. Grodd was convicted of killing his father, the King of Gorilla City, but has always maintained his innocence, and Olsen sets out to learn whether the conviction was wrongful.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd started shooting at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in early September, with the university standing in for Metropolis University. Set photos reveal that some scenes filmed there are set in 2015. One notable banner included the school's seal, which read "160 Years, 1855–2015." This is an interesting detail because if Metropolis University celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2015, the show will take audiences back a full decade before the events of 2025's Superman.

DC Studios boss James Gunn might have spoiled the true endgame of DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters with an exciting tease about his plans for the main heroes. In November 2022, Gunn (during a Warner Bros. Discovery town hall meeting) emphasized the DCU's "eight-to-ten-year plan," which treats every movie and TV show as a chapter in a larger story, suggesting there is an actual endgame for the reboot's first chapter. Creature Commandos launched the DCU on the small screen by introducing and reintroducing new and familiar characters like Amanda Waller, Rick Flag Sr., and Task Force M. Superman transformed David Corenswet's titular Kryptonian into the DCU's anchor and beacon of home while Peacemaker Season 2 set up an important Salvation storyline integral to the DCU's future. Lanterns and Supergirl widened the scope in 2026 through their own cosmic stakes, while Clayface is set to expand the DCU's horror genre in unexpected ways. 

There are still moving pieces that make it hard to pinpoint the DCU's true endgame, but James Gunn provided a major clue in his recent post on Threads. 

When responding to a fan who asked why the Green Lantern Corps would let Guy Gardner work for Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) if Lord is evil, Gunn flat out rejected the premise, pointing out that the original version of the DC character, "as presented in Justice League International," was one of his favorite characters. The DCU boss also emphasized that "the DCU is not a xerox of DC Comics:"

Some of Batman and Wonder Woman's most prominent supervillains have been introduced before them in the DCU, such as Clayface and Circe, both of whom appeared in Creature Commandos. Not to mention Gorilla Grodd, who also made a brief cameo in the animated series while his archenemy, The Flash, was reduced to a wordless background corpse. The simian supervillain will even get his own HBO Max series, The People v. Gorilla Grodd, before the speedster even has a movie in development.

Aside from Superman and Green Lantern, the rest of the Justice League have been no-shows outside of their villains. However, it's only going to get worse for Flash, as according to the X account @AtlantaDCFans, which revealed the first look at Gorilla Grodd on set, the mockumentary series will include two more supervillains from the Flash's Rogues Gallery: Murmur and Golden Glider.

Two villains who couldn't be any more different in their abilities, morality, and appearance. The fact that both of them will supposedly be showing up side-by-side in this satire of true crime could suggest either some tonal whiplash at play, or one of them being signifigtantly neurterd to maintain the comedic tone of the series, which wouldn't be a first.

DC Studios, since its inception, has been successful with TV shows, releasing hits like Peacemaker and Lanterns. But for all its achievements on streaming, the DCU currently has only one series in active development, according to one of HBO Max's top executives. This comes as a surprise given the numerous DCU shows reported to be in the works at the studio, including a Superman spinoff centered on Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific.

In an interview with Deadline, Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, revealed that The People v. Gorilla Grodd is the only DCU show in active development at HBO Max. Filming on the series centered on the iconic Flash villain commenced in early September, alongside the release of a first look at its titular character. Bloys' comments came on the heels of HBO's strong showing at the Emmys, where the network walked away with 21 wins, second only to Apple TV's 28. During the conversation, he addressed the recent shake-up in DC Studios' TV slate and explained why so many announced projects never made it to air, saying, "People read about development and they assume that those are greenlit shows":

"You know what I would say about that? It's the same thing with Game of Thrones. People read about development and they assume that those are greenlit shows, and they're development. And everybody knows that development is just that — you're trying things, you take big swings, not everything comes through. I would say our track record in DC, from Watchmen to Peacemaker to Penguin and now Lanterns, is pretty good. We're very selective. We're careful about what we do, nothing has changed. You'll read about development, but focus on what we're greenlighting."

HBO Max had a major mishap in Lanterns Episode 5 that might spoil a key twist involving Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan. DC Studios' latest series introduced a unique concept embedded in the Green Lantern ring: the Halogram. This is a stored backup of Hal Jordan's consciousness that lives inside the power ring, and Green Lanterns are tasked to update it weekly (similar to a diary). Based on Lanterns' lore, the Halogram functions as both a failsafe and a sentry, as it can deliver coded messages to the real Hal and can operate independently to monitor nearby threats. 

The Halogram played a key role in Lanterns Episode 5, with Hal activating the sentry protocol to locate Zoe (the Manhunter big bad in the series). The construct did its job, pointing Hal toward the water tower just as the Manhunter's forces and the last of the depleting ring's charge are running out. That was the last time fans saw the Halogram on-screen, prompting many theories about what happened to him in the ensuing battle. 

Lanterns Episode 5 delivered a major hint about a hidden Manhunter remaining in Rushville that could be the key to solving Hal Jordan's death in the 2026 timeline. The latest episode of the DC Studios series was dubbed the "midseason finale" by fans because it fully resolved the series's 2016 timeline with a slew of revelations about the true Manhunter, Antaan's self-destructive nature, and John's game-changing choice regarding Hal Jordan's ring at the end. Amid all these reveals, there was one twist that fans might have overlooked, and it involved a member of the Macon family. 

Part of what made Lanterns exciting is the search for the Manhunter in Rushville. It was a crucial storytelling tool that hooked viewers, leading to a plethora of theories about which character is an alien hiding in plain sight. The prevailing theory is that the Manhunter is from the Macon family, and Episode 4's ending confirmed this after revealing that Zoe was the invader Hal Jordan and John Stewart were looking for. 

Lanterns Episode 5 Sneakily Revealed Another Potential Manhunter 

Clayface released a brand new poster that features Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen walking away from the DCU's redesigned Gotham City. The DCU's next movie, after Superman and Supergirl, turns attention to the darker side of the DC mythos in formally introducing the Gotham City that will one day be home to an all-new Batman when he makes his debut in The Brave and the Bold.

DC Studios released a horrifying new poster for Clayface as it inches closer to hitting theaters on Friday, October 23, complete with the tagline, "Look fear in the face." The poster highlights Matt Hagen's body horror transformation as his skin droops into not only his own silhouette, but an outline of the DCU's redesigned Gotham City ahead of its live-action introduction in Clayface.

James Gunn once affirmed that Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn would return after The Suicide Squad. But ever since he became the co-CEO of DC Studios, the Superman director has grown far quieter, prompting Robbie to explain that she's "heard nothing" from him or DC Studios. It's unclear at this point whether the actress will return, but at least a new promotional video hasn't forgotten her.

Despite the silence surrounding Margot Robbie's possible return to the DCU, a new HBO Max promotional video featuring DC movies and shows was released, highlighting the actress and her character. Not only that, but she was shown alongside David Corenswet's Superman.

DC Studios officially revealed fresh looks at the DCU's Clayface movie, generating more hype for the live-action debut of the Batman villain. One of the biggest swings in James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU is the inclusion of Clayface as a mid-budget, R-rated body-horror Batman villain spinoff in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The film, which is set for release on October 23, is pulling back the curtain on how Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen transformed into the terrifying titular Batman villain that made a huge impact in Creature Commandos Season 1. The official trailers for Clayface showcased a glimpse of Hagen's tragic origin story, the first live-action look at the DCU's Gotham, and a plethora of Easter eggs that expand the DC reboot. As the film's release inches closer, more images have emerged online. 

DC Comics revealed a new look at DC Studios' Clayface with Frank Cho's variant cover for Clayface: Celebrity Dirt # 4. The black-and-white cover reveals a poster of Matt Hagen, billed as the "new face of Hollywood," while the real Hagen (now slowly transforming into his Clayface form) dissolves into slime. 

Superman's speed impressed comic book movie fans when he debuted in his 2025 solo film; the son of Krypton quickly established himself as the fastest hero in James Gunn's DC Universe. However, DC Studios unveiled another hero who can almost keep pace with him. This is especially impressive given the numerous speed feats Superman has already pulled off in the DCU, which appear nearly impossible for any other hero to replicate.

DC Studios introduced Earth's other Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, when Lanterns premiered on August 16. In the most recent installment of the HBO Max series, Kyle Chandler's Jordan delivered another impressive display of speed, expanding his already considerable list of feats. These accomplishments have attracted comparisons to Superman, as Hal inches closer to matching the Kryptonian. 

DC Studios revealed who will follow John Stewart as the next main character of the DCU, specifically when it comes to the franchise's television shows. All eyes are on Lanterns right now concerning the DCU, as the TV-MA HBO series is currently debuting new episodes every Sunday. Lanterns has proved that Aaron Pierre's John Stewart is already one of the franchise's central characters and will likely return in multiple future projects (he's already set to return in 2027's Superman sequel, the James Gunn-written & directed Man of Tomorrow). However, DC Studios is already looking to the future, as it has already picked out its next central character.

DC Studios recently attended the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France, where (as shared by Nexus Point News) multiple executives, including Peter Safran, took the main stage to provide updates on certain projects that have been confirmed for the DCU.

DC Studios brought David Corenswet's Superman back with its latest release. After Creature Commandos' debut in late 2024, the new DCU kicked off in Summer 2025 with the release of James Gunn's Superman, which brought Corenswet's take on the Last Son of Krypton to the big screen for the first time. As the cinematic universe expands, Corenswet keeps racking up credits in the biggest role of his career.

On September 10, DC Studios officially gave Supergirl its streaming debut on HBO Max, following its theatrical release on June 26. Alongside leading star Milly Alcock, David Corenswet returned for a few scenes as Superman in this movie, giving him his second live-action appearance in the greater DC Universe. While he did not play a major role in the movie, he had a fair amount of screen time, including some deep moments with the movie's leading heroine.

Every Supergirl Scene Featuring David Corenswet's Superman

One behavioral pattern Hal Jordan has shown so far in DC Studios' Lanterns is his decision not to use the Green Lantern ring in certain scenes. The show's writer has explained why, and it makes perfect sense. The series, which airs on HBO on Sunday evenings, has become one of the most-watched and talked-about comic book shows since it premiered on August 16. Kyle Chandler portrays a weathered Hal Jordan training Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, who has been selected by the Guardians of the Universe as Hal's replacement for Earth's Green Lantern.

Lanterns showrunner and writer Chris Mundy, in the recent issue of SFX Magazine, revealed that Hal choosing not to use the ring in certain situations is an intentional decision he and the team made, describing it as "a weapon of mass destruction":

"We talked about it at the beginning all the time. If it can do too much, there's no story, because it just solves every problem. Some of it we speak to directly - you essentially have a weapon of mass destruction on your finger, and when and where to use it is the whole ballgame."