According to DC Studios, two major Justice League heroes will not arrive in the DCU anytime soon. The newly minted on-screen DC universe has started laying the foundation for an eventual Justice League team-up. Not only does its theatrical debut, Superman, feature the titular Man of Steel (played by David Corenswet), but it also includes a Green Lantern in Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner and Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, paving the way for what will almost surely become the iconic comic book team.
This, of course, has sparked the wheels of speculation to life among the DCU fandom. When will Batman come to the franchise? Where is Wonder Woman? What will the DCU Justice League look like when they do appear? These are just some of the questions coming out of Superman's release. While some Justice League-associated characters have gotten updates within the new interconnected universe, a couple will take a little more time.
In a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, Superman director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn admitted that fans will likely have to wait a while for Flash and Aquaman to come to the DCU.
When asked by host Josh Horowitz about the two Justice League heroes, and if fans can expect them in the next couple of years, Gunn said, "I wouldn't say the next two years for either of those characters:"
Q: "Do you anticipate seeing something like a new Flash [or] a new Aquaman in the next few years? Or is that a little ways off?"
A: "I wouldn't say the next two years for either of those characters."
No Flash, Aquaman, or overall Justice League project has been announced within the DCU. The only projects associated with the super-powered team currently on the DCU slate are Lanterns, The Brave and the Bold, and the untitled but recently unveiled Wonder Woman film. After Superman, the most imminent DCU titles include Peacemaker Season 2, Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface (all being released in the next 18 months or so).
When Will The Flash and Aquaman Make Their DCU Debuts?
In the comics, The Flash and Aquaman are two of the most essential Justice League heroes in the entire DC Comics canon; however, that does not mean they need to be baked into the DCU right away.
The franchise has only just begun to build its foundation with the release of Superman. This is only the beginning. There is no need to rush into anything, like bringing in too many characters too fast.
In fact, one of the most popular complaints fans have with the former DCEU was precisely this: Doing too much too fast.
Gunn and DC Studios can take their time, build their lore, and then debut key heroes like Aquaman and Flash.
There have already been allusions to someone like The Flash (or at least a version of the character) existing in the universe, so we know the idea is there, but either of them appearing on-screen can be something that comes years down the line.
Two years is not all that long to wait. Something like The Batman Part II is supposed to come out in two years. Surely, if Aquaman or Flash were going to get their own projects in the next two years, they would have been announced in some capacity already.
With what seems to be years of DCU storytelling coming down the road, there is plenty of runway for characters like these (and more) to make their way to the screen.
