DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn revealed the three major factions that are trying to gain control of the DCU, one of them being a group of major powerhouses with vast resources. The brand-new era of the DC Universe is filled with an exciting roster of characters, with Gunn's Superman reboot providing a glimpse of how this world differs from the MCU. The DCU is filled with established metahumans, and Superman's ending appears to hint that these super-powered beings are at the top of the hierarchy when it comes to popularity and control.
However, there are people behind the scenes who have a hidden agenda against these metahumans, with Lex Luthor being the most prominent (so far) since his hatred against Superman was exposed in the 2025 reboot. As the major power shift appears to lean toward the golden age of metahumans, other factions within the DCU are trying to keep up and get a fair share of dominion before total control is given to these powerful beings.
Speaking with Rainn Wilson as a guest for Interview Magazine, DC Studios co-CEO and Superman director James Gunn talked about what makes the DCU unique from other universes, noting that the world is at a point where "there are three factions" trying to fight for control of the world:
Rainn Wilson: "What differentiates the DC universe from those other universes that you mentioned?"
James Gunn: "There is no New York City in our DCU. There is [no] Los Angeles in our DCU. There [are] Metropolis, Evergreen, and Coast City. It’s a different map. It’s a world in which some form of superheroes, which we call Metahumans, have existed for at least 300 years, and they’ve been a part of our [lives]. But I think we’re reaching a point in the DCU where there are three factions. There’s the Metahumans, the governments, and then the corporations. And the corporations are equally important. There’s Luthor Corp, there’s Lord Tech and Stagg Industries, and Wayne Enterprises, which are the four big companies that are vying for another type of domination."
As Gunn points out, the three factions at the center of the DCU's narrative are metahumans, the governments of the world, and the powerful corporations that are "vying for another type of domination."
Metahumans
In simpler terms, the metahumans are individuals with superhuman abilities. The fact that the DCU already categorized Superman as a metahuman breaks decades-old DC canon since he is an alien in the first place. However, James Gunn has since clarified what a metahuman truly is in DCU canon.
In a post from Threads, Gunn said that a metahuman is "a human-like being with extraordinary, often paranormal, abilities," and any hero or villain whose powers arise from various sources like alien origins, magic, science, or mutation is considered part of the group:
"'In DC Comics, a metahuman is a human-like being with extraordinary, often paranormal, abilities. These powers can arise from a variety of sources, including science, magic, alien origins, mutation, divinity, proficiency, or technology.' Therefore 4 is probably not a metahuman but Terrific arguably is. Krypto is meta but I won't say he's not human because he might read this."
This means that Superman, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, and even Mr. Terrific are all metahumans, as is the core team of antiheroes and villains featured in Creature Commandos. Based on Gunn's point, one would argue that Peacemaker and Vigilante are also metahumans.
Superman's ending showed a government official declaring that the metahumans are now the "ones making the rules," suggesting that they are currently at the top of the power hierarchy unless the two other factions make a play of their own.
Still, these metahumans are not all perfect like Superman, and some of their decisions (such as Hawkgirl killing the Boravian president) may come back to bite them, leading to an opening where the other two factions could take over the top and ultimately dominate.
The Government
Superman established that the world's governments are split about the emergence of metahumans. While some are genuinely in awe of Superman and the Justice Gang's heroic acts, others (like Boravia) are clearly against these super-powered beings because they see them as threats to their established power.
Superman and Creature Commandos tease a glimpse of what the government can do to subdue or control metahumans, such as ARGUS' metahuman containment facilities, Belle Reeve's high-security prison designed for metahuman threats, and power-dampening technology.
Given that Superman's ending teased an impending conflict between the government and metahumans due to the rise of superhuman activity, it seems that it will only take one reckless move before the government steps in to find a way to control or regulate the existence of such individuals before a far more dangerous threat forces them to trust these heroes fully, prompting a true dawn of a heroic age for the DCU.
Corporations
DC Studios boss James Gunn described the different powerful corporations in the DCU as "equally important" in the grand scheme of the franchise. Superman introduced LuthorCorp and Lord Tech, two of the most prominent corporations, which play a crucial role in the power hierarchy of these corporations vying for dominion over the other.
LuthorCorp, owned by Lex Luthor, is a billion-dollar corporation and a fledgling powerhouse governing Planet Watch (a task force designed to pacify metahumans and other notable threats). This corporation is also driven by anti-metahuman sentiment, with its research division primarily focused on metahuman research aimed at exploiting these individuals for power and control (read more on how James Gunn's use of LuthorCorp is a callback to Smallville).
Lord Tech (established by Maxwell Lord) is responsible for creating the Justice Gang and is considered one of Metropolis' most influential corporations. Not much is known about the DCU's version of Lord Tech, but with Lex Luthor's arrest at the end of Superman, it's reasonable to assume that Lord will utilize it as an opportunity to reach the top and gain more power.
Gunn also mentioned Stagg Industries and Wayne Enterprises, which are part of the four big companies trying to find a way to gain some sort of control over the world.
A glimpse of Stagg Industries was seen when Superman entered its building after finding out the truth behind the real message of his Kryptonian parents. In the DCU, Metamorpho (Rex Mason) has ties to Stagg Industries because his wife is Sapphire Stagg, the daughter of its founder, Simon Stagg.
While Batman has yet to debut in the live-action realm of the DCU, it is a given that Wayne Enterprises is one of the big four corporations trying to gain dominion, and the only difference is this company is a force of good due to Bruce Wayne's involvement, unlike the other three shady groups.
Given Wayne Enterprises' influence in technology, defense, and philanthropy, and the overwhelming amount of resources, it seems poised that the DCU will eventually lean toward the corporation in indirectly funding the Justice League whenever they form at some point in the future.
