Ever since it was first announced that James Gunn would be completely rebooting the DCU, fans have been hard at work figuring out when exactly this new timeline would be starting up.
At the very least, audiences knew that Ezra Miller’s The Flash was not officially the starting point, despite its leading star ending the movie in an alternate reality. And neither of the other two DCU movies releasing later this year (Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) would be the beginning of Gunn’s world, either.
So if it’s none of those, when exactly is it going to be? Will fans have to wait all the way until 2025 for Gunn’s new Superman: Legacy film to release?
DCU Canon Confusion Addressed by James Gunn
A new comment from DC Studios co-lead James Gunn on Instagram shed some light on when the new DCU canon starts.
In response to a confused fan trying to make sense of Nathan Fillion's dual casting with the DCU (having played TDK in The Suicide Squad and Guy Gardner's Green Lantern in Superman: Legacy), Gunn attempted to clear things up by stating that "DC Studios movies (and canon) start with Legacy."
This means that any project on the movie side of the equation that premieres before Superman is not canon to the new DCU.
Sadly, while this is technically a clarification, it does make things even more confusing.
For instance, Gunn previously stated that this August’s Blue Beetle would be part of the wider DCU. It’s even claimed that the movie is fairly far removed from anything from the old DCEU, making integration into a new timeline an easy task, in theory.
But with this new information, since it is releasing before Superman, will the whole film simply not be considered canon?
If that’s the case, then fans should expect only to see the actors from the film return to the fray. The specific plot surrounding Xolo Maridueña's hero could be completely different the next time audiences see him.
DCU Canon Begins With Superman... Sort Of
It’s important to note that while Superman: Legacy will be the first DCU canon film, the timeline will technically begin sooner. The animated Creature Commandos series will be landing at some point before then, as will the Max series Waller.
Though, like the fan mentioned above, audiences still have confusion regarding the casting of this new DCU. It doesn’t seem that James Gunn is recasting every role for his new timeline.
While Superman and Batman will be fresh faces, characters like Viola Davis' Amanda Waller and John Cena’s Peacemaker will remain unchanged. This presents some notable question marks about their previous appearances and where those fall in the canon.
At the very least, one would expect that when they do pop up again, everything from that point on will be in the fresh DCU. It's hard not to wonder if a situation like that could make Peacemaker's eventual second season feel disconnected from what came before.
Superman: Legacy hits theaters on July 11, 2025.
