One super-team originally set to appear in the DCEU has been given a second chance in James Gunn's DCU. When Gunn and Peter Safran announced their vision for the DCU, it included a first chapter titled "Gods and Monsters." Now, progress is being made on the "gods" portion of that title, with the New Gods expected to make an appearance before too long.
The New Gods are an extraterrestrial team of god-like heroes from the divided twin planets of Apokolips and New Genesis. They were introduced in a DC Comics series of their own by Jack Kirby in the 1970s. The New Gods were originally set to headline their own DCEU movie, which was being developed by Ava DuVernay and Tom King. The movie reportedly would have featured characters such as Darkseid, Barda, Mister Miracle, Granny Goodness, and the Furies. However, it was shelved in 2021, as DC Studios prepared to wipe the slate clean and launch its new cinematic universe.
But all hope wasn't lost for the New Gods, as in 2025, DC Studios announced it had ordered an animated Mister Miracle show. The show would bring back King, the writer of the Mister Miracle comics on which the series is based, who had also been working on the New Gods movie alongside DuVernay and serves as a writer on the DCU's Lanterns series.
While at first Mister Miracle seemed to be an Elseworlds property, situated outside the main DCU, Gunn then revealed on Threads in January of 2026 that Mister Miracle would be "seen in our DCU," essentially positioning it as part of the growing DC universe, similar to Creature Commandos.
This change means the New Gods do have a future in the DC universe; it's just not in the DCEU as originally planned. King confirmed in an interview with Wordballoon in January that he is "writing every single episode" of the Mister Miracle series and confirmed it would have "implications" for "the DCU at large." King also confirmed several New Gods characters would be appearing alongside the titular character, including Darkseid, Orion, and Barda:
"We're in the middle of making this absolute wonderful show as good as it can possibly be. I'm the showrunner, I'm writing every single episode. I can quote James Gunn from Instagram, at least I can confirm that he said this morning that Mister Miracle is a DCU show. Which, you know, has huge implications for our show and the DCU at large...
...We got to cast Darkseid, we got to cast Orion, and obviously, Scott and Barda were the big ones."
This crossover of planned characters between the New Gods prospective movie and the Mister Miracle show confirms that the once-thought-dead team will be well-and-truly alive in the DCU. Alongside Superman's Justice Gang, the Creature Commandos, and the Green Lantern Corps (which will be seen in Lanterns), the New Gods will add another superhero team to the list in the rapidly-expanding DCU.
What the New Gods' Introduction Means For the DCU
The introduction of the New Gods will significantly expand the lore of the DCU. Initial reports about the plot of the Mister Miracle series confirm that it will explore the war between Apocalypse and New Genesis, which also tears apart the lives of Mister Miracle and his wife, Big Barda. It also involves Miracle's adoptive father, Darkseid, who has captured the Anti-Life Equation and plans to dominate the universe.
As fans know, Darkseid is one of DC's major villains and served as the overarching antagonist to the Justice League in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Introducing Darkseid, Mister Miracle, and their homeworlds, New Genesis and Apokolips, lays the groundwork for another climactic confrontation in the DCU. Plus, it introduces fans to the characters who make up the New Gods superhero team.
While the series is only animated at this time, making Mister Miracle an official part of the DCU opens the door for these characters to eventually make their way into live-action. The New Gods never made it to the big screen in the DCEU, but Mister Miracle offers an alternative path for the characters to appear in the DCU.
