DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn offered up some of the chronological timeline for the new universe.
The chronological order of projects is important for any connected superhero universe, hence why Disney+ keeps an up-to-date timeline of MCU projects.
The same will undoubtedly be true in DC Studios' new efforts to create a connected and cohesive new universe, with 10 projects already announced by co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
James Gunn Reveals Some of the DCU's New Timeline Order
Responding to a fan on Instagram asking whether he will offer a chronological order for the DCU's many projects, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn revealed where two of the projects will be placed in the timeline:
Q: “Will the DCU have a chronology posted somewhere that fans can access?”
Gunn: “Yes, here: 1. Creature Commandos 2. Superman: Legacy. Nothing else is finished being written yet (and won’t be until after the strike!)”
While Gunn opted to omit any projects that haven't yet finished the scripting stage, Paradise Lost is expected to be the first entry in the DCU chronologically.
Speaking to the official DC site with the reveal of the Chapter 1 slate, Gunn and his co-CEO Peter Safran confirmed the Max series will explore the "origin story" of Wonder Woman's home island, Themyscira, and take place "before Diana's birth," indicating its events happen hundreds or even thousands of years ago:
GUNN: "It’s an origin story of how this society of women came about. What does it mean? What are their politics like? What are their rules? Who’s in charge? What are the games that they play with each other to get to the top? I think it’s really exciting."
SAFRAN: "The events really take place before Diana’s birth."
Every project confirmed to take place in Gunn and Safran's brand-new universe can be seen below, including the newly-released Blue Beetle as the franchise boss stated Xolo Maridueña's Jaime Reyes is "the first DCU character:"
- Superman: Legacy
- Creature Commandos
- Waller
- Peacemaker Season 2
- Paradise Lost
- Lanterns
- Booster Gold
- The Brave and the Bold
- The Authority
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Swamp Thing
- Blue Beetle
When Will the DCU's Other Projects Take Place Chronologically?
For the most part, the chronological order of the DCU will likely end up aligning mostly with the actual release order to keep things simple for audiences. But there will obviously be exceptions to that rule with projects such as Paradise Lost taking place centuries ago.
As such, Waller may end up being the next project chronologically after Superman: Legacy as it is expected to release either shortly before or after. Following not too long after will likely be Peacemaker Season 2 as the Max follow-up will seemingly be Gunn's next project after Superman.
The Authority will likely be another early entry in the DCU, with reports pointing toward it being the second movie following the release of Superman: Legacy, which will reportedly feature some members of the superhero team.
One also has to question the placement of Blue Beetle, Peacemaker Season 1, and The Suicide Squad, as many have speculated these projects may be retconned into the new universe given their characters are expected to stick around. This may make them some of the first entries on the new timeline.
James Gunn's comments also offer a major update on the DCU in general as he confirmed "nothing else is finished being written yet" aside from those he is writing - Superman: Legacy and Creature Commandos - and therefore won't be done for some time until the writers' strike is complete.
Gunn also won't be able to get Superman or any other projects in front of the camera until the actors' strike is done, potentially holding up the start of his new DCU. Of course, this delay risk depends on how long the strike ends up lasting, as Superman wasn't meant to start filming until 2024 anyway, and the script is done.
The first release of James Gunn's new DCU will come with Creature Commandos, which is set to premiere on Max in 2024.
