James Gunn Confirms the DCU's Next Female Lead Character After Supergirl

James Gunn's DC Universe is still riding high off the back of Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, and the next chapter set for release after Supergirl is almost here. Directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-el, Supergirl will be the next movie released as part of DC Studios' Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate. Once that movie arrives this summer, more female lead characters will follow suit after Superman's cousin stars in her own solo adventure.

Lanterns, the upcoming HBO series produced by James Gunn and developed by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and comic book writer Tom King, is scheduled to premiere in August 2026. It follows Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder in the American heartland in what Gunn has described as a True Detective-style mystery. This show will be the first new project released in the DC Universe after Supergirl, which debuts in theaters on June 26, 2026.

James Gunn's DC Studios, via a recent Lanterns press release, confirmed that Lanterns' high-caliber cast will be led by three top-billed stars: Kyle Chandler as veteran Lantern Hal Jordan; Aaron Pierre as recruit John Stewart; and Kelly MacDonald, who plays Sheriff Kerry and brings a distinctly human perspective to an otherwise cosmic story.

MacDonald's Kerry is a local sheriff described as a no-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past, brings an intriguing perspective to the story when the community's secrets begin to surface. Reports have also indicated she is set to serve as a love interest for Chandler's Hal Jordan. 

Kerry is expected to appear in all eight episodes of Lanterns and will surely be the focus of many key scenes throughout the Nebraska-set series. She is a big addition to the already awesome list of female characters in James Gunn's DCU. In a universe filled with gods and monsters, she's one of the few female leads without powers.

Kerry will offer fans a different kind of protagonist after Milly Alcock's Supergirl takes the spotlight a couple of months earlier. Boasting abilities similar in nature to Superman, Kara Zor-el will show the DC Universe how powerful she can be before Kerry uses her human intelligence and skills to solve the upcoming murder mystery in Nebraska.

Non-Powered Female Characters in the DCU So Far

Amanda Waller

Viola Davis reprises one of her most iconic roles as Amanda Waller, the ruthless government operative and founder of Task Force X. First introduced under the old DC Extended Universe, Waller carries over into Gunn's DCU in Creature Commandos, where she assembles Task Force M after Congress shuts down the Suicide Squad. 

A master manipulator with no powers beyond intelligence and sheer audacity, Waller is the most dangerous person in any room she enters. Her estrangement from her daughter, Leota Adebayo, following Leota's decision to expose Task Force X publicly, continues to define her arc. A standalone Waller series is in development, with Gunn noting that the right script for the character hasn’t been cracked yet.

Lois Lane

Rachel Brosnahan became the latest actress to take on one of DC's most iconic roles in Superman, the film that launched the DCU on the big screen. Brosnahan's Lois is a seasoned Daily Planet reporter, sharp, ambitious, and very much aware of Clark Kent's secret. 

The film leans into the chemistry between Brosnahan's character and David Corenswet's Clark as a central pillar of the story, with Gunn describing their dynamic as electric. Brosnahan has since spoken publicly about her desire to see Lois gain superpowers in a future film, citing comic runs in which the character becomes Superwoman. Gunn has not confirmed the direction but has acknowledged the idea with visible enthusiasm. With Superman a commercial and critical success, more of Brosnahan's Lois Lane is all but assured. For now, she's one of the top female characters in the DCU who doesn’t need powers to make a difference.

Leota Adebayo

Danielle Brooks plays Leota Adebayo, Amanda Waller's daughter and the moral compass of the Peacemaker series. Leota began as an unwitting pawn in her mother's schemes before becoming one of the DCU's most compelling characters in her own right. By the end of Peacemaker Season 1, she had exposed Task Force X to the world, at great personal cost. 

In Season 2, her role expanded further as she helped found Checkmate alongside Chris Smith, Emilia Harcourt, and their allies. Brooks brings warmth to a universe that could easily get cold, and Leota's journey from reluctant recruit to self-determined operative is one of the DCU's best character arcs so far.

Emilia Harcourt

Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt began as a no-nonsense ARGUS operative and has grown into one of the DCU's most reliable presences. Introduced in The Suicide Squad and expanded in Peacemaker, Harcourt is a skilled field agent who starts at odds with Chris Smith but becomes a core member of the 11th Street Kids. 

By the end of Season 2, she stands as a co-founder of Checkmate alongside Leota, Vigilante, and the rest of the team. Harcourt is the kind of character who rarely gets a headline but holds the operation together, and Holland's amazing performance makes the character even more compelling.

Bonus (With Powers) - Supergirl

The next leading female character in the DC Universe is none other than Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El, who will be the headliner in the upcoming Supergirl movie. First introduced in a cameo during the final scene of 2025's Superman, Alcock's first solo story will take her across the galaxy in an adaptation of the Woman of Tomorrow storyline from DC Comics.

This movie will show her going on an intergalactic road trip of sorts with a young girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll, who is seeking revenge for her father's death. This journey will also see her interact with a terrifying new villain, Matthias Schoenaerts' Krem of the Yellow Hills, and meet Jason Momoa's Lobo, an alien bounty hunter.