DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn gave fans the first official update about the DCU's Flash ahead of Peacemaker Season 2. Before the dawn of DC's new reboot, there were two notable iterations of the Scarlet Speedster, mainly Grant Gustin's Barry Allen from the Arrowverse (The CW) and Ezra Miller's version from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Both iterations ended in 2023, with The CW's The Flash ending its nine-season run in May 2023, while The DCEU's The Flash premiered in theaters in June 2023.
The DCU began its shared universe journey on the small screen with Creature Commandos before announcing its presence with a bang on the big screen by introducing David Corenswet's Superman. In that same movie, the DCU's first Flash was subtly featured as well in the form of Max Mercury via the Justice Society's mural inside the Hall of Justice. And now, a new update about the present-day Flash has emerged online straight from James Gunn.
Speaking in Episode 6 of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast (via YouTube), DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn addressed whether Wonder Woman and Flash are active during the time of Peacemaker Season 1, revealing that fans need to "wait and see" before reassuring that "they'll exist eventually:"
Steve Agee: "Wonder Woman and Flash are mentioned in [Peacemaker’s classroom scene in Season 1, Episode 6] by the kids."
James Gunn: "Yeah, are they canon? I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. I mean, they’ll exist eventually. Whether they exist now, I don’t know."
This marks the first official update about the DCU's Flash from James Gunn. While Ezra Miller's Flash did appear in Peacemaker's Season 1 finale, Gunn already confirmed that his scene with the Justice League is not canon to DCU (for obvious reasons).
Meanwhile, the Wonder Woman update is also interesting because it suggests the Themysciran hero won't be an old-world hero like in the DCEU. It's worth noting that a Wonder Woman movie is being developed by Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios.
Peacemaker Season 2 has a packed cast of returning favorites like John Cena, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Danielle Brooks. The new season premieres on HBO Max on August 21, 2025.
What To Expect in DCU's Flash & When He Could Debut
At this stage, it is unknown when the DCU's Flash will eventually debut, but James Gunn previously mentioned that the Flash and Aquaman won't be seen in the DCU in the "next two years" at least.
The timeline makes sense because Aquaman and The Last Kingdom, and The Flash were the last two DCEU movies to debut on-screen, meaning it would be a while to get them off fans' radars and focus on other heroes instead.
Gunn's confirmation that they, alongside Wonder Woman, would eventually exist is a promising sign toward the eventual formation of the DCU's Justice League.
It's possible that other projects could reference these other heroes before their debut, similar to how Creature Commandos revealed the scary first look at the DCU's Batman (in animated form).
The Flash is an integral hero in the grand scheme of things for the DCU, considering his ties to the Speed Force, time travel, and major DC stories like Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's safe to assume that Gunn already has plans in mind for the Flash, and he could arrive sooner rather than later.
