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DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Warner Bros. began trying to bring various DC Comics superheroes together in films in 2002, when Wolfgang Petersen was to direct a crossover of the Superman and Batman film franchises. A planned Justice League film was put on hold in 2008. Initial universe plans were scrapped after the 2011 film Green Lantern was a critical and commercial failure. Warner Bros. finally established its shared universe with the 2013 film Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This was followed by 13 films and the first season of Peacemaker, a television series for HBO Max. The DCEU's 15th and final film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, was released in 2023.
The DCEU is the ninth-highest-grossing film franchise and the fifth-highest-grossing superhero film franchise, having grossed more than $7 billion at the global box office. The highest-grossing DC Comics–based film is Aquaman (2018), which earned more than $1.15 billion worldwide, while several of the franchise's films failed to break even theatrically, being considered box-office bombs. Reception to the franchise was generally mixed among critics and fans.
A new rebooted franchise of films and television series, the DC Universe (DCU), was released in 2024 and was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were appointed co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios in a late-2022 restructuring. Certain DCEU characters, such as Peacemaker, Amanda Waller, and Blue Beetle, are played by the same actors in the DCU, while the second season of Peacemaker takes place in the new universe.
Upon announcement of the film series, the universe was commonly called the "DC Cinematic Universe" (DCCU) by fans and the media, in keeping with the naming convention of the already established Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Keith Staskiewicz, writing for Entertainment Weekly, jokingly coined the term "DC Extended Universe" (DCEU) in an article about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on July 1, 2015. This term and the abbreviation DCEU quickly spread among the press and fans who took it as the official name of the franchise over the following years. According to Vulture writer Abraham Riesman, DC confirmed to him in September 2017 that the term was not used internally and they did not consider it official.
In 2016, as part of DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League, both Geoff Johns and Kevin Smith referred to the franchise's name as being the "Justice League Universe". During the DC Films panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, a video banner displayed the words "Welcome to the Worlds of DC", after showcasing some upcoming films. As a result, some media outlets interpreted this as DC officially naming their shared film universe as the "Worlds of DC", but in March 2020, Jim Lee referred to the franchise as the DC Extended Universe at C2E2. The franchise was officially titled DC Extended Universe when the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max launched the following May.
Following the appointment of Peter Safran and James Gunn as heads of DC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery (created from the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc.) referred to DC's film and television series as part of the "DC Universe" (DCU), which some media outlets interpreted as a rebranding of the DCEU.
In 2002, Wolfgang Petersen was set to direct a Batman vs. Superman film from a script by Akiva Goldsman, but the project was shelved by Warner Bros. to focus on individual Superman and Batman projects. In 2008, a planned Justice League film directed by George Miller and titled Justice League: Mortal was placed on indefinite hold after it failed to secure tax breaks for filming in Australia. Man of Steel, a reboot of the Superman film series released in 2013, was intended to launch a shared universe if successful. Following the film's release, Warner Bros. announced a follow-up entitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), establishing the DCEU. A slate of 11 DCEU films was then announced in 2014.
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DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Warner Bros. began trying to bring various DC Comics superheroes together in films in 2002, when Wolfgang Petersen was to direct a crossover of the Superman and Batman film franchises. A planned Justice League film was put on hold in 2008. Initial universe plans were scrapped after the 2011 film Green Lantern was a critical and commercial failure. Warner Bros. finally established its shared universe with the 2013 film Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This was followed by 13 films and the first season of Peacemaker, a television series for HBO Max. The DCEU's 15th and final film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, was released in 2023.
The DCEU is the ninth-highest-grossing film franchise and the fifth-highest-grossing superhero film franchise, having grossed more than $7 billion at the global box office. The highest-grossing DC Comics–based film is Aquaman (2018), which earned more than $1.15 billion worldwide, while several of the franchise's films failed to break even theatrically, being considered box-office bombs. Reception to the franchise was generally mixed among critics and fans.
A new rebooted franchise of films and television series, the DC Universe (DCU), was released in 2024 and was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were appointed co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios in a late-2022 restructuring. Certain DCEU characters, such as Peacemaker, Amanda Waller, and Blue Beetle, are played by the same actors in the DCU, while the second season of Peacemaker takes place in the new universe.
Upon announcement of the film series, the universe was commonly called the "DC Cinematic Universe" (DCCU) by fans and the media, in keeping with the naming convention of the already established Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Keith Staskiewicz, writing for Entertainment Weekly, jokingly coined the term "DC Extended Universe" (DCEU) in an article about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on July 1, 2015. This term and the abbreviation DCEU quickly spread among the press and fans who took it as the official name of the franchise over the following years. According to Vulture writer Abraham Riesman, DC confirmed to him in September 2017 that the term was not used internally and they did not consider it official.
In 2016, as part of DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League, both Geoff Johns and Kevin Smith referred to the franchise's name as being the "Justice League Universe". During the DC Films panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, a video banner displayed the words "Welcome to the Worlds of DC", after showcasing some upcoming films. As a result, some media outlets interpreted this as DC officially naming their shared film universe as the "Worlds of DC", but in March 2020, Jim Lee referred to the franchise as the DC Extended Universe at C2E2. The franchise was officially titled DC Extended Universe when the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max launched the following May.
Following the appointment of Peter Safran and James Gunn as heads of DC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery (created from the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc.) referred to DC's film and television series as part of the "DC Universe" (DCU), which some media outlets interpreted as a rebranding of the DCEU.
In 2002, Wolfgang Petersen was set to direct a Batman vs. Superman film from a script by Akiva Goldsman, but the project was shelved by Warner Bros. to focus on individual Superman and Batman projects. In 2008, a planned Justice League film directed by George Miller and titled Justice League: Mortal was placed on indefinite hold after it failed to secure tax breaks for filming in Australia. Man of Steel, a reboot of the Superman film series released in 2013, was intended to launch a shared universe if successful. Following the film's release, Warner Bros. announced a follow-up entitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), establishing the DCEU. A slate of 11 DCEU films was then announced in 2014.