After James Gunn Clarified The State Of Batman And Joker In The DCU, I’ve Got A Question
The superhero genre continues to be popular, with both the MCU and DCU competing at the box office. DCU co-CEO James Gunn regularly addresses fan questions on social media, and he took it one step further by doing an entire podcast about what is and isn’t canon in the shared universe. The filmmaker clarified the state of both Batman and Joker in the shared universe, and I’ve got one big question in response.
Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order watched as the DCEU ended and the newly formed DCU took shape. The first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and fans are wondering which upcoming DC movies will bring The Dark Knight into the fold. During the Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? podcast, James Gunn spoke about whether or not Batman and the Joker exist in the current universe, offering:
We definitely haven’t established the Joker yet in the DCU at all. We’ve established Batman, we’ve already seen that he exists, we’ve seen him in Creature Commandos for a glimpse, but we don’t know if Joker exists yet.
Points were made. Some folks might not remember that the animated series Creature Commandos (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription) featured a brief cameo by Batman. It’s a quick moment, but it confirmed that the beloved comic book hero does indeed exist in the DCU. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for The Joker… yet. For those who need a reminder, below is the shot of Gotham’s Protector from the show:
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This moment happens in the show’s sixth episode, and was a brief but thrilling moment for hardcore DC fans out there. Batman’s appearance is left rather ambiguous; we don’t see what his face or suit really look like. So the door is open for whoever eventually gets cast to play Bruce Wayne in the shared universe.
Which leads me to the question I can’t stop thinking about: exactly when will Batman finally get introduced in the DCU? When the shared universe’s first slate of projects was announced, it looked like Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and The Bold would be the first movie to star a new Bruce Wayne (and his son Damian). Unfortunately, development on that title has been slow going, and Gunn put doubt on whether or not the movie would still include Robin.
Given how Batman was one of the first heroes in the previous shared universe, it’s wild that we don’t know when The Dark Knight will get his grand entrance in the DCU. Hopefully some answers come sooner rather than later.
Clayface is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list, and the next DC movie hitting theaters is Man of Tomorrow on July 9th, 2027. Fingers crossed that we get an update about The Brave and The Bold sooner rather than later.
