Cue lights, fade in on Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Robert Downey Jr. slips off the Doctor Doom mask, and the walls reverberate with a thousand and one happy screams from the Marvel fandom. This was, is, and will remain the golden goose of realized MCU rumors, but it also underlined just how much glucose this franchise is running on. 2u2l1p

Fast forward to now, where we’re in the wake of the franchise’s latest faceplant in Captain America: Brave New World — a meek mess of a film that any major studio should feel embarrassed to have put out. It was, however, a meek mess full of cameos, legacy characters, Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, gratuitous punching, explosions, and a xerox of a xerox of an emotional identity. Acceptable in Kevin Feige’s eyes, but not in James Gunn‘s.

Per Deadline, Gunn was asked at a recent press event what he would do if DC Studios ended up turning into a machine that turns out products for the sake of brand consumption rather than a truly creative superhero storytelling hub. His answer was as inspiring as they come.

I’d quit. I’m being serious! I’m not going to do this unless I think we’re doing good stuff that’s cool, that works.

Gunn’s DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran chimed in similarly, noting that they’re “not looking to make five movies a year and five series. We’re really focused on telling great versions of the stories we want to tell, and we have zero pressure on us from [WBD CEO] David [Zaslav] or anyone else to deliver more than that.”

Elsewhere, ScreenRant reports that Gunn emphasized DC Studios as “a writer-driven organization and screenplay-driven company,” a claim that he and Safran have since made good on by greenlighting Mike Flanagan’s Clayface script for production, despite it not emerging until well after the first wave of projects was announced in January 2023. That film will begin shooting this summer, while others from that announcement have yet to lock down their scripts. Under Gunn’s hand, the stories are the golden geese.

Compare that to how the MCU has been walking the walk as of late. It famously undergoes extensive reshoots on many projects to keep the overarching events flexible at the cost of storytelling coherence and quality (as seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, The Marvels, and now Brave New World), with some of these reshoots even occurring after poor test screenings because Marvel is too yellow to stand on business.

That’s because Marvel has no business to stand on — it exists solely to please the widest possible audience. Its is a product that relies on sugary fan service moves like a Downey Jr. Doctor Doom reveal to stay relevant, all while their actual filmmaking and storytelling approaches continue to be a laughingstock of the entertainment world.

Meanwhile, Gunn is committing to the exact opposite of that with his entire chest, having now gone as far as to say that he’ll quit if the DC Universe ever strays from its storytelling mandate. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a far better development than any A-list casting, post-credits scene, or Infinity Saga callback could ever hope to be.

James Gunn and Peter Safran gave us the first peek behind the DC Universe curtain back in January 2023, and since then, the only full emergence has been the first season of Creature Commandos, with Gunn’s Superman film set to properly introduce the franchise later this summer.

The initial reveal was packed to the brim with projects, and several more have popped up since then. But Gunn, famously taking a storytelling-first approach with this new DC Universe, has no intention on shuffling them all to the finish line before they’re ready. As such, the announcement-to-development-to-production timelines for all of these projects will vary greatly, as may the talent attached to them.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn and his DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran touched on the status of every DC Studios project at this moment in time, sans the finished Superman. At the front of the pack is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is halfway through production, alongside the Green Lantern-centric television series Lanterns, which is currently filming. Both projects were part of the initial January 2023 announcement.

One of the fresher go-getters is the Mike Flanagan-penned Clayface movie, which was only greenlit in December 2024, but has since found a director in James Watkins and will begin filming this summer. Meanwhile, season two of Peacemaker will be hitting Max in August, and the Themyscira-set Paradise Lost remains in development.

Sgt. Rock has become an especially high-profile prospective film, but, per Variety, Gunn pointed out that it was never actually officially announced, despite the studio’s reported “bullishness” on Justin Kuritzkes’ script, per another Variety report back in November. The scribe’s frequent collaborator Luca Guadagnino nevertheless became attached as a director, as did Daniel Craig for the title role. Safran, however, pointed out that no official talks ever happened with Craig. Whether Sgt. Rock will be officially greenlit upon finding a leading man remains to be seen, and it frankly remains unclear if Guadagnino will or would be involved.

Also in the conversation is a live-action Teen Titans film, buoyed by a script from Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira that Gunn referred to as “amazing,” but “not ready.” Three animated series, My Adventures with Green Lantern, Dynamic Duo, and Starfire, have also been announced,

As for the initial reveals that have fallen down on the list of priorities, those include Waller, Booster Gold, The Authority, and Swamp Thing. Various reasons are attributed to the pivoting from these projects, including scripts that still need work and the simple lack of consistent conversation around them. For Swamp Thing in particular, Gunn notes that he and James Mangold, who was and currently still is occupying the writer-director slot of that project, only talk about it “occasionally.”

Moreover, DC Studios’ Batman/Damian Wayne-centric film The Brave and the Bold is still having its script developed by a writer that Gunn has declined to name. Andy Muschietti, who’s been earmarked as that film’s director and a producer, does not appear to be involved in the development of it.

Unsurprisingly, the mainline DC Universe seems to be taking priority over the Elseworlds efforts. According to Safran, The Batman mastermind Matt Reeves has yet to turn in a script for the sequel to his $772 million noir juggernaut, despite what Safran calls encouraging glimpses at the material. No light was shed on a potential second season for the film’s award-winning spinoff The Penguin, either.

In short, Gunn and Safran aren’t playing hard and fast with canon here, and seem to be prioritizing compartmentalized storytelling that just happens to take place in the same universe. By all appearances, this means project status will be up-and-down, but it also means that a project will only go into production if Gunn — a tried-and-true maestro of superhero storytelling — believes the script is worthy of being produced. We’ll have to wait and see if it pays off, but it’s certainly a refreshing approach in the wake of Marvel’s free-falling content machine.

For a long while there, superhero movies were the least risky films to make imaginable, but times are a-changing and audiences have made clear they’re done with seeing any old superpowered picture just because it’s based on a Marvel or DC comic (looking at you, Kraven the Hunter). Next summer’s Superman has the big job of winning over waning cinema-goers, then, so spare a thought for the man who’s got a whole cinematic universe resting on his shoulders: James Gunn.

While there are still many Zack Snyder loyalists out there, Gunn’s appointment as co-CEO of DC Studios (he’s in charge of the creative side of things, while producing partner Peter Safran handles the business stuff) was largely embraced as the best possible move. After the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker, Gunn knows how to turn in something that appeals to the masses and massive comic book nerds. And yet the director’s now itted just how much the stress of making Superman got him down.

James Gunn its he was “miserable” while filming Superman, but hopes it’s “for the greater good” 2n1u5v

Gunn’s always been more honest with his fans than most filmmakers (and certainly most studio heads), but he’s now made one particularly startling revelation that offers a window into how unpleasant the pressures of realizing the best Superman reboot possible made the day-to-day process of shooting the thing.

In a Superman set visit published this week to tie into the release of the first teaser trailer, Gunn was asked how he was dealing with the fact that so much is riding on Superman to succeed. He didn’t hold back in his response.

“I’m miserable,” he came clean to io9. “Really I’m miserable. But hopefully it’s for the greater good.”

Gunn went on to clarify that his problems with making the film weren’t to do with any, say, nightmare production issues, but were entirely resulting from psychological stress. It’s clear he was feeling the immense weight of actualizing a film that not only needs to stand on its own as an entertaining and worthwhile reimagining of a very familiar character but also has to be successful enough to launch the planned DCU.

“A lot [is riding on Superman],” Gunn commented. “I mean, we’re not going to just keep making movies.”

With any luck, Gunn was able to relieve at least some of this pressure this week when the Superman trailer came out and was by and large hailed as a masterpiece of movie marketing. Going by this sneak peek, Gunn has managed to craft something that feels like a true love letter to the superhero genre, embracing the craziness and silliness of classic Superman comics and combining that with the awe-inspiring ambiance of the best moments of the Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill films.

Gunn, DC Studios, and every Superman fan out there are hoping all the stress will be worth it once Superman soars into cinemas next July 11 and not only kicks off a new era for DC but maybe even a second wind for the superhero craze.

Whether he its it or not, James Gunn is a pupil of Kevin Feige through and through. The design for the Superman poster is only the latest example of how much of his Marvel knowledge he has brought to the DC camp.

Although we have yet to see Gunn’s first official film production under the DC Studios banner, it’s already become pretty clear that the comics’ giant struck gold when they stole the director from its biggest rival. Along with all of his insider info.

To the outside world, the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker feels like a student attempting to become the master by applying everything he was taught. And, with Marvel experiencing a decline since the heydays of Endgame, it could just work.

First up on the big screen is David Corenswet’s debut in the highly-anticipated Superman, for which Gunn has just shared the first poster. Fans were quick to point out the similarities between the image and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s signature design style, particularly that of its very first film — 2008’s Iron Man.

Yes, they share a color palette and a certain dramatic flair, but it’s DC Studios’ new logo that received most of the heat as a near direct copy of its competitor’s — the classic comics’ logo followed by the word “Studios” in between two straight lines.

The Parent Trap twin vibes become even more apparent when you that rebranding the company from DC Films to DC Studios was one of Gunn’s first moves after being appointed co-chairman and co-CEO of the branch in 2022. He also dropped the “E” from DCEU (DC Extended Universe), to both differentiate his projects from the Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck Justice League era, and to, no doubt, emulate the resonance of the “MCU” initialism.

Don’t get us wrong, Gunn has proved, beyond doubt, that he is a capable filmmaker and storyteller — one of the superhero genre’s best, even. But he has arguably yet to earn his stripes as an executive. What might differentiate his cinematic universe’s identity from the one that basically created and popularized the concept, however, is that the 58-year-old is a self-professed champion of characters, whereas Feige tends to value the plot.

When speaking with Rolling Stone on the occasion of Guardians 3‘s release in 2023, Gunn’s assessment of superhero fatigue was equal parts a subtle dig at Marvel’s recent shortcomings and a razor-sharp observation on the broader state of the genre. It’s no wonder his collaborations with the comics giant were some of the franchise’s most successful and critically acclaimed.

It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring. But I get fatigued by most spectacle films, by the grind of not having an emotionally grounded story.”

We’ll have to wait and see if he delivers on that promise or just ends up regurgitating Marvel’s tired formula when Superman, which he both wrote and directed, hits theaters July 11, 2025.

Creature Commandos comes at an awkward moment. It’s both the first chapter in the DCU and the bridge between DC Studio’s new storyline and James Gunn’s previous projects, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. A lot could have gone wrong with a show trying to do so much in so little time, but Gunn proves once again he’s a master of tight scripts, as Creature Commandos has the same heart and fun as all his comic book adaptations.

As the trailers for Creature Commandos show, the story is set after the events of Season 1 of Peacemaker, when Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) black-ops secrets were exposed to the media. Since Waller is no longer allowed to put human prisoners at risk, she finds a loophole in the A.R.G.U.S. new regulations: she sends non-human prisoners on suicide missions.

Like in Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, the primary mission of this new team is explained right away. This puts the focus on the action, character development, and plot twists Gunn has packed into a nice comic book wrap. It mostly works, mainly because every member of the Creature Commandos is allowed to shine, an impressive feat considering the show only has seven short episodes.

Like The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Creature Commandos introduces several unknown DC Comics characters. This D-lister cast means that Gunn has more flexibility to rework each character’s origin in a way that’s still true to the comic books but puts the story he wants to tell first. Yet, by parading a cast of unknowns on the screen, Gunn is responsible for explaining to the audience why they should care if any of them dies — without clear stakes, there’s no emotional attachment. To fulfill that goal, Creature Commandos frequently jump between the present and past, explaining exactly how each team member got arrested and sent to Belle Reve.

After a pilot episode in which Gunn’s script lays the groundwork for the season, each of the remaining chapters is dedicated to a specific character. So, while the mission unfolds in the present, we get flashbacks that inform us why certain characters act like they do and what makes them tick. As expected, the past is filled with tragedy and heartache, as Gunn paints a dire picture of how poorly the justice system treats those who look different from the average. Still, Creature Commandos doesn’t fall into the trap of showing every squad member as a victim of society. There are true villains among the Creature Commandos, and despite the show making us sympathetic to them, it doesn’t brush away the horrible deeds they’ve done.

When it comes to characters, the whole cast is so well-written that every main character can quickly become someone’s favorite. After gaining popularity as a comedic relief in The Suicide Squad, Weasel (voice by Sean Gunn) gets surprising new layers in Creature Commandos that allow him to transcend his role as a joke. As for GI Robot (voiced by Sean Gunn), his genuine ion for killing Nazis with his friends helps to keep the team together. As for The Bride (voiced by Indira Varma) and Nina (voiced by Zoë Chao), their unlikely friendship becomes the story’s core. Even Dr. Phosphorus’s (voiced by Alan Tudyk) nihilism is incredibly charming, as he’s refreshingly willing to embrace his monstrous nature. 

On the fringes of the team, we have Rick Flag Sr. (voice by Frank Grillo) trying to manage a team of untrained assets, which hits an emotional chord once we realize he’s doing the same thing his son died doing in The Suicide Squad. As for David Harbour’s Frankenstein, Gunn found an exciting way to connect him to the story, which DC Studios was wise to keep a secret for the marketing campaign. Some surprises shouldn’t be spoiled ahead of time, a lesson that other blockbuster producers and distributors should learn.

No characters feel pushed aside in Creature Commandos. That’s an impressive storytelling achievement, considering how packed the series is and that most viewers will have no previous information about most of these characters.

The animated format offers new possibilities regarding set pieces, which Creature Commandos uses the most. Gunn never had any issues mixing practical and digital effects to bring superpowers to the silver screen. Nevertheless, the animation is as flexible as you can get without losing image quality, so it’s interesting to see how DC Studios is betting big on exploring the medium to be true to its characters. On that note, Dr. Phosphorus’s kills are just on another level of creativity, as his radioactive powers allow the animation crew to go as wild as they want to offer fans some thrilling ultraviolence.

Animation has shortcomings, though, as is evident in Creature Commandos. In live-action, filmmakers can capture multiple versions of the same scene and clean things up in the editing booth. Some things that looked good on the script might need adjustments, with specific takes or sequences being stretched or shortened to better serve the story. On the other hand, animation demands even more careful planning, as it’s expensive and time-consuming to redo a whole scene. 

In the case of Creature Commandos, some episodes could use another editing , as the rhythm is not always as good as it could be. Alternatively, the series could use a few extra minutes for each chapter. There’s too much happening in each episode, especially with how many flashbacks it offers. As a result, some key moments feel rushed. That said, it speaks volumes when the worst thing we can say about a show is that there should have been more of it.

Creature Commandos should also be praised for how it deals with the DCU. There are dozens of Easter eggs and cameos from the bigger DC universe and many plot points tease future projects. However, all these nuggets of information are introduced as rewards for keen-eyed fans instead of being forced into the main story. That’s precisely how you should build a cinematic universe. For people engaged with the more significant scene, there’s enough for fans to make connections and develop theories. Yet, Creature Commandos is enough for those who want to watch a good show.

While Creature Commandos doesn’t reach the same emotional heights as Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, primarily due to its shortened runtime, the series is still a fantastic chapter in the DCU. It has the perfect mix of humor, violence, and heart we love in previous R-rated Gunn projects while showcasing how crispy animation can look in DC Studios productions. So, even if episodes could be longer for rhythm’s sake, the first official DCU installment is unquestionably a hit.

All right everybody, make sure you’re seated for what I’m about to tell you: James Gunn made a good piece of superhero media. Truly, this is the curveball that absolutely nobody saw coming; who on God’s green Earth would ever assume that Gunn — the co-chair of DC Studios, the mastermind of the MCU’s triumphant Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and the man responsible for two of the greatest works to come out of the otherwise-limp DCEU — might chow down on a superhero project without leaving a crumb?

But seriously, the fact that Creature Commandos has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% approval rating after 10 reviews is as gratifying as it was anticipated, and DC’s long-starved fandom is rightfully taking it as a sign of much better days ahead.

ComicBook.com called it “the best possible start to James Gunn’s DC Universe,” noting how the seven-episode miniseries serves as yet another example of the storyteller’s penchant for misfit ensembles, dark comedy, and found family.

Like the approval rating itself, this is the consensus across most all the reviews; Creature Commandos is, unmistakably, a product of Gunn’s trademark creative sensibilities. In other words, expect wanton but mostly cartoonish violence, a blanket of sweetness woven into the character dynamics, comedy that’s definitely way more fun to act out than to watch, and an overarching sense that the assignment was understood here.

Indeed, take or leave the Gunn Superhero Story as you will, but there’s no denying that he honors the emotional fundamentals of storytelling first and foremost, and that’s going to be a crucial piece of the DCU puzzle going forward, especially with the inevitable comparisons to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is currently seeking to re-tighten its grip on those fundamentals at the time of writing.

The real test of the DCU, of course, is yet to come. Gunn’s Superman film hits theaters on July 11, and while it’s been no difficult task to buy into the hype, it represents a challenge for Gunn that few seem to have realized. Between Peacemaker, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and now the Creature Commandos, Gunn’s signature move is to take relatively unknown comic book characters, and effectively create them (and subsequently, the stories) from scratch by taking advantage of their lack of history.

He obviously does not have this comfort with a character like Superman, and while he still seems to have the ensemble card up his sleeve here (between Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl, there are a lot of superheroes in this movie), there’s no world in which this movie doesn’t fly if Superman isn’t the overwhelming, center-stage presence.

Still, we’ve very little reason to believe this will impede a filmmaker of Gunn’s experience and prestige, and to swing this hard out of the gates with Creature Commandos only compounds such faith. Strap in, nerds — the crisis on these infinite Earths has ceded.

Creature Commandos will launch its first two episodes on Dec. 5 exclusively on Max, with additional episodes released every Thursday until the series finale on Jan. 9.

While The Penguin did a phenomenal job of keeping the focus on Colin Farrell’s mesmerizing Oswald Cobb, the series still leaves enough loose threads for fans to follow as we try to anticipate the plot of The Batman: Part II. Furthermore, The Penguin’s ending gives a clearer picture of how dangerous Oz can be as Gotham City’s new kingpin and where we’ll see some beloved characters next.

Francis’ and Victor’s fate reveals the true nature of Oswald Cobb 4v6vh

When the credits of The Penguin’s final episode roll, there’s no question: Oz is a sociopath who doesn’t honestly care about anyone but himself. Since he’s so good at talking his way out of trouble, Oz managed to charm the audience, using the façade of a self-made man to hide his devious nature. After a few episodes, one could wonder if Oz was a villain or just a misguided soul trying to survive in Gotham City.

A look at Oz’s past, in Episode 7, helps to clear the matter. After all, Oz’s compulsion to be loved led him to murder his brothers, all while pretending to be Mommy’s good boy. Yet, Episode 8 hammers the point by showing how Oz’s need for validation has sealed the fate of Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz).

In the final episode, Victor, inspired by Oz’s grandiose speeches about the less fortunate rising against the wealthy, convinces every second-in-command of Gotham’s gangs to seize power. This revolutionary coup gives Oz the throne he always dreamed of. Sadly, Victor is repaid with blood, as Oz chokes his apprentice to death without any previous warning. 

It’s not that Oz is not fond of Victor, per se. It’s just that Oz doesn’t want to share his crown, and Victor proved himself too bright and reliable for Oz to trust him to keep to his place. Victor is a liability for Oz, who has to cater to the boy’s big expectations on how the Penguin should rule. In short, by ing every gang in Gotham to Oz, Victor proves he’s too cunning to stay alive. Victor’s value expired once he showed Oz he could be more than a loyal lapdog, which gives us a spine-chilling peek at the Penguin’s head.

As for Francis, what she feared the most comes to . By the end of The Penguin, Francis is in a vegetative state, trapped inside the flesh prison she once called her body. Oz had promised to terminate her life if that ever came to , but of course, he doesn’t fulfill his oath. Oz is incapable of loving his mother and respecting her as a person. To him, Francis is just the source of the affection he needs to feel good about himself. That’s why he keeps her alive. Oz still has use for Francis, and he won’t let her final wishes get in the way of what he wants. The Penguin is a cruel narcissist, and the way he treats his mother at the end of the limited series proves it.

Is Sofia Gigante showing up for The Batman: Part II? 4w5w2w

While The Penguin is primarily about Oz, Cristin Milioti stole our hearts with her take on Sofia Gigante. For a moment, it looked like Sofia was marked for execution since she was the biggest obstacle in Oz’s way to absolute power over Gotham’s underworld. However, instead of killing Sofia, Oz sends her back to Arkham Asylum, which is genuinely hell on Earth. This move allows the Penguin to blame her for all the chaos he helped spread in Gotham’s streets.

Oz believes he’s dooming Sofia to a fate worse than death. He would be correct if it weren’t for two reasons. First, Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi) gets his job back at Arkham to protect Sofia as best as possible. That means this time, she won’t be subject to psychological torture the same way as before. More importantly, though, Sofia gets a letter from Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), aka Catwoman.

The Batman reveals Selina is the daughter of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) with one of the sex workers from the Iceberg Lounge. That makes her Sofia’s half-sister. Since Selina s Sofia at the end of The Penguin, Catwoman most likely knows their father is the actual Hangman. So, Selina might help get Sofia out of Arkham. Plus, the two women might be involved in the plot of The Batman: Part II.

What does the ending of The Penguin mean for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight? c3nb

One of the highlights of The Penguin is how the limited series shows the corrupt and inhumane modus operandi of Arkham Asylum. Since the prison for the mentally ill is such a cornerstone of the Dark Knight mythos, Pattinson’s Batman will probably revisit the place in The Batman: Part II. When that happens, he might learn what truly happens behind Arkham walls and try to take the place down or reform it. That would be the perfect way to tie The Penguin and the movies.

In The Batman, Bruce learns that his mother spent some time in Arkham, a fact his father did everything to hide from the press. Being the obsessive investigator we love, Bruce will probably dig deeper into his family’s past, taking him to Arkham. With Selina keeping in touch with Sofia and Catwoman being an ally to Batman, the three characters might work together to expose the nefarious things that happen in Arkham.

Following the events of The Penguin, The Batman: Part II also has to explain Batman’s inexplicable absence from the show. There’s just too much death and destruction in The Penguin for it to go unnoticed by Gotham City’s nocturnal protector. The Bat-Signal at the end of The Penguin teases how the Dark Knight will investigate Oz’s actions as Gotham’s new kingpin. Nevertheless, the movie must also explain why Batman was nowhere to be seen for weeks without end, as a new drug flooded Gotham and prominent crime lords fell like flies.

In an interview with SFX Magazine, Reeves revealed that Part II will deal with “digging into the epic story about deeper corruption.” Arkham is part of this corruption, for sure. However, the depths of the issue mean some influential people are pulling the strings in Gotham and might have subdued Batman during the events of The Penguin. Whatever the case might be, it’s going to be hard to wait until 2026 to see how the story of The Penguin unfolds.

James Gunn is talking the talk about one of his most-anticipated DCU movies, and Marvel may just be scared that he’s going to walk the walk. It remains to be seen whether Gunn’s rebooted DC universe is going to be able to reinvigorate the stumbling superhero movie genre when it kicks off with Superman next year, but there’s certainly a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for it among hardcore fans.

As much as superhero devotees will check out every new MCU movie on opening weekend, it’s no secret that the Marvel formula has arguably grown a little stale in recent years (barring the odd enormous success story, like Spider-Man: No Way Home or Deadpool & Wolverine). Gunn’s DCU has an actual chance to inject some much-needed creativity and innovation into the flagging field, then, and it seems like one particular project in the works has the power to blow the MCU’s tried-and-tested formula out of the water.

James Gunn promises this Superman spinoff is “completely different” to anything we’ve seen before 242qh

Gunn attended New York Comic-Con this weekend to hype up the incoming Creature Commandos animated series, and in doing so he was able to shed light on a few other DC projects in the works, too. That included Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, starring House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, cousin to David Corenswet’s Man of Steel.

While Supergirl is a character who’s been adapted for the screen many times over at this point — most recently in The Flash, as played by Sasha Calle — Gunn promised that Woman of Tomorrow will offer something wholly unique. When quizzed by host Josh Horowitz, the DC Studios co-CEO gushed that the film had been “blessed from the beginning” and teased that screenwriter Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie have cooked up something special indeed.

“Ana came in and she pitched the storyline to me, of Supergirl, and it was just one of the best pitches I’ve ever heard,” Gunn praised, before confirming that the movie is “very much based on” Tom King’s comic book of the same name, albeit with some key structural differences in the storytelling. The comic’s subversive characterization of Kara is something that will be retained for the screen, for one. “Supergirl’s a mess,” Gunn joked, hinting at how Alcock’s heroine will be unlike prior incarnations of the role.

Gunn then wrapped up his spiel with a declaration that typically makes us wince whenever someone says it, but in this case might just be worth listening to. “I think it’s a completely different, unique take on a superhero,” he stated.

This is the kind of attention-grabbing promise Marvel Studios has said many times about this film or that film — director Jake Schreier has said it about Thunderbolts*, despite that one seeming heavily derived from Gunn’s own The Suicide Squad. By taking an iconic, and generally infallible and invulnerable, character like Supergirl and making her a “mess,” this could genuinely be one of the bravest (and boldest) revisionist takes on the genre we’ve yet seen.

Gunn’s confirmation about how close it will be to the Woman of Tomorrow comic also indicates that this will be a truly cosmic superhero film, even more so than anything Marvel has offered to date. Think about it; the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, the Captain Marvel films, and the Thor four have all made sure to include human characters thrust into space, no doubt out of fear the audience won’t be able to relate. In Supergirl, however, we’ll be following an alien heroine in an alien environment.

It’s hard to do anything fresh in a movie genre that drops at least half a dozen new releases every given year, but Gunn has the real potential to show everyone else how it’s done with the DCU. Your move, Marvel.

During the NYCC, James Gunn went on stage to excite comic book fans about Creature Commandos, the first chapter in his ambitious DCU plan. In addition to a new trailer featuring an A-list Batman villain, Gunn explained how the TV show fits within the broader DCU canon.

As the new trailer underlines, Creature Commandos follows Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo), who s forces with Amanda Waller (voiced by Viola Davis) to lead a team of strange creatures on a dangerous mission against Circe (voiced by Anya Chalotra). But why use monsters to do the job? Well, as Waller explains, since her Task Force X operations were made public, she’s forbidden to endanger the lives of human prisoners, which is why she takes her pick on inhuman ones.

The premise of Creature Commandos raises some obvious questions about the DCU canon. Waller’s secrets were released to the press by her daughter, Leota (Danielle Brooks), during the events of season one of Peacemaker.

Peacemaker, in its turn, is a direct sequel to Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. However, The Suicide Squad and season one of Peacemaker preceded the DCU, which is sold as a total reboot. It’s confusing, so Gunn used his NYCC appearance to explain his strategy.

According to Gunn, the DCU is indeed a reboot and nothing that came before should be considered canon unless it’s mentioned in the new projects. So, when Creature Commandos explains that Waller is in hot water due to her actions with Task Force X, that retroactively makes what happened before become canon. It’s a clever way to include his critically acclaimed movie and TV show into canon while still having enough liberty to change details of how the story went, in case they don’t fit the DCU plans.

By the looks of it, Gunn will keep most of The Suicide Squad and season one of Peacemaker intact. During the NYCC, Gunn also confirmed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) is still dead, a fact that will play into Creature Commandos’ storyline, which features his father. Since Grillo will reprise his role as Rick Flag Sr. in season 2 of Peacemaker, this confirmation means John Cena’s antihero can expect some awkward conversations with the father of the man he killed.

The Creature Commandos trailer introduces Clayface and a bunch of obscure villains 3e4sp

While explaining that the DCU canon is quite helpful for nerds – this writer included – the main attraction of Gunn’s Creature Commando at the NYCC was a new, delicious trailer. The trailer shows how Gunn will keep his signature mix of ultra-violence and fun with the show, which resembles what the filmmaker did with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.

However, the most curious aspect of the trailer is the many cameos Gunn managed to add to Creature Commandos. In one scene, we see the Bride (voiced by Indira Varma) smashing the face of an orange ape who is probably Congorilla.

In a blink-and-you-might-miss-it frame, we can also spot Chemo’s head. As for the winged female villain in Belle Reve prison, she’s probably a version of Nosferara. As for the humanoid duck, that’s most definitely Rubberduck.

Amidst so many obscure cameos, the new Creature Commandos trailer also shows that the team will fight none other than Clayface, Batman’s shape-shifting enemy. That’s huge because Clayface is a fan-favorite Batman rogue who’s one of the more fantastic villains in Gotham. If Clayface is canon in the DCU, we can expect this universe Batman to go toe-on-toe with aliens and wizards, too. 

Don’t get me wrong. We all love Matt Revees’ realistic Batman (Robert Pattison). But it’s been too many decades since the Dark Knight tapped into more comic-booky foes on the silver screen. So, if Creature Commandos is already willing to hit this hard, we can have high hopes for the entirety of the DCU.

By taking Sofia to Arkham Asylum in the latest episode, The Penguin does more than ensure Cristin Milioti gets an Emmy nomination. It also sheds some light on a canceled DC project.

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for episode 4 of The Penguin, “Cent’anni.”

After the third episode of The Penguin ends with the series most vicious cliffhanger yet, episode 4 takes us back to before Sofia was committed to Arkham Asylum. So far, the series has been giving the audience hints Sofia might not be the Hangman, a serial killer with a penchant for strangling sex workers. Episode 4 explains the whole affair by showing how Sofia has taken the fall for her father, Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong). What’s worse, Carmine only manages to commit Sofia to Arkham Asylum and drag her name in the mud because he had the of her whole family.

While “Cent’anni” helps us understand Sofia’s motivations, it also gives us a glimpse inside Arkham Asylum. The mental health institution is the place where Batman’s insane foes are kept and theoretically rehabilitated. However, the unsanitary conditions of the place might explain why the Dark Knight’s rogues also return to a life of crime. In her ten years inside Arkham Asylum, Sofia was physically and mentally abused, restrained by a corrupt istration, fed only slop, and exposed to other dangerous inmates that forced her to take violent measures to survive. How can anyone expect to improve their mental health in such a place?

With one episode, The Penguin has demonstrated how emotionally challenging a story inside Arkham Asylum can be. That might explain why Matt Reeves scrapped his Arkham Asylum series, one of the first spinoffs he conceived after The Batman. Yet, The Penguin’s latest episode also makes an exceptional case for reviving the project.

The Penguin shows how an Arkham Asylum TV show can work 6x4f51

Parallel to The Penguin, Reeves came out of The Batman’s production thinking about a TV show set one year before the movie’s events and focused on the Gotham City Police Department. Reeves later revealed that the concept had evolved into an Arkham Asylum series, shifting the focus to Batman’s villains. Considering the Joker (Barry Keoghan) is locked away in Arkham Asylum during the events of The Batman, this show could give us a glimpse of the Dark Knight’s actions in the year before his fateful encounter with the Riddler (Paul Dano).

The project took an exciting turn when Antonio Campos, creator of The Staircase, was announced as developing the Arkham series. James Gunn later confirmed that the show had been grandfathered into the new DC Universe (DCU), separating it from Robert Pattinson’s Batman continuity.

Initially, moving the Arkham series to the DCU seemed like a great idea. Reeves’ Bat-verse is so grounded that it would be hard to explore more comic-booky villains, such as Poison Ivy or Killer Croc. However, now that The Penguin gave us a taste of what a grounded Arkham Asylum may look like, maybe they should also find a way to explore more of the institution in Reeves’ canon. Heck, the episode even includes Magpie, an obscure DC character, so it would be nice to use Arkham to give some D-listers the spotlight.

The DCU is juggling many projects, and we haven’t heard a word about the Arkham series anymore. So, there’s no way to know if the project is even moving forward. Considering the fantastic critical reception of The Penguin, maybe it would be wise to give Arkham Asylum back to Matt Reeves.

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Despite being an unrated and niche movie, Terrifier 3 is whipping the box office floor with Joker: Folie à Deux’s dreams. Now, Art the Clown star David Howard Thornton reveals he got his eyes on one more piece of the DC cake.

No one expected the next Barbenheimer to involve an indie splatterfest. Still, here we are, with two movies about a killer clown whose purpose is to shock the audiences. Plus, even their name are alike – Thornton Art’s and Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur. However, Joker: Folie à Deux is a PR disaster, a critical disappointment, and will get nowhere near covering its absurd $200 million budget (plus marketing expenses). Meanwhile, Terrifier 3 has pleased critics and fans alike and has already turned a considerable profit considering its modest $3 million budget.

There’s something viciously pleasant to see a horror movie defeat a Hollywood giant in theaters, thanks mainly to good word-of-mouth. Yet, the unexpected overlapping of Art the Clown and Joker in theaters could birth a brilliant DC partnership. Why? Well, because Thornton wants to play the Joker!

And you know what? He should!

After Art the Clown, David Howard Thornton would make a great Joker! 1e265s

While Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker isn’t exactly set in the DCU, he was still part of the franchise. But, it won’t be too far-fetched to say that his position in the DC land probably died with Joker 2‘s disastrous box-office performance, and if Thornton gets his way, he will have what Todd Phillips’ Arthur never had – a solid place in Gunn’s DCU multiverse as the Crown Prince of Crime.

In an exclusive interview with GamesRadar+, Thornton confessed, “The Joker is my favorite villain of all time, and that’s a character I would love to play myself one day.” The star even made a subtle plea to the head of DC Studios by adding “So hopefully someone like James Gunn gives me the opportunity to tackle that character because I would like to do a lot of fun things with him.”

At first glance, some might twist their nose at the idea that the man behind the cinema’s most terrifying clown could tackle a tentpole villain like The Joker. Nevertheless, the more you think about it, the more you feel a smile coming to your face. The Terrifier franchise has nothing to do with DC productions, even the darkest and grittiest ones. Still, Thornton has proved time and time again he can be equally terrifying and goofy with Art the Clown. Isn’t that the perfect mix for The Joker?

Plus, Art the Clown is a scene-stealer killer due to Thornton’s incredible domain of his facial expressions and body language. The actor managed to charm audiences by tapping into the mimic tradition, even though Art the Clown was mute. Thornton can set the mood without saying a word by making you laugh in a moment and search for safety in the next one. In short, the star has a vast acting range and experience with a fan-favorite character that mixes comedy with menace.

For people still unconvinced, Throthon has already shown what he could do as The Joker. Before his Terrifier fame, Thornton had already played the Clown Prince of Crime role in a fan movie. This experiment looks good already. So, imagine what Throthon could make now that he has a lot of experience with stardom and with the official of DC Studios. That’s a dream cast right there! Fans are already excited about this idea.

So, Gunn, do us all a favor and at least think about it, okay?

I’m going to be completely transparent with you all; I didn’t actually know what “zaddy” meant before I started writing this. I did have some semblance of a definition in my head thanks to the very particular phonetics of “zaddy,” but the internet has since informed me that a zaddy is a stylish, older gentleman who’s fun to look at. Frankly, my life is a lot more noisy now.

But no one knows a noisy life like James Gunn, who is not only building a whole new cinematic continuity for DC‘s roster of champions but also feels compelled to deflect all the exhausting rumors that constantly circle said continuity.

The latest such rumor was that of DC Studios being on the hunt for an older actor to portray the DC Universe’s Batman; a claim that Gunn himself swiftly shot down with one of the most refreshing words in the English language (that is, the polar opposite of “zaddy”).

You heard it here first, folks; we’re either getting twink Batman or geriatric Batman.

In all seriousness, though, why can’t X just leave the poor guy alone? It’s bad enough that the dark side of Zack Snyder’s fanbase churns out the nonsense that they do, but to have some grifty s taking advantage of the world’s collective lack of media literacy for the sake of some DC-tinted traction is pretty painful to watch. I couldn’t imagine trying to create an ambitious comic book continuity in the midst of all those digital fires.

So let’s talk about what we do know instead, which is ittedly very little. The Brave and the Bold, which Gunn has described in the past as a “strange father and story” about Batman and Robin, is based on Grant Morrison’s seven-year run with the characters that began in 2006. Knowing this, we can probably pinpoint the main inspiration as “Batman and Son,” which launched Morrison’s run and featured the villains Man-Bat and Talia al Ghul. More significantly, however, was the introduction of Damian Wayne, the son of Batman and Talia, who ends up donning the Robin mantle.

A wider Bat-Family is also said to have a presence in the film, and if that’s the case, the presence of Andy Muschietti as The Brave and the Bold‘s director should excite us. For the many flaws of Muschietti’s The Flash film, its understanding of superhero-specific choreography was impeccable, and if presented with a canvas of gadget- and martial arts-based heroes, that’s a muscle that will have to be flexed extra-creatively.

As for who those Bat-Family could be, the most obvious candidate outside of Damian is Tim Drake, one of Batman’s adopted sons who also appears in Morrison’s “Batman and Son,” and who Damian views as competition to the Robin mantle and Batman’s fatherhood. Branching out into the likes of Dick Grayson or Cassandra Cain could be possible, but it also risks an overstuffed narrative. Jason Todd, meanwhile, would be better suited for a prequel film (if you know, you know).

Our best guess? The Brave and the Bold will have at least two Robins, and one of them is going to form the Teen Titans, who we know are getting their own solo film written by Ana Nogueira. Nogueira, of course, also happens to be penning Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which hits theaters on June 26, 2026. Surely all of that should offset whatever grief some of you have over the lack of Zaddy Batman.