3 Years Ago Today, DC’s Future Was Saved… But These 5 Things Are Still Missing

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It’s easy to forget how troubled DC was just a short time ago. Back in 2022, there was a lot of excitement around the upcoming movie Black Adam. Dwayne Johnson had been working on the project for over ten years and believed it would significantly change the DC Extended Universe. However, despite bringing back Henry Cavill as Superman, the film wasn’t successful and essentially marked the end of the DCEU. Just four days later, on October 25, 2022, a change in leadership did happen, but not as Johnson expected. James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new heads of DC Studios.

Building the new DC Universe has been a three-year process – you can’t create something like this overnight. Now, James Gunn’s vision is really coming to life, with Superman and Peacemaker generating a lot of excitement for 2025. However, DC Studios still has a few goals it hasn’t achieved. Here are five things the DCU is still lacking.

5) Batman

Currently, the biggest question mark hanging over the DC Universe is Batman. James Gunn’s early projects hint at Batman’s presence, even showing his outline, but they’re deliberately holding off on fully introducing him. While a Brave and the Bold movie is planned, it’s not being developed as quickly as the Man of Tomorrow project. This is particularly annoying because The Batman Part II is taking a long time to materialize. Of course, all this anticipation will seem a bit overblown once a new actor is cast as the Dark Knight, but right now, the DCU definitely feels incomplete without Batman.

4) The Justice League

The first film in the new DC Universe, Superman, features the debut of a team of heroes called the Justice Gang. While some members like Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Hawgirl aren’t well-known yet, it’s unlikely they’ll immediately become the Justice League. It seems James Gunn is planning to carefully build the team and introduce them properly before forming the DCU’s main superhero group. With movies featuring Batman and Wonder Woman still in development, fans will likely have to wait a few years to see the Justice League back on the big screen.

3) A Big Bad

Just creating the Justice League isn’t enough – they need a major villain to face. Darkseid would be the most obvious choice, especially considering the setup in Peacemaker Season 2, and it seemed like James Gunn was heading that way. However, Gunn has stated the franchise isn’t quite prepared for a character as powerful as Darkseid. Ultimately, someone needs to become the big bad guy, and their introduction could hint at what’s coming next.

2) The Meaning of “Gods and Monsters”

James Gunn announced the first set of DC Universe projects, calling this initial phase “Gods and Monsters.” We’ve already seen some monstrous characters appear—like Clayface, Eric Frankenstein, and the Bride—and Superman could be considered the ‘god’ aspect of this theme. However, it’s not yet clear how these two ideas—gods and monsters—will connect, or if they will connect at all. DC Studios might not want fans to overanalyze these chapter titles the way they do with Marvel’s storylines.

1) New Voices

It’s natural for someone to want to showcase a new toy before sharing, and James Gunn has been doing just that with the DC Universe, personally shaping every project so far. However, things are expected to shift in 2026 with the release of Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface. Hopefully, this signals a move towards letting other creative voices contribute to DC’s characters, as Gunn doesn’t need to be involved in everything. He’s talented, but sharing the workload would be beneficial.

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2025-10-25 20:42