With Superman, Peacemaker Season 2 and Creature Commandos, and the likes of Supergirl, Lanterns and Clayface awaiting release, James Gunn and Peter Safran have already built a strong slate of projects for the DCU. One that hasn't come together, though, is The Brave and the Bold, meant to star Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian, a boy who was raised as an assassin but ultimately became the new Boy Wonder. Little is known about the movie, and many have wondered whether it will even end up materializing.
Now, however, a new official image released by DC appears to be teasing more classic heroes for the nascent franchise, and it might include a first reference to The Brave and the Bold's Damian Wayne. Earlier in December, James Gunn and DC Studios released a card featuring Milly Alcock's Supergirl and David Corenswet's Superman. Continuing the tradition, the superhero studio has put out a new piece of holiday art on social media drawn by Belén Ortega, this time starring Krypto... as well as a slew of DC characters that have yet to make their DCU debut: The Super-Pets.
The Krypto in the card is the same one seen in James Gunn's Superman and 2026's Supergirl, and the critters shown appear to have DCU-inspired designs. Thus, we could, theoretically, assume that if they ever make their debut in the franchise, they will look somewhat similar to what we see here. Aside from that, as mentioned, the image also features what very well may be the DCU's first reference to Damian Wayne. But let's see if you can catch it. The post was captioned with: "A little Holiday DC magic, powered by the Super-Pets."
For those not in the know, the beautiful critters shown are the pets of some of DC's best and brightest heroes, almost all of whom are either confirmed to be in the DCU, or have been teased to appear in some form. So, did you catch the potential Robin tease? Fret not if you didn't. One of the animals on the card is Bat-Cow, owned by none other than Damien Wayne, a.k.a., the Boy Wonder.
Bat-Cow first appeared in the mainline DC continuity in Batman Incorporated #1, from 2012, and was ultimately adopted by Damian Wayne, who gave her the Bat-themed moniker. The names and owners of all the pets featured in the art are as follows:
- Krypto (Supergirl and Superman)
- Streaky the Supercat (Supergirl)
- Bat-Cow (Damian Wayne)
- Gleek the Monkey (Wonder Twins)
- Jumpa the Kangaroo (Wonder Woman)
- Blue Beetle dog (no comic book counterpart)
- Super-Dog (Jon Kent)
- Ch'p (No owner, just a Green Lantern)
As mentioned, the critters are connected to characters that are currently or have been previously tied to the franchise. In November, James Gunn shared Alex Ross artwork of the Wonder Twins on Instagram, potentially teasing their eventual debut in his universe. Wonder Woman is getting her own film, written by Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira. Xolo Maridueña's Blue Beetle is confirmed to be part of the DCU. In a description that came out for a Lanterns trailer released during an HBO Max Upfront in Brazil in November, it was claimed that a squirrel Green Lantern was mentioned, likely referencing Ch'p.
Nevertheless, the most notable (and surprising) connection is Bat-Cow. Damian Wayne has long been set to make his franchise debut in The Brave and the Bold. However, there has seemingly been little movement on the film, at least publicly. In September 2025, James Gunn appeared to hint that Damian's role in the movie was in flux. Speaking to IGN, the director was asked if the assassin-turned-superhero was still meant to appear in the DCU Batman film, to which he replied: "I think you have to wait to see exactly what's happening."
This image, however, appears to hint at the possibility that Damian Wayne is still very much on the minds of the creatives at DC Studios. Also worth noting is the fact that this holiday card features another much more obscure reference to Damian: The corgi Super-Dog. That is actually Superman's son Jon Kent, transformed into a canine alongside Damian Wayne by Circe, as seen in a back-up story in Wonder Woman #9 from 2023.
Perhaps DC is, indeed, hinting Damian is coming to our screens sooner rather than later.
Krypto will return in Supergirl, flying into theaters on June 26, 2026.
What do you think about DC's new holiday card? Could this card have been a subtle hint at Damian Wayne? Let me know in the comments!