DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn Doesn't Know Whether Wonder Woman And The Flash Are Active In The DCU

DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn Doesn't Know Whether Wonder Woman And The Flash Are Active In The DCU

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has admitted that he's unsure whether Wonder Woman and The Flash are active heroes in the DCU, even with the former set to star in her own movie in the not-too-distant future.

By JoshWilding - Aug 12, 2025 04:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Peacemaker

DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran may have announced a slate of DCU projects at the start of 2023, but it's become apparent that they did so without a firm plan in place.

In fairness, that's not too different from Marvel Studios and the MCU, as Iron Man arrived in 2008 with only the vaguest hope of eventually releasing The Avengers (which followed four years later). Still, nearly three years after "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" was unveiled, Gunn still doesn't appear sure about which characters are active in the DCU. 

Addressing what is and isn't canon from Peacemaker season 1, Gunn was asked whether Wonder Woman and The Flash (presumably not the Gal Gadot and Ezra Miller versions) are currently part of this shared world. 

"Yeah, are they canon? I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see," the Superman director stated. "I mean, they’ll exist eventually. Whether they exist now, I don’t know."

While the Scarlet Speedster will likely be sidelined for the next few years after the largely negative response to 2023's The Flash, Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira is currently penning a screenplay for Wonder Woman

"I’ve always had Wonder Woman as a priority," Gunn said last month. "But we got the first few things started, and there’s some other things that are really close to green-lighting — like there’s a television show that I hope that we’re gonna be green-lighting in the next few days. So now a little time has passed, and we really need Wonder Woman and we really need Batman, because they’re so important to us."

He added, "And so it’s become a little bit more like going to everybody at DC and being like, we need to figure this out. We have good writers on Wonder Woman and we just have to make sure it’s working and they have to not be somebody who’s gonna take two years to write a script."

Next year will see the release of Supergirl and Clayface, but beyond that, DC Studios' plans are a mystery to us. The Batman Part II is scheduled for a 2027 release, but it's an "Elseworlds" story, meaning it won't do anything to expand the DCU franchise as we near the halfway point of Gunn and Safran's 10-year plan.

Peacemaker season 2 follows Christopher 'Chris' Smith, aka Peacemaker, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. 

He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.

Peacemaker season 2 premieres on HBO on August 21. Check back here later this week for our review of the first five episodes.

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UltimaRex
UltimaRex - 8/12/2025, 5:00 AM
Wonder Woman? Yes (kinda, she's on Paradise Island rn.)

Flash? Nope. Plain old Barry Allen rn.
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 8/12/2025, 5:25 AM
I would imagine that the speed force would put Barry outside of timespace rendering him The Flash throughout all times, though perhaps unexpected. He can show up at any time, from any time
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 8/12/2025, 5:26 AM
@ProfessorWhy - * unexpressed, not unexpected, but that also works in its own way
AC1
AC1 - 8/12/2025, 7:39 AM
Since we've already got at least 3 human Green Lanterns active in the present day DCU, I'd actually kinda like it if, regarding The Flash, Gunn and the DCU took a page out of the DCAU's book and introduced Wally West as the current Flash; have Barry be the former Flash who vanished maybe a few years before the events of Superman.

Have Barry be someone who maybe worked with/was friends with Hal Jordan, and if they cast an actor to play him (say, for flashbacks/Speed Force sequences, etc) look for an actor who's middle aged to reflect that. But yeah, kinda do a twist on Barry dying in Crisis in the comics, the tease that he was doing to vanish/die in the CW show, and have that actually be something that happened in some way in the DCU, with Wally stepping up to follow in his footsteps.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/12/2025, 7:59 AM
@AC1 - I like that idea

Plus if you do have a future Flash movie then you could have the Return of Barry Allen be a story to tackle aswell.
Huskers
Huskers - 8/12/2025, 8:19 AM
@AC1 - Yea zero interest in Barry, would much rather have Wally. They’re just going to him be Barry, but act like Wally. Hate it when they do that! 🙄
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/12/2025, 7:57 AM
I can understand not knowing about the Flash since they aren’t actively working on the character but WW is odd since they are writing a script…

I feel you would have to know if you were introducing the character or not before writing that but perhaps this was shot before Ana Nogueira was put on that film.

Anyway personally , I would have Diana already existing as WW in the world aswell as The Flash with Barry (and maybe even Jay) having started the legacy but it’s time for Wally to come into his own since he could be the main one in this universe.
MisterBones
MisterBones - 8/12/2025, 8:11 AM
Wonder Woman seems like an easy yes. At the least she is on Themyscira
Huskers
Huskers - 8/12/2025, 8:16 AM
Oh come on! Hawgirl, Green Lanterns, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Superman, and Batman’s been active long enough to have multiple Robins, but the Flash and Wonder Woman don’t exist yet?!?!
SpideyPuffsMJ
SpideyPuffsMJ - 8/12/2025, 8:57 AM
Bro is making this shit up as he goes
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 8/12/2025, 9:26 AM
I would think they'd want to hold off on Wonder Woman and definitely Flash, despite which flash they go with.
WW last appeared in the Flash after her failed second movie. There needs to be some distancing between the old and new.
(Also, copying the Spiderman and Ironman relationship much? The Flash/Batman thing was a complete fiasco...don't do that again)
MR
MR - 8/12/2025, 9:28 AM
I don’t know why it’s so hard to just follow the source material. It’s not like the GA even knows what the source material is, which is already cinematic by its own nature. Comic books fans are annoyed with comic book movies becuz the studios (ok Warner Bros) keeps messing with the source material. The comics also don’t have poop fetish jokes. Anywhere.

How hard does this have to be?
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 8/12/2025, 9:38 AM
How do you start an entire universe and not have a thought out plan for your major characters? That’s the first thing I’d do. Get out a chalk board and a writers room and plan it all out. How is he in charge?
noname
noname - 8/12/2025, 10:16 AM
@Bucky74 - Yeah, I would have a written plan for the major characters first.

Where they are now, Where they've been, Where they're going.

Have an overall direction for "Phase 1," then weave in all the minor characters like Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Booster Gold, etc. And in fact, because you now know where everyone is, you don't have to start with the major characters. You can have minor characters leading the way first and just weave everything together seamlessly.

Now, of course, as you get other writers involved, certain story points are gonna change and get better, but overall at least you know Phase 1 would be leading to - for example - Brainiac.
noname
noname - 8/12/2025, 10:22 AM
@Bucky74 - Like, I dont think James Gunn expected people to really dig Mr. Terrific and Jimmy Olsen more than Supes and Lex, but now those are 2 characters you can use to enhance - for example - the overall universe and Brainiac story they're telling.

Certain films can be just compelling stories, like say, an in-universe Mr. Freeze movie or something. And certain stories can feed into the overall plot.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 8/12/2025, 10:46 AM
@noname - It’s so basic. This is a major brand and a new universe. I generally like most of Gunn’s films (I was disappointed by Superman but still enjoyed most of it), but how can WB allow this? Put any fan here on the creative team and that’s the first thing we’ll do. Yes, plans can change organically based on many factors like box office, but at least have a plan and a direction for your major brand characters.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 8/12/2025, 10:51 AM
@noname - Terrific and Guy stole the show for me. At times it was like Gunn wanted to make a Justice Gang film and squeezed in Superman. That has nothing to do with all the characters (many hit films have large casts and still service their main character). No, this was much more. Story (including many divisive decisions) and editing/pacing problems aside, Gunn got many aspects of the character wrong and. Supes came off as an emotional man-child who needed to be “comforted” by his parents at 32. Top that off with him now admitting he has no plan for his major characters and the DCU is off to a messy start.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 8/12/2025, 10:53 AM
@noname - I’m all for say a Plastic Man film but Gunn should at least have a plan for all of the JL players and know what they are up to in his fictional world
noname
noname - 8/12/2025, 2:40 PM
@Bucky74 - FACTS! Everything you said, FACTS!
TheJester187
TheJester187 - 8/12/2025, 2:45 PM
I knew this guy was an idiots when he said he didn’t know how to approach Batman. Your goofy ass is winging a made up blueprint he himself came up with and it doesn’t even line up. Bring Snyder back. He had a plan. This guy and his butt buddy have none!
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 8/13/2025, 3:58 PM
They should both be active....Creature Commandos talks about Themiscyra....and The Suicide Squad had Captain Boomerang. I dont care too much about continuity but the more Gunn talks about this universe...the more continuity is going down the toilet

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