Summary

• What is the exact relationship between the DCU and other DC film and TV continuities? The continuity of the DCU within the larger multiverse still needs clarification.
• Which DCEU actors will appear in the DCU? The question of which DCEU players will stick around in the DCU remains a mystery.
• Will the DCU incorporate the concept of the multiverse? Early indications suggest that the DCU may explore multiverse elements, potentially allowing characters from different universes to meet.

The DC movie set to get the DCU in motion on the big-screen.

With Creatures Commandos debuting sometime in 2024, there will still be quite a bit of time remaining before the DCU is truly underway. This time period will also leave many big questions about the DCU on the table, with 2024 being arguably the ideal time to address them before the DCU gets into full swing. Here are the 10 biggest questions for the DCU to answer in 2024.

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10 What Exactly Is The DCU?

The Canon Status Still Isn't Fully Clear

For as much as the term "reboot" has been applied to James Gunn's plans for the DCU, DC Studios itself has never publicly taken any definitive stance on exactly what the DCU will be in of its relationship with any other DC film or television continuity. Of course, with the DCU franchise using Creature Commandos as an intro point and Superman: Legacy as its formal starting point, the DCU is not continuing the DCEU's story in any direct sense. Nevertheless, with certain DCEU players set to return for the DCU, the exact continuity of the DCU in DC's larger movie and TV multiverse still needs clarification.

9 Who Is Returning From The DCEU & Why?

Some DCEU Players Will Seemingly Stick Around

As an off-shoot of the DCU's vague continuity, the question of which DCEU players will appear in the DCU has yet to be fully revealed. The rumor mill has swirled heavily with extremely conflicting reports of DCEU actors who may or may not be in the DCU, while James Gunn himself has not given any clear answers about the DCEU alumni in the DCU. At the time of writing, Viola Davis, John Cena, and Xolo Maridueña are known DCEU holdovers in the DCU, but the question of which other DCEU players will appear in the DCU still largely remains a mystery.

8 Will The Multiverse Be In Play & How?

Some Elements Of The DCU Suggest It Will

DC and Marvel movies have both embraced the concept of the multiverse, allowing for multiple versions of characters to co-exist and even meet, and Gunn's own Peacemaker season 2 suggests that multiverse elements may be in play early on in the DCU. Specifically, Gunn addressed a fan's question on social media of how seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker will take place in separate universes, stating that this will be addressed in season 2. This could indicate a doorway might be introduced from the DCEU to the DCU, potentially allowing the former to be revisited and characters from both universes to meet.

Prior to the DCU, Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Flash both introduced the concept of the DC Multiverse, with the CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths mini-series also doing so on television, effectively canonizing all DC movies and TV shows as part of the DC Multiverse.

7 How Will Elseworlds Factor In?

DC Studios Has An Elseworlds Label Alongside The DCU

Adding to the DCU's aforementioned multiverse question, DC Studios will also include an Elseworlds label for all movies and TV shows not set within the continuity of the DCU. Matt Reeves's The Batman franchise and Todd Phillips's Joker films are two such examples of DC movies already designated as Elseworlds, while Keanu Reeves's in-development Constantine 2 will likely fall into the DC Elseworlds classification itself. While DC Elseworlds movies will offer different takes of DC characters, the question of whether they will remain strictly separate from the DCU or factor into any multiversal storytelling is another question to be addressed.

The concept of DC Elseworlds was first introduced as its own comic book imprint in 1989 under the larger DC Comics banner, with DC Comics reviving the Elseworlds comic line in October 2023.

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6 Will There Be A Justice League?

Zack Snyder's Justice League Makes That The Elephant In The Room

While many DCEU heroes will be difficult to replace, a major question the DCU will face right from the start is whether the franchise is setting up its version of the Justice League, and who its roster of heroes will consist of if it is. This is a particularly pertinent question given the historically unique circumstances of the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League and the numerous unmade follow-ups teased by the movie's ending. With Superman: Legacy including additional heroes like Hawkgirl and Guy Gardener Green Lantern, the Justice League's status in the DCU needs to be addressed.

5 Who Is The DCU's Big Bad?

Will Darkseid Make A Return & How?

Comic book movie universes are known to have an overarching major villain, with Thanos serving this role for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first three Phases, and Darkseid (Ray Porter) being introduced as the DCEU's greatest threat in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Given the cosmic threat Darkseid poses throughout all of DC's history, a big question is whether Darkseid will appear in the DCU, or whether the franchise's big bad will be another villain. Moreover, with Darkseid and the New Gods not having multiversal doppelgangers in the comics, that also raises the possibility of Porter's Darkseid potentially being a threat to the DCEU and DCU alike if the latter maintains that element of DC's multiverse lore.

Outside of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Darkseid's only live-action depiction to date is seen in season 10 of Smallville, in which Darkseid is portrayed as an ethereal, ghostly being who possesses the Lionel Luthor (John Glover) from an alternate Earth.

4 How Will The DCU's Story Unfold?

It Will Encom Movies, TV & Video Games

The announced slate of the DCU includes numerous film and TV projects, with the animated series Creature Commandos acting as a soft debut of sorts. Given that the series will precede Superman: Legacy, how the DCU's story will be told over multiple interlocking movies and shows is a question that remains unanswered. That vagueness is also compounded by the fact the DCU will also incorporate its story into video games, as well, leaving the DCU's overall roap a topic that should be given some clarity.

3 Is The DCU Setting Origin Stories Aside?

They're Jumping Right In With Superman: Legacy

Unlike the DCEU and the MCU, the DCU seems to be prioritizing origin stories far less in the introduction of its characters, with Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy both seemingly eschewing origin stories for their characters. That doesn't necessarily mean the DCU will not feature any origin stories at all, but at least in its earliest installments, the DCU seems to be largely hitting the ground running in of establishing its characters. To what extent this will be the norm for the DCU's storytelling format is something that should be at least partially made clear in 2024.

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2 How Will The DCU Be Different From Other Superhero Movie Universes?

What Will Distinguish The DCU?

With Peter Safran's previous work in the DCEU and James Gunn having made movies in both the DCEU and MCU, the co-heads of DC Studios are both well-versed in the modern superhero movie universe scene. However, a major question still surrounding the DCU is how it will establish its own overall style and tone to distinguish itself from the DCEU, MCU, the Arrowverse, or other preceding superhero movie franchises. With Creature Commandos getting the DCU started in 2024, that could be the best time to start establishing its own unique identity.

1 What Is The DCU's Endgame?

Where Is The DCU's Story Headed

DC Studios has reportedly established a 10-year plan as the foundation for the DCU, and where that 10-year plan is headed remains arguably the biggest unanswered question of all for the incoming franchise. ittedly, revealing the entire DCU plan upfront is surely a non-starter for DC Studios, but it still would be incumbent upon them to give a sense of where the DCU's story is ultimately headed. With Elseworlds and multiverse storytelling also potentially at play, the endgame for the DCU is a topic that at least some light should be shed upon in 2024.