Some major DC Comics stories have just been made possible by the DCU‘s most recent installments, Superman and Peacemaker season 2. Although Creature Commandos technically opened the nascent cinematic franchise in December 2024, these two live-action offerings have arguably got the ball rolling in earnest, and it’s off to a flying start.

Superman led the charge for the DCU’s cinematic offerings, debuting David Corenswet’s titular hero as a more fresh-faced and vulnerable iteration of the character operating in a world where Metahumans are a well-established part of the universe. This includes the Justice Gang, who aid in Superman’s protection of Metropolis and beyond throughout the movie.

Peacemaker season 2 is currently releasing weekly episodes at the time of writing, continuing the story of Peacemaker season 1 with some minor adjustments to the continuity. For example, a recap replaced the season 1 ending’s Justice League cameo with the DCU’s Justice Gang, inserting characters like Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl in lieu of Aquaman and the Flash.

Details about the future of the DCU and its storylines are still relatively nebulous, with only a handful of projects confirmed to be in production. Nevertheless, Superman and Peacemaker have set up some interesting possibilities for future DCU installments to capitalize on, adapting some of DC Comics’ most prominent and beloved stories.

Crisis On Infinite Earths

“Crisis on Infinite Earths” was a bold and successful attempt to address the confusing multiverse that DC Comics was embroiled in at the time. After introducing godlike figures like the Anti-Monitor, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” saw the destruction of multiple universes and re-established a new, singular universe at its conclusion.

The fact that the DCU has commenced with a multiverse concept is interesting. Some of the main criticisms leveled at the DCU’s rival franchise, the MCU, center on the negative implications of a multiverse and its potential to undermine stakes and confuse plot lines. It’s therefore bold of the DCU to launch this somewhat maligned concept out of the gate.

That is, unless it is overtly setting up the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” story. In direct contrast to the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, this multiversal narrative was expressly designed to declutter what was, at the time, an incredibly disordered setting with muddled plots.

Peacemaker‘s establishment of a multiverse could be teeing up a subsequent reorganization into one, easy-to-follow universe. The show barely explains the concept of a multiverse, relying on the audience’s prior knowledge and practically mocking the MCU with its reestablishment of a single-universe narrative.

Knightfall

One blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in Peacemaker depicts a newscaster reporting on several prison breaks in the DCU, with Arkham Asylum being among those involved. Arkham Asylum prison breaks aren’t uncommon in DC, but this could be an Easter Egg that sets up a “Knightfall” adaptation.

“Knightfall” is one of the more famous DC Comics stories that features an escape from Arkham Asylum. The perpetrator in this instance is none other than Bane, the villain who has made two big-screen debuts in DC adaptations already, namely in Batman & Robin and the more recent and critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises more accurately adapts one of the main events of “Knightfall,” in which Bane “breaks the bat” in a now-iconic moment that sees Bane breaking Batman’s back on his knee. This leads to Bane declaring himself the new kingpin of Gotham, with Batman out of commission for the foreseeable future.

While this story was already partially adapted in recent memory, a more accurate rendition of “Knightfall” directly involves Tim Drake’s Robin and a temporary Batman replacement, namely Jean-Paul Valley. Considering the DCU’s version of Batman may be released around the same time as Matt Reeves’ The Batman trilogy, adapting “Knightfall” and the aftermath of Bruce Wayne’s defeat could be prudent.

Having Jean-Paul Valley, AKA Azrael, don the cowl in this period could help to counteract the confusion of two Bruce Waynes. Additionally, if the DCU’s Batman adaptation does involve Damien Wayne’s Robin, then it could facilitate Damien Wayne’s targeting of Tim Drake’s Robin in his bid to replace him.

Kingdom Come

Superman opens with some written exposition establishing the fact that Metahumans have been operating for years before Superman arrived on the scene. During that time, the Justice Gang has formed the foremost super-team, and their methods, while heroic, are conveyed to be particularly violent, particularly when juxtaposed with Superman’s MO during the Kaiju battle sequence.

This dynamic is evocative of the main throughline of “Kingdom Come,” which depicts Superman coming out of retirement to straighten out a particularly violent cohort of newer superheroes unperturbed by the idea of killing criminals. Superman is eventually joined by the original Justice League, who band together to reinstate a more moral approach to crime-fighting.

Although it would be wielding some creative license by flipping timelines on their head, this narrative seems to be perfectly facilitated by the current state of affairs in the DCU. A minor allusion to this story’s being adapted is the design of Superman’s “S” symbol, which resembles the design of Superman’s “Kingdom Come” design in all ways but colors.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Supergirl is the DCU’s next installment, due to be released on June 26, 2026. Supergirl made a cameo appearance in Superman, crashing through the Fortress of Solitude while drunk to retrieve Krypto and leave. Superman then explains to the newly anointed “Gary” that she travels to planets with red suns to weaken her powers and experience the effects of alcohol.

This is a direct allusion to “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” in which Kara Zor-El travels to a planet with a red sun, accompanied by Krypto, to celebrate her 21st birthday by getting drunk at a bar. A cosmic murder mystery adventure ensues that would set a new bar for the DCU after the distinctly terrestrial tales told in the DCU’s first three installments.

Supergirl was originally titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and is already reported to be adapting this comic book story directly. The announcement of Jason Momoa’s involvement as the spacefaring mercenary Lobo is a departure from comic book canon, although the foundation set by Superman is difficult to ignore.

Infinite Crisis

DC’s “Infinite Crisis” is another multiverse-themed tale, though it mostly reverses the consequences of its predecessor, “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” by re-establishing a smaller multiverse in the DC Universe. It could be that the DCU will address this narrative after a “Crisis on Infinite Earths” adaptation, although it currently more closely resembles the comic’s main throughline.

Specifically, the new Crisis comes about when several powerful DC characters revisit the benefits of a multiverse after deeming the new, singular “New Earth” to be too dark. This sentiment was born of the edgier style that DC Comics had embraced after “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” which is a tone that notably resembles DC’s previous cinematic franchise.

Although it would require a significant amount of creative license in its current state, the presence of a multiverse makes it possible for the DCU to address and officially supplant the darker DCEU with its new, more colorful universe. Some semblance of an adaptation of “Infinite Crisis,” at least, seems like a viable route given the current backdrop.

Created by

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

First Film

Man of Steel

First TV Show

Peacemaker

Cast

Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena

Movie(s)

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold

Character(s)

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam

The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.