James Gunn’s new DC Universe was never designed as a clean demolition of everything that came before it. Instead, DC Studios carried selected characters, performances, and stories across the transition while building a shared world that already had heroes operating within it.

That choice is clearest in projects such as Peacemaker and Blue Beetle, alongside the fresh mythology established by Superman. Now Clayface is bringing something unusual to that universe: an origin story centered on a villain, wrapped in horror and rooted in Gotham.

Before Matt Hagen steps into the spotlight, here are the movies and shows of the DCU that one needs to catch up on.

James Gunn’s The S******* Squad is the starting point for this entire chain because it introduced several characters who would survive the transition into the new DC era. The 2021 movie follows Amanda Waller as she assembles Task Force X at Belle Reve and sends the prisoners to Corto Maltese for a mission involving Project Starfish. Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, and others are dropped into a war zone where the government’s secret agenda gradually comes into focus. 

Harley Quinn and Rick Flag also return from the earlier DCEU, giving the film a deliberate connection to that era. The story eventually centers on Starro, the enormous alien starfish being weaponized by the project, while the surviving members of the Squad turn against Waller’s orders. Peacemaker’s decision to protect the American government’s secret becomes a crucial moment. He kills Rick Flag before Bloodsport shoots him, leaving the character apparently dead until the post-credit scene reveals his survival.

That scene leads directly into Peacemaker, making John Cena’s character the key bridge between Gunn’s DCEU work and the DCU. The movie also establishes Rick Flag Sr.’s connection to Peacemaker through the death of his son, a relationship that later resurfaces in Creature Commandos, Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.

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The S******* Squad gives the DCU its first pieces of history, and the next stop keeps one of its biggest surviving heroes alive.

Blue Beetle arrived in 2023 during the closing stretch of the DCEU, yet James Gunn and Peter Safran identified Jaime Reyes as a character who could carry into the DCU. Gunn described the film as disconnected from the earlier continuity, giving the new universe room to embrace Xolo Maridueña’s hero without requiring audiences to untangle years of backstory. That makes the movie an unusual piece of the transition.

The plot follows Jaime after he returns home from college and finds his future uncertain. His life changes when an alien Scarab called Khaji-Da chooses him as its host. The ancient technology grows around Jaime and creates a powerful suit, turning him into Blue Beetle. 

The movie earned $130.8 million worldwide against a reported production budget of about $120 million, making its theatrical run a commercial underperformer. Its place in the DCU, however, remained important after Gunn described Jaime as a character who could belong in the new universe.

Jaime’s survival makes Blue Beetle a useful bridge, but the real continuity test arrives with John Cena’s Peacemaker.

John Cena’s Peacemaker began as a spin-off of The S******* Squad, and Season 1 follows Christopher Smith after he survives his confrontation with Bloodsport. Amanda Waller sends him into Project Butterfly, a covert operation targeting alien parasites that have infiltrated human society. Alongside Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, Leota Adebayo and Vigilante, Chris discovers that the Butterflies are connected to a plan involving the food supply. His journey also forces him to confront the abusive legacy of his father, Auggie Smith, known as the White Dragon.

Season 1 ends with Peacemaker and the team defeating the Butterfly threat. The finale originally featured the DCEU Justice League, including Superman, Aquaman and The Flash. Season 2 keeps the events of the season intact inside the DCU while recontextualizing that cameo as the Justice Gang. DC has described this as the central continuity adjustment that allows the series to move from the DCEU into Gunn’s shared universe.

The second season places Peacemaker in a new superhero landscape. He tries out for Maxwell Lord’s Justice Gang alongside Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl, while Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. pursues him over Rick Flag Jr.’s death. The season also introduces an alternate dimension that forces Chris to confront another version of himself and raises questions about his place within this universe.

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From here, the DCU officially opens its doors with an animated team of monsters.

Creature Commandos is the first project released as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. The seven-episode animated series follows Task Force M, a group of incarcerated monsters recruited by Amanda Waller for a mission considered too dangerous for ordinary operatives. Gunn wrote all seven episodes, and DC Studios designed the series as a model of its plan to connect animation and live action through shared characters and performers.

Rick Flag Sr. leads the mission into Pokolistan, where the team is ordered to protect Princess Ilana Rostovic from Circe, an Amazonian sorceress. The group includes Frankenstein, the Bride, Nina Mazursky, Doctor Phosphorus, G.I. Robot and Weasel. Their personal histories reshape the mission as relationships develop and the team learns that Ilana’s ambitions hide a dangerous threat.

Circe’s warning eventually proves accurate. The Commandos discover that Ilana intends to unleash a devastating plan, forcing the team to turn against the princess. Nina attempts to stop her and is killed, while the remaining members fight to prevent catastrophe. The story also establishes Rick Flag Sr. as a major figure in the DCU.

The monsters open the door, and Superman shows what this connected universe looks like on the big screen.

James Gunn’s Superman is the DCU’s theatrical foundation, and its plot begins with an important decision: Clark Kent is already Superman. The movie introduces David Corenswet’s Clark after three years of superhero work, with the wider world already familiar with metahumans. He has the Fortress of Solitude, works at the Daily Planet, knows Lois Lane and spends his life responding to disasters across the world.

The central conflict begins when Superman’s actions create international tensions and Lex Luthor exploits the situation. Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor manipulates events through political influence, advanced technology and a secret pocket universe containing the Engineer and Ultraman. Superman eventually uncovers the scheme while relying on allies such as Lois, Mister Terrific and Krypto.

The film also establishes the Justice Gang, featuring Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific. Maxwell Lord finances the group through LordTech, creating a superhero organization that already operates before the Justice League exists. Rick Flag Sr. appears as the head of A.R.G.U.S., connecting Superman to The S******* Squad, Creature Commandos and Peacemaker.

This is the crucial world-building point before Clayface. Gotham does not need a long introduction to the existence of superheroes because Superman has already established a society where extraordinary beings are part of everyday life. The film also hints at Gotham through a road sign, while Batman himself remains absent.

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With that foundation in place, the universe sends viewers into space with Kara Zor-El.

Milly Alcock’s Supergirl expands the DCU beyond Earth and follows Kara Zor-El on a violent journey shaped by grief. Kara travels through space with Krypto when she meets Ruthye Marye Knoll, a young girl whose father has been murdered by Krem of the Yellow Hills. Ruthye wants revenge, and Kara becomes involved after Krem also poisons Krypto.

The story draws heavily from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Kara carries memories of Krypton that differ from Clark’s experience, having grown up on Argo City before its destruction. That history shapes her relationship with Ruthye, whose grief mirrors the pain Kara has carried for years. Their journey brings them into conflict with Krem and his brigands, while Jason Momoa’s Lobo enters the story as a brutal bounty hunter.

The movie serves as Kara’s introduction to the DCU after her appearance in Superman. It also expands the universe into alien civilizations, cosmic travel and characters operating far beyond Metropolis. Reception to Supergirl was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the film at 53% from critics, while Metacritic has a 50 score from 56 reviews. Commercially, the film has struggled, with $72.3 million reported in domestic box office gross.

Even with that response, Kara’s story adds crucial cosmic context before Clayface pulls the universe back toward Gotham.

The final stop brings that mythology into a grounded murder mystery with Lanterns.

Lanterns takes the DCU into a different corner by following Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart through a murder investigation in rural America. Kyle Chandler plays veteran Lantern Hal, while Aaron Pierre portrays John, a young recruit learning what the ring and its responsibilities demand. 

The series uses a grounded detective structure while introducing the cosmic mythology surrounding the Corps. The opening episodes explore John’s childhood and his connection to Hal before the story moves into the mystery at Rushville. John discovers that Hal has been living with the consequences of a destructive incident from their past.

By the sixth episode, set ten years after John’s earlier confrontation with Hal, John has become an architect and Hal has served prison time. Hal is mysteriously killed after returning to Rushville, leaving John with his mentor’s ring and a mysterious Halogram that may help uncover the truth.

The show has also connected its Green Lantern story to the wider DCU. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner appears, linking the series to the Justice Gang introduced in Superman and featured in Peacemaker. Carol Ferris also enters the story, while the investigation continues to point toward a mythology involving figures such as Sinestro.

As of September 24, 2026, six of the eight episodes have aired, with two episodes remaining. That grounded mystery brings the DCU to Gotham, where Clayface is ready to turn a villain’s transformation into a horror story.

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What do you think about the movies and shows that audiences should watch before Clayface? Let us know in the comments.