James Gunn’s new Superman film has officially landed in theatres. While most eyes are on the Man of Steel, a lot of the press in the run-up to the blockbuster has asked questions about another hero in the DC Universe.
There is a whole lot of chatter surrounding Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman, and how he will fit into this new era of the DCU, as there are multiple projects in the live-action pipeline centred around the Dark Knight.
After an early screening of Superman, I’ve seen several clues to be aware of, and I’ve compiled them with the key quotes we have so far to try and piece together what exactly is going on with Batman, and whether there’s any chance we’ll see David Corenswet come face-to-face with Robert Pattinson’s version of the vigilante in the future.
Note that there are spoilers below for Superman. Proceed at your own risk
Superman has a small Batman Easter egg
I can confirm that while Batman doesn’t appear in James Gunn’s Superman movie, there is a key reference that indicates that he exists.
During an evacuation scene of Metropolis, we can see a road sign for Gotham City, the city where Batman traditionally operates. That reference wasn’t key to the plot, so it’s definitely a tease for fans of what’s to come for this DC Universe reboot.
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This comes as no surprise, as co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, have outlined some plans for an original movie about Bruce Wayne (detailed below), which would most likely cast a new face in the role.
However, there are now questions about whether an existing version of Batman could be folded into this DC world to star alongside David Corenswet. Specifically, Robert Pattinson’s take on the character from Matt Reeves’s The Batman, who will return for the sequel on 1 October 2027.
These rumours basically stem from an unexpected cameo in Superman, which confirms that Gunn and Safran are not wiping the slate clean completely.
Superman cameo confirms one old DCEU character exists in this new world
In the Superman film, we see Clark Kent coming under fire from the press when Lex Luthor leaks a video exposing the true reason that he was sent to Earth. As we flick through the TV channels, we see a host interviewing none other than… Peacemaker, played by John Cena.
As fans of the character may not be surprised to hear, the anti-hero is trash-talking Clark Kent. The real question is… how is he here?
HBO
Peacemaker first appeared in The Suicide Squad, alongside the likes of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, who both appeared in the first Suicide Squad film – a movie very much set in the DCEU… where Henry Cavill played Superman.
The most obvious reason is that this version of Peacemaker has now been retconned to be part of this universe. After all, there’s no reason that the same actor can’t play different multiverse versions of characters – take J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films and the MCU.
Plus, Gunn has basically confirmed back in November 2024 that almost all of the series Peacemaker is canon in this new DCU, except for the one scene that includes a cameo from the former Justice League.
That would make sense, given that Superman includes Rick Flag Sr as a side-character, the dad of Rick Flag… and the actors don’t really have a big enough age gap to make this work, unless for some reason Superman is set earlier in this fictional timeline than anticipated.
The other is that this is some sort of (getting ready to groan) multiverse scenario. After all, the Superman film deals with the concept of pocket universes, so that sort of storytelling would make it very convenient to fold in other characters that would otherwise not make much sense.
The biggest reason this probably isn’t the case is because it’s a huge part of Marvel’s story right now with factions such as the X-Men, and therefore it would seem more likely that Gunn would want to create his own narrative.
But Gunn hasn’t completely wiped the slate clean by having Peacemaker involved, just like Marvel did with the Netflix series, such as Daredevil.
Marvel 2024 / Giovanni Rufino
So, if he’s carting over some characters from the DCEU, is there a chance that he might do the same from another DC property?
James Gunn’s stance on Matt Reeves’s The Batman
When Gunn took over as co-head of DC Studios, he made it quite clear that he’d be happy to have two live-action Bruce Wayne stories co-existing alongside one another. One as part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters of the DCU, while the other would take place under the DC Elseworlds umbrella – stories that aren’t in the main ‘canon’.
That ‘other’ in question is The Batman Part II, starring Robert Pattinson, which finished its script at the end of June. This universe also includes a spin-off, HBO’s The Penguin starring Colin Farrell, which received critical acclaim.
Macall Polay/HBO
However, during an interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn was asked about whether he’d ever want to fold this character into his version of the DCU:
Interviewer: “You once said that the fact that Robert Pattinson’s Batman is not in this universe was Matt Reeves’ choice. Does that mean if it were up to you, you would’ve just pulled that into your universe?”
Gunn: “It would be a consideration. We’d have to think about it. We’d have to think about it. It is not like we’ve never discussed it.”
Interviewer: “I really should clear this up. Is there still a non-zero chance that Matt Reeves’ Batman will get sucked into your universe?”
Gunn: “[Long pause.] I would never say zero, because you just never know. But it’s not likely. It’s not likely at all.”
So, Battinson crossing into the main DCU seems unlikely. And that’s not really surprising – Reeve’s take on this world is gritty, gothic and semi-realistic. Meanwhile, the latest Superman has a superdog – they’re quite far apart tonally.
Plus, Gunn has his own plans in place for Bruce Wayne.
Warner Bros. Discovery
A new Batman film is in development called The Brave and the Bold
In the same interview, Gunn discussed how he’s commissioned a writer to work on The Brave and the Bold script, but there are challenges surrounding it:
“Batman has to have a reason for existing, right? So Batman can’t just be “Oh, we’re making a Batman movie because Batman’s the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,” which he is. But because there’s a need for him in the DCU and a need that he’s not exactly the same as Matt’s Batman. But yet he’s not a campy Batman. I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really. So we’re dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it’s — I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.”
The story will focus on Bruce Wayne and his son Damian Wayne, who will gain the title of Robin – Batman’s trusty sidekick.
We don’t yet know when The Brave and the Bold will be released, as the script isn’t yet complete, and no casting process has begun yet. It surely won’t be next year, which already has Supergirl and Clayface films lined up on 26 June and 11 September, respectively.
2027 is a possibility, but that would be a risky move to put two Batman films in the same year, and it may be confusing for audiences, considering that Gunn doesn’t want to go down the ‘funny, campy Batman’ route, so they may end up being similar in tone. Hopefully, we’ll hear more in the coming months.
James Gunn’s status on Batman in the DCU, in summary
Batman is likely to be rebooted in this new era of the DCU in The Brave and the Bold. While Matt Reeves’s second film about the Caped Crusader is still going ahead, it will be considered as part of an alternate universe under the DC Elseworlds umbrella.
While Gunn hasn’t completely ruled out Battinson joining the DCU with David Corenswet’s Superman, the chances are slim. But of course, Superman did feature a cameo from a character in the DCEU with Peacemaker, which proves that some liberties are being taken with this universe – it’s not starting from scratch, which may be something for fans to speculate about.
Pocket universes were also introduced in Superman, which could be a great excuse to hop between worlds, but it would be a surprise for DC to also follow a multiversal arc, considering how much Marvel has incorporated this into its film slate.
