On February 11, DC dropped a one minute long trailer for its 2022 superhero movies. The video serves as more of a sizzle reel than anything else, offering sneak peeks at the upcoming The Batman, Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Take a gander:
The trailer moves pretty fast and there’s a lot crammed into that single minute, but luckily I’m a certified DCologist. Here’s the breakdown of what it shows, plus what we already know about these four films:
The Batman, March 4
This one is nearly upon us, so we already know quite a lot about it. Batman is being played by everyone’s favorite sparklepire Robert Pattinson, of course; he’s joined by Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Like 2005’s Batman Begins, the movie will depict a Batman early in his career, so it’ll be interesting to say whether it cribs as heavily from Frank Miller as the Nolan and Snyder movies did or brings something new to the table. It’ll also be interesting to see if it falls into the “too many villains” trap of Batman and Robin and Spider-Man 3. I guess we’ll find out!
The Stack Newsletter
Sign up to The Stack to receive Book Riot Comic's best posts, picked for you.
Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.
By signing up you agree to our terms of use
Unsurprisingly given how close we are to the release date, the new trailer doesn’t show us much we haven’t seen in earlier trailers. There’s Batman, there’s Catwoman, there’s the Batmobile, and that’s really it. But this isn’t what I’m here for, anyway.
Black Adam, July 29
THIS IS WHAT I’M HERE FOR. Black Adam is a spinoff of 2019’s Shazam! Dwayne Johnson, who has been attached to a potential Shazamverse film since 2006, plays the title character, a 5,000-year-old antihero with the same powers as Shazam. Honestly, the 16 years of anticipation would be enough to get me stoked about this one, not to mention the fact that Black Adam is a really cool, interesting character.
But the decision was made to bring in a bunch of Justice Society of America characters for Black Adam, a fact that has me more excited than I’ve been for a superhero project in years. The lineup includes Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, a reincarnated Egyptian prince turned archaeologist; Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, one of DC’s most powerful magical heroes; Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, with the power of growing really, really big; and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, who can control wind. The cast is rounded out with Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, a resistance fighter in Black Adam’s native Kahndaq; in the comics, Adrianna becomes the hero Isis and marries Black Adam. (It, uh, ends pretty poorly, though.)
These are such interesting character choices, drawing heavily from the excellent 1999 JSA series, and the casting is superb all around. The new trailer shows Adam facing off against helicopters, plus some glimpses of his backstory; Cyclone and Atom Smasher in civvies joking together; Doctor Fate offering a hand to Black Adam; and all of the JSAers in costume, including great shots of Hawkman flexing his wings and Atom Smasher running through a city at the same height as the buildings around him. I don’t know if it’s my deep and abiding love for Atom Smasher or the fact that this is the only one of the four movies in the trailer that seems at all well lit, but I cannot wait for July.
The Flash, November 4
Anyone else remember when DC was trying really hard to emulate the success of the MCU and so they announced not just Justice League but a whole slate of spinoff movies featuring the various Leaguers? But then Justice League was, you know, terrible, and between behind-the-scenes controversy and COVID upheaval, most of those sequels and spinoffs just kind of…disappeared. Aside from 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, The Flash starring Ezra Miller was the only one left standing.
So how does it look? Eh.
Okay, I’m probably not being fair. But this movie has made the baffling choice to adapt Flashpoint, the 2011 story in which Barry Allen attempts to alter the past and prevent his mother’s murder, but accidentally breaks the timeline in the process. I loathe Flashpoint, both because I hate the emphasis on fridging Barry’s mom over and over again and because Flashpoint was the event that kicked off the New 52 reboot, something which I have still not forgiven DC for 11 years later. Plus, Flashpoint has already been adapted as an animated movie and by the CW TV show (it’s why I stopped watching the show, actually), so I’m not sure why DC felt the need to commit this not-very-good story to film a third time.
Ezra Miller’s Barry will be joined by Kiersey Clemons as his love interest Iris West and Ron Livingston replacing Billy Crudup as his father. Most interestingly, we’ll see a mix of returning and new characters across the DCEU: Michael Shannon and Antje Traue reprising their roles as General Zod and Faora-Ul from Man of Steel, Sasha Calle appearing for the first time as Supergirl…and both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman.
There’s no new Flash footage in this recent teaser; everything we see was already shown in a teaser during last year’s DC FanDome. There’s a few clips of Barry in (a terrible) costume, a shot of him with his mother, another shot with two Barrys and Supergirl in the Batcave, and some hints at Michael Keaton’s Batman. We also hear Michael Keaton’s voice asking “You can go to any timeline, any universe…why fight to save this one?”
The double Barrys are intriguing, as is hearing Keaton’s Batman, but again, the CW’s Flash already did this with their Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, complete with an Ezra Miller cameo where their Barry met the show’s version played by Grant Gustin, plus a whopping three different Supermen (Tyler Hoechlin, Brandon Routh, and Tom Welling). Plus Marvel just pulled a similar stunt with Spider-Man: No Way Home and its oodles of Spider-veterans. On the other hand, Ezra Miller’s performance was one of the few bright spots in Justice League (though some of the allegations against them are troubling), so maybe I’ll be eating my words in November. I hope so!
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, December 16
And finally, we have the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman. This movie will bring back most of the cast of the first film, including Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as his love interest Mera, Nicole Kidman as his mother Queen Atlanna, Patrick Wilson as his brother and future villain Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as his advisor Vulko, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the villain Black Manta. (I broke down the various characters over here when we were gearing up for the first movie.)
Unsurprisingly considering the distant release date, the footage for this one is scanty, consisting of two shots of Momoa in costume and a voiceover of him saying the truly silly line: “What could be greater than a king? A hero.”
There’s no hints yet as to what the titular lost kingdom could be. Aquacomics are absolutely lousy with underwater kingdoms, including Tritonis, Thierna na Oge, Bazilia, Hy-Brasil, Shayeris, Xebel, the Trench, and probably some I’m forgetting. It could also somehow refer to Atlantis, Aquaman’s home kingdom, itself. But I guess we’ll find out in ten months!
Over the past decade or so, we’ve been deluged with superhero media on both big and small screens, and despite my deathless love for the genre, I’ve found it hard to get excited when there’s just so much. But this trailer has managed to recapture some of the thrill I used to feel, especially those Black Adam clips. The DCEU has had a rocky road, with more failures than successes, but here’s hoping all of these movies are as good as my loftiest hopes, and that attending movies in theaters keeps getting easier and safer.
FAQs
What is next for the DCU? ›
Superman: Legacy is the first movie in the new slate and will be released globally on July 11, 2025. Written by Gunn, it will focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. "This is really the start of the DCU," Safran said in a statement, per Deadline (opens in new tab).
What is the next DC movie 2023? ›The Flash (June 23, 2023)
The DCEU's future will likely not include Ezra Miller as the Flash, but hopefully, his co-stars Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton, and Ben Affleck will return in Gunn's new DCEU through the multiverse at some point. Find out about the latest exciting update for The Flash's Batman cameos here.
Gunn and Safran announced in January 2023 that they officially had a new ten-year plan for DC, shooting for two films a year and two HBO Max series a year. Kicking off the new plan will be Superman: Legacy, the first film in what Safran and Gunn call DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
What will be the last DC movie? ›The Final DCU Movie Will Likely Be Aquaman 2
There have been many reports suggesting that The Flash will act as a reboot of the DCU, but Aquaman 2 will still be the last DC movie to release in 2023.
Is there a Man of Steel 2 release date? No, Man of Steel 2 doesn't have a release date at the time of writing – however, following recent reports, it's possible the movie could release in 2024, if not 2025… if at all. At the time of writing, Man of Steel 2 has yet to be confirmed by Warner Bros. and DC.
Who is black Superman? ›The most well-known of all incarnations of Black Superman debuted in Final Crisis #7, by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke. In a story where all the Supermen of the Multiverse converge in a stand against Darkseid, we came to know Calvin Ellis, the Superman of Earth-23.
Is DC making a cyborg movie? ›The film was meant to be a continuation of Justice League but it was canceled by Warner Bros due to Ray Fisher's clash with DC Films.
Does DC have a new Superman? ›DC Studios, a newly formed Warner division dedicated to superhero content, unveiled plans on Tuesday to reboot Superman onscreen for the first time in a generation, tentatively scheduling the yet-to-be-cast “Superman: Legacy” for release in theaters in July 2025.
Will there be more DC animated movies after apokolips war? ›...
As depicted in the DC Animated Movie Universe.
| Year(s) | Feature films |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Justice League Dark: Apokolips War |
| Aftermath of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War | Constantine: The House of Mystery |
For Black Adam, the magic word of Shazam stands for the Stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen.
Is Black Adam more powerful than Superman? ›
The Edge for Black Adam
As far as strength is concerned, it's pretty much a wash. Earth's yellow sun gives Superman immense strength, while Black Adam's strength is, literally, a gift from the gods, specifically Amon. A street brawl between the two could go on for days with neither gaining the upper hand.
DC superhero movie fans need wonder no longer about Superman's screen future. Henry Cavill is officially back in the role following his end-credits cameo in Black Adam. "I wanted to make it official that I am back as Superman," Cavill said in an Instagram video posted Monday, following Black Adam's opening weekend.
Will DC Earth one continue? ›The Earth One universe would expand as more graphic novels are released, including Teen Titans: Earth One in 2014, Wonder Woman: Earth One in 2016 and Green Lantern: Earth One in 2018, with other novels currently under development.
Will Henry Cavill play Superman again? ›Henry Cavill won't return as Superman in franchise's next movie.
Is the DC Universe getting rebooted? ›DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn unveiled his plans for a reboot of the DC Comics cinematic universe on Tuesday, announcing a slew of new movies and television shows set to drop in the near future.
Is DC recasting Superman? ›The folks at Warner Bros Discovery, or more precisely the folks at newly christened DC Films called DC Studios, thought it best to abandon Henry Cavill's Superman. The reason for the recasting is that filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran are looking for a younger Superman in their burgeoning DC Universe.
Who is the next Superman actor? ›David Corenswet
Many fans were keen on the twenty-nine-year-old actor playing Superman's son, Jon Kent. But with Cavill no longer playing Clark Kent, Corenswet could swoop in as the new Superman. Corenswet is best known for his performances in Pearl (2022), We Own This City (2022), and The Politician (2019).
Steel is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a genius engineer who built a mechanized suit of armor that mirrors Superman's powers, and initially sought to replace him after he was killed by Doomsday.
Who is the purple Superman? ›Bizarro (/bɪˈzɑːroʊ/) is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958).
Who is Superman's first son? ›Jon Kent is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the son of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, he first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2 (July 2015). Jon is the newest character in the DC Universe to assume the superhero persona of Superboy.
Is there a Mexican Superman? ›
Hernan Guerra, was the genetically-engineered son of General Zod and Lara Lor-Van, who was rocketed to Earth as a child from the doomed planet Krypton following Jor-El's murder by Zod. Upon his arrival on Earth, Hernan was raised by a family of honorable and hardworking Mexican migrant farmers.
Is there a female Cyborg in DC? ›Scarlett Taylor was a government agent who underwent the same transformation as Cyborg, becoming Variant.
Is Cyborg a Kryptonian? ›...
Hank Henshaw.
| Cyborg Superman | |
|---|---|
| Alter ego | Henry "Hank" Henshaw |
| Species | Human/Kryptonian cyborg |
| Place of origin | Earth |
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is currently expected to arrive sometime in 2027. Find out more about everything DC announced today, from a new Superman movie to The Brave and the Bold.
Why was Cavill replaced as Superman? ›Henry Cavill's unanticipated departure from the role of Superman is simply down to the fact that the newly-formed DC Studios plans on taking the Man of Steel in a different direction than the former creative team at Warner Bros. did.
Will Superman be in Black Adam? ›Black Adam shook the DCEU when it finally unveiled Henry Cavill's comeback as Superman in its game-changing mid-credits scene. The character's return comes after Dwayne Johnson's heavy teases about Superman's presence alongside the actual scene being leaked that made Black Adam's producer frustrated.
Who is the new Superman villain in Superman and Lois? ›The season's main villain will be Bruno Manheim, played by Chad L. Coleman. In the comic books, Manheim is the leader of the crime syndicate Intergang. The character was previously featured in Superman: The Animated Series, where he was voiced by Bruce Weitz.
What DC Tomorrowverse movies are coming out in 2023? ›- Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
- Justice Society: World War II (2021)
- Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)
- Green Lantern: Beware My Power (2022)
- Legion of Super-Heroes (2023)
- Justice League: Warworld.
The Tomorrowverse is a Shared Universe that exists as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line starting in 2020. It replaced the DC Animated Movie Universe, which officially ended a few months before this film series began.
What is the next DC Tomorrowverse movie? ›Green Lantern: Beware My Power, the last of DC's 2D animated movies in 2022, is the latest entry in the “Tomorrowverse”. The name is a reference to 2020's Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and it is used to describe DC's new animated universe following Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
What is Black Adam weakness? ›
Weaknesses. Magical Vulnerability: Only significant magic can affect him. Lightning: Lightning attacks that cause damage and can cause Black Adam to revert back to Theo Adam. A former weakness of Teth-Adam is that he couldn't revert to normal because if he did, he would age all the years he didn't, meaning he would die ...
Who is Captain Marvel's arch enemy? ›Black Adam: Captain Marvel's arch-nemesis and predecessor. The main reason Billy was given his powers was to fight Black Adam.
Who is the strongest DC character? ›There is no contest here and no way to go around it; Superman is the most powerful character in the DCEU, and although he hasn't been around the big screen since 2017, his reputation is safe, at least until Darkseid makes his debut — if that ever happens.
Who is stronger Black Adam or Shazam? ›In short, Black Adam should be Shazam's equal, but some of his powers are beyond Billy Batson's abilities. Black Adam also has allies that help him overcome entire squads of superheroes. Then, Black Adam has a lot of combat experience, while Shazam is, in fact, a child.
Who has more strength Thor or Black Adam? ›While both their lighting powers would cancel each other out, Thor has shown to have far greater strength and speed than Black Adam. Plus, given that Black Adam is obviously not worthy, all Thor would have to do is strike him to the ground with his hammer and end the fight there.
Who is stronger Superman or Shazam? ›And where Superman has heat vision, cold breath and other useful powers, Shazam can call down lightning and even bestow part of his power to other heroes. It's a pretty even match-up, all things considered. In terms of raw strength, most comics stories seem to give the edge to Superman.
Who is Marvel's version of Black Adam? ›In The Marvel Family #1, Black Adam is an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam (i.e., "Mighty Human"), who is chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his successor due to his presumed moral purity.
Is Magic a weakness of Superman? ›Surprisingly, that isn't even his greatest weakness! In fact, magic circumnavigates all of his biological abilities. No matter what color of sun he's under, no matter what the situation is, magic is extremely effective against Superman.
What did Superman say to Black Adam? ›"It's been a while since anyone's made the world so nervous," the Kryptonian hero says. "Black Adam, we should talk."
Is DC Universe being shut down? ›DC announced in September 2020 that the service would change its name to DC Universe Infinite and become solely a digital comics subscription service on January 21, 2021. DC Universe subscriptions would automatically transfer over to DC Universe Infinite.
Is the DC Multiverse destroyed? ›
The whole Multiverse is destroyed except for five Earths (the Silver Age's Earth-One, the Golden Age's Earth-Two, Charlton Comics' Earth-Four, Fawcett Comics' Earth-S and Quality Comics' Freedom Fighters' Earth-X). Later, the universe is recreated as one single universe from those five.
Are there 52 Earths in DC? ›"Dan DiDio explained that there are 52 earths, and then alternate dimensions within each universe, as well as alternate timelines and microverses within each." Many of these worlds resembled Pre-Crisis and Elseworlds universes such as Kingdom Come, Red Son and The Dark Knight Returns.
Will Dwayne Johnson return as Black Adam? ›Dwayne Johnson says Black Adam 2 won't be part of new DC movies phase.
Is Justice League Part 2 Cancelled? ›Justice League Part 2
Warner Bros. Following Warner Bros. ' decision to make Justice League one film as opposed to two, the planned sequel that was scheduled to open in theaters on June 14, 2019, was canceled.
Following James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over as co-heads of DC Studios, Johnson confirmed that, for now, Black Adam wouldn't be returning to the DC Universe despite that Superman credit scene teaser. We now know some of the first offerings of the new DCU and Black Adam 2 is nowhere to be seen.
Who is taking over the DC Universe? ›James Gunn and Peter Safran are officially taking over the DCU. The “Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker” director is joining forces with “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” producer to both serve as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios, IndieWire can confirm.
What are DC plans for 2023? ›Gunn and Safran announced in January 2023 that they officially had a new ten-year plan for DC, shooting for two films a year and two HBO Max series a year. Kicking off the new plan will be Superman: Legacy, the first film in what Safran and Gunn call DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
Will DC Universe Infinite have movies? ›The biggest change from DC Universe to DC Universe Infinite is, of course, that it is definitionally less infinite. No movies, no cartoon shows, no television series — all of DCU's exclusives and prized content possessions are expected to migrate to HBO Max, with a few having already made the jump.
Will there be more DC Webtoons? ›The Bat-Family Returns: WEBTOON and DC Announce Season 2 of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. LOS ANGELES, September 26, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WEBTOON, the world's largest digital comics platform, and DC today announced that Batman: Wayne Family Adventures will return for its second season on September 28.
Are they rebooting the DCU? ›On Tuesday, January 31, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran finally unveiled the first chapter of their DCU reboot titled "Gods and Monsters."
Is The Batman going to be in the DCU? ›
Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight of The Batman film saga will continue in the Elsewords franchise that runs parallel to the main DCU timeline, while The Flash – one of the last relics of the DCEU – will feature DCEU Batman (Ben Affleck) and Michael Keaton's veteran Batman too.
Is the DC animated universe ending? ›The universe ended its run with the 2020 film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War followed by a fully rebooted universe with every and all characters "Reborn" in the new universe Barry Allen created called the "Tomorrowverse."
What is the longest running Webtoon? ›The Sound of Your Heart (Korean: 마음의 소리; also known as The Sound of Your heart, Sound of Heart) is a South Korean webtoon series written and illustrated by Jo Seok. The webtoon was first released on the Naver WEBTOON internet portal in 2006.
What is the most viewed comic on Webtoon? ›- The God of High School.
- Wind Breaker.
- True Beauty.
- Tower of God.
- Heartstopper.
- Boyfriends.
- Lore Olympus.
- I want to be a cute anime girl.
Henry Cavill won't return as Superman in franchise's next movie.
Is henry cavill no longer Superman? ›With a new regime in place, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran explain why Henry Cavill won't be part of their future plans.
Will henry cavill be back as Superman? ›The actor announced he won't be returning to play Superman in James Gunn's new film. Read his message to fans. Henry Cavill is hanging up his cape.
Is the Joker part of the DCU? ›The Joker is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) multimedia franchise, primarily portrayed by Jared Leto.
Will The Batman have Superman? ›The film traced Bruce Wayne's journey just when he was a year old into saving Gotham as the Cape Crusader. But looks like the future is set to bring in more characters. Yes, you read that right. As per the latest update, The Batman timeline has now confirmed the presence of Superman with the mention of his city.
Will Robert Pattinson be in the DCU? ›It has been confirmed that the Batman portrayed by Robert Pattinson will not be part of the new DC Universe. Filmmaker Matt Reeves is far from finished with his take on The Dark Knight, with a trilogy of films planned in addition to a Penguin series for HBO Max.