While it hasn’t seen quite the same levels of success as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, rival publisher DC Comics has been building its own rich world of blockbuster films over the past decade or so.
Nicknamed the DC Extended Universe, these films share a broader continuity, but don’t have quite as many links and crossovers as the MCU, nor are they as consistent with their overarching story.
Still, viewers will definitely benefit from watching the films in order, allowing them to follow as major characters are introduced and status quo shake-ups change the face of the universe.
However, the release of The Flash later this year will also see the DCEU welcome previous franchises into the same continuity – including previous Batman movies.
So, if you’re wondering how best to watch these films, here are two methods of watching the DC Extended Universe movies in order – by release or chronologically.
How to watch DCEU movies and series in release order
The simplest method of watching the DC Extended Universe movies is by following the order they were released in cinemas. The story kicks off with the introduction of arguably the publisher’s most iconic hero, Superman, in 2013’s Man of Steel, followed by other comic book greats like Batman and Wonder Woman in later instalments…
1. Man of Steel (2013)
!["superman]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/01/Henry-Cavill-2-7ea7cf2-scaled.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Man")
Man of Steel retells Superman’s iconic origin story for the first time in a generation, chronicling his arrival on Earth from the doomed planet Krypton and his adoption by a kind couple living in Kansas, as well as his first major test at the hands of the villainous General Zod. Henry Cavill (The Witcher), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Russell Crowe (The Loudest Voice) and Amy Adams (Arrival) lead an all-star cast.
Watch now on Prime Video, or rent and buy
2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
!["Batfleck"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/08/Affleck-67bbf69.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Bruce")
This long-awaited sequel to Man of Steel expands the universe significantly, uniting the so-called DC Trinity and laying the groundwork for the formation of the Justice League. Following the events of Man of Steel, billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) has become convinced that Superman is a threat to the human race and strives to eliminate him. Jesse Eisenberg co-stars as arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, while Gal Gadot makes her debut as Diana Prince – also known as Wonder Woman.
3. Suicide Squad (2016)
!["suicide]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/09/suicide.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"suicide")
Viola Davis takes on the role of cold and calculating strategist Amanda Waller, who assembles a team of despicable super criminals to send on suicide missions around the world. Will Smith (Bad Boys for Life) and Margot Robbie (Bombshell) shine brightest as sharpshooting assassin Deadshot and the Joker’s insane associate Harley Quinn, leading the charge against Cara Delevingne’s powerful Enchantress.
4. Wonder Woman (2017)
!["Warner]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/07/gal-gadot-in-wonder-woman-35a7770.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413" "\"Gal")
This prequel heads all the way back to World War I to tell Wonder Woman’s epic origin story, which had previously been hinted at in Batman v Superman. The movie depicts Diana’s childhood among her fellow Amazonians on the beautiful island of Themyscira, where US fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) suddenly crash lands. They team up and head for the frontlines, as Wonder Woman seeks out her longtime rival Ares, the God of War.
5. Justice League (2017)
!["Ezra]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/10/GalleryMovies_1920x1080_JL-FL-0004_58bf103a13e1b6.47216573-18bf7f5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Justice")
DC’s premier team of super heroes unites! Justice League sees Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) team up to fight Steppenwolf, an extraterrestrial being who plans to launch a devastating assault on Earth.
Watch now on Prime Video, or rent and buy
6. Aquaman (2018)
!["Jason]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/12/Aquaman-Movie-Poster-Aquaman-Classic-Costume-e0110b2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Aquaman-Movie-Poster-Aquaman-Classic-Costume\"")
Set after the events of Justice League, Aquaman focuses on Jason Momoa’s Atlantean hero, who must retrieve a legendary trident to stop his half-brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson), from unleashing a terrible attack on the surface world. Warrior princess Mera (Amber Heard) joins him on a globe-trotting adventure, with the vengeful Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) hot on their trail.
7. Shazam! (2019)
!["Zachary]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2019/03/shazam-movie-trailer-1548056526-c2f965d.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"shazam-movie-trailer-1548056526\"")
A lighter chapter in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam sees orphaned teen Billy Batson (Asher Angel) granted incredible powers by an ancient wizard, who entrusts him to be the champion needed to save mankind from an imminent threat. He and his foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) have a great time getting to grips with the new abilities, which transform Billy into an older, stronger alter ego portrayed by Zachary Levi (Chuck). But it isn’t long before they come face-to-face with unhinged power-hungry scientist Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong)…
8. Birds of Prey (2020)
!["Rosie]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/02/rev-1-BOP-06543rv2_High_Res_JPEG-c9f5786.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"DSC_6785.dng\"")
A follow-up of sorts to 2016’s Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey follows Harley Quinn after she liberates herself from the Joker’s grasp and sets off on a new path in life. When she is targeted by the psychopathic crime boss Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), she forms an alliance with fellow Gotham City badasses Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and no-nonsense cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez).
9. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
!["Wonder]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/08/Wonder-Woman-1984-50ee210.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Wonder-Woman-1984\"")
Gal Gadot reprised her role as Diana Prince for this sequel film Wonder Woman 1984, which follows the superheroine in the 1980s as she is unexpectedly reunited with dead lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and comes up against two foes in the form of Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig). Warner Bros released the film during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic on HBO Max in the US and in cinemas and later on digital in the UK. The film was the most-watched straight-to-streaming film of 2020 but received mixed critical reviews and was a box office flop due to the pandemic. However, a sequel and spin-off are in development.
10. The Suicide Squad (2021)
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/07/Suicide-Squad-team-d56c8e2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Suicide")
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn brought his comic book movie sensibilities to DC in this sequel and soft-reboot of Suicide Squad, which follows the team of villains/anti-heroes on a new mission for the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). In addition to the return of characters such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), we also met new characters such as Peacemaker (John Cena) and Bloodsport (Idris Elba). Released in cinemas and on HBO Max in the US, The Suicide Squad was a box office failure amid the Covid-19 pandemic but was critically acclaimed, spawning the HBO Max series spin-off Peacemaker.
11. Peacemaker (2022)
!["John]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/01/john-cena_peacemaker-039d60a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"john-cena_peacemaker\"")
A spin-off HBO Max series following The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker follows the eponymous anti-hero after he recovers from his injuries and joins the enigmatic A.R.G.U.S. black ops squad dubbed “Project Butterfly”. Peacemaker sets off to fight this threat with the aid of his A.R.G.U.S. colleagues and faces down a powerful threat taking unpredictable forms. The series has already been renewed for a second season on HBO Max, but the first has not been shown in the UK.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
!["Zack_Snyder's_Justice_League"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/03/Zack_Snyders_Justice_League-2c8b6b2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Zack_Snyder's_Justice_League\"")
After a lengthy and vigorous fan campaign, Warner Bros enabled Zack Snyder to return to Justice League to work on his own cut of the film after previously having to leave the production and being replaced by Joss Whedon. While it is not strictly canon now, the longer cut of Justice League expands on subplots of the previous instalments and offers new insights into characters such as Cyborg and The Flash. It does, however, set up a sequel that – at the moment – does not look set to be made.
Watch Justice is Grey version on NOW
How to watch DC movies and series in chronological order
The order is only slightly different for those wanting to watch the films in chronological order i.e. according to the events of each film. With the exception of short scenes at the beginning and the end, Wonder Woman is set in 1918 during the First World War, placing it much earlier than every other film in the DC Extended Universe.
- Wonder Woman (1918)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (1984)
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2013-2015)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Justice League or Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2017)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Shazam! (2019)
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Peacemaker (2022)
Batman v Superman was first released in March 2016, but its story is set slightly earlier than that. The opening scene is set during the climactic events of 2013’s Man of Steel, but it then jumps forward about 18 months placing it somewhere in 2015.
Suicide Squad jumps forward another year and references the devastating aftermath of Batman v Superman’s dramatic final battle.
Aquaman and Shazam both feature flashback scenes, but for the vast majority are set in the present day, so there’s no real need to uproot them from their place later in the pack.
Wonder Woman 1984 is actually set in 1984 so follows her first film but is set before much of the others.
Of course, Zack Snyder’s Justice League exists outside of the timeline so should be treated as its own beast despite being set at the same time as the theatrical cut of Justice League.
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Where can I watch DC movies?
Unfortunately, there’s no single streaming service where you can find every movie in the DC Extended Universe (well, not in the UK at least).
The films appear to move between different services, with many currently available on NOW, Netflix and Prime Video.
Fans in the US can now enjoy all of the DC content from Warner Bros. through their streaming service HBO Max.
Upcoming DC Extended Universe entries
!["Black]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Black-Adam--1a52bfb-e1645105930576.jpg?quality=90&resize=421%2C302" "\"Black")
The DC Universe has a packed schedule coming up, which will both add to and extend their current timeline. As the title would suggest, Wonder Woman 1984 is set in, well, 1984, meaning it will slot in chronologically between the first film and Man of Steel.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a radically re-edited version of 2017’s Justice League, meaning it will be set at the same time, but the story could be quite different – perhaps setting the whole universe on a different course. We’ll have to wait and see which is confirmed to be official canon…
- Black Adam (29th July 2022)
- The Flash (4th November 2022)
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (16th December 2022)
- Batgirl (2022)
- Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2nd June 2023)
- Blue Beetle (18th August 2023)
- Wonder Woman 3 (TBC)
Meanwhile, there are also some other films in various stages of development too, which include the following.
- The Amazons
- Black Canary
- Blackhawks
- Booster Gold
- Deadshot
- Gotham City Sirens
- Green Lantern Corps
- Hourman
- Lobo
- Nightwing
- The Metal Men
- Plastic Man
- Static Shock
- Supergirl
- Wonder Twins
- Zatanna
Where do The Batman and Joker fit in with the other DC movies?
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/batman-2022-f793b0d.jpeg?quality=90&crop=8px%2C332px%2C2748px%2C1831px&resize=620%2C413" "\"batman-2022\"")
There is also the new film The Batman arriving on 4th March 2022 which exists in a separate continuity to these other films.
This is planned to be followed by sequel films and also spin-off series on HBO Max focusing on the Gotham City Police Department and The Penguin, respectively.
This film has no known connection to the DCEU, similarly to the recent Todd Phillips film Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, which exists in its own continuity and looks set to have its own sequel.
Check out what else is on with our TV Guide. Want to watch something else? We have the Marvel movies in order and Star Wars in order.