Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: dcu

  • DC Studios ‘Supergirl’Reportedly Making Radical Changes to Its Villain

    DC Studios ‘Supergirl’Reportedly Making Radical Changes to Its Villain

    In September 2024, Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts landed the villainous role of Krem of the Yellow Hills in DC Studios’ Supergirl. The central antagonist of the celebrated 2021 DC comic book miniseries, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, upon which the upcoming film’s script was based, Krem was a ruthless, intergalactic outlaw whose monstrous actions propelled the entire story. Though certainly barbaric, Krem was otherwise a regular-looking, run-of-the-mill ginger alien. It sounds as though the villain will be radically changed for his DCU debut, however.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, who recently shared some positive feedback about the 2026 film, the DCU version of Krem “looks more like a monster”  and “[carries] dead alien rats with him to eat.”

    In our story, we have Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by incredibly loving parents. Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet and she lived there for the first fourteen years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more fucked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.

    -James Gunn

    While we’ll have to wait until seeing the film to discern whether or not the change to Krem makes much of a difference, making a villain a little more destestable is never a bad thing. Additionally, Krem isn’t exactly a household villain, which means the studio is unlikely to get too much pushback from lifelong Krem fans. DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn has described Supergirl as “a little more rock and roll” than Superman, which leaves some room for exploring the wilder side of the DCU, including Lobo, who will be played by Jason Momoa, who will be cosplaying as Jason Momoa.

    Supergirl hits theaters on June 26, 2026.

  • James Gunn Confirms Another ‘Superman’ Star Will Return in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    James Gunn Confirms Another ‘Superman’ Star Will Return in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    James Gunn has made it clear that Superman‘s strong performance took a significant amount of heat off of him and the DCU, allowing both to breathe and Gunn to look ahead. And it didn’t take Gunn long to reveal his next project: Man of Tomorrow, the next installment in his Superman Saga, which will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

    Announced via social media on September 3, Man of Tomorrow will see Superman stars David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprise their respective roles and, it seems, team up against an as-yet-unrevealed threat. Though additional cast has not been officially revealed, Gunn teased that the film would feature characters from “within the group of characters we’ve already met,” leading to speculation that the Justice Gang might appear. Indeed, Isabel Merced teased that possibility shortly after Gunn‘s announcement, but Gunn has been tight-lipped about what other characters will appear in the film…until now.

    In response to a question on Threads, Gunn confirmed that Rachel Brosnahan will return as Lois Lane for Man of Tomorrow in an “important role.”

    Given the importance of her role in Superman and in the character’s long history in DC Comics, it’s unsurprising that Brosnahan will return for Man of Tomorrow; in fact, it’s likely she’ll be a key player in the entire Superman Saga and, perhaps, play a role in the larger, overall narrative of the DCU.

  • BTS Photo from the Set of ‘Clayface’ Teases Another Major Batman Villain

    BTS Photo from the Set of ‘Clayface’ Teases Another Major Batman Villain

    As was the case with Superman, which saw Cleveland become Metropolis, DC Studios is taking great care to make sure its Gotham is FULL of Easter eggs, nods and comic accurate inclusions when it is introduced in Clayface.

    Recently, a map of Gotham City was spotted on set, complete with key locations such as Wayne Manor, Ace Chemical, The Monarch Theater, Crime Alley, Arkham and the Kane Memorial Bridge. While it’s unclear if those or any of the locations spotted on the map will factor into the plot of Clayface, it’s the kind of world building necessary to sustain what DC Studios hopes is a long-running narrative in its new, interconnected universe.

    As great as it is to see some of Gotham’s most important settings show up on a map, an empty alley or asylum won’t keep Bruce Wayne up at night…but baddies do. And a new prop spotted on the Liverpool set of Clayface confirms that at least one other classic Batman villain has a footprint in Gotham.

    While there’s no indication as yet he’ll appear in the film, a new BTS Photo Confirms that crime king Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask, is active in the all-new, all-different DCU.

    Introduced into DC Comics continuity relatively recently in 1985, Sionis has grown incredibly popular over the years. The villain appeared in the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, the CW’s Batwoman and in Birds of Prey, where he was portrayed by Ewan McGregor.

    As established in Creature Commandos and Superman, heroes and villains are already deeply established in the DCU and with Gotham having no shortage of baddies, it’s unsurprising to see a Sionis Easter egg; however, given the connection between Matt Hagen’s transformation to Clayface and Gotham’s criminal underworld (and the idea that the film’s villain is still unknown), it’s possible Black Mask may make yet another live-action appearance.

  • A ‘Peacemaker’ Timeline Tidbit May Have Set the Stage for the Return of Another Member of Suicide Squad

    A ‘Peacemaker’ Timeline Tidbit May Have Set the Stage for the Return of Another Member of Suicide Squad

    Less than a year into its existence, the all-new, all-different DCU has already gone and developed a particularly bad case of canon-itis. While it should be simple given only Creature Commandos, Superman and Season 2 of Peacemaker have been produced as part of the DC Studios’ slate, references in those projects have canonized projects made prior to the DCU’s inception.

    In a 2024 interview, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn–who created each of the DCU’s first three projects–muddied the timeline waters of the all-new DCU by explaining that the events of a pair of projects he created as part of the now defunct DCEU would be considered canon to the new connected universe…kind of.

    “Now in Creature Commandos, you’ll hear them talk about things that happened in The Suicide Squad or Peacemaker. Well then, those things automatically become canon,” said Gunn, before explaining that his previous statement was only mostly true.”The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker.”

    The appearance of the Justice League was indeed dealt with in the next season of Peacemaker, or rather before it ever began. During a “Previously in the DCU” opening ahead of Peacemaker‘s Season 2 premiere, the Justice League was replaced with the Justice Gang plus two (Superman and Supergirl). Without further explanation, Gunn added that the events of Peacemaker Season 1 took place before the events of Superman and that while Superman and Supergirl were not part of the Gang, the Man of Steel and his Kryptonian cousin has been able to “team up with them a lot like they did in Superman.” And in light of a recent timeline cue, that is interesting indeed.

    Only CC forward is pure canon; Peacemaker is almost entirely consistent with that canon other than the Justice League; The Suicide Squad has a lot of consistencies but I think of it as an imperfect memory.

    -James Gunn

    The truth is that canon doesn’t matter…until, of course, it does..and at some point, it might. And so while the entirety of The Suicide Squad is not canon, parts of it certainly are. In both Creature Commandos and Season 2 of Peacemaker, the death of Rick Flag Jr. at the hands of Christopher Smith during the mission to Corto Maltese has been addressed, meeting Gunn’s admittedly arbitrary and amorphous canon guidelines.

    “For instance, Rick Flag Jr was killed because we heard Rick Flag Sr talking about it in Creature Commandos, not because we saw it in The Suicide Squad,” Gunn explained. And now, it’s clear why Jr.’s death has to mentioned: it had to matter.

    The latest episode of Peacemaker, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” saw Joel Kinnaman back in the role of Flag Jr., kind of. As part of Peacemaker’s dimension hopping adventure, the character has found himself in an alternate timeline where a romance with Emilia Harcourt could be in the cards should she chose to leave an established relationship with a very different Flag. That’s all very interesting and will certainly matter eventually, but it was Kinnaman’s brief appearance as the OTHER Flag that set an important point on the DCU’s developing timeline.

    In a flashback scene featuring Harcourt and the now-dead Flag, it was established that the mission to Corto Maltese took place three years ago. And because canon only matters when it matters, that matters because it coincides with Kal-El announced himself as Superman…and may well have put a target on his back.

    In The Suicide Squad–which is, of course, not canon except for the parts that are–it is established that Idris Elba‘s Robert DuBois, aka Bloodsport, finds himself in Belle Reve after having taking his shot at Superman with a Kryptonite bullet.

    Gunn has claimed that he’s “always looking for a place to put Bloodsport,” and the timeline tidbit in the latest episode of Peacemaker might have made that possible. Fans had previously expressed uncertainty about how Bloodsport’s attack on Superman could be reconciled within the DCU and Gunn looks to have addressed that by setting The Suicide Squad and Superman in the same year.

    Superman reveals that Lex Luthor was well aware of Kryptonite and its effects on Kryptonians but Rick Flag Sr. also mentions that “there’s none left on the planet.” Without thinking too hard, it certainly does not mean there was none three years earlier, meaning–if Gunn chooses to make it so–Bloodsport’s attempted hit on Superman could become one of those things we hear talked about in Peacemaker, thus canonizing it into the DCU and allowing Elba to step back into the role.

    With Gunn having written both Peacemaker and Superman, it seems highly unlikely that the three year span since Superman became active coincidentally intersects so neatly with the time since the mission on Corto Maltese. Indeed, given that Gunn was working on both projects simultaneously, it seems rather intentional. Perhaps Elba will be one of the big surprises Gunn has been hyping; perhaps he’s not involved at all. However, the tiny timeline tidbit has provided all the opportunity necessary to get Elba‘s Bloodsport, a character who first appeared in a Superman comic, back in the game.

  • One of DC’s Darkest Villains Looks Set to Take on Hal Jordan and John Stewart in ‘Lanterns’

    One of DC’s Darkest Villains Looks Set to Take on Hal Jordan and John Stewart in ‘Lanterns’

    Since he was cast, fans have been crafting theories about just which DC Comics villain Garret Dillahunt will be portraying in the DC Studios’ streaming series, Lanterns. Trade Reports identified the character as William Macon,”a self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade,” but fans weren’t buying it.

    One popular theory was that William Macon was actually William Hand, a character who has been antagonizing Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps since being introduced in 1964. And it looks like that theory may well be proven correct.

    In an Instagram story, Dillahunt shared a photo that has fans believing he will indeed be portraying Black Hand in the show.

    William Hand was a key antagonist in the Blackest Night storyline, where he served as the herald of Nekron, the embodiment of death.

    From the start, our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama – rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building – that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion. The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.

    –Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy

    Hand’s powers are rooted in his obsession with death and his ability to manipulate it. He first appeared as a small-time crook with a device that could absorb energy from Green Lantern rings. His destiny changed when he was chosen as an agent of the Black Lantern Corps, a group of undead beings animated by the black power of death. As a Black Lantern, he can kill and reanimate the dead, turning them into subservient Black Lanterns. His primary weapon is a black power ring, which is fueled by the absence of emotion, life, and light.

    Characterized by his necrophilic tendencies and a morbid fascination with death, a villain like Hand falls in the Goldilocks zone for an HBO Max streaming series baddie. He’s often depicted as mentally unstable and obsessive, with his sanity deteriorating as his connection to the black power ring grows stronger. His actions are driven by a deep-seated desire to see the universe brought to a state of complete lifelessness,

    With fans looking for DC Studios to create some sort of adaptation of Blackest Night, introducing a villain like Hand alongside Ulrich Thomsen‘s Sinestro and Paul Ben-Victor‘s Antaan, when many believe to be Atrocitus (also seen in the picture shared by Dillahunt) could be an indication that some bits of that story may make their way into Lanterns.

  • ‘Superman’ Co-Star Teases ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Role

    ‘Superman’ Co-Star Teases ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Role

    James Gunn announced that the next film in his Superman Saga, Man of Tomorrow, is slated for a July 9, 2027 theatrical debut, showing off artwork teasing the potential team up of David Corenswet‘s Superman and Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor. Gunn previously teased that Superman would share the screen with characters from “within the group of characters we’ve already met,” in the DCU. Now it seems as though we know who at least one more of those will be.

    Superman star Isabela Merced, who debuted as the DCU’s Hawkgirl shared Gunn’s social media post in an Instagram story she captioned “See You Soon.”

    I’m totally done with the treatment. My treatments are incredibly intense. They’re not regular treatments. They’re 60-page treatments with dialogue and everything,” Gunn devulged. “And so, now I’m just turning that into a script. We’re planning out when we’re going to shoot that. It’s going to be much sooner rather than later.

    -James Gunn

    Should Merced, who also briefly reprised her role in Season 2 of Peacemaker, indeed be returning for the film, it is very likely she’ll be accompanied by Edi Gathegi‘s Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion‘s Guy Gardner and Anthony Carrigan‘s Metamorpho, all members of the Maxwell Lord-sponsored Justice Gang.

    Updating…

  • ‘Clayface’ Props Reveal Key Locations in the DCU’s Gotham

    ‘Clayface’ Props Reveal Key Locations in the DCU’s Gotham

    In 2020, Liverpool, England was transformed into Gotham as director Matt Reeves filmed scenes for The Batman. Five years later, as production on DC Studios’ Clayface gets underway, Liverpool is once again serving as Gotham City, set this time, however, in the all-new DCU.

    As was the case with the DCU’s Superman, which saw Cleveland become Metropolis, DC Studios is taking great care to make sure its Gotham is FULL of Easter eggs, nods and comic accurate inclusions. Most interestingly, a map of Gotham City has been spotted on set and it is complete with key locations such as Wayne Manor, Ace Chemical, The Monarch Theater, Crime Alley, Arkham and the Kane Memorial Bridge.

    While this map is unlikely to serve as anything more than something to see in the background, the references to the Joker, the Penguin, Batman and the Kane family stand out as fans get their first look at a Gotham in which the Dark Knight has likely been active for a significant amount of time.

    Fans of the comics may note the map is all but identical to the one created in the 1999 Batfamily crossover event, Batman: No Man’s Land. While it’s unlikely that story will be adapted into Clayface, it’s a notable choice as it’s a different map than the one used in The Batman and with fans still searching for reasons to believe Clayface will be set in the Reeves-verse, this may be a strike against that.

  • DC Studios’ Supergirl Film Gets a New Logo…and Title

    DC Studios’ Supergirl Film Gets a New Logo…and Title

    After making her debut in Superman, Kara Zor-El is set to lead her own film in 2026. Based on the Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s DC Comic series, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the film will see Kara travel the galaxy and ultimately do battle against the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts. And while the movie was originally intended to share a title with King And Bilquis‘ comic, it looks as though that has changed.

    A look at a logo for the upcoming movie was spotted on the set of Clayface, the next DCU film in the queue, and it seems to indicate that the original title has been shortened to simply Supergirl.

    If the title has indeed been changed, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. DC Studios’ boss James Gunn has been referring to the film as Supergirl for quite some time; additionally, it would be in line with Gunn’s decision to retitle Superman: Legacy by dropping the subtitle and going with Superman.

    Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet and she lived there for the first fourteen years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more fucked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.

    Described by Gunn as a little more rock and roll than Superman, Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, will be in theaters beginning June 26, 2026.

  • ‘Ray Donovan’ Star Joins Cast of DC Studios ‘Clayface’

    ‘Ray Donovan’ Star Joins Cast of DC Studios ‘Clayface’

    Cameras are now rolling in Liverpool on DC Studios’ third film, Clayface, and plenty of interested onlookers have taken to social media to share photos and videos from the set. While nothing too spoilery has been captured so far, a scene being filmed at The Queen Elizabeth Law Courts,  which has been transformed into Gotham General Hospital, revealed that a very familiar face has joined director James Watkins‘ horror film.

    As seen in the photo and video below, shared by Egg Boy, Ray Donovan star Eddie Marsan is now part of the DCU.

    The first looks don’t reveal anything too telling about Marsan‘s role, though he was also seen walking on set with Tom Rhys Harries, the film’s titular character, which could mean Marsan‘s role is substantial.

    Starring Harries as the Matt Hagen version of the classic Batman baddie, Clayface will “center on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort, the actor turns to a fringe Elizabeth Holmes-style scientist for help. At first, the experiment is a successful but … well, it wouldn’t be a horror movie if the story ended right there, would it?” Based on additional photos from the set, it seems possible that low-level mob goon Jimmy “Red” McCoy may be the gangster responsible for Hagen’s disfigurement.

    Written by Mike Flanagan and described by DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn as “a complete horror film,” Clayface is set to release on September 11, 2026.

  • James Gunn Addresses the Growing Hype around the Final Episodes of ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

    The first episode of the second season of Peacemaker received high praise after it debuted on HBO Max, allowing the DCU to continue gathering momentum as it gets rolling. But according to series creator and DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn, fans–and even critics who were sent early screening packages for the show–have a lot to look forward to

    In an interview with Screen Rant, Gunn explained that he was behind the decision to only let the press screen the first five episodes of the new season, claiming the remaining three simply held too many surprises to risk letting them into the wild.

    “I am the one who’s keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there are too many surprises in those last three episodes,” explained Gunn. “Especially 6 and 8, they are just crazy, my favourite things I’ve ever done of anything.”

    Gunn may have recently given away one of the surprises by all but confirming that Blue Beetle will appear in the sophomore season but the appearance of one hero would hardly be enough to keep three episodes from the screening package. What could have Gunn so excited? With him serving as the creative CEO of DC Studios and also as the creator of the four-film Superman Saga, it’s nearly impossible to say; however, given when Peacemaker filmed, it is potential appearances by David Corenswet or Milly Alcock should not be counted out.

    Source: Screen Rant