Despite the growing exasperation surrounding the interconnected nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn has gone balls-deep into a shared narrative in the first year of the all-new, all-different DC Universe.
While it’s becoming clear that last bit probably won’t hold 100% true, so far it hasn’t presented a problem because through three DC Studios projects, Gunn has not missed and the connectivity has been minimal…until the most recent chapter of Season 2 of Peacemaker.
In what was likely one of the heaviest cameos ever in the superhero genre, “Ignorance is Chris” featured an appearance by Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor. Fresh off his thrashing at the mouth of Krypto, Luthor, aided by a cane, limped his way to a meeting with Rick Flag Sr. at Belle Reve, where the former finds himself serving a 265-year sentence for all his naughty tricks. In the moment–and especially because Gunn has teased that this season of Peacemaker serves as a prequel to Man of Tomorrow–the cameo felt weighty; however, according to Gunn, it is nothing less than a pivotal moment for the young DCU.
While discussing the cameo–which was filmed during production in Superman–on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, Gunn called the meeting between Luthor and Flag “a really important moment for ..the entire DCU.”
So, we have a really important moment, for not only Peacemaker but the entire DCU. Rick Flag, the Head of A.R.G.U.S., strikes a deal basically with Lex Luthor in exchange for [him] finding where Peacemaker’s portal might be. He is going to move him from a prison with metahumans to a prison with no metahumans. From Belle Reve, where they are now, to Van Kull, both prisons from the comics.
-James Gunn on Lex Luthor’s appearance in Peacemaker Season 2
And so, in the words of one of the only people in the world with an idea of where the DCU is headed, a cameo made in a streaming series is a fulcrum for what’s to come. Of course, pragmatically speaking, general audiences won’t know the difference between Belle Reve and Van Kull nor will they really remember Flag even appeared in Superman. In that sense, Gunn isn’t really playing with fire and is staying true to his promise not to include cameos for the hell of it. Still, it’s a bold move to include world-altering events in a TV-MA streaming series that’s not supposed to be necessary viewing.
With two episodes left in the current season of Peacemaker, ample time remains for a little more context to be added to just exactly what Flag’s deal with Luthor will mean but it’s hard to imagine Luthor being outmaneuvered by Flag, especially since the latter continued to devolve into a blunt instrument in each episode. Moving Luthor to Van Kull–which is located in Metropolis in DC Comics continuity–brings the evil genius right back to his home turf in time for whatever plans Gunn has for him next.
But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.
“I don’t know why people keep asking me this. There’s no signs. It’s not like they’ve just recently revived one of the Marvel Netflix shows,” teased Colter when asked if he was set to return for as Cage in Daredevil: Born Again.
Mike Colter teases Luke Cage's MCU debut during an appearance at Edmonton Expo:
*I don’t know why people keep asking me this. There’s no signs. It’s not like they’ve just recently revived one of the Marvel Netflix shows.” pic.twitter.com/qOFiLqjx4B
Colter‘s comments certainly come across as confirmation of his return as Cage, though nothing is certain until the star shows up in an episode. If Colter is indeed “back”, the timing of the revelation would align with the star joining the cast for the third season, which will go into production in early 2026, though an appearance in Season 2 can’t be ruled out.
…there’s something that we do in this final season that doesn’t exist in the comics. So it is unique to our show and so I’m pretty excited about that.
-Charlie Cox
“In terms of Daredevil, yeah, we are greenlit for Season 3 and we start shooting next year,” said Winderbaum in ain interview with IGN.
Interestingly enough, Winderbaum‘s confirmation comes just weeks before a planned Marvel Television panel at New York Comic Con where the studio will “provide a look” at its upcoming slate. With Daredevil: Born Again stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll and Krysten Ritter all scheduled to be in attendance in New York City, as well asLuke Cage star Mike Colter, it’s possible the studio is planning a larger reveal about the third season.
Since Bob Iger‘s mandate to reduce the number of projects in production became public, Marvel Studios has laid fairly low when it comes to slate updates at conventions. On the studio side, updates have come in small, sporadic tidbits rather than splashy and spectacular Hall H-style presentations, with Marvel even sitting out of the Disney panel at this year’s Destination D23.
Streaming updates have been even harder to come by, somehow. Indeed, the news that a trio of streaming projects were being shelved was the first time fans learned that two of those projects were in development. Strangely, even projects such as Wonder Man and Vision haven’t been given a big push by the studio, though it seems likely that will change soon.
According to Marcel.com, Marvel Television and Marvel Animation will provide a look at their respective upcoming slates during an hour-long panel on October 11th as part of New York Comic Con.
Join special guests for a look behind the scenes at some of Marvel’s most anticipated upcoming Disney+ shows from both Marvel Television and Marvel Animation.
With only Wonder Man left to stream in 2025, it’s possible that the first trailer for the project, set to debut in December, might be rolled out during the panel. Beyond that, Marvel Television only has two other known projects on the schedule: Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and Vision, both of which are slated for 2026 releases.
Hell’s Kitchen just got a whole lot busier 🗡️ Join Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Mike Colter, Krysten Ritter, & Vincent D’Onofrio at NYCC on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12. Buy Sunday tickets before prices increase on September 9: https://t.co/YPjEHjTUHipic.twitter.com/XO6oV6GhGS
Vision star Paul Bettany is not currently scheduled to be in New York (though he will be joining other Marvel Studios stars in Los Angeles for LA Comic Con September 26-28) but with the series recently having completed principal photography, it’s likely the studio would show off some footage or even just clear up the uncertainty around what the name of the series will be given none of Marvel or Disney’s official sites even list it.
We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it. What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully.
Given that animated projects are easier to keep under wraps–the announcement of Eyes of Wakanda, for example, caught nearly everyone by surprise–it’s possible additional seasons of current series could be announced or even a new project or two. Of course, in all instances, the best bet is to expect very little and with Marvel having trended in that direction for some time now, that’s probably what we’ll get.
Oh, no. It’s like a through line. It’s like, originally, we were thinking it’d be a movie, if like, “Ooh, we should release it as a movie.” We should just do a movie. But there were some things that came up, certain issues that we just had to kind of, “Oh let’s break it. We’ll have to break it up into four episodes.” So basically it’s like a four-episode mini-event, like a film broke up into four parts, basically. So yeah, it’s definitely… It’s one story. It’s one throughline. A lot of insanity happens.
–Marvel Zombies showrunner, Bryan Andrews
Like most of Marvel Animation’s projects, Marvel Zombies isn’t deeply integrated into the ongoing shared narrative of the MCU; however, it’s not entirely standalone either. And so to help ensure the absolute best viewing experience possible we present…The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before…Marvel Zombies!
Tier 1
If you’ve never seen a single second of any of Marvel Studios’ films or streaming series, Tier One projects should be considered the bare minimum to get yourself ready for Marvel Zombies. In this case, there can be only one…
What If…?, Season 1, Episode 5: “What If…Zombies?!”
It ties right in. It is the same universe. If you’ve never seen that episode of What If…? you do come at the universe from a different angle. So you could just watch the four episodes of Marvel Zombies coming in completely blind because it does tell its own story. But if you do know that episode of What If…? and what happens in it, it does connect entirely to that episode.
-Brad Winderbaum
Episode 5 of Marvel Studios’ first canonical animated streaming series What If…? featured one of the most widely marketed twists of the show: zombies! Dating back to the earliest teasers for the series, the image of zombie Cap haunted fans and was used to build hype for the series. While the episode wasn’t the strongest of the series, it did include arguably the most intense and disgusting “deaths” to date in the MCU and its unresolved plot set the table for Marvel Zombies. It’s an easy 30-minute watch that will create a more complete viewing experience; also, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum said it connects directly to the new series.
When an outbreak of a mysterious quantum virus turns heroes and villains into zombies, the Earth’s mightiest aren’t prepared. A ragtag group of survivors, including Spider-Man, Winter Soldier, and Okoye, must join forces to find a cure and stop the spread of the zombie plague before it consumes the entire universe. As they travel to find a cure, they discover the insidious truth behind the plague and who is controlling it. With the fate of reality hanging in the balance, they must fight their way through hordes of undead heroes and stop the source of the outbreak.
Tier Two projects occupy an interesting place on The Ultimate Lists. While they’re never required viewing, they always offer something that can add to the viewing experience of the upcoming project. In this case, given that everything that occurs inMarvel Zombies takes place on an alternate timeline emerging from the events of Ant-Man and The Wasp, most Multiverse Saga projects are unnecessary to understand that story so far, though a host of Multiverse Saga characters play critical roles in the TV-MA event series.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
🍅 92%
Despite taking place on Earth, MarvelZombies has a couple of surprising connections to James Gunn's first CBM...and neither of them are pleasant.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
🍅 75%
While it's certain to rile up a segment of the MCU fandom, Wanda Maximoff is, once again, a villain in Marvel Zombies. Given the role she plays, checking out her first appearance isn't a bad choice.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
🍅 93%
Tessa Thompson confirmed by the studio to be back as the voice of Valkyrie but she's not the only reason to check out the highest-rated Thor movie as there's a very cool surprise in store related to New Asgard.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
🍅 85%
Given that Episode 5 of What If...? ended with the zombie Thanos tease and that character has been prominently featured in the marketing for Marvel Zombies, there's plenty of reason to check out Infinity War. Add in that the entire premise of Marvel Zombies spins out of this film, albeit on an alternate timeline, and you have no reason to leave this one off the list.
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
🍅 87%
Hope van Dyne and Scott Lang played important roles in "What If...Zombies?!" and we know from that episode that San Francisco is the epicenter of the zombie apocalypse. Set more or less simultaneously with most of Infinity War, this one definitely adds some context.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
🍅 85%
What if...this show never happened? Because in the timeline established by "What If...Zombies?!", it would not have. That didn't stop the studio from inserting John Walker into Marvel Zombies...and he's not the only primary character from this stream series to make an appearance.
Black Widow (2021)
🍅 79%
It's no secret that Yelena and Red Guardian are central characters in Marvel Zombies and while they both recently appeared in Thunderbolts*, the zombie apocalypse prevented that team from ever assembling...so watch this.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
🍅 98%
Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan is the lead in Marvel Zombies, which allows her to showcase her powers in some interesying ways. Check out her introduction to the MCU in Ms. Marvel, one of Marvel Studios' finest streaming projects!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
🍅 84%
Riri Williams has a key role in Marvel Zombies and there's really more to it than meets the eye.
Hawkeye (2022)
🍅 92%
Both Hawkeyes make appearances in Marvel Zombies but with Clint already a zombie, don't expect a happy reunion...
Tier 3
For completists only, Tier 3 projects ensure everything in the project is given some context.
Eternals (2021)
🍅 47%
Yep! And it's not even Kingo this time...
About Marvel Zombies
After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.
-Official synosis for What If...Zombies?! via Disney Plus
Created by Bryan Andrews and Zeb Wells, Marvel Zombies features the voices of Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Tessa Thompson, Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Hailee Steinfeld, Wyatt Russell, Randall Park, Iman Vellani, and Dominique Thorne, among others. The series is executive produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Bryan Andrews, and Zeb Wells, and is produced by Danielle Costa and Carrie Wassenaar.
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.
The 74-year-old Harris is one of Hollywood’s most well-respected method actors and capable of turning any role into a memorable one. Harris has played memorable villains in The Rock, Enemy at the Gates, The Truman Show and National Treasure: Book of Secrets as well as a chilling performance in A History of Violence. And now, a trade report confirms the years-old rumors about his Wonder Man role.
According to Deadline, Harris will indeed portray “Hollywood agent Neal Saroyan” in Wonder Man, which will premiere this December on D+.
Created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Johnson in 1991, Neal Saroyan was Simon Williams agent used mostly as a Hollywood caricature, designed to satirize the kind of awful behavior industry veterans have long been known for, making him a perfect fit for Marvel Television’s take on Wonder Man. Later, Peter David ramped up Saroyen’s baddie status, revealing him to be a supervillain in charge of a cadre of assassins known as The Nobility.
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.
Garret Dillahunt may have just confirmed he’s playing Black Hand in LANTERNS. pic.twitter.com/94yJcJsrZg
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.
Spinning out of the gory good time that was episode 1.05 of What If…?, Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies, a four-episode TV-MA mini-event, is set to debut in D+ on September 24th. Along with a trailer for series, created by Bryan Andrews and Zeb Wells, Marvel rolled out a poster and a batch of stills along with a synopsis in a press release.
So, you survived the zombie apocalypse. Super. Now who’s going to stop the Avengers from feasting on your brains?
After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.
Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Tessa Thompson, Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Hailee Steinfeld, Wyatt Russell, Randall Park, Iman Vellani, Dominique Thorne and Others Lend Their Voices as the Undead Arrive September 24, Exclusively on Disney+.
After skipping the summer convention circuit, Marvel Television will make some noise at New York Comic Con on October 11th as part of a panel promised to include “special guests for a look behind the scenes at Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ shows from Marvel Television and Marvel Animation.” Fans were already eagerly anticipating the event as it would be a great opportunity to showcase the first footage from Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, which was shot in and around New York City…and now it looks as though they may have even more to look forward to.
A tweet sent out from the official New York Comic Con account confirmed that stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll and Krysten Ritter will all be in attendance on both October 11th and 12th but they’re not the only members of the old Defenders-verse crew who will be there as Luke Cage star Mike Colter will join them.
Hell’s Kitchen just got a whole lot busier 🗡️ Join Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Mike Colter, Krysten Ritter, & Vincent D’Onofrio at NYCC on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12. Buy Sunday tickets before prices increase on September 9: https://t.co/YPjEHjTUHipic.twitter.com/XO6oV6GhGS
Could the tweet have spoiled Colter’s return and Cage’s MCU debut in the upcoming season of Daredevil: Born Again? The first trailer for Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Againcontained a reference to Harlem’s Paradise, the club owned by Cage, and given where Power Man’s story left off at the end of Luke Cage Season 2 and the state of affairs in New York City in Born Again, an appearance by the character make a ton of sense… certainly more than one by Danny Rand.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
