DC fans are mostly excited for the future once again following the hiring of James Gunn to helm an ambitious reboot of the superhero shared universe that will hopefully restore Marvel’s Distinguished Competition to its former glory. The only hitch is that the reboot won’t be as simple as flicking a switch and starting from scratch, as Gunn and producing partner Peter Safran have a whole bunch of lingering franchises to contend with alongside those they want to start themselves.
For instance, 2023 sees the release of four DC movies Gunn had nothing to do with. We’ve already seen Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and we all know how well that went, so the question that is leaving the fans’ minds spinning is whether these films count towards Gunn’s grand DCU plans or not. He’s clarified that The Flash has a key role to play, as it will shift up the timeline, but what about Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
This was the question posed by one understandably muddled fan who admitted to being “so confused” and “very lost” by the whole continuity situation on a post to the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit. Thankfully, the rest of the community was able to help them out with some mostly cynical responses.
Basically, it all depends on the box office.
If the people make clear they want more of Jaime Reyes and Arthur Curry, then that’s what they’ll get.
This wishy-washy approach is irritating some fans, though, who’d rather Gunn just fully close the door on the old DCEU — but don’t suggest that to the SnyderVerse lovers.
Still, Jason Momoa seems pretty confident of the chances of more Aquaman, so maybe we should be too.
For the moment, it might help to think of Aquaman 2 as a prequel, seeing as it must take place before The Flash‘s universal reset.
Versions of this conversation will likely replay across the internet for the next couple of years until Superman: Legacy arrives in July 2025 and officially starts the whole DC universe over again.