James Gunn’s Newest Comments Have Finally Made The Parts Of The DCEU Are That Are DC Universe Canon Totally Clear To Me

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DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn"s newest comments about what parts of the DCEU are currently DC Universe canon have helped me greatly in understanding how the connection between the two eras of DC"s on-screen history link up exactly. Years after the first DC Universe announcement, many still have pressing queries about the new franchise and what it holds. This is especially true when it comes to the matter of how parts of releases that debuted within the DCEU timeline are canonically part of the DC Universe"s story, which has routinely been a source of confusion since the original news broke.
While this matter was addressed early on, with James Gunn assuring audiences that these connections would be only to the likes of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 - which already had few ties to the mainline DCEU story - and that things would become more straightforward as the timeline got underway, this only made the big questions regarding these connections more fascinating. Though the most obvious of these is how the DCEU Justice League cameo in Peacemaker season 1"s ending is handled, there are still plenty of other key moments and figures whose fates seem liminal at the moment.
Luckily, Gunn has given several comments on the matter over the years, with his most recent statements on the topic being the most relevant, since they come just as we"ve started to get into the DC Universe release schedule with Creature Commandos season 1. As such, a far more specific answer on the matter can now be given, with this latest statment on the topic being the one I think gives the most conclusive answer to the overlapping parts of the two franchises to date.
James Gunn's Latest Comments Make The Parts Of The DCEU That Are DC Universe Canon Clearer Than Ever Close January 20, 2025, saw James Gunn once again asked about the connection between the DCEU and DC Universe, and whether The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 were to be considered generally canon because of the considerable references to their events in Creature Commandos. Gunn responded, stating: "Short answer: Only Creature Commandos forward is pure canon. 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."
This more concise answer alone is useful, as it firmly establishes that only what"s explicitly talked about in DC Universe releases is to be considered canon from the DCEU, using one of the first examples we have from a DC Universe project to make things as clear as possible. From this backdrop, the DC Universe can keep specific plot points from prior releases in a way where they don"t need to establish that certain things are no longer canon - which would be more complicated - but rather only need to address what is now still part of the new universe"s story.
James Gunn"s "long answer" builds on this, with Gunn explaining: "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." The "imperfect memory" comment here seems particularly salient, as it solidifies the idea that specific castings or details like Idris Elba"s Bloodsport being established as having shot Superman in The Suicide Squad may be changed around even if the overall story remains part of the DC Universe"s history.
What Parts Of The DCEU Are Currently DC Universe Canon Close Currently, Creature Commandos has made several parts of prior DCEU releases a solid part of the DC Universe. The first of these is the death of Rick Flag Jr. from The Suicide Squad, which Amanda Waller specifically discusses with Rick Flag Sr. at the start of the show, and which Flag explains to Princess Ilana later on in the story. The conversation appears to cement that his son died in the same mission, though it"s unclear if this is still definitely at the hands of Peacemaker, which will likely be addressed in Peacemaker season 2.
Peacemaker is set to be released in August 2025 - one month after Superman"s July 2025 debut.
A key part of Peacemaker season 1"s ending is also established to be canon, with Rick Flag Sr. mentioning that Amanda Waller"s daughter had gotten her in hot water with the government, leading to the closing of The Suicide Squad"s Task Force X and Waller forming Task Force M in Creature Commandos. The events with Waller"s daughter that are discussed are a direct reference to Leota Adebayo revealing secrets about Task Force X - as well as its Peacemaker season 1 offshoot - and addressing Amanda Waller"s responsibility for creating these groups in the Peacemaker season 1 finale.
Finally, the appearance of Weasel and King Shark confirms the characters have also crossed over from the DCEU to DC Universe - although King Shark is voiced by Diedrich Bader, rather than Sylvester Stallone as he was in The Suicide Squad. The recasting may well serve as a prime example of how The Suicide Squad will be something of an "imperfect memory" of the DC Universe version of things going forward, since the changing of actors is a key difference between the DCEU movie and DCU show, even though King Shark appears to have basically the same design and personality.
I'm Glad The Shared Parts Of The DCEU And DC Universe Are Becoming Clearer & Clearer Close Given the nature of the DC Universe reboot was in no small part to start over with something of a clean slate, the fact that elements of the DCEU era have carried over was always going to be a subject of some confusion. This is doubly true for the period of time in which audiences were waiting for the DCEU to end and the DC Universe to begin debuting its own releases, since things were inevitably always going to seem more mysterious before concrete examples could be provided from the new rebooted franchise itself.
That said, I am pleased to see the specifics regarding the boundaries between the DCEU and DC Universe - and their overlap - becoming clearer and clearer even this early into the new universe"s release schedule. With the road forward paved in the way it currently is, it seems any lingering confusion about the matter seems set to be dissolved over the course of the DCU"s next releases, since Superman will play a major part of establishing what the vision for the DC Universe is, and Peacemaker season 2 looks set to set up any remaining DCEU links that need to be made clear.

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