While the DCEU officially came to an end with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," we're eagerly awaiting to see what James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned for the revamped DCU, set to begin in 2025. Until then, if you're up for a superhero movie marathon, you'll be happy to know that it's much easier than leaping over tall buildings in a single bound.
While most of the DCEU movies with Batman, Superman, Wonder Man and the rest can still be found on Max, sometimes things change and they're not all available there. It's not quite as simple as watching the Marvel movies in order, which is a breeze thanks to Disney Plus.
Watching DC movies in release order is a pretty straightforward process, but things get a bit more complicated if you want to see them in chronological order.
For this guide, we're focusing on the DC Extended Universe movies, which began with 2013's Man of Steel. But there are a ton of prior films adapted from DC Comics, beginning in 1951 with Superman and the Mole Men. So, this list does not include any of those titles, nor movies like 2019's Joker with Joaquin Phoenix or its sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, or The Batman with Robert Pattinson.
DC and its sibling studio Warner Bros. have been making various Batman and Superman movies for decades, but the DCEU is the first shared cinematic universe spanning multiple superhero characters.
DC movies in order — release order
As of April 2024, there are 16 DC movies that take place in the extended universe.
The lead characters include Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Zachary Levi as Shazam and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
Here are the DC movies in release order, along with where you can find them streaming online.
1. Man of Steel (2013)
Cast: Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and Russell Crowe as Jor-El
Streaming on Max
2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Cast: Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Streaming on Max
3. Suicide Squad (2016)
Cast: Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
Streaming on Max
4. Wonder Woman (2017)
Cast: Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Robin Wright as General Antiope and David Thewlis as Ares
Streaming on Max and Tubi
5. Justice League (2017)
Cast: Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash and Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
Streaming on Max
6. Aquaman (2018)
Cast: Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna
Streaming on Max and Tubi
7. Shazam! (2019)
Cast: Zachary Levi as Shazam, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Silvana, Jack Dylan as Freddy Freeman and Djimon Hounsou as Shazam
Streaming on Max
8. Birds of Prey (2020)
Cast: Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Dinah Lance/Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis / Black Mask:
Streaming on Max and Tubi
9. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Cast: Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as General Antiope and Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta
Streaming on Max and Tubi
10. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lanee, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons
Streaming on Max (along with the black and white "Justice Is Gray" edition)
11. The Suicide Squad (2021)
Cast: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi
Streaming on Max
12. Black Adam (2022)
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Pierce Brosnan
Streaming on Max
13. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Cast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren
Streaming on Max
14. The Flash (2023)
Cast: Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdu, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Michael Keaton
Streaming on Max and Netflix
15. Blue Beetle (2023)
Cast: Xolo Mariduena, Adriana Barraza, Damian Alcazar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez
Streaming on Max
16. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Cast: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, Nicole Kidman
Streaming on Max
DC movies in order — sorted by chronological events
If you want to watch the DC movies in chronological order, you'll find it's very different than the release order. You start with ...
1. Wonder Woman
Set mostly 1918 during World War I; flashbacks to ancient era of the gods
2. Wonder Woman 1984
Set in 1984; prologue during indeterminate time period on the island of Themyscira
3. Man of Steel
Set circa 2013; prologue on Krypton about 20 years prior; flashbacks to Clark Kent's childhood in Smallville
4. The Flash
While the beginning and end of the film take place in 2023, it's primarily set in 2013 (though multiverse shenanigans see Barry Allen jumping around the timeline).
5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Set circa 2015, about 18 months after Man of Steel; flashbacks to Bruce Wayne's childhood in 1981; flashforwards to post-apocalyptic Earth
6. Suicide Squad
Set circa 2016, about a year after Batman v Superman; flashbacks to events pre-Man of Steel
7a. Justice League
Set circa 2017, about two years after Batman v Superman and a year after Suicide Squad; flashback of Steppenwolf's takeover attempt thousands of years prior
7b. Zack Snyder's Justice League
Director's cut and alternate version of the film
8. Aquaman
Set circa 2017, several months after Justice League; flashbacks to 1985 and Arthur Curry's childhood
9. Shazam!
Set during Christmas 2018; flashback to 1974 of Thaddeus Sivana's origin story
10. Birds of Prey
Set circa 2020, about four years after Suicide Squad
11. The Suicide Squad
Set in 2021, confirmed by director James Gunn.
12. Black Adam
Set after The Suicide Squad and the series Peacemaker in 2021 or 2022.
13. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Set a few years after the first Shazam movie, circa 2022.
14. Blue Beetle
Set shortly after the events of The Flash, circa 2023
15. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Set a few years after Arthur Curry becomes king of Atlantis, circa 2023
James Gunn's DC movie slate
DC Studios appointed new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. Under their leadership, a new slate of DC movies is on the way, including:
Superman: Legacy (July 11, 2025)
Clark Kent/Kal-El balances his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.
The Authority
A team of superheroes uses extreme methods to protect the planet.
The Brave and the Bold
Batman meets a son he never knew existed, a teen raised by assassins.
The Batman 2
Robert Pattinson returns as the Dark Knight.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Superman's cousin has a very different outlook.
Swamp Thing
A horror film
