DC movies in order

DC has never had one timeline. Here is every continuity, kept separate, each in the order that actually works.

Updated 3 August 2026 · 52 titles tracked

The single most common mistake with DC is treating it like Marvel. It is not one universe with a viewing order; it is eight unrelated continuities that happen to share characters.

The Batman in *The Dark Knight* is not the Batman in *Batman v Superman*, who is not the Batman in *The Batman*. None of those three films are in continuity with each other. Once you accept that, DC gets much easier to navigate — you are not finding one order, you are picking a continuity and watching it.

Every DC title, grouped by continuity

Eight separate continuities, ordered by when each one began. Within the connected universes — the DCEU and the DCU — the chronological toggle gives you true in-universe order.

Open the interactive DC list

The connected universes

Only two DC continuities are shared universes where films build on each other.

The DCEU (2013–2023) — Man of Steel through Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Sixteen films and one series that genuinely reference each other. This is the one that rewards watching in order.
The DCU (2024– ) — James Gunn's reboot. Starts with Creature Commandos, then Superman (2025). Small, current, and the one to start with if you want to be caught up on what DC is doing now.

The self-contained continuities

Everything else is its own closed story. You can watch any of these without having seen a single other DC film.

The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012) — Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises. Watch in order; it is one story in three parts.
The Batman (2022– ) — Matt Reeves' noir Gotham, continued in The Penguin.
Joker (2019, 2024) — deliberately disconnected from everything.
The Reeve era (1978–2006) — the original Superman films, plus Superman Returns as a loose sequel to Superman II.
Burton & Schumacher (1989–1997) — four Batman films across two very different tones.
Standalone adaptations — Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Constantine and others. No shared continuity at all.

Where should I start?

It depends what you want. To be current with DC now, start with the DCU: Creature Commandos, then Superman (2025), then Peacemaker season 2.

For the best films regardless of continuity, watch the Dark Knight trilogy and The Batman. Neither requires anything else.

To watch the DCEU as a connected universe, switch this page to chronological order — that puts Wonder Woman (set in 1918) first, then Wonder Woman 1984, then Man of Steel and forward.

The Peacemaker problem

Peacemaker season 1 was made as a DCEU series, spinning directly out of The Suicide Squad. When James Gunn rebooted everything, he kept it canon — so it is the one piece of the old universe that carries into the new one. Season 2 sits in the DCU proper. It is genuinely confusing, and it is the only exception you need to remember.

Common questions

What order should I watch DC movies in?

Pick a continuity rather than trying to watch everything in one sequence. For the connected DCEU, start with Man of Steel (or Wonder Woman for in-universe order). For DC as it exists now, start with Creature Commandos and Superman (2025). The Dark Knight trilogy, The Batman and Joker are all standalone.

Is the DCEU the same as the DCU?

No. The DCEU ran from Man of Steel (2013) to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). The DCU is James Gunn's reboot starting with Creature Commandos (2024). They are separate continuities — only Peacemaker carries over.

Do I need to watch the DCEU before Superman (2025)?

No. Superman (2025) opens a fresh continuity and assumes no prior films.

Is The Batman connected to the DCEU?

No. Matt Reeves' The Batman is its own continuity, unconnected to the DCEU, the DCU, or the Nolan trilogy.