Let’s unfold the complete DCUE with our watch order guide. Follow us as we proceed.
When was the last time you watched a DC movie in order, dating back to the time it was released? We bet it’s no easy task, that’s why we decided to break down every movie with its timeline. Knowing how extensive the DCEU and MCU are, getting the timeline right can be a bit of a challenge. We understand that just as well as you do. Hence, here’s what we have in mind:
For all DC buffs, most films tend to be less interconnected and more stand-alone ones, making it tricky for the watcher to get the year right. Then, we also have non-canon movies like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and Zack Snyder’s Justice League making it much more complex, right?
However, we’ve made it easy for you by doing all the hard work ourselves. How does that sound? We’ve sorted everything for you in a timeline – starting from the chronological order of its release. And you can easily access all DC movies on HBO Max with a VPN on your device. Above all, if you are also interested in catching up on the DCEU after The Suicide Squad then you’re at the right place.
DC movies in order of their release
There’s no denying how Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is considered a cult series to this date. Even though it’s part of the DCEU, it can very well be treated as a standalone movie. Movies like Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill are well in the DC universe but there are so many others too. It’s hard to keep count. Should you also count the epic Joker?
Don’t pull your hair out just yet. We have created a list of movies that are part of the extensive universe of DC, aka DCEU, that will catch your fancy apart from the movies that haven’t yet been released. Be it Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn or the 2017 Justice League – take your pick from a pool of these movies and watch some of your favorite characters perform at their finest. What about the upcoming The Batman series in 2022.
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Justice League (2017)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Shazam! (2019)
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) (non-canon)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
Upcoming DC releases in order
- Black Adam (2022)
- The Flash (2022)
- Aquaman 2 (2022)
- Shazam 2 (2023)
Now you must be wondering where you can watch the already-released DC movies? The answer is HBO Max. And if for some reason, you can’t access HBO Max in your country, then your best bet is using a seamless VPN service like PureVPN giving you interrupted access to some of your favorite DC flicks anywhere in the world.
DC movies in chronological order
Recommended for those re-watching the DCEU entering the wonderous journey of Wonder Woman. The chronological order of DC movies is easy as compared to the nearly two-dozen movies in the Marvel universe. Still some movies like ‘Aquaman’, ‘Shazam!’, and ‘Birds of Prey’ are hard to put into the correct time frame. Things are relatively simple and the complete list is as follows:
- Wonder Woman’s “flashbacks” (1914-18)
- Wonder Woman (1984)
- Man of Steel
- Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Wonder Woman’s “modern-day” scenes
- Suicide Squad
- Justice League (theatrical)
- Aquaman
- Shazam!
- Birds of Prey
- The Suicide Squad
If you want to get in a more granular search, you can queue up certain scenes you want to watch in chronological order but it won’t be that simple.
For instance, even Justice League overlaps with Aquaman and Suicide Squad features some pre-’Man of Steel’ flashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s early battle in Gotham. But what we suggest helps keep things streamlined with only Wonder Woman modern-day scenes being crucial to the chronological order of the DCEU in terms of story.
Wrapping up
Lastly, as much as it’s tempting to put ‘Joker’ and the ‘The Batman’ series in order, in all honesty, they operate independently in their own spheres. You can watch the two in any order you like because they are in a league of their own and don’t connect to the DCEU at all. So try as you might, the above list is good to get started with!
This post was written by Adnan Jiwani.
