All 6 DC Universe Movies and TV Shows, Ranked

Look up - to the future!

We are officially done with James Gunn's DCU in 2026, and the sophomore year of this universe has been full of ups and downs. Between Supergirl, Lanterns, and now Clayface, it feels like we have gone through a roller coaster of emotions regarding where this thing is heading. 2027 will be a massive year for the franchise, with Man of Tomorrow representing a major do-or-die point, but for now, let's rank the six movies and TV shows we've gotten so far in James Gunn's DC Universe.

6. Peacemaker Season 2

A terrible, rushed ending ruins what could've been a good continuation of Peacemaker

Since the beginning, I've found it strange that James Gunn chose to keep The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker as a part of the DC Universe. Resetting DC means resetting it - not keeping the projects that you made in the DCEU and transferring them over to your new universe. Despite that, I was optimistic about season two of Peacemaker, because I loved season one. And, for the first half of the season, I was in. The great thing about this season was that it used the multiverse, one of the most overused gimmicks in media right now, as a means of exploring character. It almost felt a little bit like Everything Everywhere All at Once - the Chris Smith that we know is living his worst existence, and he stumbles upon a universe where everything is how he wants it.

But in the second half of the season, this just completely fell apart. From weird subplots about Michael Rooker hunting Eagly to a meandering main storyline about ARGUS trying to break into Chris's house, Peacemaker lost itself in the final episodes. And while the show does start to break before it, the finale just causes everything to implode. This season spends three or four episodes just spinning its wheels, not moving the plot forward, and then the finale speeds through basically a full season's worth of development in forty-five minutes. ARGUS explores, like, eight different universes through their new multiverse portal. Rick Flag Sr. becomes a full-fledged villain. Harcourt and Chris get together. The team leaves ARGUS to start Checkmate. And Rick Flag captures Chris and leaves him stranded on the planet Salvation. All of this happens in one episode. And, now that we know we aren't getting season three, this cliffhanger ending works even less. This was the first sign of trouble for the DC Universe, and I really hope they are able to course-correct from the utter disaster that was Peacemaker season two.

5. Supergirl

A generic space adventure does not do Kara Zor-El justice whatsoever

Now, I know people are going to be upset that Supergirl is not in last place, but I think part of that was due to my expectations. I was very excited (although hesitant) for Peacemaker, but I had really no anticipation for Supergirl. I thought the trailers looked bad, and I was correct. This movie does not work. It does get the most important thing right - Milly Alcock is great as Kara Zor-El, and I would be happy to see her in future projects. But the whole film feels like they compiled every cliché and used it to give us an incredibly bland and forgettable space adventure. The villains feel like they are space pirates copied and pasted from every other space opera you can think of. The story is uninteresting, because the center of this conflict revolves around Ruthye, who is annoying, condescending, and downright stupid from time to time. She is nowhere near as compelling or interesting as Supergirl, so giving her a revenge plot makes the whole movie fall flat.

Even the stuff that feels like it should work doesn't. The movie had this opportunity to explore Supergirl in contrast to Superman: Clark didn't have to live through the destruction of Krypton, but Kara did, so she'd be a lot less positive and optimistic than him. Instead of committing to a darker, more cynical story, Supergirl wants to be bright and cooky in a way that's reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy. It tries so hard to be fun that it fails to be interesting. Jason Momoa as Lobo should be an easy win, but the movie forgets to give him a compelling reason to be involved in this story, so he just feels shoehorned in. Supergirl was an undeniable swing and miss, but I have hope that this may be an early low point for James Gunn's DCU.

4. Creature Commandos Season 1

A weird, cooky show that oozes James Gunn...for better or for worse

Part of this is absolutely personal preference: Creature Commandos is a well-written, well-executed show that just doesn't work as well for me as it does for other people. And I think that's part of the problem. I love that the DCU isn't afraid to have some of these niche projects that appeal to a certain audience, but I think the audience for Creature Commandos is so small that I don't know if it needed to be this weird. James Gunn has an uncanny ability to take weird outcasts and make them lovable and compelling, and he does that here in Creature Commandos. The frustrating part of this is that it goes so weird and so cooky at times that it feels alienating to its own audience.

On top of that, the characters here are so tragic and this show is so devastating that it feels emotionally manipulative at times. Gunn is insistent that every single one of these characters needs to have a horrifying, traumatic past, and it feels predictable at times. Each one of the episodes focuses in on one of our Commandos, and you just know that all of their stories are going to be tragic and heart-breaking, so it doesn't feel authentic at a certain point. It just feels like they are putting horrible, gut-wrenching things on the screen to get the audience to feel sad for the characters without it actually making sense. There's a scene where Nina's father is shot by police for simply protecting his child. We see Rupert Thorne brutally murder Dr. Phosphorus's family, and they show it. Even Weasel's backstory, which is effectively heart-breaking because it's been set up, leans on the shock of seeing the burnt bodies of elementary school children to make sure the audience feels sad. Like, we get it. So, all in all, Creature Commandos is a good show that is also very difficult to latch onto.

3. Superman

The true kickoff to the DCU is good but extremely flawed

I was over-the-moon excited for Superman, and, while I don't think it entirely delivered, it's a good movie. Much like Supergirl, it nails the most important part - David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel. After years of the dark, brooding Henry Cavill, Corenswet brings a boyish optimism that fits the character perfectly. Before the film, Gunn described Superman as "kindness in a world where kindness is old-fashioned", and that is exactly how the character comes across. If nothing else, the DCU has their lynchpin - Corenswet's Superman is perfect, and I think he will be great in the future.

Otherwise, the movie aptly delivers a silly, goofy comic book movie that isn't concerned with having heavy consequences or deconstruction heroism. Superman battles giant aliens and kaijus. Lex Luthor uses his technology to try and split Metropolis in half. Having these huge battles that feel like another day at the office for Clark is a new way of doing a superhero movie, and I appreciate that. Because of the constant world-ending stakes, however, I do think Superman loses a bit of weight and actual resonance. The movie gets so goofy and comic-booky at times that it doesn't feel like anything is actually going to go wrong. I would've liked to see a more balanced Superman film that can have stakes and consequences while still leaning on that good, old-fashioned heroism that the Man of Steel is so known for. I think Man of Tomorrow will deliver on that, and if it does, I will likely appreciate Superman more.

2. Lanterns

The gritty, True Detective version of Green Lantern is almost great but falls just short

I loved seven out of the eight episodes of Lanterns. The unfortunate thing was that the finale was that one episode I cannot say I loved, which sucks, because it felt like the finale should be such an easy win. We spend the entire season building up to John Stewart getting the Green Lantern ring...and we don't even see him in the suit. There aren't any big swings or twists that I didn't see coming. It just sort of ends without any big moments, and that was very disappointing.

But now that my finale rant is out of the way, Lanterns was a very solid addition to the DCU. Grounding the Green Lanterns in this True Detective-style mystery was a really cool way to bring the Emerald Knights into this universe. Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan are the backbone of this show, and they are absolutely incredible. Both of their characters feel fleshed out, complex, and unique, and their rapport made for such an interesting central conflict that felt earned based on what we learn about them. The nuance and complexity of this story made for a really compelling watch. I just wish that we had more Green Lantern stuff in my Green Lantern show. But I cannot wait to see more John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow and the rest of the DCU.

1. Clayface

DC's attempt at body horror is a complete and utter blast

Maybe it's recency bias, but Clayface is the most fun I've had with the DCU. Tom Rhys Harries is electric as Matt Hagen, this broken actor who, in a fit of desperation, turns to an experimental treatment that slowly turns him into a monster. This felt like what the Sony Spider-Man villain movies should have been. Clayface isn't turned into some misunderstood anti-hero: he's a full-fledged villain by the end of this thing. He's got a tragic backstory, but he is a bad person. And the movie has fun with that. It lets Matt do terrible things while the audience sort of roots for him.

Piggybacking off of that, Clayface is mainly concerned with one thing: being fun. This movie is fast-paced. It's nasty. Every five minutes, there's some image on the screen that will make you squirm, whether it's Matt's face being cut up, his eyelids closing in ways they shouldn't, his face drooping like it's made of dough...there are plenty of gnarly images here that will stick in your mind. I love that this film feels like a body horror movie first, comic book movie second. Sure, it takes place in the DCU, but it isn't concerned with setup or teasing Batman - it wants to be a scary, gross film that introduces you to this awesome villain, and it succeeds at that. It isn't the best movie ever made. It isn't an all-time comic book movie. But it's a highly entertaining, solid addition to the DCU that sets up an awesome villain while also being a complete blast in the theater. It's the first DCU project that I feel has actually lived up to my expectations, so for that, it comes in at number one.