How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide

The DC universe is vast and perhaps more extensive than the Marvel universe. With titles spreading across both live-action and animated films and shows, the DC universe is pretty diverse.

The comic history of DC is quite rich, and while they may or may not be better than Marvel, they’re pioneers of the superhero genre and were able to create a following for comics in a time when no one else did. Their superheroes, such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, were created more than 50 years before remain relevant to this day and age.

If you’re a hardcore fan who wants to absorb every show, film, and animated title in the universe or someone who just wants to get started, this watch order is for you.

So let’s dive right in.

I’m going to segregate the complete watch order into two segments:

  • DC Live-action Movies and TV Shows
  • DC Animated Movies and TV Shows

Since DC is a much less coherent universe, where every major character has had multiple renditions, there’ll be quite a few mini segments within these two segments. So sit back and enjoy.

The DC universe first began with a Superman film in 1951, and over the years, there have been over 50 films, shows, and animated titles in the complete universe. You can consume the entire universe as segments in their release and chronological watch order.

1. DC Live-Action Films and TV Shows

I. The New DCEU

i. Release Order

To begin with, I am listing down all the new DC movies which are in the DCEU. It started with Man of Steel in 2013 and today has about 12 titles that bring together various aspects of the universe.

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Man of Steel
  1. Man of Steel – June 14, 2013
  2. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25, 2016
  3. Suicide Squad – August 5, 2016
  4. Wonder Woman – June 2, 2017
  5. Justice League – November 17, 2017
  6. Aquaman – December 21, 2018
  7. Shazam! – April 5, 2019
  8. Birds of Prey – February 7, 2020
  9. Wonder Woman 1984 – December 25, 2020
  10. Zack Snyder’s Justice League – March 18, 2021
  11. The Suicide Squad – August 6, 2021
  12. Peacemaker – January 13, 2022

Other projects, such as Shazam: Fury of Gods, Black Adam, etc., are in various stages of development, and I’m pretty excited to see how they fit into this universe.

ii. Chronological Watch Order

  1. Wonder Woman
  2. Wonder Woman 1984
  3. Man of Steel
  4. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice
  5. Suicide Squad
  6. Justice League
  7. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
  8. Aquaman
  9. Shazam!
  10. Birds of Prey
  11. The Suicide Squad
  12. Peacemaker
How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Peacemaker

While the timeline of the events is pretty straightforward and easy to understand, the only confusion you might face is between Justice League and Snyder’s version of the same film. This is because Warner Bros studios haven’t made Snyder’s Cut canon. As of now, it is a standalone film that will only be part of the extended universe.

II. The Arrowverse

The Arrowverse is CW Network’s rendition of numerous popular characters such as the Arrow, Flash, Batwoman, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and more.

Arrowverse

While some shows have built an ardent fan following, a few haven’t. However, when you look at this universe holistically, it is pretty successful and perhaps has gained more appreciation from fans and critics alike than the DCEU.

i. Release Order

  1. Arrow | 2012 – 2020
  2. Flash | 2014 – Present
  3. Constantine | 2014 – 2015
  4. Supergirl | 2015 – 2021
  5. Vixen Animated Web Series | 2015 – 2016
  6. Legends of Tomorrow | 2016 – Present
  7. Freedom Fighters: The Ray | 2017 – 2018
  8. Black Lightning | 2018 – 2021
  9. Batwoman | 2019 – Present
  10. Superman & Lois | 2021 – Present
How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Batwoman

A few shows on this list performed really, while a few didn’t, which led to their cancellation. This includes shows like Black Lightning and Constantine, which did not gain enough ratings to continue. Thus, the network thought it would be better to discontinue them. On the other hand, shows like Arrow and Flash have done incredibly well, with the characters and cast members gaining a loyal fanbase.

However, I feel the Vixen animated series was brilliantly written and fit into the Arrowverse pretty well. Although there are just two seasons of the series, I would’ve liked to see more seasons of that show.

ii. Chronological Watch Order

The Arrowverse’s timeline is relatively easy to follow, and most shows can and should be watched in parallel. The shows that have been mentioned together can be watched in parallel so that you can enjoy the crossover episodes with complete context.

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Arrow
  1. Arrow (S1 & S2)
  2. Arrow (S3) | Flash (S1) | Vixen (S1)
  3. Arrow (S4) | Flash (S2) | Supergirl (S1) | Vixen (S2)
  4. Legends of Tomorrow (S1)
  5. Arrow (S5) | Flash (S3) | Supergirl (S2) | Legends of Tomorrow (S2)
  6. Arrow (S6) | Flash (S4) | Supergirl (S3) | Legends of Tomorrow (S3) | Black Lightning (S1) | Freedom Fighters: The Ray
  7. Arrow (S7) | Flash (S5) | Supergirl (S4) | Legends of Tomorrow (S4) | Black Lightning (S2) | Batwoman (S1 – first three episodes)
  8. Arrow (S8) | Flash (S6) | Supergirl (S5) | Legends of Tomorrow (S5) | Black Lightning (S3) | Batwoman (S1 – rest of the episodes)
  9. Flash (S7) | Supergirl (S6) | Legends of Tomorrow (S6) | Black Lightning (S4) | Batwoman (S2) | Superman & Lois (S1)
  10. Flash (S8) | Legends of Tomorrow (S7) | Batwoman (S3) | Superman & Lois (S2)

Also, it is essential to note a couple of things:

  • Vixen Season 1 takes place around Arrow 3×15 and Flash 1×15
  • Vixen Season 2 takes place around Arrow 4×18 and after Flash 2×04
  • An alternate way of watching Constantine is before Arrow 4×05

iii. Crossover Episodes

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Supergirl
  1. Flash 1×08 | Arrow 3×08
  2. The Flash 2×08 | Arrow 4×08
  3. Supergirl 1×18 (The Flash Appearance)
  4. Supergirl 2×08 | Flash 3×08 | Arrow 5×08 | Legends of Tomorrow 2×07
  5. Supergirl 2×16 | The Flash 3×17
  6. Supergirl 3×08 | Arrow 6×08 | Flash 4×08 | Legends of Tomorrow 3×08
  7. Flash 5×09 | Arrow 7×09 | Supergirl 4×09
  8. Supergirl 5×09 | Batwoman 1×09 | Flash 6×09 | Arrow 8×08 | Legends of Tomorrow 5×0(1)
  9. Batwoman 2×16 | Flash 7×16 | Superman & Lois 1×12 | Supergirl 6×12
  10. Flast 8×01 | 8×02 | 8×03 | 8×04 | 8×05
Supergirl

This is the complete list of crossover episodes. In the 8th crossover episode list, the Legends of Tomorrow episode can be considered episode 0 or episode 1 of the show.

In this complete list, Arrow is perhaps the best of the lot. It began this entire universe and thus set up the narrative style, character arcs, and numerous other storytelling tropes that shows such as Flash and Supergirl followed.

So if you’re wondering whether to watch or skip this universe, you might not want to skip Arrow since it has got some incredible characters, performances, and stories you wouldn’t want to miss.

III. The Nolan Batman Trilogy Release and Chronological Watch Order

The Nolan Trilogy is one of the few DC works that has profoundly impacted pop culture in ways very few superhero films or series ever have. The way it dives into the human mind and dissects our society is beyond genius.

The release order and chronological watch order for Nolan’s Batman/Dark Knight Trilogy is the same, and you can watch the films in their order of release itself.

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
The Dark Knight
  1. Batman Begins – 2005
  2. The Dark Knight – 2008
  3. The Dark Knight Rises – 2012

IV. Other DC Shows Release Order and Chronological Watch Order

These shows are a few more adaptations of DC characters that are mostly not popular on mainstream TV. You can watch most of them as standalone shows in any order of your choice.

I’ve included shows that have been released only after the year 2000 since the ones that came before are in a separate category altogether.

Smallville
  1. Smallville |  2001 – 2011
  2. Birds of Prey | 2002 – 2003
  3. Gotham |  2014 – 2019
  4. Powerless | 2017
  5. Titan | 2018 – Present
  6. Krypton | 2018 – 2019
  7. Doom Patrol | 2019 – Present
  8. Watchmen | 2019
  9. Swamp Thing | 2019
  10. Pennyworth | 2019 – Present

V. Other DC Movies Release Order and Chronological Watch Order

Just like the series, numerous films after the year 2000 have been released, which can be watched as standalone movies.

However, most of these films are pretty underwhelming, and some might not even be worth your time. So start with Watchmen and Joker, as these have great plots, performances, and characters.

While Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker depicted a bleak yet fascinating origin story of the clown prince of crime – the Joker, Watchmen is an underrated film that every DC fan must watch. It sets itself apart from most other films in the superhero genre with an off-beat premise.

  1. Catwoman – 2004
  2. Constantine – 2005
  3. Superman Returns – 2006
  4. Watchmen – 2009
  5. Green Lantern – 2011
  6. Joker – 2019
  7. The Batman – 2022

The Batman is set to release in March this year, and I can’t wait to see how Robert Pattinson delivers as the dark knight. Robert Pattinson has done incredible work in movies like Tenet and The Lighthouse. So it’d be pretty intriguing to see him in this role.

VI. DC Old Movies (Before the 2000s) Release and Chronological Order

In this list, some are standalone films, and some have multiple sequels. I’ve mentioned which ones are standalone and which ones have a sequel along with the film titles. You can follow the release order of films since the timeline is pretty straightforward.

  1. Superman and the Mole Man – 1951 (Standalone)
  2. Batman: The Movie – 1966 (Standalone)
  3. Superman – 1978 (Part 1)
  4. Superman II – 1980 (Part 2)
  5. Swamp Thing – 1982 (Part 1)
  6. Superman III – 1983 (Part 3)
  7. Supergirl – 1984 (Standalone)
  8. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace – 1987 (Part 4)
  9. The Return of the Swamp Thing – 1989 (Part 2)
  10. Batman – 1989 (Part 1)
  11. Batman Returns – 1992 (Part 2)
  12. Batman Forever – 1995 (Standalone)
  13. Batman and Robin – 1997 (Standalone)
  14. Steel – 1997 (Standalone)

VII. DC Old Series (Before the 2000s) Release and Chronological Order

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Shazam
  1. Adventures of Superman (1952 to 1958)
  2. Batman (1966 to 1968)
  3. Shazam (1974 to 1976)
  4. Wonder Woman (1975 to 1979)
  5. Superboy (1988 to 1992)
  6. Swamp Thing (1990 to 1993)
  7. The Flash (1990 to 1991)
  8. Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993 to 1997)

With this, we’re done with the live-action universe of DC which consisted of over 60 titles. However, we’re only halfway there since we’re yet to cover the animated universe of DC.

2. DC Animated Universe (Films and TV Shows)

The DC Animated Universe is by far one of the best in terms of its writing and characterization. It makes me wonder why can’t live-action films and series be as good. After all, they’re all adapted from the same source material.

While MCU has given some of the biggest hits in the last decade, I don’t think any of those films or shows possess the kind of depth in their writing that almost every single DCAU show or movie has.

I. DCAU Films

i. Release Order

  1. Superman: Doomsday (2007)
  2. Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
  3. Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
  4. Wonder Woman (2009)
  5. Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)
  6. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
  7. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
  8. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
  9. Under the Red Hood (2010)
  10. All-Star Superman (2011)
  11. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
  12. Batman: Year One (2011)
  13. Justice League: Doom (2012)
  14. Superman vs. The Elite (2012)
  15. The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 (2012)
  16. The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2 (2013)
  17. Superman: Unbound (2013)
  18. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
  19. Justice League: War (2014)
  20. Son of Batman (2014)
  21. Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
  22. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
  23. Batman vs. Robin (2015)
  24. Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
  25. Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
  26. Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
  27. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
  28. Justice League Dark (2017)
  29. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
  30. Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
  31. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
  32. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
  33. Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
  34. The Death of Superman (2018)
  35. Reign of the Supermen (2019)
  36. Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
  37. Batman Hush (2019)
  38. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)
  39. Superman: Red Son (2020)
  40. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
  41. Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (2020)
  42. Batman: Death in the Family (2020)
  43. Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
  44. Justice Society: World War II (2021)
  45. Batman: Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
  46. Batman: Long Halloween – Part 2 (2021)
  47. Injustice (2021)

This release order might look intimidating and overwhelming; it can be split into multiple smaller segments that make the series or movie-watching experience enjoyable.

ii. Chronological Watch Order

In the above list, some films can be watched as standalone films, and others need to be watched in a specific order. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, I’ve divided the complete list into mini segments. This way, it becomes easier to consume everything without getting overwhelmed.

Standalone Films
  1. Superman: Doomsday (2007)
  2. Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
  3. Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
  4. Wonder Woman (2009)
  5. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
  6. Under the Red Hood (2010)
  7. All-Star Superman (2011)
  8. Batman: Year One (2011)**
  9. Justice League: Doom (2012)
  10. Superman vs. The Elite (2012)
  11. Superman: Unbound (2013)
  12. Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
  13. Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
  14. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
  15. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
  16. Superman: Red Son (2020)
  17. Batman: Death in the Family (2020)
  18. Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
  19. Injustice (2021)
Green Lantern Films
  1. Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)
  2. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
Superman/Batman Films
  1. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
  2. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
The New 52 Films
  1. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
  2. Justice League: War (2014)
  3. Son of Batman (2014)
  4. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
  5. Batman vs. Robin (2015)
  6. Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
  7. Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
  8. Justice League Dark (2017)
  9. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
  10. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
  11. Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
  12. The Death of Superman (2018)
  13. Reign of the Supermen (2019)
  14. Batman Hush (2019)
  15. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)
  16. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
DC Rebirth
How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Justice Society: Worl War II
  1. Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (2020)
  2. Justice Society: World War II (2021)
The Dark Knight Returns
  1. The Dark Knight Returns Part 1
  2. The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
Bruce Trimm
The Dark Knight Rises
  1. Batman And Harley Quinn (2017)
  2. Justice League VS. The Fatal Five (2019)
Batman: The Long Halloween
  1. Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 (2021)
  2. Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2 (2021)
  3. DC’s Injustice (2021)
DC Showcase Short Films
  1. The Spectre (2010)
  2. Jonah Hex (2010)
  3. Green Arrow (2010)
  4. Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam (2010)
  5. Catwoman (2011)
  6. Nightwing and Robin (2015)
  7. Sgt. Rock (2019)
  8. Death (2019)
  9. The Phantom Stranger (2020)
  10. Adam Strange (2020)
  11. Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth (2021)
  12. The Losers (2021)
  13. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
  14. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
  15. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
  16. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Nightwing

The chronological order is pretty straightforward in terms of the timeline, but before moving on to the TV series, here are a few things you need to remember:

  • The short film Catwoman is related to Batman: Year One, so watch it after you’re done with Batman.
  • The Nightwing and Robin showcase is related to Throne of Atlantis, so watch it along with that.
  • The rest is pretty straightforward. Segments such as Green Lantern, Superman/Batman, etc., have movies connected to each other but remain separate from the rest of the universe.

II. DCAU TV Series

i. Release Order

How to Watch the Entire DC Universe Easy Watch Order Guide
Static Shock
  1. Batman: The Animated Series (1992 – 1995)
  2. Superman: The Animated Series (1996 – 2000)
  3. The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999)
  4. Batman Beyond (1999 – 2001)
  5. Lobo (2000)
  6. Gotham Girls (2000-2002)
  7. Static Shock (2000 – 2004)
  8. The Zeta Project (2001 – 2002)
  9. Justice League (2001 – 2004)
  10. Justice League Unlimited (2004 – 2006)
The Zeta Project

ii. Chronological Watch Order

  1. Batman: The Animated Series (Season 1) (1992)
  2. Batman: The Animated Series (Season 2) (1994)
  3. Superman: The Animated Series (Season 1) (1996)
  4. Superman: The Animated Series (Season 2) (1997)
  5. The New Batman Adventures (Season 1) (1997)
  6. Gotham Girls (Season 1) (2000)
  7. Lobo (Season 1) (2000)
  8. Gotham Girls (Season 2) (2001)
  9. Gotham Girls (Season 3) (2002)
  10. Superman: The Animated Series (Season 3) (1998)
  11. Static Shock (Season 1) (2000)
  12. Justice League (Season 1) (2001)
  13. Static Shock (Season 2) (2002)
  14. Static Shock (Season 3) (2003)
  15. Justice League (Season 2) (2003)
  16. Static Shock (Season 4) (2004)
  17. Justice League Unlimited (Season 1) (2004)
  18. Justice League Unlimited (Season 2 until Episode 25) (2005)
  19. Justice League Unlimited (Season 3) (2005)
  20. Batman Beyond (Season 1) (1999)
  21. Batman Beyond (Season 2) (1999)
  22. The Zeta Project (Season 1) (2001)
  23. The Zeta Project (Season 2) (2002)
  24. Batman Beyond (Season 3) (2000)
  25. Justice League Unlimited (Season 2, Episode 26 – “Epilogue”)

This is the release and the chronological order for the DC TV series, and with this, we’re done with the complete DC universe watch order.

3. Where to Watch

You can’t find all the movies and series in one place for obvious reasons. There are just way too many titles. So the easiest option is to go segment-wise. You can choose the segment you want to watch first and then go to the streaming platform(s) that has/have the films/shows present within that segment.

Now that you’ve got the complete watch order, what are you waiting for? Start bingeing!

Watch DCAU on:

4. About DCAU

The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a shared universe of superhero-based animated television series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The shared universe, much like the original DC Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

The first TV series set in the DCAU was Batman: The Animated Series, which premiered in 1992; the last TV series was Justice League Unlimited, which ended its run in 2006. The associated media franchise also includes direct-to-video feature films and shorts, comic books, video games and other multimedia adaptations set in the same continuity.

Epic Dope Staff

Epic Dope Staff

Our talented team of Freelance writers - Always on the lookout - pour their energies into a wide range of topics bringing to our audience what they crave - fun up-to-date news, reviews, fan theories and much much more.

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