The DC Extended Universe of movies got off to a bit of a rougher start thanthe Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the fact remains thereisa timeline of events that occur throughout a series of DC Comics movies released over the past seven years. The first to hit theaters, of course, wasMan of Steel– theChristopher Nolan-produced,Zack Snyder-directed gritty reboot of Superman that was intended to kick off an interconnected series of films. The idea was to build towards a two-partJustice Leagueevent, all spearheaded by Snyder, but due to a variety of factors this exact vision didn’t come to fruition. Still,especially for a stretch of five movies or so, thereisa chronological order to the DC movies. Events from one movie are referenced and built upon in others, creating some exciting crossovers and cameos.
So if you’re wondering how to watch the DC movies in order, we have you covered. Below we’ve put together a list of how to watch all the DC movies in chronological order, followed by how to watch them in order of release. For the purposes of this list, we’re only including movies that are part of the “DC Extended Universe” – meaning only films that were made to be expressly connected by events and characters. So that means Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and theRyan ReynoldsGreen Lanternarenoton this list, because the universe of those movies doesn’t cross over with the universe of these Snyder-led movies.
So with that out of the way, let’s get to it. Here are the DC movies in order.
DC Movies in Chronological Order of Events
Wonder Woman
The events ofWonder Womanpre-date the events of all the other DC movies by a wide margin.The film flashes way back to show the creation of the Amazon women warriors by Zeus, who all live on the secret island of Themyscira. The bulk of the story takes place in 1918, when US pilot Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) accidentally stumbles upon Themyscira while fighting in World War I. Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) follows Steve to London, where she makes her mark on history by fighting alongside the Allied forces in World War I. The movie is bookended by “present day” scenes that take place sometime afterBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Black Adam
While most ofBlack Adamtakes place chronologically after the events ofThe Suicide Squad, the film opens 5,000 years in the past in the city of Kahndaq, where King Ahn-Kot is attempting to create the demonic Crown of Sabbac. In this sequence, we see the revolt of a young slave boy, and the beginnings of the legend that will become known as Teth-Adam. Even though the rest of the film is set in the present day of 2022,the origins of the antihero that becomes known as Black Adam start thousands of years before most of the events in the DCEU.
Wonder Woman 1984
Aside from a prologue set during Diana Prince’s childhood, the sequelWonder Woman 1984takes place largely in the year 1984. Don’t hold your breath for many DCEU tie-ins, however, as thePatty Jenkins-directed sequel mostly stands on its own.
Man of Steel
Director Zack Snyder’sMan of Steelis the film that started it all, and largely takes place in present-day (circa 2013) – although the film opens with a prologue that shows the destruction of Kal-El’s home planet Krypton, and we subsequently see scenes of Clark Kent as a child and teenager growing up in Kansas before we get to “present day” where he’s somewhere in his twenties – soabout 20 years after the destruction of Krypton.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Timeline-wise,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicekind of runs the gamut. There are flashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s childhood in 1981 when his parents were killed, flashbacks to show the ending ofMan of Steelfrom Bruce Wayne’s perspective, and there are flashforwards to a desolated Earth that’s been overrun by villain Darkseid (those“Knightmare” scenes). But the bulk of the film’sstory takes place about 18 months after the events ofMan of Steel, withBen Affleck’s Batman now extremely hardened and harboring a grudge against Superman.
Suicide Squad
The events ofSuicide Squadtake place about a year after the events ofBatman v Superman, as the death of Superman is referenced in the film, and we even get a cameo of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne meeting with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) having now taken on a more leadership role among the superheroes. But there are also flashbacks to Batman tracking down Joker (Jared Leto) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) that take place beforeMan of Steel.
Justice League
The bulk ofJustice Leaguetakes place about two years after the events ofBatman v Supermanand one year afterSuicide Squad, but we also get a big flashback sequence to thousands of years ago when the villainous Steppenwolf attempted to take over Earth and was foiled by an alliance between Amazons, Atlanteans, humans, and Olympian Gods.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Althoughnon-canon, the four-hour epicZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueis a more complete, more compelling version of the theatrical cut ofJustice League. It also fits into the timeline exactly the same.
The standaloneAquamanmovie takes place primarily several months after the events ofJustice League, as we watchJason Momoa’s titular hero protect his own kingdom. But there are flashbacks that show Aquaman’s origin story back in 1985.
