James Gunn Finally Shares a Video Explaining What’s Canon and What’s Not in the DCU

James Gunn is finally clearing the air, again, about what’s canon and what’s not in the new DC Universe. Ever since Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and started planning their fresh take on the superhero universe, fans have had a lot of questions. Especially about where things like Peacemaker fit in after the messy end of the DCEU.

One thing has been confirmed for a while: Peacemaker Season 2 will officially be part of the new DCU. Gunn, who also created the show, has said he’ll make sure the series transitions smoothly into this new universe. He promised it won’t be confusing. But of course, things got confusing anyway.

At first, Gunn said that Peacemaker Season 1 wouldn’t be canon at all. Then he said that some parts of it might still count. After that, he said the entire season is canon, except for the Justice League cameo at the end. That specific scene, according to him, will be addressed in the show later.

To help clear things up, James Gunn posted a new video online explaining, once again, what counts and what doesn’t in the DCU.

“The DCU begins canonically with Creature Commandos, and then Superman continues the DCU, and then Peacemaker Season 2 continues from there. Now that’s the basics. If you really wanna keep it simple and not confused, just know that those three things are canon,” Gunn said in the video.

That sounds straightforward, right? Well, there’s more. Gunn also said that certain scenes from the old DCEU will be treated as canon, but only if they’re shown or talked about in the new shows.

“Anything that we show in the ‘Previously seen’ on Peacemaker, then becomes canon. Anything that they talk about having happened in the old world, that then becomes canon,” he added.

He gave an example to explain it better.

“We know, for instance, that Rick Flag’s son was killed in Corto Maltese because we hear him talk about it in Creature Commandos. But what you really need to know is everything is canon from Creature Commandos, Superman, and through Peacemaker Season 2. That’s for the people that really want to get into the weeds,” Gunn said.

my show is canon. and i’ve always said that. pic.twitter.com/e4Q2bP2kut

— Peacemaker on HBO Max (@DCpeacemaker) July 30, 2025

On the surface, this explanation seems simple enough. But longtime DC fans know how complicated canon discussions can get. If one character from the old movies is in the new universe, doesn’t that mean others connected to them are too?

Like, if Rick Flag is now part of the DCU, does that mean Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller are also in? And if Amanda Waller showed up in Black Adam alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, does that mean Cavill’s version still exists in the new timeline?

These are the kinds of questions that keep popping up, and they’re hard to ignore.

Gunn’s solution is to make canon only what’s directly shown or mentioned in the new DCU stories. That way, fans don’t fall into logical traps that turn the whole DCEU into canon just because one character shows up again.

The video came straight from James Gunn himself, and it was shared online as part of his ongoing effort to keep fans in the loop. It probably won’t stop every debate, but at least now there’s a clear starting point for what’s actually part of the DCU.

So, if you’re trying to follow the new universe without getting a headache, just remember: Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2. Everything else? Wait until it’s shown on screen.

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