In preparation for Super Bowl LVI, Warner Bros. released a trailer teasing all four of 2022’s upcoming DC Comics films and showcasing 13 characters. The films include three installments of the DCEU shared universe film franchise and one DC solo film set in its own universe. Each film will adapt key characters from the DC Comics universes, telling exciting new stories that will be further teased during the Super Bowl.
The DCEU initially built towards a series of Justice League films, starting with Man of Steel before introducing the rest of its heroic roster in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. 2017’s Justice League proved underwhelming to critics and viewers, despite a successful director’s cut in 2021, leading to a change in direction for the DCEU franchise. There are no Justice League sequels planned for the time being and the DCEU will have a significant continuity shakeup in The Flash, similar to the comic it’s based on, Flashpoint.
The DCEU’s Batman, played by Ben Affleck, was initially set to star in a solo film, but Affleck’s departure from the role (whose final appearance will be in The Flash) meant that 2022’s The Batman will be an original iteration of the Dark Knight, unrelated to the DCEU franchise. The Batman and three exciting DCEU installments are coming to theaters in 2022, featuring the return of established characters and the introductions of others. Here are all of the DC films and characters that are shown in DC’s Super Bowl teaser.
The Batman
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, The Batman will feature the latest iteration of the Batman comic mythos onscreen. The film will pit the Caped Crusader against a new version of The Riddler, who shares a history with Bruce Wayne, is aware of his secret identity of Batman, and threatens to expose what may be a dark secret about the Wayne family. The Batman is one of the most highly-anticipated DC superhero films, with a release date of March 4, 2022.
Batman
The Batman will introduce Robert Pattinson as a brand-new take on the Dark Knight. Pattinson’s iteration of Batman will focus on his famous detective skills, along with the brutality that comes from the loss of his parents. Batman is only in his second year of crime-fighting in The Batman, with his high-tech Batman suit and sleek new Batmobile pleasing fans in promotional material. This Batman promises to be a flawed, human, and vengeful new take on one of the superhero genre’s most famous characters.
Catwoman
A new iteration of Catwoman will debut in The Batman as well. Played by Zoë Kravitz, this version of Selina Kyle will become an ally of Pattinson’s Batman According to Kravitz, her Selina Kyle moonlights as Catwoman for both survival and to help others, which she’ll gradually discover throughout the film.
Black Adam
Black Adam has been in the making in various forms for over a decade, with Dwayne Johnson the specific choice to play the famous Shazam villain. With Billy Batson and his magical abilities having been introduced in 2019’s Shazam! and the DCEU delving into the whimsical side of DC Comics, Black Adam is coming at the perfect time. Not only will the film finally have Johnson in the role of Teth-Adam, but it will also introduce a plethora of classic DC Comics characters.
Teth-Adam
Dwayne Johnson became interested in playing Teth-Adam, a.k.a. Black Adam, as far back as 2007, but will finally play the famous DC Comics character in 2022. Teth-Adam is best described as an antihero with a complex moral compass, despite his adversarial relationship with the classically heroic Shazam. Black Adam shares the powers of Billy Batson, though he has far fewer inhibitions, making him one of the most dangerous characters in the DCEU.
Cyclone
Black Adam will feature the Justice Society of America in addition to the titular anti-hero. The team will include Cyclone, a.k.a. Maxine Hunkel, played by Quintessa Swindell. Cyclone is the descendent of the original Red Tornado, though, unlike the older hero, Cyclone has superpowers, and can control both wind and sound currents.
Atom Smasher
Played by Noah Centineo, Atom Smasher (Albert Rothstein) is another member of Black Adam’s JSA roster. Atom Smasher can grow to enormous heights, increasing his strength in the process. The Super Bowl teaser shows Atom Smasher in his costumed and civilian identities.
Hawkman
Hawkman, a.k.a. Carter Hall, has had numerous aspects of his DC Comics mythos appear in the DCEU, but he’ll finally appear in Black Adam as the leader of the JSA. Following his classic origin story, the DCEU will depict Hawkman as a reincarnated Egyptian prince, whose Nth metal wings and Thanagarian superpowers make him a formidable hero. Hawkman will be played by Aldis Hodge.
Doctor Fate
Pierce Brosnan will join the DCEU in Black Adam as the mystical JSA member Doctor Fate. An elderly academic, Kent Nelson dons the Helmet of Fate, gifted to him by Nabu, and becomes the superhero, Doctor Fate. Thanks to his sorcery, Doctor Fate’s powers are nearly limitless, with flight, teleportation, and reality-warping being among the abilities at his disposal.
The Flash
A highly-anticipated DCEU film, The Flash will adapt elements of the Flashpoint storyline, which significantly altered the mainstream DC Comics universe, ending the post-crisis era. The Flash will feature the final appearance of Ben Affleck’s Batman, and will likely result in a continuity shakeup for the DCEU writ large. The full extent of these changes remains to be seen.
Barry Allen
After cameos in Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, who eventually adopts his “The Flash” moniker, won over viewers in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Now the star of his upcoming solo film, Barry Allen will travel to other realities and into the past of his own timeline. The Flash will also receive a new outfit, which closely resembles his post-Flashpoint costume from the comics.
Batman (Earth-89)
One of the most exciting aspects of 2022’s The Flash is the return of Michael Keaton’s iteration of Batman from the classic Tim Burton movies. The Flash will continue the story of Earth-89’s Batman, picking up where Batman Returns and the Batman ’89 comic series left off (with the Schumacher version of Batman taking place on Earth-97). Keaton will seemingly become the DCEU’s new Batman, with another appearance in the upcoming Batgirl film.
Nora Allen
Nora Allen, Barry Allen’s mother, will appear in The Flash, played by Maribel Verdú. Nora Allen was murdered by a time-traveling Eobard Thawne, inspiring Barry Allen to become both a forensic scientist and eventually superhero, and this will presumably be the case in the DCEU film as well. Barry Allen going back in time and saving his mother, and the subsequent effects of doing so, were a key element of Flashpoint and likely The Flash as well.
Supergirl
Played by Sasha Calle, Supergirl will make her DCEU debut in The Flash. Supergirl was teased in a Man of Steel prequel comic, but it’s unknown if Sasha Celle will be playing the mainstream DCEU timeline’s version of Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El. Considering that Barry Alen will travel across time and the multiverse in The Flash, the film’s Supergirl may be from an alternate universe and not the Kara Zor-El from Barry’s reality.
Barry Allen Variant
The Flash will feature both time travel and alternate realities, so it’s not surprising that Ezra Miller will play more than one Barry Allen in the film. The DCEU’s Barry Allen has already met a variant of himself in the Arrowverse The Flash TV show, where he discovered his superhero name from that universe’s Barry Allen. What separates the other Ezra Miller Flash from the mainstream universe’s iteration remains to be seen.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
Continuing the story of 2018’s Aquaman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will further explore the lore of the DCEU’s Atlantis. Aquaman will once again face off against Black Manta, who seeks revenge for the death of his father in the first film. Preview material implies that Aquaman will also ally himself with his brother and enemy, Orm.
Aquaman
Jason Momoa returns to the role of Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman. Aquaman will receive a new costume in The Lost Kingdom, reminiscent of his dark blue suit from a 1986 four-issue DC Comics series. It’s unknown when The Lost Kingdom takes place in the DCEU, but if it’s set after the events of The Flash, Aquaman and his history may have been affected by the continuity shakeup.
