San Diego Comic-Con 2024 has unveiled some exciting news for the burgeoning DCU, with several announcements related to the franchise and other DC properties making big headlines. After the relative failure of the DCEU films came to a close with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, DC’s comic characters will get a fresh chance in cinemas with James Gunn’s DCU. The new cinematic universe will premiere in earnest with Superman: Legacy, kicking off a brand-new superhero franchise.

Of course, not every announcement at 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con pertained to the DCU. In fact, many of DC’s movie and TV show reveals were split between the series’ multiple on-screen continuities, including the last season of the Arrowverse-adjacent Superman & Lois, stand-alone animated projects like My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman continuity. No matter the project, Comic-Con has managed to draw up lots of hype for DC’s upcoming movies and shows.

10 James Gunn Unveiled The Official DC Studios Logo

The franchise’s signature stamp has been officially revealed

If there’s one thing the MCU has consistently succeeded at, it’s the ability to immediately create hype in the opening moments of their films as the Marvel banner projects a sizzle reel of their most famous projects, with the triumphant Marvel Studios theme drumming up excitement. For the longest time, DC’s films didn’t have a solid studio logo of their own to compete. But with the DCU’s rise, James Gunn has revealed a breathtaking new logo that won’t easily be forgotten.

The new official DC Studios logo hearkens back to the comic giant’s classic insignia, a round, blue-and-white sigil bearing the famous letters. As the logo appears, it flips to reveal a classic illustration of Superman in the vein of the very first DC comics he appeared in, hearkening back to the series’ roots. Hopefully, DC Studios will swap out the character that appears as the subject of each film and TV show that uses the logo.

9 Superman & Lois Season 4 Trailer

The fallout of Superman and Doomsday’s confrontation will finally come to light

While Superman & Lois is only tangentially related to the CW’s Arrowverse, taking place in a somewhat distinct timeline, the live-action series has drawn plenty of fan acclaim. The third season of Superman & Lois ended on quite a cliffhanger, cutting to black just as Superman and Doomsday began their world-defining battle. At long last, San Diego Comic-Con has given some more insights as to where the fourth season of the series will go.

A teaser trailer for Superman & Lois‘ fourth and final season gave a brief glimpse at Superman and Doomsday’s ongoing fight on the moon, showing off an even more mutated Doomsday that grows stronger with each injury. Hopefully, the series will be able to continue its soft adaptation of the famous Death of Superman comic arc successfully, possibly resulting in the death of Tyler Hoechlin’s beloved Superman. The final season’s two-hour premiere on October 17th is even more hotly anticipated following Comic-Con’s sneak peek.

8 Harley Quinn Season 5 Release Window Announced

Fans of the popular animated series can finally mark their calendars

HBO’s Harley Quinn animated series has been a surprise breakout hit for DC, with four seasons of irreverent adventures already under its belt. After the release of the spin-off series KIte-Man: Hell Yeah!, viewers were anxious to get a release date for the fifth season, which will take place after Kite-Man’s solo series in the same continuity and will incorporate its events into the plot. As of San Diego Comic-Con 2024, DC Studios have finally given an answer.

With a smart-looking poster, showrunners have officially given viewers a release window to look forward to, with the fifth season of Harley Quinn slated to come out sometime in November. The season will see Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy move to Metropolis, allowing for a wider environment to fill out the series’ comedic take on the DC universe. While the exact date of the show’s fifth season premiere still remains to be seen, DC can at least confidently provide some degree of accuracy for an upcoming release.

7 My Adventures With Superman Will Introduce Superboy

Another Kryptonian joins the roster of the expanding Superman series

Yet another animated series offering its own take on the DC Universe, My Adventures with Superman is an action-romance focusing on Superman’s earliest days in Metropolis with a modern twist. After My Adventures with Superman‘s second season ended, Supergirl became a fixture of the show’s universe, expanding the lore of the new take on Kryptonian identity. Now, San Diego Comic-Con has revealed that another Kryptonian hero will be joining the series’ roster.

It seems as though Superboy will be the next official DC hero to enter the world of My Adventures with Superman. Multiple different characters have used this name in DC Comics history, with the two most notable being Connor, a clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor, and Jon Kent, Superman and Lois’ teen son. It remains to be seen which direction the new animated series will go for the hero, but either way, Superboy was a smart addition to the show’s cast.

6 Batman: Caped Crusader’s Genderbent Penguin Revealed

The Batman will face a Penguin like no other

Batman: Caped Crusader is yet another of DC Studios’ many animated series that has drawn eyes at San Deigo Comic-Con. A brand-new series, Batman: Caped Crusader imagines a period interpretation of Batman produced by Bruce Timm, one of the co-creators of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series. During a panel for the upcoming show, Timm unveiled an image of a female version of the villain Penguin, doing battle with The Dark Knight.

The genderbent version Penguin was revealed to be voiced by Minnie Driver, an established British-American actress who has had experience in animated roles before, as Jane in Disney’s Tarzan. Drive acknowledged that, while some purist fans might be opposed to the new interpretation of the character, she’ll still be channeling the essence of the character. Penguin’s costume, like many elements of Batman: Caped Crusader, seems to take inspiration from the classic comics of DC’s Silver Age.

5 Creature Commandos Trailer Released

More details were finally unveiled for DC’s creature feature

While other animated projects shown off at 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con take place in their own universes, DC Studios was happy to show off one series that’ll actually take place within the DCU. Sharing a continuity with the upcoming live-action films, DC’s Creature Commandos brings to life the titular obscure superhero task force made up of characters that evoke Universal’s classic horror movie monsters. DC have finally released a trailer for the series that shows off what each member of the team looks like in motion.

The Creature Commandos’ actual mission remains a mystery, but the trailer clarifies the team’s existence. The team will consist of Frankenstein, The Bride, G.I. Robot, Dr. Phosporus, Nina Mazursky, and the return of Sean Gunn’s vocal talents as Weasel. Led by Amanda Waller and Rick Flagg, Creature Commandos promises to deliver on the same morally-gray comedic stylings of an eclectic, reluctant team of superpowered characters that James Gunn delivered with The Suicide Squad.

4 The Suicide Squad Is No Longer In The DC Universe

As revealed by the Creature Commandos trailer

Speaking of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the Creature Commandos trailer has revealed an alarming point regarding the film’s canon status in the DCU. Previously, the film occupied a strange spot in the transition between the DCEU and DCU, retaining characters from the previous continuity like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn while still being headed by DCU creative director James Gunn. However, the trailer for Creature Commandos has clarified that the film doesn’t take place in the new primary cinematic universe.

The trailer unleashed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 explained that Amanda Waller’s attempts to create Task Force X were canned due to ethical concerns, with higher powers-that-be insisting that she couldn’t use human prisoners for her superpowered hit-squad. Waller circumvents this with the loophole that the members of the Creature Commandos, a.k.a. Task Force M, aren’t human at all, making them exempt from the ruling. Thus, The Suicide Squad has been retconned from existence in the DCU.

3 The Penguin Trailer Released

Colin Farrell’s DC crime drama gave another close look

One of the most hotly-anticipated projects from DC’s 2024 San Diego Comic-Con lineup is none other than HBO Max’s upcoming drama series, The Penguin. Expanding the universe of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the show will reprise Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, known as “Ozzy” in Reeves’ version of Gotham. The Penguin promises to describe Ozzy’s rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld, deepening the lore of Reeves’ as-of-yet standalone feature film.

The trailer gives a glimpse of Ozzy’s motivations for building a criminal empire, emphasizing his close relationship with his aging mother, who believes their family to be deserving of a better standing. The sneak preview of the series also shows off just how far Ozzy is willing to go in pursuit of his goal, personally putting some of Gotham’s other criminals in body bags. Most importantly, however, the trailer establishes the presence of Sofia Falcone, a gangster played by Cristin Milioti.

2 The Batman 2 Starts Filming In Early 2025

The hotly-anticipated sequel’s production is being eagerly tracked

The Penguin won’t be the only project to iterate upon the Gotham City first shown off in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. A direct sequel, simply titled The Batman – Part II, is also known to be in the works, though details remain scarce as to what direction the film will go in. Still, San Diego Comic-Con 2024 gave prospective audiences a generous update on the state of the film’s production, revealing that the film will begin filming early in 2025.

The Batman ends with Gotham City flooded with water following the detonation of The Riddler’s devious bombs, resulting in a humanitarian crisis aided by a young Batman that has come into his own as a symbol of hope rather than a tool of vengeance. Story details are still light, though the film is presumably still on track to hit its release date for October 2nd, 2026. Beginning production early next year should give Matt Reeves plenty of time to ensure a worthy follow-up.

1 Colin Farrell’s Penguin Confirmed To Return In The Batman 2

Reeves understands the villains’ popularity

There’s a reason Colin Farrell’s Penguin was popular enough to get his own spin-off series. From his hilarious comedic timing to his impressive performance buried under layers of prosthetic face makeup that conceal his identity, Farrell managed to craft one of the most memorable characters in The Batman. Not only will he return in his titular series on HBO Max, but Matt Reeves confirmed at 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con that Farrell will also be reprising the role in The Batman – Part II.

It remains to be seen whether the events of The Penguin will be pertinent to The Batman – Part II. Regardless of if they are or not, it’s incredibly likely that Farrell’s Penguin will enjoy an enhanced screen presence in the sequel. Perhaps Matt Reeves’ Ozzy will be popular enough to give Penguin a greater presence in future DCU projects going forward.