While audiences still haven't gotten a look at why the new cinematic DC Universe is going to look like, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran haven't been shy about teasing how vast the universe will be based solely on the cast for 2025's Superman. The man of steel's latest big screen outing is already confirmed to feature names such as Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord, among others, and this is still set to follow the DCU's TV debut with Creature Commandos that will introduce even more obscure characters.
The question becomes what the DCU's narrative future will look like once more films and TV series begin rolling out to further expand the universe by introducing its versions of Batman, Swamp Thing, Supergirl, and many others. While the exact future may not be completely clear, it is possible Gunn has already teased darker days ahead with just one simple image.
The Symbol of Hope
As production was about to get underway for Superman in February 2024, Gunn provided small glimpses at the behind the scenes preparation ranging from his many Superman storyboards to the principle cast being all together for the first table reads. Among those teases was an image of Superman's suit and crest for the film in its typical blue, red, and yellow fans associate with the last son of Krypton. However, some on social media unfamiliar with the comics were initially thrown off by the symbols' design, which was a departure from the visible S seen in every previous Superman feature film.
More eagle-eyed fans pointed out the chosen symbol was pulled straight from the popular 1996 DC Comics miniseries Kingdom Come, which was released under DC's Elseworlds banner.
It isn't the first time this version of Superman's crest has made the jump to live-action, though, as Brandon Routh returned to the role of Superman donning a suit similar to the one seen in Kingdom Come for the CW's Arrowverse event Crisis on Infinite Earths. This version is described as a “Superman who suffered more than any mortal man,” but little is otherwise revealed about this adaptation of Superman.
What is Kingdom Come?
Comic book fans familiar with the Kingdom Come series appeared immediately intrigued by Gunn's choice of Superman symbol, speculating that it could be an omen of darker things to come in the new cinematic universe. The speculation isn't unwarranted, either, as Kingdom Come is story that openly wrestles with themes such as loss of faith, changing definitions of heroism, and justification of violence among many others.
The story, itself, centers on a world where iconic, but aging, heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman have been pushed aside for a newer, more violent generation of superheroes who have no qualms about killing the “bad guys.” This is the result of the Joker's death at the hands of Magog, who was dubbed “The New Man of Tomorrow” as people praised him for his willingness to kill villains as Superman's own popularity began to wane. In the aftermath, many of the older heroes retired or disappeared as this new generation began to rise, though often leaving even more destruction in their wake than the heroes of the past due to their more violent tactics.
However, the narrative is not seen from the perspective of the characters directly involved but instead a minister named Norman McCay who begins suffering a crisis of faith due to apocalyptic visions involving the superheroes. McCay is then recruited by The Spectre to observe and pass judgment on the events that follow.
Over the course of Kingdom Come, McCay bears witness to a terrible nuclear explosion that decimates a large section of the American Midwest as a result of the battle between Magog's team and the Parasite. The disaster prompts Superman and other older heroes to begin returning to try and quell the newer, more violent generation, though Batman decides to form his own team of mostly second and third-generation heroes as he believes Superman's idealism will only make the situation worse.
Batman is proven right as Superman's reformed Justice League captures heroes and villains who are then imprisoned together in specialized prison built in the irradiated Midwestern U.S., dubbed The Gulag, though tensions quickly begin to rise within the prison. The situation is further exacerbated by Lex Luthor and his “Mankind Liberation Front,” which manipulates the conflict in an attempt to wrestle control away from the heroes hands.
The entire conflict comes to a head when a riot begins inside the Gulag that results in multiple deaths while Captain Marvel, who has been brainwashed by Luthor, breaks open the Gulag. Despite the efforts of Superman's Justice League and Batman's Outsiders, the UN authorizes the use of three nuclear missiles to destroy the metahumans and end the chaos once and for all.
Two of the nukes are successfully stopped before detonation by Wonder Woman and Batman while the third is set off by a now-freed Captain Marvel who sacrifices himself to stop it, though the explosion still kills many metahumans.
In the immediate aftermath, Superman threatens to destroy the UN in retaliation for the nukes when he is talked down by McCay and the survivors of the nuclear blast.
The story ultimately ends on a more hopeful message as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman all take on roles to help guide and heal the world while integrating the superpowered community into society more peacefully than the vigilante tactics used in the past.
Dark Days Ahead?
Kingdom Come was praised for its ability to intertwine themes of violence and faith in a a world that reflected the the public's demand for edgier, more violent heroes in media. It considered, in some ways, a push back on those demands by putting the idealism that Superman stands for at the center of the entire conflict between the older and younger generation of heroes.
Despite this spotlighting of idealism and the hopeful ending, it doesn't take away from the overall dark tone that dominates for most of the miniseries that is almost necessary for the story's uplifting conclusion. Gunn's decision for his Superman to sport the same sigil as the Superman from Kingdom Come could be an indicator that the DCU could, itself, be heading down a similar path as the universe's overall narrative unfolds.
The planned releases for the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters may already reflect this possibility, as well.
While release schedules can always be shuffled, the first reported follow-up film to Superman will be The Authority and, by Gunn's own description, could set the stage for the DCU's version of Kingdom come.
Gunn previously described The Authority as a team who believe the world is breaking apart and it is their responsibility to fix it “whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments, you know, whatever they want to do to make the world better.” His description of The Authority is not far removed from Magog and the other violent metahumans of Kingdom Come, and several members of The Authority are reportedly set to appear in 2025's Superman.
The DCU's TV slate could only add to this thanks to an emphasis on Amanda Waller and her various black ops programs involving more violent metahumans as well.
First is Peacemaker, who's upcoming second season will be integrated into the DCU as the vigilante continues his violent quest for peace in the world. Then there is the animated series Creature Commandos, another team of misfits under Waller's command as a black ops team sent out to perform her dirty work.
Waller, herself, is also slated to have a standalone series that continues to explore the character and her relationships with those under her command.
All these more violent individuals could be setting the stage for a Kingdome Come-esq conflict for the DCU down the road. Should Magog find his way into the new cinematic universe, it would cement the violent generational battle's jump from the comic page to the silver screen.
As it stands, though, this all remains speculative and only time will tell what shape the DCU ends up taking as it unfolds and evolves.
Superman is scheduled to release in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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