10 Biggest DCU Stories Of 2023

The DC Universe changed drastically throughout 2023, with several seismic stories that altered both the past and the future of DC movies and television series. The DCEU timeline concluded in 2023 with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but not before proffering some vital narratives that color previous installments. Concurrently, other movies and series based on DC Comics have seen some climactic developments of their own, with many great stories from 2023 that will affect the future of the DCU.

The DCEU has officially ended after 15 years, spawning numerous television shows and films. The franchise is set to be rebooted with James Gunn at the helm, beginning with 2025’s Superman: Legacy. However, other ongoing DC shows and film series will continue and be kept separate from the primary timeline. Considering this, several important stories should be remembered for 2024 for the wider DCU.

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10 The DCEU’s Multiverse Was Fully Realized

The Flash (2023)

The multiverse in the DCEU only truly existed in television shows, particularly the Arrowverse. The movies never really explored the potential of the universe-melding adventures and depicting possible character variants. This changes, however, with 2022’s The Flash, which depicted Barry Allen traveling back in time and drastically altering his universe in the process. As a result, the Flash encounters both Michael Keaton’s and George Clooney’s Batman (from Tim Burton’s Batman movies and Batman & Robin, respectively). This served to celebrate the franchise’s past in preparation for its future. Additionally, establishing the multiverse before the reboot will allow the new film series to jump straight into more complex narratives and storylines.

9 The Joker Enacts The Killing Joke

Harley Quinn Season 4 (2023)

Harley Quinn depicts a decidedly more adult and humorous interpretation of the Batman pantheon. However, it took an incredibly dark turn when it adapted one of the most harrowing stories from the Batman comic books. The Killing Joke is one of the most celebrated Batman graphic novels, known for its mature themes and momentous narrative – namely, the Joker shooting Batgirl and leaving her paralyzed. Seeing this narrative in Harley Quinn was shocking, particularly as Batgirl had assumed a more central role in the series. The story allowed Batgirl to assume her Oracle identity from the comics, which she will presumably maintain throughout the fifth season.

8 Shazam Reconciled His Family Issues

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

2019’s Shazam! depicted the young Billy Batson repeatedly running away from foster homes to try and find his birth mother. By the movie’s conclusion, Billy had finally accepted that his current foster family was his true family, and it seemed his family issues were resolved, particularly when Billy’s foster family was bestowed comparable superpowers. In the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, however, the family had started to drift apart, and Billy’s sense of familial strength was once again challenged. This character arc was properly concluded when Billy’s foster family, now known as the “Shazamily,” worked together to battle their adversary, culminating in Billy sacrificing himself to save them.

7 Nightwing Is Mysteriously Killed

Harley Quinn Season 4 (2023)

Harley Quinn has developed substantially throughout Harley Quinn, beginning as a villain seeking to establish her own identity as a supervillain. Throughout the series, however, Harley slowly drifted towards antihero status, and then finally a full-blown hero when she joined Batman’s Bat Family in season 3. This was complicated, however, by the mysterious death of Nightwing in season 4. Nightwing’s death lingered throughout the season, instigating its darker tone and challenging themes. The fact that Harley was revealed as the culprit further compounded her heroic status, providing a compelling character arc that will presumably continue through to season 5.

6 Aquaman Revealed Atlantis To The World

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (2023)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s dramatic ending served to conclude the DCEU franchise. Most notably, Aquaman revealed the existence of Atlantis to the world through an announcement at the United Nations – with Aquaman revealing his true identity and declaring his interest in his underwater kingdom becoming a member state. Aquaman concluded that the surface world and his realm should be unified, resolving his dual identity as both Aquaman and Arthur Curry. It was an apt way to finish the franchise, neatly wrapping up one of the most compelling narratives regarding the hero’s conflicted sense of self as he resolved his role as King of Atlantis and surface-dweller.

5 The Flash Reconciled His Mother’s Death

The Flash (2023)

The Flash‘s narrative was driven by the hero’s attempt to save his mother from an untimely death. Throughout the movie, however, the Flash learns that some elements of the past cannot be changed – despite the numerous things that changed as a result of his actions. Regardless, the Flash reconciled his mother’s death and learned to use the tragedy to become a better hero. It provided a highly emotional conclusion to the Flash’s character arc, exploring his motivation in far greater detail than his previous DCEU appearances. By accepting his mother’s death, the Flash evolved into a true hero, neatly expounding upon and completing his DCEU story before the reboot.

4 Superman Reveals His Secret Identity To Lois Lane

My Adventures With Superman Season 1 (2023)

My Adventure With Superman debuted in 2023, depicting the eponymous superhero as he works to protect Metropolis alongside Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Many of the initial episodes depict Superman trying to establish his secret identity. However, by episode 5, “You Will Believe A Man Can Lie,” Lois has discovered Clark Kent’s secret and, in an attempt to coerce him into revealing his heroic status, throws herself off the top of a building. Of course, Clark rescues her in time, confirming his superpowers and Superman identity. The story allows the pair to assume a dynamic similar to the comic books, which will continue throughout the series’ future.

3 Superman Battles The Inverse Superman

Superman & Lois Season 3 (2023)

Superman & Lois depicts the titular hero and journalist facing the complexities of balancing work, the fight for justice, and parenthood. Season 3 saw Superman face his archnemesis Lex Luthor, who seeks revenge against Superman and Lois Lane upon his release from prison. Luthor achieves this by creating a monstrous counterpart to Superman known as the Inverse Superman. The season concluded with a dramatic showdown between the pair, ending on a climactic cliffhanger as the superbeings fight in outer space, hurtling toward each other with deadly intent. This narrative will be concluded in the fourth and final season of Superman & Lois.

2 Harley Creates The Gotham City Sirens

Harley Quinn Season 4 (2023)

Another important event from Harley Quinn that promises to greatly shape the series’ future occurred during the season finale, episode 10 “Killer’s Block.” Still reeling from the Joker’s violent attack on Batgirl, Harley finally accepts both her good and bad qualities and her antihero status. After leaving the Bat Family, Harley resolves to begin her own troupe of similar antiheroes made of famed femme fatales, naming them the Gotham City Sirens. The group, consisting of Harley, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Barbara Gordon, is adapted from the famed DC Comics series of the same name and represents another vital development in the ongoing Harley Quinn series.

1 The Flash Resets The Franchise

The Flash (2023)

When the Flash resolved his alternate timeline in the climactic conclusion of The Flash, he effectively altered the timeline for good. James Gunn suggested this would function to reset the franchise, and would instigate the transition from the DCEU to the DCU. The narrative provided Gunn with a fortuitous opportunity to draw a line between the established franchise and the reboot – even though there have been two further DCEU movies since. Whether Gunn’s DCU will include references to The Flash resetting the universe remains to be seen, but this story is perhaps the most important of the DC Universe‘s 2023 releases, ending 15 years worth of movies.