You can watch DC movies in order in two main ways: by chronological in‑universe timeline or by release date of the main DCEU films, with the new DCU and “Elseworlds” titles treated as their own side paths.

Best simple watch order (DCEU story)

If you mainly care about the core DCEU narrative (from Superman to Aquaman 2), this streamlined order works well.

  1. Wonder Woman (main WWI story)
  1. Wonder Woman 1984
  1. Man of Steel
  1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
  1. Suicide Squad (2016)
  1. Justice League (choose theatrical or Zack Snyder’s Justice League as your preferred cut)
  1. Aquaman
  1. Shazam!
  1. Birds of Prey
  1. The Suicide Squad (2021)
  1. Black Adam
  1. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
  1. The Flash
  1. Blue Beetle
  1. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Watch tip: many fans either pick just Justice League (2017) or just Zack Snyder’s Justice League as “their” version, even though the latter is treated as non‑canon.

Chronological DC movie order (main DCEU)

If you want events in universe‑timeline order (not counting every flashback), guides broadly agree on this flow.

  • Wonder Woman (WWI segments first)
  • Wonder Woman 1984
  • Man of Steel
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
  • Suicide Squad (2016)
  • Justice League (or Zack Snyder’s Justice League)
  • Aquaman
  • Shazam!
  • Birds of Prey
  • The Suicide Squad (2021)
  • Black Adam
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods
  • The Flash (core timeline events here; some scenes occur earlier via time travel)
  • Blue Beetle
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Release order for the main DCEU

Release order is great if this is your first DC marathon, because it matches how audiences originally experienced the story.

  • Man of Steel (2013)
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
  • Suicide Squad (2016)
  • Wonder Woman (2017)
  • Justice League (2017)
  • Aquaman (2018)
  • Shazam! (2019)
  • Birds of Prey (2020)
  • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021, alternate cut)
  • The Suicide Squad (2021)
  • Black Adam (2022)
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
  • The Flash (2023)
  • Blue Beetle (2023)
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

What about Joker, The Batman, and the new DCU?

Not every modern DC movie sits in the same universe, so you can treat some as “bonus” Elseworlds or as the start of the rebooted DCU.

  • Elseworlds (standalone / separate continuities):
    • Joker (2019)
* Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

* The Batman (2022)

* The Penguin (spin‑off series, 2024)

* DC League of Super‑Pets (animated, separate)
  • New DCU (James Gunn era, starting fresh continuity):
    • Creature Commandos (animated, 2024)
* Superman (2025)

* Future announced projects like Supergirl, The Authority, Swamp Thing, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold continue this new timeline.

Simple viewing plans

To keep it manageable, pick one of these approaches:

  • For the core “Snyder era” story: use the “Best simple watch order” list above.
  • For a full modern DC binge:
    • Watch the DCEU in release order.
    • Add Joker, Joker 2, The Batman, and DC League of Super‑Pets anywhere as side stories.
    • Then jump into the new DCU starting with Creature Commandos and Superman as they arrive.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.