Frontlist | Upcoming DC movies, TV series, comics, and video games

Frontlist | Upcoming DC movies, TV series, comics, and video games
on Jan 12, 2021

The year 2021 is filled to the brim with DC movies, TV shows, comics, and even the launch of a new video game franchise, all featuring your favorite heroes and villains such as Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, and Flash, so we’re going to list everything DC you can expect to see over the next 12 months. It’s worth mentioning that every release date in this article should be taken as tentative because, as we saw in 2020, issues related to Covid-19 may cause unexpected delays.

DC Movies in 2021

The DC film slate is slim in 2021 but nevertheless features two notable releases.

Justice League: The Snyder Cut

The first major DC movie release of 2021 is Justice League: The Snyder Cut, which will release sometime in March. Fans lobbied Warner Bros. for years to allow director Zack Snyder to deliver a Justice League movie that matched his original vision, and now it will finally release on streaming service HBO Max. The film will use footage left out of the theatrical version and include a few minutes of freshly shot material featuring returning actors such as Ben Affleck (Batman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), and Joe Manganiello (Deathstroke). Jared Leto’s Joker has also been added to the film. The Snyder Cut will be released as a four-part mini-series on HBO Max with hour-long episodes, and Snyder also said he’s working on making it available to watch as a single, four-hour film.

The Suicide Squad

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is a sequel-but-not-a-sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Returning characters Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) are joined by a truly bizarre selection of deep-cut DC characters such as Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and King Shark (Steve Agee). Keep a special eye on John Cena’s Peacemaker, as the character already has a spin-off TV series planned for HBO Max. (Speaking of HBO Max, when The Suicide Squad hits theaters it will also be available to watch on the streaming service for 30 days.) Gunn shared that he was given carte blanche to kill off any character, which keeps the film in the spirit of the comic book source material, so make sure not to get too attached to anyone.

DC TV Shows in 2021

The massive slate of superhero shows spanning the Arrowverse and the rest of the DC multiverse returns in 2021! The show that started it all, Arrow, is no longer with us, but it left behind a strong legacy that is carried on by numerous other superhero series.

Batwoman Season 2

Batwoman will debut Season 2 on January 17, 2021, but with one big shakeup. Star Ruby Rose left the role of Kate Kane aka Batwoman, and now Javicia Leslie has been cast as the show’s lead. She will portray a new character named Ryan Wilder who takes up the mantle of Batwoman. The rest of the Season 1 cast will be returning for the new season. Kate’s disappearance will be addressed in Season 2 and the mystery of her departure will be part of the plot.

Black Lightning Season 4

Black Lightning will return on February 8, 2021, for Season 4, which will be the show’s final season. Season 3 ended with Jefferson Pierce aka Black Lightning dismantling the ASA and its super-soldier program, so in Season 4 expect to see the fallout of that conflict along with a new villain coming to Freeland. The series may be ending, but a spin-off featuring Painkiller is in development with an episode of Black Lightning Season 4 acting as a backdoor pilot.

The Flash Season 7

The Flash will return for Season 7 on February 23, 2021. Production issues related to Covid-19 caused Season 6 to end abruptly, leaving fans without the final three episodes, so Season 7 will start by capping off the previous season’s arc pitting Barry Allen’s Scarlet Speedster against Eva McCulloch aka Mirror Master.

Legends of Tomorrow Season 6

Legends of Tomorrow is coming back for Season 6 in 2021, although a specific release date has yet to be revealed. Season 5 left us on a cliffhanger as Sara Lance aka White Canary was kidnapped by aliens, so expect to see the team embark on a cosmic rescue mission filled with aliens and plenty of the show’s signature antics.

Supergirl Season 6

Supergirl will return sometime mid-2021 for Season 6, which will be the final season of the show. But where one super-show ends, another begins…

Superman and Lois Season 1

Superman and Lois is a brand new Arrowverse show that will make its series premiere on February 23, 2021. The series will star Tyler Hochelin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprising their roles as the Man of Steel and Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, respectively. The story follows the married couple as they navigate the troubles of raising two super-boys, Jonathan and Jordan Kent.

Stargirl Season 2

Stargirl is coming back for Season 2 in 2021. Season 2 left viewers with an ominous tease for the villain Eclipso, who in the comics is a dark god with the power to possess people. Given he’s one of DC’s scariest and most formidable foes, it looks like Stargirl and the JSA have quite the challenge ahead of them in Season 2.

DC Universe Shows: Titans, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn and Young Justice

Titans Season 3, Doom Patrol Season 3, Harley Quinn Season 3, and Young Justice: Phantoms (Season 4) are all in the works. Fans are hoping these shows will return in 2021 but there are currently no announced dates for when they will release on HBO Max. Titans is reportedly scheduled to wrap production in June 2021, so at the very least that show may release in late 2021.

DC Comics in 2021

Future State

The DC Comics lineup is undergoing a major overhaul in 2021. A line-wide event called Future State will unfold over two months starting in March 2021 and offer a glimpse at what the DC universe looks like in the future. While DC has clarified Future State is not a continuity reboot, it will still introduce some exciting changes -- such as a mysterious new Batman, a new Wonder Woman named Yara Flor from Brazil, and the comics-debut of Teen Titans animated series character Red X. Though the stories of Future State take place in the future, fans can expect some of the characters and concepts introduced during the event to be incorporated into the present day DC Universe afterward. Perhaps we’ll meet that new Wonder Woman when she’s just starting out as Wonder Girl. Comic readers should take note that as of Future State, the DC superhero line of comics will be reduced to 25 ongoing titles, many of which will be adopting an anthology style. For example, the new Justice League series will have a backup story featuring the Justice League Dark.

DC Video Games in 2021

Gotham Knights

A new DC video game called Gotham Knights is scheduled to debut in 2021. Developed by WB Games Montréal (and set its own universe separate from the Batman Arkham games), Gotham Knights is an action role-playing game (with online co-op) that has players exploring an open-world Gotham City as one of four characters: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Tim Drake), and Red Hood (Jason Todd). We don’t know much about its story just yet, but WB has said that the four young heroes must rise up in the wake of Batman’s shocking death to defend the streets of Gotham, combat the deadly Court of Owls, and solve the mystery behind their mentor’s apparent murder. Each Gotham Knights character has their own unique weapon and combat style, giving players options to choose between (for example) the acrobatic Nightwing wielding his trusty escrima sticks or Red Hood’s aggressive dual-pistol gunplay. And in case you were wondering, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will release in 2022.   Source: IGN