DcU Essentials Watch Order
by Volanis4 | created - 03 Mar 2022 | updated - 3 months ago | PublicOrigins first. By era, w/ multiverse & timeline resets.
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1. Watchmen (2009)
R | 162 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
In a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman
Votes: 582,677 | Gross: $107.51M
I. Earth-Z 1985 8,5+* (Amazon / Netflix)
2. Watchmen (2008–2009)
Not Rated | 22 min | Animation, Drama, Mystery
An outlaw superhero's investigation of a possible conspiracy against his colleagues changes all their lives even as evidence builds toward a horrific conclusion.
Star: Tom Stechschulte
Votes: 3,445
1. Earth-0 1985 TT (Plan B) 9* (youtube)
3. Watchmen (2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting to break new ground of its own.
Stars: Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers
Votes: 134,329
2. Earth-0 8,5-* (Sky)
4. Wonder Woman (2017)
PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis
Votes: 699,817 | Gross: $412.56M
II. DcEU Earth-I 1917 8,5-* (Amazon / Netflix)
5. Pennyworth (2019–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The origin story of Alfred Pennyworth, a former special-forces soldier living in London and how he came to work for Bruce Wayne's father.
Stars: Jack Bannon, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Ben Aldridge
Votes: 18,078
3. Earth-'G' 1959- 8,5-* (Amazon Prime Video Channel Starzplay)
6. Joker (I) (2019)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Votes: 1,489,782 | Gross: $335.45M
III. Earth-'J' 1981 [10] 8,5-*
7. Gotham (2014–2019)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The story behind Detective James Gordon's rise to prominence in Gotham City in the years before Batman's arrival.
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donal Logue, Camren Bicondova
Votes: 240,778
4. Earth-'G' 1981-1999 [10-28] 8,5-* (Netflix)
8. Smallville (2001–2017)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.
Stars: Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk
Votes: 138,142
5. Earth-'S' {S11: Crisis I} 8,5-* (Dvd)
9. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,579,000 | Gross: $206.85M
VII. Earth-'B' '2000 {-5} [29-30] 8,5-*
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,871,741 | Gross: $534.86M
VIII. '2001 [31] 9,5-* (Netflix)
11. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,828,013 | Gross: $448.14M
IX. '2009-2010 [38] 8,5-*
12. Green Lantern (2011)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong
Votes: 296,174 | Gross: $116.60M
X. Earth-12 post-CoIE {Tl. restored from 30th ct.} 7* (until there's a better GL)
13. Superman: The Early Years (Behind the Scenes of Smallville) (2002 TV Movie)
27 min | Documentary, Sci-Fi
A backstage look at the making of "Smallville," the television series about Clark Kent's early years.
Stars: Sam Jones III, Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole
Votes: 84
6. placeholder for "S11 2015 {44} {15} ends in Crisis, multiple tls. restored incl. 1862 /versions of Bruce & Dick in: 1935 (-1985) / 1966 (-2019) 9*
14. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 187,583 | Gross: $134.22M
XV. 8*
15. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Directors: Richard Donner, Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty
Votes: 19,097
XVI. 8*
16. Batman (1989)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 404,366 | Gross: $251.19M
XX. 8,5-*
17. The Flash (1990–1991)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
A police forensic scientist, Barry Allen, battles crimes as the super-fast superhero "The Flash."
Stars: John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays, Alex Désert, Vito D'Ambrosio
Votes: 8,162
18. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,563 | Gross: $162.83M
XXI. 8*
19. Superman Returns (2006)
PG-13 | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden
Votes: 291,408 | Gross: $200.08M
XXIII. E-'96 {5 years after Superman leabes} 7,5-* (Netflix)
20. Constantine (2005)
R | 121 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf
Votes: 374,343 | Gross: $75.98M
VI. Earth-'H' 7,5+*
21. Arrow (2012–2020)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.
Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Susanna Thompson
Votes: 446,111
9. Earth-1 post-Crisis 8,5-* (great: S2/5, good: S1/3/7/8) (Netflix)
22. The Flash (2014–2023)
TV-PG | 43 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After being struck by lightning, Barry Allen wakes up from his coma to discover he's been given the power of super speed, becoming the Flash, and fighting crime in Central City.
Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes
Votes: 368,290
23. Constantine (2014–2015)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A man struggling with his faith who is haunted by the sins of his past is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.
Stars: Matt Ryan, Harold Perrineau, Charles Halford, Angélica Celaya
Votes: 56,275
11. 7,5*
24. DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2022)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter must recruit a ragtag team of heroes and villains to help prevent an apocalypse that could impact not only Earth, but all of time.
Stars: Caity Lotz, Amy Louise Pemberton, Dominic Purcell, Nick Zano
Votes: 110,061
13. 8* (great: S1, good: S2/5) (Amazon)
25. Lucifer (2016–2021)
TV-14 | 4,393 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Lucifer Morningstar has decided he's had enough of being the dutiful servant in Hell and decides to spend some time on Earth to better understand humanity. He settles in Los Angeles - the City of Angels.
Stars: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D.B. Woodside
Votes: 356,103
14. Earth-"666 / E-'13 (3x26) 8* (Amazon)
26. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Batman is manipulated by Lex Luthor to fear Superman. Superman´s existence is meanwhile dividing the world and he is framed for murder during an international crisis. The heroes clash and force the neutral Wonder Woman to reemerge.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Votes: 752,583 | Gross: $330.36M
27. Suicide Squad (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis
Votes: 722,451 | Gross: $325.10M
XXVII. 7,5-* (Netflix)
28. Krypton (2018–2019)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The untold story of Superman's grandfather as he fights for justice on his home planet.
Stars: Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Shaun Sipos, Ann Ogbomo
Votes: 17,703
16. 8* (great: S2, ok-good: S1) (Amazon)
29. Titans (I) (2018–2023)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Dick and Rachel, a girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy. Together they become a team of heroes.
Stars: Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Teagan Croft
Votes: 112,786
17. Earth-9 8* (Netflix)
30. Aquaman (2018)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Arthur Curry, the human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, goes on a quest to prevent a war between the worlds of ocean and land.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson
Votes: 520,908 | Gross: $335.06M
XXXI. 7,5-* (Amazon)
31. Shazam! (2019)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected super powers and soon gains a powerful enemy.
Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer
Votes: 385,051 | Gross: $140.37M
XXXII. 8*
32. Doom Patrol (2019–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The adventures of an idealistic mad scientist and his field team of superpowered outcasts.
Stars: Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Matt Bomer, Riley Shanahan
Votes: 59,739
19. Earth-21 post-CoIE 8,5-* (great: S1, good: S2)
33. Swamp Thing (2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Abby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, only to discover the dark, terrifying mysteries of the swamp.
Stars: Crystal Reed, Virginia Madsen, Andy Bean, Derek Mears
Votes: 27,734
20. Earth-19 post-CoIE 8,5+* (Amazon!)
34. Stargirl (2020–2022)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Teenager Courtney Whitmore joins the Justice Society of America. Based on the character from DC Comics.
Stars: Brec Bassinger, Trae Romano, Amy Smart, Luke Wilson
Votes: 20,624
21. Earth-2 8,5+* (Amazon)
35. Superman & Lois (2021–2024)
TV-PG | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The world's most famous superhero and comic books' most famous journalist face the pressures and complexities that come with balancing work, justice, and parenthood in today's society.
Stars: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Alex Garfin, Erik Valdez
Votes: 39,652
22. Earth-Prime post-CoIE 8,5+*
36. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
R | 242 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Determined to ensure that Superman's ultimate sacrifice wasn't in vain, Bruce Wayne recruits a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams
Votes: 438,536
25. "slightly elsewhere" 8,5+* (Sky)
37. The Suicide Squad (2021)
R | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman
Votes: 409,818 | Gross: $55.82M
XXXIV. 8,5+*
38. Peacemaker (2022– )
TV-MA | 40 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Picking up where The Suicide Squad (2021) left off, Peacemaker returns home after recovering from his encounter with Bloodsport - only to discover that his freedom comes at a price.
Stars: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland
Votes: 135,100
23. 8,5+*
39. The Batman (2022)
PG-13 | 176 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell
Votes: 787,405 | Gross: $369.35M
XXXV. 8,5-*
40. Black Adam (2022)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo
Votes: 274,104 | Gross: $168.15M
XXXVI. Oct. 21, 2022
41. The Sandman (2022– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Upon escaping after decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, Dream, the personification of dreams, sets about to reclaim his lost equipment.
Stars: Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong
Votes: 171,291
24.
42. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The film continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word "SHAZAM!" is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler
Votes: 124,846
XL. Dec. 16, 2022
43. The Flash (I) (2023)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
Director: Andy Muschietti | Stars: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon
Votes: 210,590
XXXVII. Jun. 23, 2023
44. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Black Manta seeks revenge on Aquaman for his father's death. Wielding the Black Trident's power, he becomes a formidable foe. To defend Atlantis, Aquaman forges an alliance with his imprisoned brother. They must protect the kingdom.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard
Votes: 82,908
XXXIX. Mar. 17, 2023
45. Blue Beetle (2023)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
Director: Angel Manuel Soto | Stars: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, Damián Alcázar
Votes: 94,851
XLI. Aug. 23, 2023
46. The Penguin (2024– )
Crime, Drama, Fantasy | Post-production
Following the events of "The Batman," Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.
Stars: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Myles Humphus
27.
47. Arkham
Action, Crime | Announced
Drama series set in the Gotham police department based on Matt Reeves' 'The Batman'.
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