The the DCEU's movies did not paint the best picture of multiple heroes, with poor planning leading to 2017's Justice League, which fell short of its potential.

While too long, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a better representation of what the Justice League should be in live-action. Still, I know we could have an even better adaptation of the team as part of James Gunn's Superman movie making me feel we are close to the new Justice League.

The Justice League Has Already Appeared In The DCU

DC's Premiere Superhero Team Made A Surprising DCU Appearance

While there is still no Justice League movie announced for the DCU, the team made a shocking appearance in the first project of Gunn's new universe. The heroes did not come to live-action, but animation. Max's Creature Commandos was the DCU's first release, with the TV-MA animated series introducing a ragtag team of monsters that came with a lot of heart, blood, and surprises. One of those happened to be the DCU debuts of several heroes who did not have any lines in the show, just making cameos in a shocking sequence.

In Creature Commandos, the Wonder Woman villain Circe, played by The Witcher's Anya Chalotra, showed Viola Davis' Amanda Waller a vision of a dark future where Princess Ilana Rostovic ruled the world with an iron fist. In that nightmare-like scenario, the Princess' troops slaughtered several heroes, seemingly killing the DCU's Justice League. While I expected some surprises from Creature Commandos, I most definitely did not anticipate that the show would include the DCU debuts of characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Booster Gold, Robin, and many more. All of them were dead in the sequence.

Superman Movie Merchandise Teases The DCU’s Justice League

The Other Heroes Of The DC Movie Have An Interesting Team Name

After the team made a cameo in Creature Commandos, the DCU's Justice League has now received its biggest tease yet. For a long time, fans have theorized about how the other heroes who appear in Gunn's Superman movie could lead to the creation of the Justice League. Well, a new toy line reveal from Mattel (via Superman Homepage) confirms that the film's superhero team will indeed be connected with the Justice League. According to the Superman movie merchandise, the team made up of the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl will be called the Justice Gang.

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If that is not a clear nod to the Justice League, then I don't know what it is. Based on the movie's trailers, David Corenswet's Superman will be working alongside the of the Justice Gang, but it does not seem like the Man of Steel is a formal member of the team. With that dynamic and the superhero squad's name — which is something that totally sounds like Guy would come up with — I'm convinced that we will be seeing the beginning of the DCU's Justice League in Superman, with the Justice Gang evolving at the end.

How David Corenswet’s Superman Can Lead To The DCU’s Justice League

The Man Of Steel Is The Perfect Hero To Create The Team

The Justice Gang does not have to be the team's final name. After working with Corenswet's Superman throughout the DCU's first movie, the other heroes could invite him to them, which leads to a name change. Going from that placeholder to the Justice League is something that makes sense if Superman were to the team by the end of the film. "League" is a word that is thematically fitting for the Man of Steel. It inspires unity, an alliance. Those are core concepts when it comes to Superman and, specifically, Gunn's vision for Clark Kent.

Superman Movie Cast

Actor

Character

David Corenswet

Clark Kent/Superman

Rachel Brosnahan

Lois Lane

Nicholas Hoult

Lex Luthor

Skyler Gisondo

Jimmy Olsen

Terence Rosemore

Otis

Sara Sampaio

Eve Teschmacher

Nathan Fillion

Guy Gardner/Green Lantern

Edi Gathegi

Michael Holt/Mister Terrific

Isabela Merced

Hawkgirl

Anthony Carrigan

Rex Mason/Metamorpho

Maria Gabriela De Faria

Angela Spica/The Engineer

Not only does the Justice Gang's possible new name sound like a suggestion Corenswet's Superman would make, but it also makes sense universe-wise for the hero to be the one to come up with the Justice League. The DCU's first movie is Superman, and Gunn has talked about how the future of the franchise depends on the film being a hit. Corenswet's Man of Steel will be the key figure of the DCU moving forward, so him being the one to come up with the Justice League's name is fitting for the franchise.

Superman 2025 poster
Superman
Release Date
July 11, 2025
Director
James Gunn
Writers
James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
Producers
Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran
Franchise(s)
DCU
  • Headshot Of David Corenswet In The 47th Toronto International Film Festival: `Pearl`
    Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El
  • Headshot Of Rachel Brosnahan
    Rachel Brosnahan
    Lois Lane
  • Headshot Of Nicholas Hoult
    Nicholas Hoult
    Lex Luthor
  • Headshot Of Edi Gathegi
    Edi Gathegi
    Michael Holt / Mister Terrific

DC Movie Releases