DC Extended Universe watch order
All 21 films in the DC Extended Universe list, in the order they came out and in story order, with the Batman and Joker films that are not part of it marked optional. It is the same order the emberslate app uses for its DC saga.
Updated · By emberfold labs
The short answer
Watch in release order, starting with Man of Steel (2013). The Dark Knight trilogy, Joker and The Batman are not part of the DCEU and are marked optional. Zack Snyder's Justice League is a director's cut of Justice League. All 21 films take about 50 hours.
- Titles
- 21 films, 0 series
- Everything
- about 50 hours
- Core path
- about 33 hours
- Films only
- about 50 hours
Release order
DC Extended Universe in release order
The order they came out. The best way in for a first watch.
- 01
01OptionalBatman Begins (2005)
Film · 2h 20mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 02
02OptionalThe Dark Knight (2008)
Film · 2h 32mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 03
03OptionalThe Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Film · 2h 45mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 04
04CoreMan of Steel (2013)
Film · 2h 23mCore
- 05
05CoreBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Film · 2h 32mCore
- 06
06CoreSuicide Squad (2016)
Film · 2h 2mCore
- 07
07CoreWonder Woman (2017)
Film · 2h 21mCore
- 08
08CoreJustice League (2017)
Film · 2h 0mCore
- 09
09CoreAquaman (2018)
Film · 2h 23mCore
- 10
10CoreShazam! (2019)
Film · 2h 12mCore
- 11
11OptionalJoker (2019)
Film · 2h 2mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 12
12CoreBirds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Film · 1h 49mCore
- 13
13CoreWonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Film · 2h 31mCore
- 14
14OptionalZack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Film · 4h 2mOptional
Director’s cut. An alternate version of Justice League.
- 15
15CoreThe Suicide Squad (2021)
Film · 2h 12mCore
- 16
16OptionalThe Batman (2022)
Film · 2h 57mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 17
17CoreBlack Adam (2022)
Film · 2h 5mCore
- 18
18CoreShazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Film · 2h 10mCore
- 19
19CoreThe Flash (2023)
Film · 2h 24mCore
- 20
20CoreBlue Beetle (2023)
Film · 2h 8mCore
- 21
21CoreAquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Film · 2h 4mCore
Chronological order
DC Extended Universe in chronological order
The order the story happens in, starting with Wonder Woman in World War I. The standalone films are at the end.
- 0101Core
Wonder Woman (2017)
Film · 2h 21mCore
- 0202Core
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Film · 2h 31mCore
- 0303Core
Man of Steel (2013)
Film · 2h 23mCore
- 0404Core
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Film · 2h 32mCore
- 0505Core
Suicide Squad (2016)
Film · 2h 2mCore
- 0606Core
Justice League (2017)
Film · 2h 0mCore
- 0707Core
Aquaman (2018)
Film · 2h 23mCore
- 0808Core
Shazam! (2019)
Film · 2h 12mCore
- 0909Core
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Film · 1h 49mCore
- 1010Core
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Film · 2h 12mCore
- 1111Core
Black Adam (2022)
Film · 2h 5mCore
- 1212Core
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Film · 2h 10mCore
- 1313Core
The Flash (2023)
Film · 2h 24mCore
- 1414Core
Blue Beetle (2023)
Film · 2h 8mCore
- 1515Core
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Film · 2h 4mCore
- 1616Optional
Batman Begins (2005)
Film · 2h 20mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 1717Optional
The Dark Knight (2008)
Film · 2h 32mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 1818Optional
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Film · 2h 45mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 1919Optional
Joker (2019)
Film · 2h 2mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
- 2020Optional
The Batman (2022)
Film · 2h 57mOptional
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
Release order or chronological order?
Release order is the best way in. The DCEU was built from Man of Steel onward, and release order is how its story was told.
Chronological order starts with Wonder Woman, which is set in World War I, and puts the standalone films at the end. It makes more sense as a rewatch.
What is not part of the DCEU
The Dark Knight trilogy, Joker and The Batman are separate from the DCEU, and the app marks them optional. Zack Snyder's Justice League is a director's cut of Justice League, so you do not need to watch both.
What you can skip
Anything not marked core can wait. The main story does not need it, so watch it whenever you like.
Batman Begins (2005)
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
Joker (2019)
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Director’s cut. An alternate version of Justice League.
The Batman (2022)
Not part of the DCEU. Optional.
Track it
Track the DC Extended Universe saga in emberslate
The Sagas tab in the emberslate app has this exact order. Switch between release and chronological order, mark the next step watched, and see how far through you are. It is free on Android.
Get emberslate on Google Play
DC Extended Universe watch order questions
What order should I watch the DC movies in?
Release order, starting with Man of Steel, then Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, and on through to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Do I need to watch the Dark Knight trilogy first?
No. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are a separate series from the DCEU and are marked optional.
Are Joker and The Batman part of the DCEU?
No. Both are standalone films that sit outside it, so they are optional in this list.
Which Justice League should I watch?
Either. Zack Snyder's Justice League is a director's cut that tells the same story at four hours, so you can watch it instead of the 2017 version or after it.
The order and the core, optional and save-for-later marks are the ones the emberslate app uses for this saga. Titles, years and runtimes come from TMDB; series runtimes count aired episodes only and are rounded. First published .