Warning! This article contains spoilers for Superman.

The DC Universe has already teased its first Avengers-level event thanks to two separate projects, and I have a theory about what it is. If Superman‘s ending made anything clear, it is that the DC Universe is finally here. Several characters, both heroes and villains, were introduced to the franchise, with Superman‘s many Easter eggs hinting at countless others.

This all makes the future of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters more exciting than it already was. Although Superman‘s post-credit scenes do not outright tease what is to come, the film makes plenty of references to the future of the franchise, with an appearance from Milly Alcock’s Supergirl being a prime example.

However, these aspects teased individual DCU projects, with the overarching story that combines each yet to reveal itself. That has not stopped DC Studios chief James Gunn from teasing the DCU’s first Avengers-level event, though, while hinting at its connection to two separate projects. After these comments from Gunn, I have a theory about where the DCU is headed.

James Gunn Has Teased The Overarching Plans For The DC Universe

There Are Some Plans In Place

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant‘s own Ash Crossan about the DC Universe’s wider plan, Gunn was asked about Krypto. The question surrounded whether Krypto’s DCU role will be akin to Rocket Raccoon, in the sense that the latter was revealed as the true main character of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Gunn replied that it isn’t Krypto’s story, but proceeded to give interesting teases anyway.

Gunn stated, “I do know whose story it is. And it probably isn’t anyone anyone would ever expect.” When quizzed on whether it is a character we have seen so far, Gunn said yes, and confirmed that he does have a throughline to a big event-style story planned. On this topic, Gunn said:

“It’s not what anyone would guess. But I think that if people watch the next season of Peacemaker, they’ll see where a lot of these things are going, and have a little bit more of a sense of maybe what can happen.”

What exactly this means remains to be seen, but the DCU’s future clearly has a road map.

The DC Universe’s Avengers-Level Story Tease Is Interesting For Several Reasons

Gunn’s Comments Are Not Necessarily Expected

On the whole, Gunn’s comments about the DCU’s big event story are interesting, to say the least. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is how unexpected they are. The idea that the central character of the DCU’s broader arc will be one that people do not expect, but that has been part of the franchise so far, is somewhat of a subversion.

After all, many would ᴀssume that a character as important as Superman would be the central figure of the DCU going forward. However, it is someone else, be that Peacemaker, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, or any other character that has shown up in the franchise thus far. Speaking of Peacemaker, Gunn’s comments on this are interesting too.

Peacemaker season 2 releases in August 2025, a month after Superman, and is seemingly very important to the wider DCU story. This is surprising given Peacemaker’s relative obscurity in the world of DC Comics. Despite this, it seems as though Peacemaker and its тιтular character will start to make the broad plan of the DC Universe clearer.

Beyond the characters involved in Gunn’s plans for upcoming DCU movies, his comment that the event itself is unexpected is intriguing. This indicates it will not be something overly well-known from the comics or other DC adaptations. With that in mind, herein lies my theory for the DCU’s future.

DCU Theory: Peacemaker Season 2’s Trailer Hints At DC’s Earth-3 Storyline

Earth-3 Would Be Somewhat Unexpected

My theory is that the DCU is building towards an overarching Earth-3 storyline. In DC Comics, Earth-3 is an alternate Earth that includes a supervillain team made up of opposite versions of the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their various allies. Thanks to Gunn’s comments about Peacemaker season 2 and the show’s trailer, this seems a likely DCU storyline.

At the end of Peacemaker season 2’s trailer, the тιтular character enters his father’s pocket dimension from season 1, which includes hundreds of doors to unknown places. Peacemaker enters one of these doors, leading to a variant of himself. This other Peacemaker holds up a gun to Chris Smith’s head and states, “Who the f*** are you?”

With this in mind, Peacemaker could have entered Earth-3. The other Peacemaker in the trailer could be his more evil counterpart, further setting up Earth-3 as the DCU’s first Avengers-level event.

Superman’s Ending Hints At Another Earth-3 Character In The DCU

Whose Fate Is Unknown

To further provide evidence towards this theory, Superman hints at another Earth-3 character. In the comics, the evil version of Kal-El on Earth-3 is known as Ultraman, who was one of the villains in Superman. In the final fight between Superman and his clone, dubbed Ultraman by Lex Luthor, the former pushes the latter through a black hole.

However, this black hole existed in an interdimensional rift. It would not be unrealistic to say that Ultraman survived this and ended up on another Earth. If so, this could be how the DC Universe establishes Ultraman’s status as Earth-3’s evil Superman. This, combined with the evil Peacemaker teased in Peacemaker season 2’s trailer, could render my Earth-3 theory more probable.

Why The DCU’s First Big Event Being Earth-3 Makes Sense

Earth-3 Fits With Gunn’s DCU Comments

If this theory comes true, there are several reasons as to why Earth-3 being the DCU’s first big event makes sense. For one, it is not a mᴀssively well-known DC Comics event like Crisis on Infinite Earths or Flashpoint, for example. Earth-3 has played a role in various eras of DC Comics, but it is not as big as some other major events.

This fits with James Gunn’s comments about the DCU’s first event being something unexpected. Moreover, Earth-3 is not a typical Justice League movie in that it features DC’s heroes coming together to fight one big villain. Instead, it is unexpected in the sense that it is about evil variants of the franchise’s heroes, again aligning with Gunn’s comments.

Also, if the theorized Earth-3 event takes place, it could focus on unexpected characters. Peacemaker is one, as his obscurity in the comics has already been explored. Another could be Lex Luthor, whose Earth-3 variant is actually a benevolent character. If Nicholas Hoult returned as a good guy, this would be an unexpected character to focus on, as Gunn promised.

All of this proves why Earth-3 could be a good fit for the DCU’s first Avengers-level event. Not only would it subvert expectations in the way Gunn has promised, but it would provide a fresh take on a crossover event that has not been seen in live-action. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but the DC Universe has big plans ahead either way.