| DC Entertainment | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Industry: | Entertainment |
| Genre: | Superhero fiction |
| Hq Location City: | Burbank, California |
| Hq Location Country: | United States |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Services: | Licensing |
| Parent: | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Subsid: | |
DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery[1] [2] that manages its DC Comics units and characters in other units, as they work with other Warner Bros. units. It also delves into those units within their flagship DC Extended Universe (DCEU) franchise from 2013 to 2023, and the rebooted DC Universe (DCU) franchise from 2024 onward.
In April 2022, following the merger of parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc., DC Entertainment was reported to be reorganized into its own vertical unit rather than being handled by other Warner Bros. subsidiaries on its behalf.[3]
On September 9, 2009,[4] [5] Warner Bros. announced that DC Comics would become a subsidiary of DC Entertainment, Inc., with Diane Nelson, President of Warner Premiere, becoming president of the newly formed holding company and DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz moving to the position of Contributing Editor and Overall Consultant there.[6] Warner Bros. and DC Comics have been owned by the same company since.
On February 18, 2010, DC Entertainment named Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as Co-Publishers of DC Comics, Geoff Johns as Chief Creative Officer, John Rood as EVP (Executive Vice President) of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, and Patrick Caldon as EVP of Finance and Administration.[7]
In October 2013, DC Entertainment announced that the DC Comics offices were going to move in 2015 from New York City to the headquarters of Warner Bros. in Burbank, California. The other units, animation, film, television and portfolio planning, had preceded DC Comics by moving there in 2010.[8]
DC Entertainment announced its first franchise, the DC Super Hero Girls universe, in April 2015 with multi-platform content, toys and apparel to start appearing in 2016.[9]
Warner Bros. Pictures reorganized in May 2016 to have genre-responsible film executives, thus DC Entertainment franchise films under Warner Bros. were placed under a newly created division, DC Films, created under Warner Bros. executive vice president Jon Berg and DC chief content officer Geoff Johns. This was done in the same vein as Marvel Studios in unifying DC-related filmmaking under a single vision and clarifying the greenlighting process. Johns also kept his existing role at DC Comics.[10] Johns was promoted to DC president and CCO with the addition of his DC Films while still reporting to DCE President Nelson.[11] In August 2016, Amit Desai was promoted from senior vice president, marketing & global franchise management to exec vice president, business and marketing strategy, direct-to-consumer and global franchise management.[12]
DC Comics are available in digital form through several sources. Free services: In 2015, Hoopla Digital became the first library-based digital system to distribute DC Comics.[13]
In April 2017,[14] DC announced an upcoming streaming service with Warner Bros. Digital Networks, which was to feature original live-action and animated series based on DC characters and franchises, such as Titans and .[15] [16] The service, later announced as DC Universe, would launch in September 2018, and also feature access to classic DC television series and digital comics.[17] [18]
With frustration over DC Films not matching Marvel Studios' results and Berg wanting to step back to being a producer in January 2018, it was announced that Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada was appointed president of DC film production.[19] After a leave of absence starting in March 2018, Diane Nelson resigned as president of DC Entertainment. The company's executive management were to report to WB Chief Digital Officer Thomas Gewecke until a new president was selected.[20]
In June 2018, Johns was also moved out of his position as chief creative officer and DC Entertainment president for a writing and producing deal with the DC and WB companies. Jim Lee added DC Entertainment chief creative officer title to his DC co-publisher post.[21] In September 2018, DC became part of the newly founded Warner Bros. Global Brands and Franchises division overseen by Pam Lifford.[22] [23] In January 2019 it was reported that 7 of the DC's 240 person workforce were laid off, including several vice presidents.[24]
In August 2020, DC publisher Jim Lee announced that DC Universe's original productions would migrate to WarnerMedia's new streaming service HBO Max,[25] with the majority of the staff of DC Universe having been laid off.[26] In January 2021, the remainder of the service would become a comics-centric service known as DC Universe Infinite. The service would feature DC titles six months after their retail release date (comparable to Marvel Unlimited), early access to DC Comics' digital-first titles, exclusive comics created for the service, and access to 24,000 titles in DC's back catalog.[27] [28]
On April 14, 2022, after the merger of parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc., it was reported that the company was exploring a restructuring of DC Entertainment into a "solidified content vertical" more akin to Marvel, with its film, television, and video game development brought directly under DC with a central leader, rather than being handled by other Warner Bros. subsidiaries on its behalf.[29] In August 2022, DC relaunched its website at, while also dropping "comics" from the usernames of its other social media outlets.[30]
In October 2022, DC Films was replaced by DC Studios, which would be led by co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran under a four-year deal to oversee film, television, and animation productions involving DC properties. They will report directly to WBD CEO David Zaslav, while also working with Warner Bros. Pictures' Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy among others.[31]
In May 2023, Lee was promoted to president, publisher, and chief creative officer of DC, continuing to report to Pam Lifford as president of Global Brands and Experiences.[32] [33]
See also: List of films based on DC Comics publications. All the films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, except as indicated.
| Year | Title | Director | Co-production(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | Jimmy Hayward | Legendary Pictures / Weed Road Pictures | Loosely based on the character of the same name. | |
| 2010 | Red | Robert Schwentke | Di Bonaventura Pictures | Based on the miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. WildStorm (an imprint of DC Comics). Distributed by Summit Entertainment. | |
| 2011 | Green Lantern | Martin Campbell | De Line Pictures | ||
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures / Syncopy Inc. | The Dark Knight Trilogy. | |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | Zack Snyder | The first film to be set in the DC Extended Universe. | ||
| 2013 | Red 2 | Dean Parisot | Di Bonaventura Pictures | Based on the miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. WildStorm (an imprint of DC Comics). Distributed by Summit Entertainment (Lionsgate). | |
| 2016 | Zack Snyder | Warner Bros. Pictures / RatPac Entertainment /Cruel and Unusual Films / Atlas Entertainment | R-rated extended version, the Ultimate Edition, was released on home video in 2016 and is the second film to be set in the DC Extended Universe.[37] | ||
| 2016 | Suicide Squad | David Ayer | Warner Bros. Pictures / RatPac-Dune Entertainment Atlas Entertainment | This is the third film set in the DC Extended Universe. |
All the films are made for Direct-to-video/television and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, except as indicated.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Based on Superman/Batman: Public Enemies storyline by Jeph Loeb. | |
| 2010 | Adapted from an unused film plot meant to bridge Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Loosely based on series by Grant Morrison. | |
| Loosely based on the storyline by Judd Winick. | ||
| Sequel to . Based on the Superman/Batman: The Supergirl from Krypton storyline by Jeph Loeb. | ||
| 2011 | All-Star Superman | Based on the All-Star Superman series by Grant Morrison. |
| Collection of six shorts. | ||
| Batman: Year One | Based on the storyline by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. | |
| 2012 | Loosely based on the storyline by Mark Waid. | |
| Superman vs. The Elite | Based on the What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way? storyline by Joe Kelly. | |
| Robot Chicken DC Comics Special | TV Special: Aired on Adult Swim | |
| The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 | Based on The Dark Knight Returns series by Frank Miller. | |
| 2013 | The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2 | |
| Based on the Superman: Brainiac storyline by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. | ||
| Produced by TT Animation. Based on the video game . | ||
| First film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on Flashpoint storyline by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. | ||
| 2014 | ||
| Second film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on The New 52's story by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. | ||
| TV Special: Aired on Adult Swim | ||
| Son of Batman | Third film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on the Batman and Son storyline by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. | |
| Set in the universe of the video game franchise. | ||
| 2015 | Fourth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on the Throne of Atlantis, The New 52's Aquaman crossover story by Geoff Johns. | |
| Television movie. | ||
| Batman vs. Robin | Fifth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Partially based on The New 52 Batman crossover story, Court of Owls by Scott Snyder. | |
| First film set in the universe of Batman Unlimited, a line of action figures. | ||
| Set in the same universe as the companion microseries of shorts . | ||
| Second film set in the universe of Batman Unlimited, a line of action figures. | ||
| TV Special: Aired on Adult Swim | ||
| 2016 | Sixth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. | |
| Set in the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts universe. Released first on television. | ||
| Justice League vs. Teen Titans | Seventh film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. | |
| Set in the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts universe. | ||
| Batman: The Killing Joke | Theatrically released; Based on the one-shot graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, which served as the basis for the first R-rated film in the Batman franchise. | |
| Third film set in the universe of Batman Unlimited, a line of action figures. | ||
| Theatrically released; First animated film set in the universe of the 1960s Batman TV series. | ||
| 2017 | Justice League Dark | Eighth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. |
| The Lego Batman Movie | Theatrical release; spin-off of The Lego Movie. Produced by Animal Logic. | |
| Ninth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on The Judas Contract story arc by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. | ||
| Episode Collection: Arrowverse; features added new content | ||
| Set in the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts universe. | ||
| Batman and Harley Quinn | Set in the DCAU. | |
| Batman vs. Two-Face | Second animated film set in the universe of the 1960s Batman TV series. | |
| 2018 | Crossover with Scooby-Doo. Related to the TV series. | |
| Based on Gotham by Gaslight, a one-shot story by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola which became, retroactively, the first official Elseworlds publication. | ||
| Tenth film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe. | ||
| Batman Ninja | Anime produced by Kamikaze Douga Yamatoworks and Barnum Studio. | |
| The Death of Superman | Eleventh film in DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on The Death of Superman storyline. | |
| Teen Titans Go! To the Movies | Theatrically released; Set in the universe of the Teen Titans Go! TV series. | |
| Set in the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts universe. | ||
| Freedom Fighters: The Ray | Episode Collection: Arrowverse; features added new content | |
| Constantine: City of Demons: The Movie | Episode Collection: DC Animated Movie Universe | |
| 2019 | Reign of the Supermen | Twelfth film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on the Reign of the Supermen storyline. |
| Justice League vs. the Fatal Five | Set in the DCAU. | |
| DC Super Hero Girls: Sweet Justice | Episode Collection: Television movie; compilation of the first four episodes of DC Super Hero Girls | |
| Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Based on the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II. | |
| Batman: Hush | Thirteenth film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Based on the storyline by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. | |
| Lego DC: Batman – Family Matters | ||
| Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans | A crossover film between Teen Titans Go! and the original Teen Titans animated series. | |
| Fourteenth film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. | ||
| 2020 | Superman: Red Son | Based on the comic book by Mark Millar. |
| Fifteenth and last film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. | ||
| Episode Collection: Stand-alone | ||
| First film in the DC Rebirth continuity. | ||
| 2021 | ||
| Second film in the DC Rebirth continuity. | ||
| Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam | A crossover film between Teen Titans Go! and Space Jam. Aired on Cartoon Network. | |
| Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One | Third film in the DC Rebirth continuity. Based on by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. | |
| Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two | ||
| Injustice | Based on video game by NetherRealm Studios, and the tie-in comics by Tom Taylor. | |
| Beebo Saves Christmas | TV Special: Berlanti Productions; aired on The CW.[38] [39] | |
| 2022 | Anime-inspired. | |
| A crossover film between Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls animated series.[40] | ||
| DC League of Super-Pets | Theatrically released; CGI animation.[41] [42] [43] | |
| Green Lantern: Beware My Power | Fourth film in the DC Rebirth continuity | |
| 2023 | Legion of Super-Heroes | Tomorrowverse |
| Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham | It is the 50th installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies | |
| Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part One | A crossover with RWBY Collaboration with Rooster Teeth Productions | |
| Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! | ||
| Tomorrowverse[44] | ||
| Justice League X RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part Two | A crossover with RWBY Collaboration with Rooster Teeth Productions | |
| Merry Little Batman | Released on Amazon Prime Video[45] [46] Originally slated to be released on HBO Max and Cartoon Network |
All short films are direct-to-video are produced by Warner Bros. Animation, except as indicated.
| Year | Title | Collection | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Joker's Playhouse | DC Super Friends | A one-off special short, produced as part of Fisher-Price's Imaginext product line. |
| The Spectre | DC Showcase | Included in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. | |
| Jonah Hex | Included in Batman: Under the Red Hood. | ||
| Green Arrow | Included in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. | ||
| Included in DC Showcase Shorts Collection. | |||
| 2011 | Catwoman | Included in Batman: Year One. | |
| 2015 | Nightwing and Robin | DC Animated Movie Universe | Included in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. Part of the DCAMU. |
| Constantine: John Con Noir | Constantine | Produced by Cool Town Claymation; part of the promotion of the TV series Constantine. | |
| 2018 |
| DC Super Hero Girls | Theatrical; Appeared in front of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. |
| 2019 | Sgt. Rock | DC Showcase | Included in Batman: Hush. |
| Death | Included in Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. | ||
| 2020 | The Phantom Stranger | Included in Superman: Red Son. | |
| Adam Strange | Included in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. | ||
| Interactive movie. Follow-up to Batman: Under the Red Hood. Based on Batman: A Death in the Family storyline by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. | |||
| 2021 | Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! | Included in Justice Society: World War II. | |
| The Losers | Included in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One. | ||
| Blue Beetle | Included in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two. | ||
| 2022 | Constantine: The House of Mystery | An long-form animated short. Sequel to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.[47] |
See also: List of television series based on DC Comics publications. All television series are (co-)produced by Warner Bros. Television Studios, except as indicated.
| Title | Aired | Production companies | Network(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Target | 2010–11 | Wonderland Sound and Vision | Fox / CTV | ||
| Arrow | 2012–20 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse | |
| Gotham | 2014–19 | Primrose Hill Productions | Fox | ||
| The Flash | 2014–23 | Bonanza Productions / Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse | |
| Constantine | 2014–15 | Ever After Productions / Phantom Four Films | NBC | ||
| Supergirl | 2015–21 | Berlanti Productions | CBS (season 1) The CW (seasons 2–6) | ||
| Legends of Tomorrow | 2016–22 | The CW | |||
| Lucifer | 2016–21 | Jerry Bruckheimer Television | Fox (seasons 1–3) Netflix (seasons 4–6) | Based on Vertigo Comics. Arrowverse adjacent. | |
| Powerless | 2017 | Ehsugadee Productions | NBC | [48] | |
| Black Lightning | 2018–21 | Berlanti Productions / Akil Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse | |
| Krypton | 2018–19 | Warner Horizon Television (Warner Bros. Television) / Phantom Four Films | Syfy | ||
| Titans | 2018–23 | Weed Road Pictures / Berlanti Productions | DC Universe (seasons 1–2) HBO Max (season 3–4) | Arrowverse adjacent | |
| Swamp Thing | 2019 | Big Shoe Productions, Inc. / Atomic Monster | DC Universe | ||
| Watchmen | Paramount Television / White Rabbit | HBO | |||
| Doom Patrol | 2019–23 | Berlanti Productions / Jeremy Carver Productions | DC Universe (seasons 1–2) HBO Max/Max (since season 2) | Arrowverse adjacent. Spin-off of Titans. | |
| Batwoman | 2019–22 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse | |
| Pennyworth | 2019–23 | Warner Horizon Television ((season 1 only) Warner Bros. Television) / Primrose Hill Productions | Epix (seasons 1–2) HBO Max (season 3) | Set in the same universe as Gotham | |
| Stargirl | 2020–22 | Mad Ghost Productions / Berlanti Productions | DC Universe (season 1) The CW (seasons 1–3) | Arrowverse adjacent | |
| Superman & Lois | 2021–2024 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Arrowverse adjacent | |
| Naomi | 2022 | ARRAY Filmworks | |||
| DMZ | ARRAY Filmworks / Analog | HBO Max | Based on Vertigo Comics | ||
| Gotham Knights | 2023 | Berlanti Productions | The CW |
| Title | Aired | Production companies | Network(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–11 | Warner Bros. Animation / DC Comics (2008–09) | Cartoon Network | |||
| Young Justice | 2010–13 2019–22 | Warner Bros. Animation | Cartoon Network (seasons 1–2) DC Universe (season 3) HBO Max (season 4) | ||
| 2011–13 | Cartoon Network | ||||
| Beware the Batman | 2013–14 | Cartoon Network/Adult Swim | |||
| Teen Titans Go! | 2013–present | ||||
| Justice League Action | 2016–18 | Cartoon Network | |||
| DC Super Hero Girls | 2019–21 | ||||
| Harley Quinn | 2019–present | Warner Bros. Animation / Yes, Norman Productions / Delicious Non-Sequitur | HBO Max | ||
| Batwheels | 2022–present | Warner Bros. Animation Bang Zoom Ltd. | Cartoonito | ||
| My Adventures with Superman | 2023–present | Warner Bros. Animation | Adult Swim |
| Title | Aired | Production companies | Network | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC Nation Shorts | 2011–14 | Warner Bros. Animation | Cartoon Network | Animated shorts aired as interstitials on the DC Nation television block on Cartoon Network | |
| Batman Unlimited | 2015–16 | YouTube (DC Kids Channel) | |||
| DC Super Friends | 2015 | Warner Bros. Animation / Imaginext /Titmouse, Inc. | |||
| Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content | YouTube (Machinima channel) | Related to the film. Renewed for season 2, but subsequently shelved indefinitely[49] | |||
| Vixen | 2015–16 | CW Seed | Part of the Arrowverse. | ||
| DC Super Hero Girls | 2015–18 | Warner Bros. Animation | YouTube (DC Super Hero Girls channel) | ||
| Justice League Action Shorts | 2017 | YouTube (DC Kids Channel) | |||
| 2017–18 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content | CW Seed | Part of the Arrowverse.[50] [51] | ||
| 2018–19 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content / Berlanti Productions / Phantom Four Productions | Part of The DC Animated Movie Universe | |||
| DC Super Hero Girls: Super Shorts | 2019–20 | Warner Bros. Animation | YouTube (DC Super Hero Girls channel) | ||
| 2020 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content / Berlanti Productions | CW Seed | [52] | ||
| 2021 | Warner Bros. Animation / Atomic Monster | HBO Max and Cartoon Network | [53] [54] |