The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero films independently produced by Warner Bros., based on characters that appear in DC Comics publications.
As the franchise is composed of films adapted from a variety of DC Comics properties, there are multiple lead actors. Henry Cavill stars as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman in the films Man of Steel (2013) and (2016), while Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot portray Bruce Wayne / Batman and Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, respectively, in the latter film, along with Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash, Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg. Affleck and Miller reprise their roles in Suicide Squad (2016), while Gadot reprises her role in Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). All six actors reprise their roles in Justice League (2017), as well as in its 2021 director's cut. Momoa stars in Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), while Miller stars in The Flash (2023) with Affleck, Gadot, Cavill, and Momoa making cameo appearances.
Margot Robbie portrays Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and reprises her role in Birds of Prey (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021). Zachary Levi portrays the eponymous protagonist in Shazam! (2019), with Asher Angel playing the character's alter-ego Billy Batson; both return in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). John Cena stars as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in the television series Peacemaker (2022), after also appearing in The Suicide Squad, while Dwayne Johnson portrays Teth-Adam / Black Adam in Black Adam (2022) and Xolo Maridueña headlines Blue Beetle (2023) as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle.
Other prominent cast members who appear in the films and/or series within the franchise include Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Amber Heard, Jeremy Irons, Mark Strong, Jared Leto, Ewan McGregor, Joe Morton, Connie Nielsen, Chris Pine, Michael Shannon, Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal.
| Character | 2013 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man of Steel | Suicide Squad | Wonder Woman | Justice League | Aquaman | Shazam! | Birds of Prey | Wonder Woman 1984 | ||||||||||
Introduced in Man of Steel | |||||||||||||||||
| Tor-An | Richard Cetrone | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Kenny Braverman | Rowen Kahn | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Jor-El | Russell Crowe | Russell Crowe | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Henry Cavill Dylan Sprayberry Cooper Timberline | Henry Cavill | Henry Cavill | Ryan Hadley (stand-in) | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||
| Dev-Em | Revard Dufresne | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Lor-Em | Julian Richings | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Faora-Ul | Antje Traue | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Carrie Farris | Christina Wren | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Emil Hamilton | Richard Schiff | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Nathan Hardy | Christopher Meloni | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Jenny Jurwich | Rebecca Buller | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Kelor | Carla Gugino | Carla Gugino | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Jonathan Kent | Kevin Costner | Kevin Costner | Kevin Costner | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||
| Martha Kent | Diane Lane | Diane Lane | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Lois Lane | Amy Adams | Amy Adams | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Lana Lang | Jadin Gould | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Father Leone | Coburn Goss | Coburn Goss | colspan="7" | ||||||||||||||
| Steve Lombard | Michael Kelly | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Lara Lor-Van | Ayelet Zurer | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Nadira | Apollonia Vanova | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Nam-Ek | Michael Justus | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Pete Ross | Joseph Cranford | Joseph Cranford | colspan="7" | ||||||||||||||
| Calvin Swanwick | Harry Lennix | Harry Lennix | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Jax-Ur | Mackenzie Gray | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Car-Vex | Samantha Win | colspan="8" | |||||||||||||||
| Perry White | Laurence Fishburne | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| General Zod | Michael Shannon | Michael Shannon | colspan="7" | ||||||||||||||
Introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | |||||||||||||||||
| Ezra Miller | Ezra Miller | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Charlie | Ewen Bremner | Ewen Bremner | Ewen Bremner | ||||||||||||||
| Chief | Eugene Brave Rock | Eugene Brave Rock | Eugene Brave Rock | ||||||||||||||
| Joe Chill | Damon Caro | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Jason Momoa | Jason Momoa | Jason Momoa | Jason Momoa Kaan Guldur Otis Dhanji Kekoa Kekumano | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||
| Doomsday | Robin Atkin Downes | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| June Finch | Holly Hunter | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Mercy Graves | Tao Okamoto | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Wallace Keefe | Scoot McNairy | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Jenet Klyburn | Jena Malone | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Anatoli Knyazev | Callan Mulvey | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Lex Luthor | Jesse Eisenberg | Jesse Eisenberg | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Olsen | Michael Cassidy | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Alfred Pennyworth | Jeremy Irons | Jeremy Irons | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Gal Gadot | Gal Gadot Lilly Aspell Emily Carey | Gal Gadot | Gal Gadot Lilly Aspell | ||||||||||||||
| Senator Purrington | Patrick Leahy | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Sameer | Saïd Taghmaoui | Saïd Taghmaoui | Saïd Taghmaoui | ||||||||||||||
| Steppenwolf | Ciarán Hinds | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Silas Stone | Joe Morton | Joe Morton | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Victor Stone | Ray Fisher | Ray Fisher | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Steve Trevor | Chris Pine | Chris Pine | Chris Pine | ||||||||||||||
| Emmet Vale | Ralph Lister | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Bruce Wayne | Ben Affleck Brandon Spink | Ben Affleck | Ben Affleck | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||
| Martha Wayne | Lauren Cohan | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Thomas Wayne | Jeffrey Dean Morgan | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| Parademons | Michael Owusu | colspan="7" | |||||||||||||||
| POTUS | Patrick Wilson | Stuart Milligan | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Suicide Squad | |||||||||||||||||
| Rick Flag | Joel Kinnaman | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Jonny Frost | Jim Parrack | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| George Harkness | Jai Courtney | Jai Courtney | |||||||||||||||
| Incubus | Alain Chanoine | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Joker | Jared Leto | Jared Leto | Jared Leto John Goth | ||||||||||||||
| Waylon Jones | Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Floyd Lawton | Will Smith | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Zoe Lawton | Shailyn Pierre-Dixon | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| June Moone | Cara Delevingne | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Harleen Quinzel | Margot Robbie | Margot Robbie | |||||||||||||||
| Chato Santana | Jay Hernandez | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Dexter Tolliver | David Harbour | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Viola Davis | colspan="6" | ||||||||||||||||
| Christopher Weiss | Adam Beach | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
| Tatsu Yamashiro | Karen Fukuhara | colspan="6" | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Wonder Woman | |||||||||||||||||
| Acantha | Florence Kasumba | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Antiope | Robin Wright | Robin Wright | Robin Wright | ||||||||||||||
| Ares | David Thewlis | David Thewlis | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||
| Artemis | Ann Wolfe | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Etta Candy | Lucy Davis | Lucy Davis | |||||||||||||||
| Egeria | Madeleine Vall Beijner | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Epione | Eleanor Matsuura | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Euboea | Samantha Win | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Queen Hippolyta | Connie Nielsen | Connie Nielsen | |||||||||||||||
| Erich Ludendorff | Danny Huston | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Isabel Maru | Elena Anaya | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Menalippe | Lisa Loven Kongsli | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Mnemosyne | Josette Simon | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Orana | Mayling Ng | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Penthesilea | Brooke Ence | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Philippus | Ann Ogbomo | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Trigona | Hari James | Hari James | |||||||||||||||
| Venelia | Doutzen Kroes | Doutzen Kroes | |||||||||||||||
| Zeus | Sergi Constance | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Justice League | |||||||||||||||||
| Artemis | Aurore Lauzeral | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Ancient Atlantean King | Julian Lewis Jones | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Crispus Allen | Kobna Holdbrook-Smith | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Henry Allen | Billy Crudup | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Ryan Choi | Ryan Zheng | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Darkseid | Ray Porter | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| DeSaad | Peter Guinness | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Goodness | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||||
| James Gordon | J. K. Simmons | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Kilowog | colspan="4" | ||||||||||||||||
| Mera | Amber Heard | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Elinore Stone | Karen Bryson | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Nuidis Vulko | Willem Dafoe | Willem Dafoe | colspan="3" | ||||||||||||||
| Iris West | Kiersey Clemons | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Slade Wilson | Joe Manganiello | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Aquaman | |||||||||||||||||
| King Atlan | Graham McTavish | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Queen Atlanna | Nicole Kidman | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| The Brine King | John Rhys-Davies | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Thomas Curry | Temuera Morrison | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| David Kane | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| The Karathen | colspan="3" | ||||||||||||||||
| Jesse Kane | Michael Beach | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| King Orm | Patrick Wilson | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Murk | Ludi Lin | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| King Nereus | Dolph Lundgren | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Ricou | Djimon Hounsou | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Rina | Natalia Safran | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Scales | Sophia Forrest | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Stephen Shin | Randall Park | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Shazam | |||||||||||||||||
| Teth-Adam | colspan="2" | ||||||||||||||||
| Billy Batson | Asher Angel Zachary Levi | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Mary Bromfield | Grace Caroline Currey Michelle Borth | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Marilyn Batson | Caroline Palmer | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Eugene Choi | Ian Chen Ross Butler | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Darla Dudley | Faithe Herman Meagan Good | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Freddy Freeman | Jack Dylan Grazer Adam Brody | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Mister Mind | colspan="2" | ||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Peña | Jovan Armand D. J. Cotrona | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Shazam | Djimon Hounsou | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Thaddeus Sivana | Mark Strong Ethan Pugiotto | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Mr. Sivana | John Glover | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Rosa Vásquez | Marta Milans | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Víctor Vásquez | Cooper Andrews | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Seven Deadly Sins | Steve Blum Darin De Paul Fred Tatasciore | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
Introduced in Birds of Prey | |||||||||||||||||
| Maria Bertinelli | Charlene Amoia | ||||||||||||||||
| Happy | Matt Willig | ||||||||||||||||
| Helena Bertinelli | Mary Elizabeth Winstead Ella Mika | ||||||||||||||||
| Cassandra Cain | Ella Jay Basco | ||||||||||||||||
| Dinah Lance | Jurnee Smollett | ||||||||||||||||
| Renee Montoya | Rosie Perez | ||||||||||||||||
| Roman Sionis | Ewan McGregor | ||||||||||||||||
| Victor Zsasz | Chris Messina | ||||||||||||||||
Introduced in Wonder Woman 1984 | |||||||||||||||||
| Barbara Ann Minerva | Kristen Wiig | ||||||||||||||||
| Maxwell Lorenzano | Pedro Pascal | ||||||||||||||||
| Alistair Lord | Lucian Perez | ||||||||||||||||
| Asteria | Lynda Carter | ||||||||||||||||
| Raquel | Gabriella Wilde | ||||||||||||||||
| Simon Stagg | Oliver Cotton | ||||||||||||||||
| Character | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Suicide Squad | Black Adam | Shazam! Fury of the Gods | The Flash | Blue Beetle | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | ||
Introduced in earlier films | |||||||
| Teth-Adam | Dwayne Johnson | colspan="4" | |||||
| Ezra Miller Ian Loh | colspan="2" | ||||||
| Henry Allen | Ron Livingston | colspan="2" | |||||
| King Atlan | Vincent Regan | ||||||
| Queen Atlanna | Nicole Kidman | ||||||
| Billy Batson | Asher Angel Zachary Levi | colspan="3" | |||||
| The Brine King | John Rhys-Davies | ||||||
| Mary Bromfield | Grace Caroline Currey | colspan="3" | |||||
| Eugene Choi | Ian Chen Ross Butler | colspan="3" | |||||
| Arthur Curry | Jason Momoa | Jason Momoa | |||||
| Thomas Curry | Temuera Morrison | Temuera Morrison | |||||
| Darla Dudley | Faithe Herman Meagan Good | colspan="3" | |||||
| Faora | Antje Traue | colspan="2" | |||||
| Rick Flag | Joel Kinnaman | colspan="5" | |||||
| Freddy Freeman | Jack Dylan Grazer Adam Brody | colspan="3" | |||||
| George Harkness | Jai Courtney | Jai Courtney | colspan="2" | ||||
| Kal-El / Clark Kent | Henry Cavill | Henry Cavill | colspan="2" | ||||
| David Kane | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | ||||||
| Jesse Kane | Michael Beach | ||||||
| Mera | Amber Heard | ||||||
| Mister Mind | David F. Sandberg | colspan="3" | |||||
| Nam-Ek | colspan="2" | ||||||
| King Nereus | Dolph Lundgren | ||||||
| King Orm | Patrick Wilson | ||||||
| Parademons | Michael Owusu | colspan="2" | |||||
| Alfred Pennyworth | Jeremy Irons | colspan="2" | |||||
| Pedro Peña | Jovan Armand D. J. Cotrona | colspan="3" | |||||
| Diana Prince | Gal Gadot | colspan="3" | |||||
| Harleen Quinzel | Margot Robbie | colspan="5" | |||||
| Shazam | Djimon Hounsou | Djimon Hounsou | colspan="3" | ||||
| Stephen Shin | Randall Park | ||||||
| Thaddeus Sivana | Mark Strong | colspan="3" | |||||
| Rosa Vásquez | Marta Milans | colspan="3" | |||||
| The Seven Deadly Sins | colspan="3" | ||||||
| Víctor Vásquez | Cooper Andrews | colspan="3" | |||||
| Amanda Waller | Viola Davis | colspan="4" | |||||
| Bruce Wayne | Ben Affleck | colspan="2" | |||||
| Iris West | Kiersey Clemons | colspan="2" | |||||
| General Zod | Michael Shannon | colspan="2" | |||||
Introduced in The Suicide Squad | |||||||
| Gunter Braun | Flula Borg | colspan="5" | |||||
| Calendar Man | Sean Gunn | colspan="5" | |||||
| Camila | Mikaela Hoover | colspan="5" | |||||
| Flo Crawley | Tinashe Kajese | colspan="5" | |||||
| Cleo Cazo | Daniela Melchior | colspan="5" | |||||
| Robert DuBois | Idris Elba | colspan="5" | |||||
| Tyla DuBois | Storm Reid | colspan="5" | |||||
| Brian Durlin | Michael Rooker | colspan="5" | |||||
| Steve Agee | Steve Agee | colspan="3" | |||||
| Dr. Fitzgibbon | John Ostrander | colspan="5" | |||||
| Gaius Grieves | Peter Capaldi | colspan="5" | |||||
| Emilia Harcourt | Jennifer Holland | colspan="4" | |||||
| Richard Hertz | Pete Davidson | colspan="5" | |||||
| Kaleidoscope | Natalia Safran | colspan="5" | |||||
| Abner Krill | David Dastmalchian | colspan="5" | |||||
| Silvio Luna | Juan Diego Botto | colspan="5" | |||||
| Milton | Julio Ruiz | colspan="5" | |||||
| Mongal | Mayling Ng | colspan="5" | |||||
| Nanaue | Sylvester Stallone | colspan="5" | |||||
| Cory Pitzner | Nathan Fillion | colspan="5" | |||||
| Ratcatcher | Taika Waititi | colspan="5" | |||||
| John Cena | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Sol Soria | Alice Braga | colspan="5" | |||||
| Mateo Suárez | Joaquín Cosío | colspan="5" | |||||
| Weasel | Sean Gunn | colspan="5" | |||||
Introduced in Black Adam | |||||||
| Lady Blaze | Uncredited actress | colspan="4" | |||||
| Ishmael Gregor | Marwan Kenzari | colspan="4" | |||||
| Carter Hall | Aldis Hodge | colspan="4" | |||||
| Maxine Hunkel | Quintessa Swindell | colspan="4" | |||||
| Hurut | Jalon Christian Uli Latukefu | colspan="4" | |||||
| Kent Nelson | Pierce Brosnan | colspan="4" | |||||
| Al Pratt | Henry Winkler | colspan="4" | |||||
| Albert Rothstein | Noah Centineo | colspan="4" | |||||
| Shiruta | Odelya Halevi | colspan="4" | |||||
| Adrianna Tomaz | Sarah Shahi | colspan="4" | |||||
| Amon Tomaz | Bodhi Sabongui | colspan="4" | |||||
| Karim Tomaz | Mohammed Amer | colspan="4" | |||||
Introduced in Shazam | Fury of the Gods | ||||||
| Anthea | Rachel Zegler | colspan="3" | |||||
| Kalypso | Lucy Liu | colspan="3" | |||||
| Hespera | Helen Mirren | colspan="3" | |||||
Introduced in The Flash | |||||||
| Barry Allen | Ezra Miller | colspan="2" | |||||
| Nora Allen | Maribel Verdú | colspan="2" | |||||
| Alberto Falcone | Luke Brandon Field | colspan="2" | |||||
| Dick Grayson | colspan="2" | ||||||
| Jay Garrick | colspan="2" | ||||||
| Bruce Wayne | Michael Keaton Adam West George Clooney | colspan="2" | |||||
| Kara Zor-El | colspan="2" | ||||||
| Kal-El / Clark Kent | Nicolas Cage Christopher Reeve George Reeves | colspan="2" | |||||
| David Singh | Sanjeev Bhaskar | colspan="2" | |||||
| Patty Spivot | Saoirse-Monica Jackson | colspan="2" | |||||
| Albert Desmond | Rudy Mancuso | colspan="2" | |||||
Introduced in Blue Beetle | |||||||
| Alberto | Damián Alcázar | ||||||
| Ignacio Carapax | Raoul Max Trujillo | ||||||
| Victoria Kord | Susan Sarandon | ||||||
| Nana | Adriana Barraza | ||||||
| Jenny Kord | Bruna Marquezine | ||||||
| Jaime Reyes | Xolo Maridueña | ||||||
| Milagros Reyes | Belissa Escobedo | ||||||
| Rocío | Elpidia Carrillo | ||||||
| Rudy | George Lopez | ||||||
Introduced in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | |||||||
| Arthur Curry Jr. | Bodhi McCabe Maddox Cruz-Porter | ||||||
| Lady Karshon | Indya Moore | ||||||
| The Kingfish | Martin Short | ||||||
| King Kordax | Pilou Asbæk | ||||||
| Stingray | Jani Zhao | ||||||
| Character | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Peacemaker season 1 | ||
Introduced in films | ||
| Barry Allen | Ezra Miller | |
| Flo Crawley | Tinashe Kajese | |
| Arthur Curry | Jason Momoa | |
| John Economos | Steve Agee | |
| Kal-El / Clark Kent | Brad Abramenko (stand-in) | |
| Rick Flag | Joel Kinnaman | |
| Emilia Harcourt | Jennifer Holland | |
| Diana Prince | Kimberley von Ilberg (stand-in) | |
| Christopher Smith | John Cena Quinn Bennett | |
| Amanda Waller | Viola Davis | |
Introduced in Peacemaker | ||
| Leota Adebayo | Danielle Brooks | |
| Adrian Chase | Freddie Stroma | |
| Eagly | Dee Bradley Baker | |
| Larry Fitzgibbon | Lochlyn Munro | |
| Jamil | Rizwan Manji | |
| Judomaster | Nhut Le | |
| Locke | Christopher Heyerdahl | |
| Clemson Murn | Chukwudi Iwuji | |
| Auggie Smith | Robert Patrick | |
| Sophie Song | Annie Chang | |