The Marvel universe beats the vision of DCEU in many ways, but that does not stop the audience from watching the DC movies in order. The films in DCEU pave the way for the rocky events throughout the extended universe and set a connection between the primarily spread web of Zack Snyder’s vision.
DC Extended Universe is nothing like the Marvel Universe, where the superheroes have the chance to have a happy ending. Circumstances are rougher, and events are more in Zack Snyder’s extended universe, becoming one of the critical points in its popularity. Zack Snyder had a vision for these superhero movies with a second part to the highly anticipated Justice League, but sadly that is not happening anymore.
This news disappoints many fans as they won’t see what finally will lead to the war between Superman and Batman and how they will end up in a battle that will destroy this planet. However, they can stream the DC movies in order for a quick mood change and feel a little good with these ten classics from the man himself, Zack Snyder.
All the movies in this watch order are strictly a part of the DCEU, as they are the only movies that connect through each other’s plot in some instances. To avoid confusion amongst viewers, movies like the Batman Trilogy and Green Lantern are eliminated from the list.
Table of Contents
DC Movies To Watch In Chronological Order
Chronological order sums up all the movies of the DC extended universe in a more sequential path of all the events taking place. If you stream the DC movies in order of chronological sequence, you will get a better understanding of everything that has happened and will happen in the DC universe.
#1 Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman focuses on all the events that take place in the DC universe way before time. The movie shows us the origin story of Wonder Woman. Before she becomes a superhero to the word Diana is the Princess of Amazon who is trained to be a warrior. She, alongside her few Amazons, lived and was raised on an island paradise hidden from the world. One day an American pilot crashes on the island. After being saved by Diana, he tells her about the massive war that has been taking place in the outside world.
In order to stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Then she fights alongside men in the War in order to end it and hence discovers her full power and destiny.
#2 Wonder Woman 1984
The sequel to Wonder Woman is pretty much a stand-alone movie that does not focus much on the events of the DC universe. As Diana lives among the mortals quietly during the vibrant 1980s, she discovers the increased greed in people driven by the pursuit of having it all. She maintains a low profile by working and curating ancient artifacts and secretly fighting criminals when needed. As she finds herself mustering with Cheetah and Maxwell Lord, who possess superhuman abilities, she now has to gather her strength, wisdom, and courage in order to stop them.
#3 Man of Steel
Zack Snyder gave a sharp direction to the DC universe with his first directed movie Man of Steel. Based on the present world in 2013, the film focuses on the destruction of Superman’s home planet Krypton and how the last son of Krypton survives that disaster and lands on Earth. Flash forward to 2013, Clark Kent struggles as a child that eventually grows to become the planet’s protector and save the people he loves from a threat that comes from outside the World.
#4 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The movie takes place approximately 18 months after the events of Man of Steel. Batman v Superman is the movie that sums up the DC universe altogether, with its events focusing on Batman and the flashbacks where Kal-El is killed by the protector of Gotham City. After the events of Metropolis, Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, is convinced that Superman is a threat and decides to end his reign on Earth. However, the movie is not just about Batman against Superman, it also focuses on the rise of a new villain Lex Luthor, who later becomes Superman’s arch-nemesis.
#5 Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad was the third film released under DCEU. The movie switches between the events of Batman v Superman and Man of Steel, where we can see Bruce Wayne chasing Joker and Harley Quinn in its snippets. A U.S. intelligence officer assembles a team of supervillain inmates that think they are invincible. Backed by the government, these criminals must unite together to fight a very powerful and mysterious entity.
#6 Justice League
Justice League is majorly set two years later after Batman v Superman, followed by a year of Suicide Squad’s events. The movie emphasizes the evil Steppenwolf and how he started his journey to destroy the world thousands of years ago with the help of the mother boxes. However, his evil attempts were put to rest by an alliance formed between the humans, the Amazons, the Atlantians, and the Olympian Gods.
#7 Zack Snyder’s Justice League
The much-anticipated movie by Zack Snyder was released at the beginning of 2021 with a four-hour-long screen time. This version of Justice League emphasizes the significant events taking place in the DC universe and fits in with the timeline more appropriately. The theatrical cut is more compelling (remember the one scene where Joker goes saying We live in a society) than the original release, and we can’t thank Zack Snyder enough for this one last piece of gem.
#8 Aquaman
Aquaman is a stand-alone movie pretty much similar to Wonder Woman. The film is largely set after the events of the Justice League, where Arthur Curry finally accepts his reality of life as the protector of oceans and takes the lead to become the protector of his kingdom Atlantis which is under the ocean. The movie also shares snippets of Aquaman’s childhood and origin back in 1985.
#9 Shazam
This movie also has pretty much no connection to the majority of other DC movies. Shazam emphasizes the origins story of this superhero. The movie tells the story of a 14-year-old kid who is able to transform himself into an adult superhero just by saying a word, Shazam! Being still a kid at heart, Shazam tries to explore his powers in a fun way and tries to master them before the evil Dr. Thaddeus gets his hands on his magical abilities.
#10 Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey takes place about four years after the events of the Suicide Squad. The movie was expected to bridge Harley Quinn’s character in Suicide Squad and the film itself. However, the makers got involved with other DC universe movies like Batman v Superman; they couldn’t bring more of the Suicide Squad idea into this movie.
After Harley Quinn’s breakup with Joker, she becomes the target of every thug in the city. As she faces the wrath of the crime boss Black Mask, she becomes allies with three deadly women who help her fight the crime boss and save a little girl in the process as well.
DC Movies To Watch In Release Date Order
If you don’t want to watch the movies in chronological order and are happy to stream them as they are released, it is entirely up to you. Here is the list of all the DC movies in order of their release date to help you binge-watching them.
- Man of Steel – 2013, June
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – 2016, March
- Suicide Squad – 2016, August
- Wonder Woman – 2017, June
- Justice League – 2017, November
- Aquaman – 2018, December
- Shazam – 2019, April
- Birds of Prey – 2020, February
- Wonder Woman 1984 – 2020, December
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League – 2021, March
Final Words
Here is how you can watch the DC movies in order of their release date or chronological sequence. For me, watching the films in chronological order gives you a better understanding of the whole DCEU but go with whatever floats your boat.
