Warner Bros. Discovery spotlighted its DC brand during a recent investor call, with the DCU taking center stage at Wednesday’s upfront for advertisers.
Batman, Superman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman were all highlighted, along with appearances by James Gunn and John Cena.
Asset builders of the DCU
WBD CEO David Zaslav made mention in an investor call of Batman, Superman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, offering these four characters will be the “pillars” and “asset-builders” of the DCU.
David Zaslav says these 4 characters will be the ‘pillars’ and ‘asset-builders’ of the DCU.
— DCU Updates (@dcuworld) May 14, 2025
-Superman
-Batman
-Wonder Woman
-Supergirl pic.twitter.com/MoRdREEVm8
Batman
Of course, Batman is DC’s biggest brand. Matt Reeves is developing The Batman 2 with Robert Pattinson. Gunn is developing a separate Batman as part of the Brave and the Bold and/or a rumored Superman team up with World’s Finest. Rocksteady is also developing a new Batman video game.
Superman
Wednesday also saw the release of James Gunn’s Superman full trailer, which has been well-received. The new Man of Steel movie launches the DCU and is set for release on July 11th. A lot is said to be riding on the flick. So far, it’s looking good, and this new trailer seemed to help a lot.
Supergirl
A Supergirl movie is also on its way with a June 26, 2026 release date. Milly Alcock stars as Superman’s cousin. Fans are also excited with Jason Momoa playing Lobo.
Wonder Woman
Zaslav mentioning Wonder Woman is pretty interesting, as really there is nothing related in development. There’s that Wonder Woman video game, but that seems to be in development hell. There is also that Paradise Lost TV series, but there hasn’t been much said about that. Gal Gadot is out as Wonder Woman, which follows WW84 completely bombing and Gunn rebooting the DCU. Maybe with Zaslav specifically mentioning Wonder Woman, that means Gunn will be casting soon with a new actress, if he hasn’t already.
James Gunn, John Cena, Peter Safran at WBD upfronts
WBD made a lot of announcements at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfronts in NYC on Wednesday. The biggest of which is the Max rebrand to HBO Max.
WBD had DCU co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran on stage at the upfronts along with Shaquille O’Neal, who is featured in that NBA spot with David Corenswet. John Cena also made an appearance. They also promoted Supergirl (pictured above).
WBD also used both Gunn and Cena in promos to promote the rebrand to HBO Max, tying in Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres in August.
All three were also named in the official WBD press release (see below).
POV: finding out about the rebrand from @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/eyQxhTcJrs
— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025
That's good actually. pic.twitter.com/b3WNWOsyT2
— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025
“Everything we’re showing today reflects our evolution. WBD is a media company like no other,” Warner Bros. Discovery Ad Sales co-President Ryan Gould said. “We stand on a foundation constructed from world class IP. Stories that have built-in fanbases and cultural relevance that cuts through the noise.”
“At WBD, we’ve never been more excited about the future,” added Warner Bros. Discovery Ad Sales co-President Robert “Bobby” Voltaggio. “We are continuing to strengthen WBD’s rich legacy with new, groundbreaking content that shapes the culture, drives conversation, and influences consumer behavior. We will continue to take bold leaps forward and embrace new technologies to give clients and brands more power and control and to drive even greater results.”
Gould and Voltaggio were joined onstage by JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games; Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content; Shauna Spenley, Global Chief Marketing Officer; Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks; Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports; Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO, CNN Worldwide; Dana Nussbaum, EVP, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures; James Gunn, Co-Chairman and CEO of DC Studios; and Peter Safran, Co-Chairman and CEO of DC Studios.
Additionally, top-tier from the Warner Bros. Discovery family, including Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Conan O’Brien, John Cena, Tim Meadows, Noah Wyle, Adam Lefkoe, Grant Hill, Champ Bailey, Candace Parker, Henrik Lundqvist, Sloane Stephens, Anderson Cooper, Audie Cornish, Roy Wood Jr., Michael Ian Black, Amber Ruffin, Tony Shalhoub and Shaquille O’Neal delighted attendees.
