Tom King’s Wonder Woman run is over at issue #40, sixty issues short of what he planned.
On Tuesday, Cosmic Book News‘ Paramount insiders said King was on his way out at DC, and that Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof “has moved on as well.”
Three days later, it’s official: DC announced Wonder Woman #40 as the grand finale of the Tom King and Daniel Sampere run, arriving December 16.
The insiders followed up on Friday: “Told you Tom King was out. It wasn’t his decision, run cut short.”
‘I Wanted To Do 100 Issues’
King addressed the ending in an interview with AIPT published Friday.
“I mean, I wanted to, when I first started, do 100 issues, so I’m disappointed in myself for not getting that,” King said.
King pointed to his schedule outside comics, including HBO’s Lanterns, as the reason a longer run wasn’t possible.
Still, King said he’s “incredibly happy and joyous” with where the story ends and believes it wraps up what he and Sampere set out to do.
King and Sampere launched the run in 2023 with the U.S. government outlawing the Amazons and Diana on the run as an outlaw. It introduced the Sovereign, the hidden king of America, and Diana’s daughter, Trinity.
Wonder Woman #40 Arrives December 16
Issue #40 concludes the year-long Wonder War. Per DC, the Matriarch and her father, the Sovereign, gather a group of villains to destroy Wonder Woman, with Diana and her family defending the shores of Themyscira.
DC’s announcement calls it “the monumental conclusion” of a run that “redefined Diana as an outlaw, a rebel, a mother, a revolutionary, a warrior, and a legend.”
Sampere delivers the art and main cover, with variant covers by David Nakayama, Julian Totino Tedesco, and Jamie Hewlett. Wonder Woman #40 hits comic shops on December 16.
‘DC Studios Is A Ghost Town’
And per the sources, King’s exit goes beyond the comic. He’s one of the DC Studios writers-room architects James Gunn recruited to build the DCU.
The insiders are blunt about Gunn’s DC itself: “This mess was pitched and greenlit when woke was popular.”
Supergirl, adapted from King’s Woman of Tomorrow, bombed this summer. Lanterns, which King created with Lindelof and Chris Mundy, has barely made its way on Nielsen’s Top 10, and HBO boss Casey Bloys says no Season 2 is in development.
Cosmic Book News reported on September 1 that King and Lindelof wouldn’t return for a second season either way.
Then there’s Mister Miracle, the animated series DC Studios greenlit in June 2025 with King as showrunner. More than a year later, it has no network and no release date.
As for where King goes next, the insider has a guess: “My guess is he’s starting his own comics label and probably produce movies.”
“Been writing super heroes a long time. Always controversial and conflictive,” the insider continued. “He’s well connected in Hollywood so don’t be surprised he produces or writes for another streamer.”
All of it lands as the $111 billion Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. moves toward closing, with settlement talks now “advanced” and Gunn’s own contract expiring in 2027.
We’re also told it’s no coincidence that Gunn is attending the Sony Anime event next month, as he is lining up his post-DC future.
These are the same sources behind CBN’s reporting that Paramount is holding meetings over the HBO backlash and that Casey Bloys could be out after the merger.
Their word on Friday: “DC Studios is a ghost town. Somber mood.”
