DC FanDome 2021 raised the bar for virtual fan events, gathering the biggest and brightest talent throughout the DC Multiverse for a spectacular preview of what’s ahead. The streaming event gave us sneak peeks at some of the biggest DC movies, TV shows, games and comics coming in the next year. The Batman, Black Adam, Peacemaker, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and more all had spotlights during DC FanDome, featuring trailers, behind-the-scenes featurettes and memorable moments with your favorite DC stars capturing never-before-seen surprises.
These are the trailers, announcements and moments from DC FanDome 2021 that we know you’ll want to share with friends and talk about in the months to come! You can watch the entire show all over again from the beginning…or scroll down for the World’s Finest DC FanDome 2021 Recap!
Black Adam
DC FanDome kicked off with a first look at the man in black himself…Black Adam! Dwayne Johnson took to DC’s Hall of Heroes to discuss his role and share an electrifying sneak peek that showed off Black Adam’s entrance into the movie. Black Adam hits theatres July 29, 2022.
Grant Gustin and The Flash
The pace of the announcements moved quickly in this year’s DC FanDome…almost like our next hero, The CW’s The Flash! Grant Gustin made an appearance to discuss playing a father on the most recent season (to two “kids” who are actually around the same age as him). He also revealed that his Flash suit will be getting an update next season, adding something that has long been missing—the Flash’s iconic gold boots. As Gustin put it, “It’s just always been the final element that I think has been missing from our suits.”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Fans got to go behind the scenes when Jason Momoa gave us our first deep dive into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, due out December 16, 2022. He shared an exclusive behind the scenes clip that featured some compelling (and surprising) concept art—we’re not sure what the giant grasshoppers and desert creatures are all about, but we’re all for them! Director James Wan promised a globetrotting adventure that “isn’t afraid to embrace its fantasy.”
We also got a look at the animated three-part special event Aquaman: King of Atlantis, including a clip from the second episode. Check out the debut episode right now on HBO Max.
Milestone Media
DC’s The Milestone Initiative—a new partnership with Ally—was announced as the first program of Next Generation DC, a new venture created to develop the next generation of comic book artists, writers, colorists, editors and more. Denys Cowan and Reggie Hudlin chatted with Echo Kellum about every aspect of Milestone and announced several upcoming Milestone projects, including a Milestone animated feature in development by Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, new “seasons” for Static, Hardware and Icon and Rocket, the return of a Blood Syndicate comic book series, and a 1,300-page softcover compendium collecting classic Milestone runs of Static, Icon, Hardware and more. To learn more about Milestone’s plans in 2022, be sure to click here.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League made a splash at last year’s DC FanDome and the much-anticipated new game from Rocksteady Studios was back for more, debuting a thrilling new trailer that gave us our biggest glimpse yet at the game’s story, characters and tone, even if it did leave us feeling a bit bad for poor Penguin. (Nah, we’re kidding. Zap him again, Waller!)
Peacemaker
Sticking with the Suicide Squad theme, the first Peacemaker teaser trailer debuted with commentary from Peacemaker himself, John Cena. Fans also got a bonus behind-the-scenes look when the Peacemaker cast joined writer and director James Gunn to discuss the upcoming The Suicide Squad spinoff series coming to HBO Max on January 13, 2022. The series stars John Cena as Peacemaker, Danielle Brooks as Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Harcourt, Steve Agee as Economos, Chukwudi Iwuji as Murn and Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith. However, according to all of them, it’s Peacemaker’s pet bald eagle, Eagley, that steals the show.
Superman…and Beyond!
Superman fans had much to dig into all throughout DC FanDome, starting with a tour of the Kent farm with the cast of Superman & Lois. That was followed by an emotional look back at Supergirl featuring over a dozen current and past cast members. We also got a peek at the next episode of DC’s Stargirl and a look at some art from the upcoming Superman animated series, My Adventures with Superman (which looks super-fun!). Unexpectedly, we were treated to a surprise look back at Smallville, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with the release of the complete series on Blu-ray for the very first time on October 19. The celebration featured a reunion between actors Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum and special greetings from past cast members including Kristin Kreuk, John Glover, James Marsters, Justin Hartley and more!
Finally, fans heard from DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee when he introduced a modern new slogan for the Man of Steel. Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people, and it is that optimism and hope that will power him forward with a new mission statement: Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.
DC’s League of Super-Pets
DC returns to the world of big screen animation next year with DC’s League of Super-Pets, a lively comedic adventure bringing the likes of Krypto and Ace the Bat-Hound to film for the first time. Fans were treated to an exclusive clip starring the two powerful pups, and after seeing it, we can’t wait for the full trailer to arrive in November! The movie features the voice cast of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Vanessa Bayer, John Krasinski, Diego Luna, Natasha Lyonne, Kate McKinnon and Keanu Reeves, and will hit screens May 20, 2022.
Doom Patrol
Matt Bomer arrived at DC’s Hall of Heroes to announce that the HBO Max Original series Doom Patrol will return for a fourth season and debuted a wonderfully strange new mid-season trailer. If you’re not caught up on season three, now would be the perfect time to get on that. Doom Patrol stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton, Skye Roberts and Michelle Gomez, and this season has featured the likes of the Sisterhood of Dada and the Brotherhood of Evil! With only four episodes left, the Doom Patrol season three finale is scheduled for Thursday, November 11.
The Flash
The Speed Force struck DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes when Ezra Miller arrived from the set of the film to tease fans with an early look at The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti and featuring Miller’s return as the Central City hero. The clip may be short, but it’s definitely enticing, showing Miller’s Barry Allen working alongside an alternate world version of himself. Also, which era of Batman is the Flash visiting, and what version of the Batmobile will he uncover?
The Sandman
We’ve been…ahem, dreaming of a Sandman TV series for quite some time, and thanks to Warner Bros. Television and Netflix, it’s actually happening! We look forward to learning more about this widely anticipated new DCTV show over the months ahead, but for now, we were treated to our first look at Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar.
Injustice
The hard-hitting video game franchise leaps from the comics to the screen on October 19 with an all-new Injustice animated movie, available on digital, 4K and Blu-ray. Inspired by Tom Taylor’s Injustice: Year One comic series, the movie features Smallville’s Justin Hartley as Superman and Star Trek: Discovery’s Anson Mount as Batman with Injustice co-creator Ed Boon as a consultant. Along with a look at the Injustice franchise as a whole, Mount introduced a chilling clip from the film that’s drawn straight from the comics.
Blue Beetle
We were both pleasantly surprised and thoroughly excited to be given our first insight into the upcoming Blue Beetle movie from directors Angel Manuel Soto and Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and star Xolo Maridueña. The all-Latinx team promised a highly authentic vision of the Latin American superhero that’s fun and humorous, but also rich with feelings. We also got our first look at Blue Beetle’s suit in the film with a snazzy piece of concept art.
DC’s Monkey Prince
In a News Flash segment (by the way, can we just take a sec to give some props to The Flash’s Candice Patton for killing it in these segments?), it was announced that DC’s Monkey Prince will return February, 2022 in a new twelve-issue comic book series from writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Bernard Chang. For fans that can’t wait for February to read more about DC’s Monkey Prince, a new Monkey Prince short story is now available on DCComics.com to read for free. Or click here to read more and see additional art from the upcoming series.
Gotham Knights
“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time…”
Gotham Knights made its debut at DC FanDome last year, but the 2022 game from Warner Bros. Games Montréal brought chills to the Hall of Heroes with a stunning new trailer featuring the game’s big antagonist—the Court of Owls. In addition, we heard from Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jim Lee and WB Games Montréal’s Ann Lemay and Patrick Redding about the unique challenge and thrill that comes with adapting the secretive Gotham organization—and their soldiers, the Talons—to the world of console gaming.
Batwoman
Batwoman recently returned for its third season and series star Javicia Leslie dropped by DC FanDome to share her excitement about what’s ahead, including the debut of some classic Gotham villains like Mad Hatter and Poison Ivy. She also teased Batwoman’s forced partnership with Alice, Kate Kane’s villainous sister, and alongside costar Rachel Skarsten, introduced a “totally bat-chick” crazy “Batwoman & Alice” season three trailer. Then it was over to her costar Camrus Johnson, who shared the history of the character he’s bringing to the screen—Batwing!
Catwoman: Hunted
No need to be a curious cat about next year’s slate of DC animated movies! Dynasty’s Elizabeth Gillies dropped by DC FanDome to discuss her all-new movie, Catwoman: Hunted, which releases on digital, 4K and Blu-ray on February 8, 2022. In the film, Catwoman’s attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains and the ever-resourceful Interpol…not to mention Batwoman. Gillies shared the movie’s stylish new trailer, which offers an anime-inspired look that’s distinctly different from other recent DC animated movies.
But that was just the start of the animated amazement! Gillies went on to reveal 2022’s full roster of animated movies—a total of five of them, plus a new collection of DC Showcase animated shorts. That collection arrives in the spring, anchored by an all new short called Constantine: The House of Mystery, featuring Matt Ryan returning to the role of the magician. Also arriving in the spring is Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse, which will unite the casts of the popular animated series for their first feature-length adventure together. That will be followed by Green Lantern: Beware My Power in the summer and Battle of the Super Sons in the fall, which will be the first DC animated movie to be produced in CG. Finally, 2022 wraps with the release of Batman: The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition, which will bring the acclaimed two-part animated movie to 4K for the first time.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
DC’s satiric ensemble adventure just kicked off its seventh season on The CW and will soon reach its 100th episode. To celebrate, the show took us through 100 episodes in 100 seconds. How’s that for time traveling?
Batman Unburied
Bat-fans, it’s time to listen.
Batman: Unburied, is an original narrative podcast executive produced by David S. Goyer and coming next year to Spotify. Fans got to hear the final cast members to be announced straight from Barbara Gordon herself, Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin). Gina joins the dramatic and psychologically thrilling take on Caped Crusader, as the daughter of former police commissioner Jim Gordon and star detective for Gotham PD. Throughout the series, Barbara will grapple with her own ethics, as she tries to keep within the lines of police work yet is finding herself drawn to Batman’s self-styled method of justice.
Rounding out the cast will be Sam Witwer (The Mist, Supergirl) as Gotham’s blood-chilling, cannibalistic serial killer, The Harvester; Emmy Raver-Lampman (The Umbrella Academy, Central Park) as Kell, a sultry medical student helping Bruce while hiding a few secrets of her own; Jessica Marie Garcia (Diary of a Future President, How to Get Away with Murder) as Barbara Gordon’s partner Renee Montoya—she’s smart enough to pick up Barbara’s bullshit, but begrudgingly puts up with her shady behavior; and Jim Pirri (Penguins of Madasacar) as Arnold Flass, a corrupt cop who uses his badge for his own person gain.
Batgirl
In a DC Spotlight, Batgirl actress Leslie Grace, writer Christina Hodson and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah spoke about bringing Barbara Gordon to life as the lead of her own live action film for the first time. This was the first time we’d heard the creative team speak about the much-anticipated new DC film, and while it’s still coming together, they did share some info that got us eager to hear more. Grace discussed how refreshing it was “to read for a female superhero that has grit, but is very sincere and almost eager to prove herself.” The directors, meanwhile, promised that the fights in the film will be pretty realistic and Grace has been training to ensure she can pull them off. Finally, it was confirmed that Barbara Gordon will have a full cowl and red hair in the movie and a new concept image of Batgirl’s suit was shared!
Titans
Fans, you asked for it, and Brenton Thwaites called in all the way from Australia to announce Titans season four! Along with announcement, HBO Max gave us a first look at the season three finale ahead of its debut this Thursday, October 21. No spoilers here, but will any of the Titans know the answer to Wayne Manor’s security question, what is the name of the “one who got away”?
Harley Quinn
The animators are hard at work on season three, but that didn’t stop Harley and King Shark from dropping in to share a sneak peek at the outrageous upcoming season. Let the Eat, Bang, Kill Tour begin!
Batman: Caped Crusader
Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams, Bruce Timm, and James Tucker shared first insights into Batman: Caped Crusader, the upcoming all-new animated series and reimagining of the Batman mythology This iteration is born out of a noir sensibility is set in a timeless world that harkens to the 1940’s. . Utilizing state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies available, this powerful creative partnership will once again reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue’s gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.
DC Direct and McFarlane Toys
Legendary comic artist Todd McFarlane shared new details about McFarlane Toys recently announced partnership with DC Direct to create new DC collectibles. In 2022, McFarlane Toys will release a new statue, Joker: Purple Craze, based on Greg Capullo’s frightening “faceless Joker” from Batman: Death in the Family; continue the incredibly popular Batman Black & White line and release new statues based on The Batman in time for its theatrical release.
Young Justice: Phantoms
Fans were served a double dose of Justice when DC FanDome premiered the highly anticipated trailer for Young Justice: Phantoms along with the unexpected news that the first two action-packed episodes of the season are now streaming on HBO Max.
DMZ
Executive producers Ava DuVernay and Roberto Patino dropped by DC FanDome to share details and insights into DMZ, the four-part HBO Max limited series adaptation of the acclaimed Vertigo series by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. The series tells the story about a civil war between the secessionist Free States of America and the United States of America and the DMZ that exists between them, where an outsider (Rosario Dawson) comes in to turn things upside down. While Dawson is playing a new character named Alma, Patino revealed that she was inspired by Zee Hernandez, the former medical student who attempted to aid the citizens of the DMZ in the book. DuVernay described the series as set in a world just a few years into the future that asks what we’d be if we let the worst of our divisions get the better of us. In short, the creative guardrails are off in this new live action series also starring Benjamin Bratt and Hoon Lee.
Naomi
Of course, as fans may know DMZ isn’t DuVernay’s only upcoming DCTV project! She’s also executive producing Naomi, a new series for The CW based on the bestselling comic book from Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker and Jamal Campbell. Star Kaci Walfall dropped by the Hall of Heroes to chat with Candice Patton about the upcoming series and showed a clip—featuring a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo—from the pilot episode. Look for Naomi to debut on The CW in 2022.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazam! Fury of the Gods took us behind the scenes with Asher Angel and Zachary Levi to show fans what they can expect from the sequel to 2019’s Shazam. In short, bigger action, more exotic sets, a plot that delves heavily into mythology and a powerful duo of villains played by Hellen Mirren and Lucy Liu. We can’t wait for more Shazam, but we’ll have to be a bit patient for this one…it doesn’t come out until 2023. Hey, that just means we have more reveals and a full slate of trailers (that we’ll completely obsess over) to look forward to!
Wonder Woman 80
But what about Diana of Themyscira, you ask? You’d better believe DC FanDome had her covered as well! Wonder Woman marks her 80th Anniversary in 2021, a year-long celebration that comes to a head on October 21 with Wonder Woman Day—a full-day of celebrating everything we love about our favorite Amazon.
To mark the occasion at DC FanDome, the Hall of Heroes hosted an insightful conversation between Patty Jenkins and Lynda Carter about what the beloved hero means to them and why she’s so important to the world. Jenkins perhaps put it best when she said, “We find ourselves to be in such a lucky place as it relates to Wonder Woman because I actually think she is the most relevant superhero of our times.”
Along with the discussion—which also promised that a third Wonder Woman movie is on its way—we were treated to a video featuring some of DC’s biggest stars sharing their love and appreciation of Diana, as well as the news that Wonder Woman will be virtually inducted into the Comic-Con Hall of Fame on October 21. Finally, for anyone out there feeling heroic, DC kicked off the “Wonder Woman Spin Challenge” on TikTok. Post yourself spinning into action, just like Carter did in the classic Wonder Woman television series, using the hashtag #WonderWomanSpinChallenge. It might not give you superpowers…but it’ll sure make you a social media hero.
Wonder Woman: Trial of the Amazons
On the comics front, next year will see a massive crossover event that will affect the future of the Amazons—Trial of the Amazons. In this event, which will affect all corners of Wonder Woman’s world, Diana and Queen Hippolyta leave Nubia to lead the Amazons of Themyscira. In the process, Yara Flor, aka Wonder Girl, and Nubia find themselves in the heart of a power struggle that will redefine the future of all the Amazonian tribes!
Writers on the event series include Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Vita Ayala, Stephanie Williams, Joelle Jones and Jordie Bellaire. The action kicks off next week in Nubia & The Amazons #1, on sale October 19. And for fans who can’t wait for more Wonder Woman, don’t forget to visit your local comic shop on Wonder Woman Day, October 21!
Sweet Tooth
It wouldn’t be the Halloween season without something sweet, and we got that in droves from Christian Convery, the gifted young actor who plays the deer-boy hybrid Gus on Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, which is produced by Warner Bros. Television and based on the DC Black Label series by Jeff Lemire. Convery answered questions from fans, shared his hopes for Gus and the hybrids in season two and revealed that he ate more than 500 pieces of candy while shooting season one!
Pennyworth
Jack Bannon and Ben Aldridge, two of the stars of Pennyworth, dropped by DC FanDome to “serve” up some exciting announcements. The big one was that season three of their hit DC series from Warner Bros. Television will debut in 2022 on HBO Max as a Max Original. Seasons one and two will also make their way to HBO Max in the early part of the year, so you’ll have plenty of time to get caught up ahead of the now-filming third season.
Since we know there are plenty of you who haven’t yet seen it, Pennyworth is an origin series that follows Alfred Pennyworth (Bannon) who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Aldridge). Season three of the psychological thriller begins after a five-year time jump. The civil war that plagued season two is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse, ushering in a new age of superheroes and super-villains.
The Batman
We know one of the DC FanDome highlights you scrolled down to see is the trailer for The Batman, so we won’t do more than thank Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz for coming into DC’s Hall of Heroes to help set it up! The Batman will premiere on March 4, 2022.
What a show! We hope you’ve enjoyed our recap, but remember, with a show as big as DC FanDome, there’s only so much we can include. So, if you really want to know everything that went down—and check out some of those clips from movies like The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods that we didn’t include here—you’ll have to check out the Hall of Heroes yourself, which you can still do right now on DCFanDome.com.
That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually. Maybe we’ll go do that ourselves…
What were your favorite parts of DC FanDome. Let us know on social media using the #DCFanDome hashtag and in the DC Community!
Source: DC Comics
