James Gunn Shoots Down Batman Batsuit Rumors and Clears Up Blue Beetle’s DCU Status

DC fans are still waiting to see what Batman will look like in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, and Gunn has just cleared up a few rumors surrounding the Dark Knight’s upcoming debut.

He also addressed some lingering questions about DCU canon, including where Blue Beetle, Shazam, and Black Adam fit into the franchise.

With Superman kicking off a new era for DC, one of the biggest questions has been when Batman will finally join the party. We know he's out there somewhere, and fans even caught a glimpse of his shadowy silhouette in the animated series Creature Commandos, but there's still no official casting announcement or confirmed look for the character.

That hasn't stopped fans from speculating about his costume, particularly whether Batman's Batsuit might share the same textured design as Superman's suit.

When a fan asked Gunn, “Will Batman’s suit have the same texture as Superman’s suit?” he gave a pretty straightforward answer: “Batman’s suit isn’t designed yet.”

So, anyone claiming to know what the DCU Batman costume will look like is getting ahead of things. The silhouette shown in Creature Commandos doesn't necessarily represent the final design, especially since Batman's live-action appearance is still being worked out.

Gunn also answered several other DC questions, offering some quick responses that should clear up a few things.

When asked whether Wally West, the third Flash from DC Comics, is currently active in the DCU, Gunn replied, “Who knows?”

A fan also wanted to know if Gunn would be writing and directing the upcoming Teen Titans movie. His answer was simply, “No.”

As for whether Shazam and Black Adam, including the Justice Society, are canon to the new DCU, Gunn gave another firm “No.”

The more interesting response involved Blue Beetle, which has occupied a strange place in DC's transition from the old DCEU to its new shared universe.

The 2023 film, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto and starring Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, was developed under the previous Warner Bros. leadership. While other characters and projects from that era have been left behind, Gunn has confirmed that Maridueña's Blue Beetle will return in Man of Tomorrow.

Naturally, that has raised questions about whether the events of his original movie actually happened in the new continuity. Gunn finally offered some clarification, explaining, “Blue Beetle the character is canon. We have not said the movie is.”

Basically, Jaime Reyes exists in Gunn's DCU, and Maridueña is still playing him, but that doesn't mean everything that happened in the 2023 film carries over.

That could become particularly useful if DC decides to introduce Ted Kord or explore elements of Blue Beetle's history differently from what audiences saw in the original film.

Of course, this approach also makes the new DCU's continuity a little harder to follow. Gunn's The Suicide Squad, for example, has connections to the previous DCEU, yet elements of that film have been carried into the new universe.

DC is essentially keeping certain characters and story elements while discarding others, rather than starting completely from scratch. That works creatively, but it's understandable why fans continue asking which movies actually count.

Personally, I'm glad Maridueña is getting another shot at playing Jaime Reyes. He's a great fit for the character, and it'll be cool to see how he interacts with Superman and the other heroes in this new universe.

As for Batman, I'm curious to see what Gunn and his team eventually come up with for the Batsuit. There are plenty of directions they could take the design, and hopefully we'll get something that feels distinctly Batman while fitting naturally into this new DCU.

What do you think about Gunn keeping Blue Beetle while leaving his movie's canon status undecided? And what kind of Batsuit would you like to see in the new DC Universe?