DC Movie Universe

The DC Movie Universe (also called the DCMU) is a media franchise and shared fictional universe that is centered on a series of superhero films based on characters and concepts from DC Comics, produced by DC Films, and independently distributed by Warner Brothers. The shared universe was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. It is one of the highest grossing franchises of all time.

In the world where the DCMU was created, Warner Bros began their universe in 2009, a year after the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first two films, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, were released. The DCMU's first film would be a variation of George Miller's abandoned Justice League Mortal script, but with several different plot points and castings, as well as changes to overall ideas.

Rather than following the MCU's episodic approach, the DCMU's counterpart to Kevin Feige, Geoff Johns, stated that the filmmakers chose to begin with a Justice League film and then branch off into solo films and other new ideas, as they felt that as long as the audience was given sufficient information on each hero, the film would not need to have solo films first. (This was similar to the X-Men film franchise approach).

Unlike the MCU, which is split into phases, the DCMU was unofficially split into "volumes" by fans, a throwback to the comics the films were based off of.