The release change for oneDCshow has made me even more interested in it and the tease of its mysterious spinoff. The mainDC Universe release timelinebeing established has confirmed a number of neat projects are on the horizon for us, with a considerable range of installments - fromtheSupermanmovieandSupergirl: The Woman Of Tomorrowfilm to more unexpected releases starring the likes of Swamp Thing and Booster Gold - set to debut in the upcoming years. However, there’s also still a lot outside of the mainline DCU that holds fascinating potential for DC and its future.
Indeed, with the roster of releases not centered in the main DCU timeline becoming smaller than before, the movies and shows that still exist as part of theDCU’s Elseworlds banner- that is, releases set in another universe outside of the central DCU one - have become all the more interesting. As such, one upcoming DC release - and the spinoff tied to it - has become even more noteworthy as a result of its delays, since they’ve placed it further into the DCU’s release timeline.
In aninterview with ScreenRant,Creature Commandosshowrunner Dean Lorey - who’s also a producer, developer, and showrunner forHarley Quinn- discussed both animated shows. Lorey responded to a question about whether there are any other corners of DC he’d like to explore by stating, “Well, I’m all in on the Harleyverse.There’s a show that I am hoping to be able to announce somewhat soon, that is in the Harleyverse that I’m very excited about.Yeah, that’s the main one.”
Harley Quinnhas already had one spinoff in the form ofKite Man: Hell Yeah!- where Dean Lorey once again served as showrunner and developer - and the unusual nature of giving Kite Man his own show certainly makes the mystery of what this other project could be all the more riveting. Indeed, the Kite Man show sets a precedent that makes it quite possible any major character in the series could get their own spinoff, which opens up a lot of fascinating doors for this installment to cover ground no other DC movie or show has.
Harley Quinn Season 5’s Upcoming Release Makes It & Its Spinoff Show Even More Interesting
Harley Quinnseason 5 was initially announced for 2024, with2024’s San Diego Comic-Conseemingly confirming an initial November 2024 release window. However, this release date didn’t come to pass, and the project was left with an undefined release window for some time - until the upcoming season was later being revealed to have been moved back until January 2025, as theHarley Quinnseason 5 trailerestablishes the first episode of the show will premiere on August 06, 2025.
Harley Quinnseason 3 and 4 ran for 10 episodes each, suggesting season 5 will also similarly run for 10 episodes.
This makes things more interesting, sincethe delay places season 5 - and, logistically, the spinoff too - more solidly inside the DC Universe release schedule, and suggests both could continue alongside it in an ongoing alternate universe Elseworld franchise. Since there isn’t a wealth of other projects running alongside the DC Universe right now, this is especially noteworthy, particularly if a new spinoff has been greenlit in the “Harleyverse” to extend it even further and thus continue to establish this universe.
Harley Quinn & Its Spinoff Show Can Help Explain What The DCU’s Universe Plans Are
With bothSuperman & Loisand the DC Animated Universe finishing as the DCU begins, it seemed as though the focus for DC may have been on tying up series to build a clean slate for the DCU - with onlyThe Batmancontinuing on because of its enormous success. However,Harley Quinnseason 5’s delay - and the mention of another spinoff in that world - calls this more into question, and appears to instead suggest that a broader number of Elseworld projects and worlds are capable of also existing going forward,since it seems unlikelyHarley Quinnis mainline DCU canon.
It’s also worth noting thatHarley Quinnis quite similar tonally and story-wise toCreature Commandos, since both are blood-soaked comedies about antihero protagonists, which also suggests Elseworld releases will be able to veer into close territory to existing DC Universe releases without the clash necessarily making them off the table. All in all, the positionHarley Quinnand its mysterious spinoff are in within the franchise makes them even more exciting, since they can shed light on what to expect from the overarchingDCplans going forward.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
