The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC continuity. It contains such well-known superheroes as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, and Cyborg; as well as teams such as the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Suicide Squad, Doom Patrol, and the Teen Titans. It also contains well-known supervillains, including the Joker, Lex Luthor, the Cheetah, the Reverse-Flash, Sinestro, Black Manta, Deathstroke, Black Adam, Brainiac, and Darkseid.
Triptych cover from Dark Nights: Death Metal (2020), depicting various characters from the history of the DC Universe, including members of the Justice Society of America, Justice League, Teen Titans, Doom Patrol, New Gods, and Endless. Art by Gary Frank.
A "class photo" of DC Universe characters, circa 1986. In this group shot, each character is drawn by either his or her original artist or an artist closely associated with the character.
DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book series first published in 1937.
Cover art of the first comic book by National Comics Publications, New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (cover dated February 1935). Unlike comic book magazines series up to that point, characters in this book, such as the Western character Jack Wood, were original creations, and did not originate in comic strips.
Action Comics No. 1, the iconic issue that introduced Superman and helped birth the superhero genre
Image: Maj. Malcolm Wheeler Nicholson LCCN2014713912
Image: Jerry Siegel in Uniform ca 1943 cropped