Back in 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav famously noted that as DC Studios restructured its approach to superheroes, "I think in the next few years, you’re going to see a lot of growth and opportunity around DC. There's not going to be four Batmans." Technically, he's correct: there are only three Batmans. But rather than a weakness, the diversity of the DCU multiverse in projects ranging from The Batman to Creature Commandos to the newly released Harley Quinn season 5 points to the strength of DC Studios, not its weakness.
While a lot of the focus from fans has been on the development of James Gunn’s DCU proper, which concluded its opening salvo with Creature Commandos season 1 recently and then picks up later this year with Superman, Gunn has also been very open about allowing other ideas to flourish under the 'Elseworlds' banner. That banner applies to The Batman Epic Crime Saga from Matt Reeves and company, which encompasses 2027's The Batman Part II, as well as HBO's The Penguin. And it applies to one of the last remaining projects from the pre-Gunn era, Harley Quinn on Max.
