DC Universe, the DC Comics-themed streaming service, laid off a majority of its employees on Monday.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move was expected as WarnerMedia, DC Comics parent company, shifts its focus to HBO Max. "DC Universe was DOA as soon as the AT&T merger happened," said one source, referring to the 2018 merger between Time Warner and AT&T.
WarnerMedia's DC Universe launched in 2018 and is considered the one-stop-shop for DC movies, TV shows, comics and community. At launch, the service boasted the original series Titans, eventually adding Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing and the animated Harley Quinn series. It also gave the green light to new seasons of Young Justice and is the home to many classic DC films and television series, including Batman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Teen Titans and The Dark Knight.
However, the streamer's cracks began to show in 2019, as WarnerMedia started making plans for its new streaming service, HBO Max. Swamp Thing was abruptly canceled after just one critically acclaimed season, while series based on Green Lantern, Strange Adventures and Justice League Dark, all DC properties, were ordered for HBO Max rather than DC Universe. Furthermore, HBO Max secured Zack Snyder's Justice League, raising more doubts about DC Universe's future.
It is not just new content that DC Universe is missing out on. It is also losing its original shows to cancellation and other networks and streaming services. Doom Patrol has become a joint venture between HBO Max and DC Universe, with Season 2 episodes premiering at the same time on both platforms. A similar situation happened with Stargirl, with episodes premiering on DC Universe on Mondays and airing on The CW a day later. Meanwhile, Harley Quinn's two seasons are now streaming on HBO Max, and DC Daily was canceled in June.
DC Universe was not the only DC division to be hit with layoffs. A significant number of high-level DC Comics personnel also lost their jobs, including editor-in-chief Bob Harris, senior story editor Brian Cunningham and executive editor Mark Doyle. They join 650 Warner Bros. staff and approximately 150 HBO employees who were let go as well.
The news comes just two weeks before DC FanDome, a major online event that will feature first looks at many of DCs upcoming film and television projects, including The Suicide Squad, The Batman and Black Adam.