DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn says we won’t see the origin story of Batman in the DCU: “He already exists in this universe.”

The origin stories of certain comic-book characters have played out multiple times across movies and TV shows. One of the biggest offenders is Batman. We’ve seen that poor bastard’s parents gunned down more times than I can count. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound as though we’ll be subjected to Martha’s pearl necklace scattering along the ground again, as James Gunn has said we won’t see the Batman origin story in the DCU.

“He already exists in this universe, just like when we come to the Superman movie and we see that Superman already exists, he’s already known by the people in Metropolis,” Gunn told Rotten Tomatoes. “We don’t need to hear the origin story again. That’s just a way to introduce that Batman is a part of this universe. He’s an important part of this universe, and he has an impact on it.“

Batman made his DCU debut in the most recent episode of Creature Commandos, albeit heavily silhouetted per Gunn’s request. “When they first showed the episode to me, there was a lot more Batman,” Gunn said. “And I said, ‘I’m not ready to commit to that… more silhouette!’“

We still don’t know who will play Batman in the DCU, although plenty of actors have thrown their hats into the ring, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Ritchson, and Jensen Ackles. While the character could debut in live-action in another movie, he is set to appear in The Brave and the Bold movie alongside his son Damian Wayne. The Flash director Andy Muschietti is set to helm the movie.

Creature Commandos, the first DCU project to be released, will air its season finale next week. The series features the voices of Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Steve Agee as John Economos, and Sean Gunn as Weasel. The series tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option. DC has already renewed Creature Commandos for a second season.