DC Animated Universe

DC Animated Universe
An image of several DCAU heroes from the Justice League Unlimited episode "Dark Heart".
Created by	DC Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation
Original work	Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
Owner	Warner Bros.
Years	1992–present
Print publications
Comics	List of comics
Films and television
Film(s)	List of films
Short film(s)	List of short films
Television series	List of television
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games
Miscellaneous
Based on	Characters by DC Comics

The DC Animated Universe^[1] (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated television series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The shared universe, much like the original DC Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

The first TV series set in the DCAU was Batman: The Animated Series, which premiered in 1992; the last TV series was Justice League Unlimited, which ended its run in 2006. The associated media franchise also includes theatrical and direct-to-video feature films, as well as shorts, comic books, video games, and other multimedia adaptations set in the same continuity.

List of DC Animated Universe media[]

While there have been several animated projects based upon DC Comics characters over the decades, what is commonly accepted as the DC Animated Universe consists of the stable of TV series and films that spin off from Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), the first TV series in this continuity. Two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, appeared on the series, but the first series to indicate a shared continuity with other well-known characters was the subsequent series, Superman: The Animated Series, in which the title character has encounters with heroes such as the Wally West Flash and Green Lantern Kyle Rayner.

Older TV series such as Super Friends and newer ones such as Teen Titans, The Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice and Justice League Action are not part of this continuity. The direct-to-video DC Universe Animated Original Movies, such as Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: The New Frontier, and Batman: Gotham Knight are also not considered part of the DCAU, despite utilizing similar character designs and several of them featuring much of the same voice cast as previous DCAU series, with the exception of Batman and Harley Quinn and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, which are considered by Bruce Timm to be set within the DCAU.

Television series[]

The DC Animated Universe consists of these animated television series:

Feature films[]

The following animated feature films are also part of the DCAU continuity:

Note: Superman: Brainiac Attacks is not part of the DC Animated Universe continuity despite using the same animation style and voice actors as Superman: The Animated Series.

Episodes as films[]

Television series episodes released as direct-to-video films set in the DCAU continuity:

Short films[]

Digital series[]

Cancelled projects[]

An animated series based on the Teen Titans comic books was planned for the DC Animated Universe during the mid-1990s, but was finally scrapped.^[12] Instead a Teen Titans series not related to the DC animated universe was released. Also, after the success of Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s, Fox approached producer Bruce Timm to create a spin-off series focusing on Catwoman, but the project never materialized.^[12]

In 1998, writer John P. McCann had been tasked with coming up with a Lobo animated series in the DC Animated Universe, with Brad Garret set to reprise his role as the character, but the show had been cancelled right before production. A few elements of the show would find its way in the 2000 Lobo webseries, an online Flash animated series starring Lobo, the galactic bounty hunter, however whether the webseries is part of the official DCAU is unclear. A wax statue with the same character design as Lobo in this series appeared in an episode of Gotham Girls which somewhat support that the webseries is part of the official DCAU, although this is still disputed. Unlike the other shows set in the DCAU, it has graphic violence, sexual content, strong profanity, and a lack of tie-ins with the greater DCAU.

Before the release of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a third animated feature based on Batman: The Animated Series was planned, entitled Batman: Arkham. The film was supposed to be a follow-up for Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, and Boyd Kirkland was attached to write and direct; but the project was soon scrapped. A second Batman Beyond movie was planned for release but was finally scrapped due to the dark tones and controversies of Return of the Joker in 2001.^[13] Around 2003, during the production of Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Warner Bros. approached Kirkland to write a Catwoman direct-to-video feature film as a tie-in with the 2004 live-action film. Although the script was written, the project was soon scrapped after the poor reception of the live-action film.^[14]

Also, a direct-to-video feature-length animated film entitled Justice League: Worlds Collide was planned to connect Justice League with its follow-up Justice League Unlimited, but the production was finally cancelled in 2004, and the script was later rewritten for the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, removing all connections to the DCAU.^[15][16]

Comic books[]

Many of the DCAU productions have also had comic books created based on the characters of the various series, though their canonicity is disputable. The comics are:

Recurring cast and characters[]

The future of the DCAU[]

With the conclusion of the Justice League Unlimited animated series, Warner Bros has moved on to producing standalone films based on the various DC comics properties rather than reviving the DCAU counterparts.

The last script written for DCAU continuity was titled Justice League: Worlds Collide. This screenplay was created to bridge the several month gap between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. The draft was eventually adapted into the February 2010 film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, with the removal of any references specific to DCAU continuity, replacing Green Lantern John Stewart with Hal Jordan, and the casting of different voice actors than those of the DCAU.

In 2009, Bruce Timm was asked at a ToonZone forum if the DCAU will return in the future, and he stated this:^[24]

I very much appreciate that so many of you guys have so much love for the old series, from BTAS through JLU (I do too) -- but frankly, I doubt that we'll be formally, "officially" doing another movie or TV series set in that continuity (...) anything is possible, so conceivably that could change someday -- instead of saying "THE DCAU IS DEAD", maybe we can just say it's in a state of suspended animation until further notice...?

— Bruce Timm, 2009^[25]

On June 8, 2015, during an interview with Nerdist about his new film Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Bruce Timm was asked if the DC Animated Universe will return someday. Although Timm stated that the DCAU continuity was unlikely to return, the possibility always exists.^[26]

In 2018, Kevin Conroy said work on the DCAU had stalled because the writers ran out of ideas for stories and believed stopping was best, as they did not want to "compromise on the quality of what they had and start creating kind of silly stories".^[27]

A revival of Batman: The Animated Series is rumored to be in development for HBO Max according to Kevin Smith.^[28]

In Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021), multiple characters from DCAU appears in the film in non-vocal appearances. These characters include Aquaman, Batgirl, The Flash, James Gordon, Dick Grayson, Clark Kent / Superman, Selina Kyle, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Alfred Pennyworth, Harleen Quinzel, John Stewart, Arnold Wesker and Perry White.

The cast of Justice League has been vocal about wanting a revival of the series, while Bruce Timm has said he would return as well if they were asked.^[29]

An audio revival of Batman: The Animated Series is in development with Conroy, Alan Burnett, and others returning.^[30]

Comics[]

The Batman Beyond comic series is a loose adaptation of the Batman Beyond franchise, intended to fit the character and storylines from the series into the mainstream DC continuity. The miniseries began in June 2010, under the title Future Evil. In August 2010, the series was announced to continue following the completion of the first arc as an ongoing series.^[31] That series concluded alongside the entire line of ongoing monthly DC Comics superhero books during the 2011 revamp and relaunch, titled The New 52.

Superman Beyond, a one-shot comic set in the same universe as Batman Beyond, was released in 2011.

Batman Beyond Unlimited, a title chronicling the adventures of the future Justice League introduced in the DCAU, was released in February 2012.^[32] This series published monthly triple-sized issues, containing three stories of Terry McGinnis, Clark "Cal" Kent, and the future Justice League Unlimited, respectively.^[33]

Batman Beyond Universe succeeded Unlimited in August 2013, condensing to double-monthly issues upon the elderly Superman's rejoining the future Justice League.^[34]

Terry McGinnis was the central figure in The New 52: Futures End weekly series.^[35]

In 2015–2016, DC Comics and IDW Publishing released a jointly produced, six-issue miniseries comic titled Batman/TMNT, where the New 52 Batman encounters the IDW incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The success of this miniseries inspired a similar crossover story, with Batman's DCAU incarnation meeting the Amazing Adventures comic version of the 2012 CGI series' Turtles. Titled Batman/TMNT Adventures, the concept was first announced in late July 2016^[36] and scheduled for a six-issue release starting November 9, 2016.^[37]

A comic book continuation of seven-issues of Justice League Unlimited, called Justice League Infinity, was released monthly between July 2021 and January 2022; the series is set after the show's finale and explores the consequences of Darkseid's disappearance and the League clashing with alternate versions of themselves within the Multiverse.

Outside media[]

Video games[]

There have also been a number of DCAU tie-in video games released to correspond with the various animated television series and films. Some of these games have original plots, while others follow previous stories; their status in DCAU canon is unknown. The games are:

Six of these games feature voice acting from the casts of the original shows. These are: The Adventures of Batman and Robin (SEGA CD/Mega CD version), Superman, Batman Vengeance, Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, and View-Master Batman Animated VR. The SEGA CD/Mega CD game, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, also features animation from one of the studios that worked on Batman: The Animated Series.

The Heart of Batman[]

A 90-minute documentary film was released on October 16, 2018, as part of the Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition^[40] and Batman: The Complete Animated Series Blu-ray/Digital box set,^[41][42] and was later made available on the official Warner Bros. Entertainment YouTube channel.^[42][43][44]

Cultural impact[]

TV series[]

Comics[]

Characters adapted from the DCAU[]

Though the DCAU is an offshoot of the mainstream DC comics universe, it has also affected the DC universe in return. The following characters were originally created for their respective series in the DCAU, but were eventually adapted via retroactive continuity into the mainstream DC comic continuity:

• Nora Fries (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Harley Quinn (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Renee Montoya (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Lock-Up (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Sewer King (Batman: The Animated Series)
• The Condiment King (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Mercy Graves (Superman: The Animated Series)
• Livewire (Superman: The Animated Series)
• Roxy Rocket (The New Batman Adventures)
• Terry McGinnis/Batman (Batman Beyond)
• Gray Ghost (Batman: The Animated Series)
• Phantasm (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm)

In addition, the backstory of Mr. Freeze was adapted from his portrayal in Batman: The Animated Series, and the visuals and/or characterization of Green Lantern, Supergirl, Toyman, Two-Face, Parasite, Metallo, Clayface, and many others have been applied to their comic counterparts. On a different note, issue #22 of DC Comics' Superman/Batman series, which explores alternate realities, had Bizarro transported to an alternate version of Gotham City that was patrolled by a Batman using the Batman Beyond version of the costume. A version of the future of Batman Beyond made an appearance in Countdown to Final Crisis #21, as part of the new Multiverse in the wake of the Infinite Crisis and 52 series, and a Batman Beyond series had been planned. In January 2015, DC published The Multiversity Guidebook which revealed a universe inspired by the DCAU is Earth-12 in the DC Multiverse, and currently in the Batman Beyond era, while the Justice Lords Earth from those Batman Beyond comics has also been added to the canon as Earth-50.^[54]

See also[]

• DC Animated Movie Universe
• DC Extended Universe
• Arrowverse

References[]

External links[]

• World's Finest