DC Animated Universe
The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is the shared universe centered on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics, produced by Warner Bros. Animation from the early 1990s to mid-2000s; beginning with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, and ending with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. Some parts of the associated media franchise including direct-to-video feature films and shorts, comic books, video games and other multimedia adaptations are also included in the continuity.
List of DCAU 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 (1992–95), the first TV show in this continuity. Two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, appeared on the show, but the first series to indicate a shared continuity with other well-known characters was the subsequent show, 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 shows such as Super Friends and newer shows such as 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.
TV series
The DC animated universe consists of these animated series (and their related films; see below):
| Series | Airdates | TV Network | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: The Animated Series | September 5, 1992 – September 15, 1995 | FOX (Fox Kids) |
Starting point for the universe Soft introductions: "Zatanna" (Zatanna) "Showdown" (Jonah Hex) |
| Superman: The Animated Series | September 6, 1996 – February 12, 2000 | The WB (Kids' WB) |
Crossovers with The New Batman Adventures: World's Finest Knight Time The Demon Reborn Soft introductions: The Main Man Parts 1 and 2 (Lobo) Speed Demons (The Flash) The Hand of Fate (Dr. Fate) Heavy Metal (Steel) In Brightest Day (The Green Lantern Corps) A Fish Story (Aquaman) |
| The New Batman Adventures | September 13, 1997 – January 16, 1999 | Sequel to Batman: The Animated Series Crossovers with Superman: The Animated Series: Girl's Night Out Soft introductions: The Demon Within (Etrigan) Beware The Creeper (The Creeper) | |
| Batman Beyond | January 10, 1999 – December 18, 2001 | Sequel to The New Batman Adventures Crossovers with The Zeta Project: Countdown Soft Introductions: Zeta (Infiltration Unit Zeta) The Call (Justice League Unlimited) | |
| Static Shock | September 23, 2000 – May 22, 2004 | Crossovers: The Big Leagues (The New Batman Adventures) Hard as Nails (The New Batman Adventures) A League of Their Own (Justice League) Toys in the Hood (Superman: The Animated Series) Future Shock (The New Batman Adventures/Batman Beyond) Fallen Hero (Justice League) | |
| The Zeta Project | January 27, 2001 – August 17, 2002 | Spin-off of Batman Beyond Crossovers with Batman Beyond: Shadows | |
| Justice League | November 17, 2001 – May 29, 2004 | Cartoon Network (Toonami) |
Sequel to Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures Soft introductions: Metamorphosis (Metamorpho) |
| Justice League Unlimited | July 31, 2004 – May 13, 2006 | Sequel to Justice League Crossovers The Once And Future Thing (Static Shock/Batman Beyond) Epilogue (Batman Beyond) |
Feature-length films
The following animated feature films also are part of the DCAU continuity:
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993; theatrical release)[1][2]
- Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998; direct-to-video)
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000; direct-to-video)
- Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003; direct-to-video)
- Batman and Harley Quinn (2017; direct-to-video) [3]
- Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019; direct-to-video)
Short films
- The Dark Knight's First Night (1990) – A short film which acted as the developmental pilot for Batman: The Animated Series.
- Chase Me (2003) – A short film with no dialogue based on The New Batman Adventures.
- Batman Black & White: Two of a Kind (2008) - A motion comic adaptation of Bruce Timm's "Two-Face: Two of a Kind"
- Mad Love (2008) - A 3 part motion comic adaptation of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's "Batman Adventures: Mad Love"
- Batman Beyond (2014) – A short film based on Batman Beyond created by Darwyn Cooke for Batman's 75th anniversary. The short features the original voice cast of the show, as well as cameos of robotic batmen from The New Batman Adventures, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Michael Keaton's Batman, Adam West's Batman, and the original comic book Batman from 1939.
Web animation
- Gotham Girls (2000–2002) – A Macromedia Flash web animated series, this was downloadable from the WB website, and featured DCAU versions of characters voiced by their original actors. A DC Comics miniseries inspired by the web series was released in 2004. All three seasons of Gotham Girls were released on the Birds of Prey DVD box set in 2008.
Canceled 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.[4] 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.[4]
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 it's 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 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker in 2001.[5] 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.[6]
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, that was not part of the DC animated universe.[7][8]
Expanded setting
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:
| Year | Title | Issues |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Batman Adventures (vol. 1) | #1–36 Mad Love Holiday Special Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Annuals (#1–2) |
| 1993 | Superman & Batman Magazine | #1–8 |
| 1995 | Batman and Robin Adventures | #1–25 Annuals (#1–2) Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero Dark Claw Adventures |
| 1996 | Superman Adventures | #1–66 Annual World's Finest Superman vs. Lobo Exclusive Edition (Superman '64 prequel) |
| Two-Face: Two of a Kind[9] | #0 | |
| 1997 | Adventures in the DC Universe | #1–19 Annual |
| 1998 | The Batman Adventures: The Lost Years | #1–5 |
| Batman: Gotham Adventures | #1–60 | |
| Batgirl Adventures | One-Shot | |
| 1999 | Batman Beyond (vol. 1) | #1–6 |
| Batman Beyond (vol. 2) | #1–24 Return of the Joker | |
| Claritin Syrup Presents Batman[10] | One-Shot | |
| 2001 | Gotham Knights | #14 (backstory by Paul Dini)[11] |
| 2002 | Gotham Girls | #1–5 |
| Justice League Adventures | #1–34 #1-8 (Burger King miniseries)[12] | |
| 2003 | Batman Adventures (vol. 2) | #1–17 |
| Batman: Shadow of Sin Tzu | #1–22 | |
| 2004 | Batman: Harley and Ivy | #1–3 |
| Justice League Unlimited | #1–46 | |
| 2010 | Batman Beyond (vol. 3) | #1–6 |
| Superman/Batman Annual | #4 | |
| 2011 | Batman Beyond (vol. 4) | #1–8 |
| Superman Beyond | #0–20 | |
| 2012 | Justice League Beyond | #1–25 |
| Batman Beyond (vol. 5) | #1–29 | |
| 2013 | Batman Beyond 2.0 | #1–40 |
| Justice League Beyond 2.0 | #1–24 | |
| 2015 | Scooby Doo Team Up[13] | #12, #17, #21 (series uses DCAU character models but ignores the lore) |
| 2016 | Batman/TMNT Adventures | #1-6 |
| Love is Love[14] | Harley and Ivy story by Paul Dini | |
| Harley Quinn[15] | #17-26 (backstory by Paul Dini) (used the art style and character models but has been stated before its follow-up mini-series "Harley loves Joker" to be canon to the current main universe instead) | |
| 2018 | Harley loves Joker | #1-2 (used the art style and character models, is also a follow-up to the Harley Quinn main series backstory but is then hinted to be canon to the main comic universe in Harley Quinn #42 with the "next issue" area and then is stated to be in the main universe by its official description) |
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:
| Year | Title | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Game Boy |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Batman & Robin | Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega CD/Mega-CD, Game Gear |
| 1997 | Superman[16] | Game Boy |
| 1999 | Superman | Nintendo 64 |
| 2000 | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 |
| 2001 | Batman: Chaos in Gotham | Game Boy Color |
| Batman: Gotham City Racer | PlayStation | |
| Batman: Vengeance | PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows | |
| 2002 | Justice League: Injustice for All | Game Boy Advance |
| Static Shock (canceled game)[17] | ||
| Superman: Shadow of Apokolips | PlayStation 2, GameCube | |
| 2003 | Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu | Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, GameCube |
| Justice League: Chronicles | Game Boy Advance | |
| Superman: Countdown to Apokolips | ||
| 2016 | View-Master Batman Animated VR | iOS, Android |
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.
Cast and characters
In other media
TV Shows
| Year | Show | Episode | DCAU Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Freakazoid | Dance of Doom | Batman appears, but is unable to help due to being on a different network[18] |
| 1995 | Animaniacs | A Hard Day's Warners | Paul Dini and Bruce Timm can be seen at the Batman booth in episode #73 with a Mask of the Phantasm poster[19] |
| 2011 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Night of the Batmen | Batman's TNBA design shows up among the Batmen of other worlds along with Batman Beyond[20] |
| 2013 | Teen Titans Go! | multiple | Meta-gags referencing the DCAU have been made[21] |
Comics
| Year | Title | Issue | DCAU Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Man of Steel | #37 | Bruce Timm's Batman design appears on the front cover[22] |
| 1999 | Fan Boy | #5 | Bruce Timm was a featured artist, lending his Batman to the issue[23] |
| 1999 | Superman/Fantastic Four | One-Shot | Superman's DCAU counterpart makes a cameo |
| 2001 | Catwoman | #89 | Harleen Quinzel pitches a TV series in the same style of The New Batman Adventures[24] |
| 2005 | Krypto the Super Dog | #1-6 | Artist Min S Ku draws many characters in their DCAU style. |
| 2007 | Teen Titans Go! | #45 | The Justice League is presented in their DCAU style[25] |
| 2008 | Legion of Superheroes in the 31st Century | #11 | The Justice League appears in their DCAU versions |
| 2013 | Green Lantern: The Animated Series | #13 | Lobo shows up in his DCAU design |
| 2014 | Adventures of Superman | #40 | The Joker shows up in multiple styles, including his New Batman Adventures look.[26] |
| 2017 | Action Comics | #975 | Mr. Mxyzptlk and Superman appear in their Superman: The Animated Series style.[27] |
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)
- Retroactive continuity
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.[28]
The future of the DCAU
With the conclusion of the Justice League Unlimited animated series, Warner Bros has moved on to adapting new versions of 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:[29]
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[30]
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.[31]
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".[32]
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.[33] 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.[34] This series published monthly triple-sized issues, containing three stories of Terry McGinnis, Clark "Cal" Kent, and the future Justice League Unlimited, respectively.[35]
Batman Beyond Universe succeeded Unlimited in August 2013, condensing to double-monthly issues upon the elderly Superman's rejoining the future Justice League.[36]
Terry McGinnis was the central figure in The New 52: Futures End weekly series.[37]
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. The concept was first announced in late July 2016,[38] and scheduled for a six-issue release starting November 9, 2016.[39]
See also
References
- ^ "Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time". IGN. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ^ "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
- ^ {{cite news|title= Batman: The Animated Series movie|work= dccomics.com|url= https://www.dccomics.com/tags/batman-the-animated-series-movie/
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Two-Face #0". Comic Vine. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Claritin Syrup Presents". Comic Book Database. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Gotham Knights". Comixology. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "JLA Burger King Mini". Comic Vine. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP #12". DC Comics. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Love is Love". Previews World. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Harley Quinn". DC Comics. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Superman: Game Boy: Video Games". Amazon.com. September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ http://www.blockbuster.com/games/catalog/gameDetails/2399[dead link]
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tf6s0v2VWM
- ^ http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/66461205976/you-crazy-fans-episode-73
- ^ https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/batmanthebraveandtheboldfanon/images/2/24/24.png/revision/latest?cb=20120317042002
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bFqbkr7Kgw
- ^ https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/6/68/Superman_Man_of_Steel_37.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081123180455
- ^ https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/d/dc/Fanboy_Vol_1_5.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100825184232
- ^ http://capesandwhips.com/reading-comprehension-retry-catwoman-when-in-rome/
- ^ http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/Justice_League
- ^ http://abload.de/image.php?img=adventuresofsuperman6ogjni.jpg
- ^ http://www.comicbookrevolution.com/action-comics-975-review/
- ^ Morrison, Grant (w), Wyatt, Jake (p). Maps and Legends, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 35/1 (January 28, 2015). New York City: DC Comics.
- ^ "Green Lantern History: An Unauthorized Guide to the DC Comic Book Series". google.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ Timm, Bruce (September 18, 2009). "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths News & Discussion". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Interview: Bruce Timm Talks JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS - Nerdist". June 8, 2015. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (May 27, 2018). "Kevin Conroy Reveals The Real Reason They Stopped Making 'Batman: The Animated Series'". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "Batman Beyond To Receive An Ongoing Series". Inside Pulse. August 28, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ "DC Comics Launches Batman Beyond Unlimited". DC Comics. November 14, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ "DC Comics' FULL June 2013 Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
...don't miss the epic conclusion of Superman Beyond!
- ^ "DC Comics' FULL August 2013 Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (May 16, 2014). "DC Reveals Creative Line-Ups For September's Futures End Titles". Newsarama. Retrieved May 16, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Press, Official (July 22, 2016). "The Classic '90s Cartoon Batman Is Teaming Up With the Ninja Turtles for a New Comic". io9.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ Press, Official (July 22, 2016). "Animated-style Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover announced". Batman-news.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
External links
- DC Comics official site
- World's Finest
- DC Animated Universe Wiki
- World's Finest Podcast
- DCAU Resource – The Timeline
Template:Batman: The Animated Series Template:Superman: The Animated Series Template:Justice League (TV series)
