DC animated universe

For other uses, see DC Universe (disambiguation).
"DC Animated" redirects here. For the feature films produced by Warner Bros. Animation, see DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
An image of many of the DCAU heroes, as seen in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Dark Heart."

The DC animated universe (DCAU) is a fan term[1] for a series of popular animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these series are adapted from DC Comics properties but are considered non-canon. This continuity is also sometimes referred to as the Timmverse[2][3] (after producer Bruce Timm, the continuity's most consistent creative influence), and in the past as the Diniverse (after writer Paul Dini, who had mostly departed from Warner Bros. Animation when Justice League was in production).

List of DCAU media

While there have been several animated series based upon DC Comics characters over the decades, what is commonly accepted as the "DC animated universe" refers to the stable of shows and films that spin off from Batman: The Animated Series, the original show in this universe. Two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, appeared in several episodes of the show, but the first series to indicate a shared universe with other well-known characters was the subsequent series, Superman: The Animated Series, in which the title character had encounters with heroes such as the Flash and Green Lantern.

Older shows such as Super Friends and newer shows such as The Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Young Justice 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 much of the same voice cast as previous DCAU series.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks is not a continuity of the DCAU series.

TV series

The DC animated universe consists of these animated series (and their related films; see below):

Films

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

Short films

Web cartoons

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:

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 not yet known. The games are:

Year Title Consoles
1993 Batman: The Animated Series Game Boy
1994 The Adventures of Batman & Robin Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Mega-CD/Sega CD, Game Gear
1997 Superman[8] 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)[9]
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
2005 Teen Titans Game Boy Advance
2006 Teen Titans PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox
Teen Titans 2: The Brotherhood's Revenger Game Boy Advance

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 "Teen Titans". The SEGA CD/Mega CD game, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, also features animation from one of the studios that animated Batman: The Animated Series.

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 into the mainstream DC comic 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 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, and a Batman Beyond series is planned. In January 2015, DC published The Multiversity Guidebook which revealed that 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 the Justice League episode "A Better World" has also been added to the canon as Earth-50.[10]

Roland Daggett was adapted into the live-action film The Dark Knight Rises as a minor antagonist (renamed "John Daggett") and CEO of a rival company to Wayne Enterprises.

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.

Comics

The Batman Beyond comic series is a continuation of the Batman Beyond franchise.[11] However, it does not follow the DCAU 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.[12] 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.[13] This series published monthly triple-sized issues, containing three stories of Terry McGinnis, Clark "Cal" Kent, and the future Justice League Unlimited, respectively.[14]

Batman Beyond Universe succeeded Unlimited in August 2013, condensing to double-monthly issues upon the elderly Superman's rejoining the future Justice League.[15]

Terry McGinnis was the central figure in The New 52: Futures End weekly series.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Justice League Unlimited Season One Review". IGN. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Justice League - The Complete Series DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  3. ↑ King, Channing. "10 awesome things about Awesome Con 2014". INDYSTAR. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "A History of Batman on TV". IGN. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  5. ↑ "The Greatest Comic Book Cartoons of All Time". IGN. January 26, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  7. ↑ "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  8. ↑ "Superman: Game Boy: Video Games". Amazon.com. 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  9. ↑ http://www.blockbuster.com/games/catalog/gameDetails/2399[]
  10. ↑ Morrison, Grant (w), Wyatt, Jake (p). Maps and Legends 1: 35/1 (January 28, 2015), New York City, USA: DC Comics
  11. ↑ "Batman Beyond Press Release". Tfaw.com. 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  12. ↑ "Batman Beyond To Receive An Ongoing Series". Inside Pulse. 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  13. ↑ Mon, 11/14/2011 - 3:55pm (2011-11-14). "Dc Comics Launches Batman Beyond Unlimited | DC Comics". Dcu.blog.dccomics.com. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  14. ↑ "DC Comics' FULL June 2013 Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved July 14, 2013. ...don’t miss the epic conclusion of Superman Beyond!
  15. ↑ "DC Comics' FULL August 2013 Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  16. ↑ Arrant, Chris (May 16, 2014). "DC Reveals Creative Line-Ups For September's Futures End Titles". Newsarama. Retrieved May 16, 2014.

External links

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