10 Ways The Tomorrowverse Is Better Than The DC Animated Movie Universe

The Tomorrowverse may have had a relatively short run as DC’s Animated Universe, but it has already managed to outdo the DCAMU in many different respects. After only seven films set in the Tomorrowverse, the animated franchise is already gearing up to close out with the follow-up releases to the trilogy set up by their most recent film, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One. Yet in that short time, the Tomorrowverse, named after its premiere film, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, has already beaten the previous animated universe, the DCAMU, in several key categories.

The DC Animated Movie Universe ran for 16 movies, beginning in 2013 with Justice League:The Flashpoint Paradox and ending in 2020 with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. For as iconic as the DCAMU’s lengthy run was, it was undeniably plagued with issues that the Tomorrowverse was able to definitively improve upon. From the jarringly different art style to the overall more hopeful tone, there are many instances in which the Tomorrowverse offers improvements over its animated predecessor.

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10 The Art Style Is Distinctive And Impressive

The Tomorrowverse’s art homages DC’s Silver Age

One of the most immediately obvious ways the Tomorrowverse differs from the DCAMU is its signature artstyle, immortalizing famous DC characters with bold black outlines evocative of the Silver Age of DC Comics. The animation creates some striking stills, but also looks surprisingly good in motion, truly giving the feeling of a comic book come to life. Compared to the often generic designs of the DCAMU, whose characters’ faces are prone to looking identical, the fresh coat of paint in presentation is easy to appreciate.

9 The Tomorrowverse’s Continuity Is Stronger

The newer universe isn’t as muddled by confusing errors

The DCAMU was keen to tackle complicated multiversal narratives, beginning with an adaptation of Flashpoint, one of the most notoriously complex comic book stories out there. Not only that, but the sprawling franchise often lost track of its own characters, such as when Kid Flash and Robin meet in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract two years earlier before The Flash claims Batman isn’t real in Justice League: War. So far, the Tomorrowverse has avoided such confusing continuity errors, with each of its stories finding a neat place within the bigger picture.

8 The Tomorrowverse Has More Variety

The DCAMU was content to tell the same story over and over again

Within the Tomorrowverse’s short life cycle, the series has already dipped its toes in richly varied genres, from space operas to alternate history war movies to moody mysteries. Comparatively, most DCAMU movies are essentially the same, featuring a given superhero team going up against some imposing villainous force later revealed to have some element of conspiracy embedded within. The Tomorrowverse has been far more varied and adventurous with its plots and subgenres, keeping things fresh with each new entry.

7 The Tomorrowverse Is Willing To Delve Into Obscure Characters

The DCAMU was content to play it safe

DC has a rich cast of characters, from household names like Superman and Batman to niche picks like Kamandi and Adam Strange. The Tomorrowverse isn’t afraid to shine the spotlight on such obscure headliners, even giving short films set in the universe to the latter two heroes. Meanwhile, the DCAMU was content to stay within the realm of what was expected, playing it safe by sticking to the big names. Conversely, the Tomorrowverse is proud to include picks like Boucning Boy and Calendar Man as major inclusions.

6 The Tomorrowverse Has Better Characterization

Putting more focus on a limited roster of characters has its benefits

The DCAMU was a decidedly grittier take on the source material, presenting an incredibly grim series of events from the get-go with the bleak alternate Earth of Justice League:The Flashpoint Paradox. This dour tone tended to seep into its characters, with even Superman and Robin frequently being molded into ultra-serious, joyless heroes. Meanwhile, the Tomorrowverse has been better at adding depth to its various characters beyond surface-level edginess, with names like Superman, Lois Lane, Jim Gordon and Supergirl all having layered personalities that shine through.

5 The Tomorrowverse Takes The Time To Slowly Build The Justice League

The Justice League should be an event, not a conceit of the world

From the beginning, the Justice League was simply a fact of life in the DCAMU, already being completely formulated before the events of the first film. This robbed fans of being able to see their favorite heroes slowly come together, an idea that the Tomorrowverse takes full advantage of, gradually building up the idea of the Justice League across its first few films before daring to title their fifth film with the iconic team’s name. The conceit that superheroes have only been active recently in the Tomorrowverse serves world-building much better, not letting audiences miss out on the League’s origins.

4 The Tomorrowverse Isn’t Afraid To Focus On Shorter Side-Stories

With the DCAMU, it was all world-ending threats

It was rare for a story in the DC Animated Movie Universe not to threaten the destruction of life on Earth as we know it, the franchise favoring climactic high-stakes conflicts above all else. While the Tomorrowverse certainly has its fair share of such stories, it also isn’t afraid to look at smaller side stories, like the DC Showcases Adam Strange or Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!. Sometimes, as in Batman: The Long Halloween, bringing the action to a more personal street level gives characters a chance to breathe and grow more than the world-ending narratives can.

3 The Tomorrowverse Movies Lead Into One Another Better

Consistent teases to the next projects are reminiscent of an early MCU

The Tomorrowverse has been great at ensuring each story it features ties into the universe as a whole, without overly relying on its audience’s previous knowledge. Similar to the MCU, the Tomorrowverse has consistently planted seeds in many of its projects that went on to be paid off in other ones, such as Adam Strange’s appearance in Green Lantern: Beware my Power or the Infinite Crisis sequel tease in Justice League: Warworld. The DCAMU sometimes remembered to do this, but it was arguably less consistent at filling out a shared universe, with films often feeling disconnected from one another.

2 The Tomorrowverse Doesn’t Overly Fixate On Batman

The DCAMU was a little too obsessed with the Caped Crusader

Batman is one of DC’s most popular heroes for good reason, but the DC Animated Movie Universe leaned on Bruce Wayne a little too much. Of the franchise’s 16 films, Batman had a starring role in 6 of them, and was present as a major character in nearly all of them. The Tomorrowverse isn’t so quick to let The Dark Knight take up too much of the spotlight from other heroes, with only a single two-part solo Batman story. Batman doesn’t even have a speaking role in some of his Tomorrowverse appearances, giving the lesser-appreciated characters a chance to breathe.

1 The Long Halloween Is Better Than Any DCAMU Batman Movie

…Or any DCAMU movie, period

Batman: The Long Halloween

In this two-part animated film, a serial killer terrorizes Gotham, killing on holidays. It’s up to Batman to find and stop the killer, while the Falcones, the Joker, and plenty of other old enemies seem determined to get in his way.

For as much as the DCAMU loved to focus on Batman, none of his solo films from the previous animated continuity can hold a candle to Batman: The Long Halloween‘s quality. Both parts of the duology hold 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason — The graphic, stunningly animated side story does Batman justice in a way few animated films can compete with. For this triumph alone, the Tomorrowverse could claim to be the superior DC Animated Universe.