Every DC Animated Universe show contributed to creating one of the most successful shared universes of all time. Coming off of the success of Batman (1989), Warner Bros. Animation wanted a Batman animated series that would be released alongside Batman Returns (1995). Batman: The Animated Series’ synergy with Burton’s Batman movies worked extremely well, yet the show would soon create its own legacy. Most of the creative team behind Batman: TAS would return for a Superman animated series, followed by the introduction of a shared continuity that would become known as the DCAU. From Batman: TAS to Justice League Unlimited, the “Timmverse” is a huge part of DC’s animation history.
The DC Animated Universe timeline can be confusing, as every show stands on its own while taking place in the same continuity. The DCAU original movies are also an important part of this universe, with films such as Batman: Mask of the Phantom and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker widely considered some of the best DC animated movies. Still, the DCAU TV shows are what defined the franchise, which included creators such as Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Dwayne McDuffie. Here is every DC Animated Universe TV show, ranked worst to best.
8 The Zeta Project
A Batman Beyond spinoff, The Zeta Project followed a rogue android known as Zeta as he tried to understand his place in the world while running from the organization that created him. The Zeta Project’s connections to the broader DCAU are minimal, and the series could have worked as a standalone title. Apart from the Batman Beyond crossover, The Zeta Project is very much a standalone series centered on an original character who did not come from the comics. While The Zeta Project deals with interesting teams and has a compelling duo of main characters, the repetitive nature of Zeta’s adventures makes it fall short compared to other DCAU shows.
7 The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures is sometimes placed as the final season of Batman: The Animated Series. However, given the different character designs and the drastically different tone, The New Batman Adventures can be considered its own show. Warner Bros. now had its own children-oriented network, WB Kids, and the success of Superman: The Animated Series prompted the studio to bring the Batman cartoon back. With Batman: TAS airing on Fox Kids, WB Kids would need new Batman adventures with a different art style. Released after Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, The New Batman Adventures was campier and more action-packed than BTAS.
Not every The New Batman Adventures redesign worked, especially for iconic villains such as the Joker and the Riddler. Batman as a character is less nuanced in TNBA compared to BTAS, with the focus now being on the members of the Bat Family. The New Batman Adventures loses a lot of what made Batman:The Animated Series so special, such as the timeless setting or the character-driven episodes. That said, The New Batman Adventures is a fun Batman show that features some of the best screen adaptations of Batman-related characters. In addition, TNBA paved the way for shows like Justice League by connecting Batman to other heroes.
6 Static Shock
Seven years after his comic book debut in Milestone’s Static #1, Static made his screen debut in the Static Shock series. Two of Static’s creators, Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan, were involved in the show, which also featured long-time DCAU collaborators such as Paul Dini. Static Shock was not originally designed to be a DCAU show. However, the series became part of the DC Universe after characters like Batman, the Joker, and Superman, all designed in the DCAU style, appeared in crossover episodes. Virgil Hawkins is a compelling main character, and Static Shock finds the perfect balance between superhero adventures and personal stories.
Virgil’s family was a major part of the series, which also dealt with themes like racism and bullying in a way that made it stand out from other superhero shows. Static’s gallery of villains was a highlight of the show and one of the DCAU’s best, which is significant considering all the Batman villains that appeared on Batman: TAS. The episodic format can be repetitive, but each Static Shock episode presents Virgil with new challenges, both in his superhero and personal life. Those elements make Static Shock one of the best DC animated shows.
5 Batman Beyond
Despite taking place in the future as imagined in the 1990s, Batman Beyond is a timeless classic that proves how comic book characters can always evolve. Just like Harley Quinn was created for BTAS, Terry McGinnis did not exist before the DCAU. Batman Beyond takes the world and the characters from BTAS and imagines them decades into the future, offering a genius spin on the popular show. Despite Bruce Wayne’s role in the story and some returning BTAS villains, Batman Beyond was always its own series. Terry is a different yet compelling Batman, resulting in stories that were unlike anything DC had done with Batman in the comics.
4 Superman: The Animated Series
Following the success of Batman: The Animated Series, it seemed only logical to have the same creative team work on a Superman show. Recapturing the magic of BTAS was difficult, but Superman: The Animated Series did it. The tone of Superman: TAS could not have been more different from Batman: TAS, yet the show honored Superman’s mythos the same way as the Batman cartoon had done. Superman: TAS was by all means the beginning of the DCAU, as Superman ran into several other DC characters. Names like Green Lantern Kyle Renner, Supergirl, Steel, the Flash, and Darkseid all appeared in Superman: TAS.
Whereas Batman:The Animated Series existed in its timeless corner of the DC Universe, Superman:The Animated Series felt like part of a bigger universe from the start. Seeing heroes like Green Lantern and the Flash in a world where Superman and Batman also existed set the stage for what would become Justice League, which makes Superman:TAS’s legacy even more impressive. The DC Universe connections were a highlight of the shw, but the way Superman:TAS treated Clark Kent and Superman was also incredible. Superman:The Animated Series is one of the best interpretations of Superman and his lore, as well as one of the DCAU’s best shows.
3 Justice League
After Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures expanded the DCAU, a Justice League series was inevitable. Justice League felt like the culmination of the DCAU, although the series focused solely on the seven founding members of the team. Loosely inspired by Grant Morrison’s Justice League run, the Justice League series treated its titular group as the pinnacle of what a DC Universe could be – something that not even the comics were doing. Each Justice League episode featured a larger-than-life adventure, yet the characters were all grounded and compelling. Two decades later, Justice League still holds up as one of the best DC shows of all time.
2 Batman: The Animated Series
The DC Animated Universe only exists because Batman: The Animated Series proved how well those characters could work in animation if treated seriously. Batman: TAS avoids most of the “Saturday morning cartoon tropes,” with episodes that did not take audiences for granted. The best Batman: The Animated Series episodes treated Bruce Wayne and Batman’s villains as rich, complex characters that deserved to be explored on a psychological level. The timeless Gotham City, the score, and the easily recognizable character designs all contributed to making BTAS an instant classic. Batman: The Animated Series is one of the best superhero shows ever made, be it live-action or animated.
1 Justice League Unlimited
A sequel to Justice League, Justice League Unlimited combines the original team members with dozens of other DC characters. Justice League Unlimited is one of the best possible introductions to the DC Universe, as the show features several DC heroes, villains, and locations. However, the worldbuilding is only a small part of what makes Justice League Unlimited so good. With incredible writing, Justice League Unlimited deconstructed characters like Superman and Batman through the eyes of lesser-known DC heroes like Green Arrow or Captain Atom. The top-notch action combined with how seriously the show treats its heroes makes Justice League Unlimited the best entry in the DC Animated Universe.
