DC Animated Universe

This article is about the fictional universe started in 1992 on TV. For the fictional universe that ran from 2013 to 2020 on video, see DC Animated Movie Universe. For other uses, see DC Universe (disambiguation).

"DC Animated" redirects here. For the feature films series also produced by Warner Bros. Animation, see DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

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. Entertainment DC Comics
Years	1992–2006
Based on	Characters by DC Comics
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 series
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games

The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse series by fans) is a shared universe centered on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and ended with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. ^{[1] [2]} Animated feature films and shorts, comic books, video games, and other multimedia adaptations are also in the continuity that continued to be released years later.

List of DC Animated Universe media

While there are many animated projects based upon DC Comics characters, the DC Animated Universe consists of TV series and films that spin off from Batman: The Animated Series. While the series is largely standalone, two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, would guest star. However, the first series to indicate a shared continuity with other well-known characters was Superman: The Animated Series , in which the title character encounters heroes such as Batman, the Wally West version of Flash, the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Aquaman, and Doctor Fate. The follow-up sequel to Batman: The Animated Series, titled The New Batman Adventures would feature an art style revamp similar to Superman: The Animated Series, and these two shows would feature crossovers. Both of those shows would be followed by Batman Beyond , which featured an elderly, retired Bruce Wayne passing on the mantle to Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future.

After Batman Beyond's third season, the Justice League show followed, which starred Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart) Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and Hawkgirl. After two seasons, the series was rebranded as Justice League Unlimited , a successor series which expanded the League roster and was the final series set in the DC Animated Universe. In between these shows was also Static Shock , which told the story of Virgil Hawkins and showcased a different aspect of the DC Animated Universe. It was the first time an African American superhero was the titular character of his own animated show, and the show explored many diverse stories and characters throughout its run. Another show that aired was The Zeta Project , which was a spin-off series based on the character Zeta from the Batman Beyond episode of the same name, a humanoid robot who is on the run from NSA agents. While minimal, the show had a few continuity tie-ins with the larger DC Animated Universe as well.

Television series

The DC Animated Universe consists of the following animated television series:

Series	Season	Episodes		Originally aired			Showrunner(s)	Connections
				First aired	Last aired	Network
Batman: The Animated Series	1	65		September 5, 1992 (1992-09-05)	September 17, 1993 (1993-09-17)	Fox	Bruce Timm	Starting point for the DC Animated Universe Introductions: Zatanna ("Zatanna") and Jonah Hex ("Showdown")
	2	20		May 2, 1994 (1994-05-02)	September 15, 1995 (1995-09-15)
Superman: The Animated Series	1	13		September 6, 1996 (1996-09-06)	February 15, 1997 (1997-02-15)	The WB	Bruce Timm	Crossovers with The New Batman Adventures: "World's Finest", "Knight Time", and "The Demon Reborn" Introductions: Lobo ("The Main Man"), Wally West ("Speed Demons"), Doctor Fate ("The Hand of Fate"), Steel ("Heavy Metal"), Green Lantern Corps ("In Brightest Day..."), and Aquaman ("A Fish Story")
	2	28		September 8, 1997 (1997-09-08)	May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
	3	13		September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)	February 12, 2000 (2000-02-12)
The New Batman Adventures	1	24		September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)	January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)	The WB	Bruce Timm	Crossovers with Superman: The Animated Series: "Girl's Night Out" Introductions: Etrigan ("The Demon Within") and Creeper ("Beware The Creeper")
Batman Beyond	1	13		January 10, 1999 (1999-01-10)	May 22, 1999 (1999-05-22)	The WB	Bruce Timm	Crossovers with The Zeta Project: "Countdown" Introductions: Infiltration Unit Zeta ("Zeta") and Justice League Unlimited ("The Call")
	2	26		September 17, 1999 (1999-09-17)	May 27, 2000 (2000-05-27)
	3	13		August 19, 2000 (2000-08-19)	December 18, 2001 (2001-12-18)
Static Shock	1	13		September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23)	May 12, 2001 (2001-05-12)	The WB	Dwayne McDuffie	Integrated into the DCAU from Season 2 onwards Crossovers with The New Batman Adventures: "The Big Leagues", "Hard as Nails"; Justice League: "A League of Their Own", "Fallen Hero"; Superman: The Animated Series: "Toys in the Hood"; The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond: "Future Shock"
	2	11		January 26, 2002 (2002-01-26)	May 4, 2002 (2002-05-04)
	3	15		January 25, 2003 (2003-01-25)	June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21)
	4	13		January 17, 2004 (2004-01-17)	May 22, 2004 (2004-05-22)
The Zeta Project	1	12		January 27, 2001 (2001-01-27)	August 11, 2001 (2001-08-11)	The WB	Robert Goodman	Crossovers with Batman Beyond: "Shadows" and "Ro's Gift"
	2	14		March 23, 2002 (2002-03-23)	August 17, 2002 (2002-08-17)
Justice League	1	26		November 17, 2001 (2001-11-17)	November 9, 2002 (2002-11-09)	Cartoon Network	Bruce Timm	Introductions: Metamorpho ("Metamorphosis")
	2	26		July 5, 2003 (2003-07-05)	May 29, 2004 (2004-05-29)
Justice League Unlimited	1	13		July 31, 2004 (2004-07-31)	January 29, 2005 (2005-01-29)	Cartoon Network	Bruce Timm	Crossovers with Static Shock and Batman Beyond: "The Once and Future Thing"; Batman Beyond: "Epilogue"
	2	13		February 5, 2005 (2005-02-05)	July 23, 2005 (2005-07-23)
	3	13		September 17, 2005 (2005-09-17)	May 13, 2006 (2006-05-13)

Feature films

The DCAU continuity also includes the following feature films:

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriters	Release	Notes
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm	December 25, 1993	Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm	Story by: Alan Burnett Screenplay by: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko and Michael Reaves	Theatrical [3] [4]	Continuation of Batman: TAS
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero	March 17, 1998	Boyd Kirkland	Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel	Direct-to-DVD
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	December 12, 2000 (edited version) April 23, 2002 (uncut version)	Curt Geda	Story by: Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and Bruce Timm Screenplay by: Paul Dini		Continuation of Batman Beyond , Batman: TAS, and The New Batman Adventures
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman	October 21, 2003		Story by: Alan Burnett Screenplay by: Michael Reaves		Continuation of Batman: TAS and The New Batman Adventures

Short films

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriters	Notes
The Dark Knight's First Night	1991	Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski	Story by : Bruce Timm Teleplay by : Eric Radomski	A short film which acted as the developmental pilot for Batman: TAS .
Justice League: The First Mission	2000	James Tucker	Story by: Bruce Timm	A short film which acted as the developmental pilot for Justice League .
Chase Me	October 21, 2003	Curt Geda	Paul Dini and Alan Burnett	A short film with no dialogue based on The New Batman Adventures .
Batman Beyond	April 20, 2014 [5]	Darwyn Cooke [6] [7]		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.

Digital series

Series	Season	Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired	Network
Lobo	1	14		June 15, 2000 (2000-06-15) [8]	September 14, 2000 (2000-09-14)	warnerbros.com
Gotham Girls	1	11		July 27, 2000 (2000-07-27)	December 14, 2000 (2000-12-14)	warnerbros.com
	2	10		June 5, 2001 (2001-06-05)	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)
	3	10		July 16, 2002 (2002-07-16)	November 19, 2002 (2002-11-19)

Offshoot material

The DCAU also includes tie-in materials such as comic books, video games, and direct-to video films with a similar animation style; however, their canonicity is disputable. While they are sometimes marketed as being part of the DCAU, some of these works have contradictory elements or are written by a different team.

For instance, many of the DCAU tie-in comics were written by a different team than the animated crew, such as the Ty Templeton penned The Batman Adventures comic series. However, some of the comics, such as the Batman: The Adventures Continue comics were written by the animated series writers, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett. Per the opinion of Bruce Timm, who has commented about the canonicity of the DCAU comics previously, said "we didn't have any direct input on the comics...DC never solicited our opinions on what they were doing, nor would we have had time to give them notes if they had--I learned very early on not to get my nose bent out of joint if they did something in the comics we would never have done--my own personal way of dealing with it was to consider only the animated episodes themselves as true canon-which means that even Mad Love wasn't purely canonical until we adapted it for the animated series." ^[9]

In terms of feature films, the 2006 feature film Superman: Brainiac Attacks has been stated by writer Duane Capizzi that it was not intended to be part of the DCAU, despite using the same animation style and many of the voice actors from Superman: The Animated Series . ^[10] The 2017 film Batman and Harley Quinn features the animation style of The New Batman Adventures , though co-writer Jim Krieg has stated that the film is DCAU adjacent, due to the sillier and raunchier elements of the film. ^{[11] [12]} Justice League vs. the Fatal Five is a 2019 film done in the style of Justice League Unlimited , but the film's canonicity is considered to be open-ended. It has been stated by Bruce Timm that the film is set within the DCAU sometime after the end of JLU, although in the audio commentary for the film, Timm also mentioned that due to the film's production (it was originally slated to be done in a different art style before being changed during post production) the film would cause some continuity issues, and that fans could ultimately decide on their own. ^{[13] [14]}

It has been confirmed that Kevin Conroy's DCAU Batman and Mark Hamill's DCAU Joker will both return for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three. ^{[15] [16]}

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 ultimately scrapped, however the team was confirmed to exist in the universe in the Static Shock (which was also not initially intended to be part of the DCAU until the second season) episode "Hard as Nails" with Robin confirmed to be a member by Batman. ^[17] 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. ^[17]

In 1998, writer John P. McCann had been tasked with coming up with a Lobo animated series in the DC Animated Universe, with Brad Garrett 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. ^[18] 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. ^[19]

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. ^{[20] [21]}

Comic books

Main article: DC Animated Universe (comics)

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 [22]	#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 [23]	One-Shot
2001	Gotham Knights	#14 (backstory by Paul Dini) [24]
2002	Gotham Girls	#1–5
	Justice League Adventures	#1–34 #1-8 (Burger King miniseries) [25]
2003	Batman Adventures (vol. 2)	#1–17
	Batman: Shadow of Sin Tzu	#1–260
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 Unlimited	#1–18
2013	Batman Beyond 2.0	#1–40
	Justice League Beyond 2.0	#1–24
	Batman Beyond Universe	#1–16
2015	Batman Beyond (vol. 5)	#1-16
	Scooby Doo Team Up [26]	#12, #17, #23, #24 (series uses DCAU character models but ignores the lore)
2016	Batman/TMNT Adventures	#1-6
	Batman Beyond (vol. 6)	#1-50 Rebirth
	Love is Love [27]	Harley and Ivy story by Paul Dini
	Harley Quinn [28]	#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)
2017	Harley Quinn and Batman	#1-5 (a prequel to the 2017 animated film Batman and Harley Quinn)
2017	Batman and Harley Quinn	#1-7 (a sequel to the 2017 animated film of the same name)
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)
2020	Batman: The Adventures Continue Season One	#1-8 (print); 17 (digital)
2021	Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two	#1-7
2021	Justice League: Infinity	#1-7
2023	Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Three	#1-8

Recurring cast and characters

Character	TV Series								Films
	Batman	Superman	The New Batman Adventures	Batman Beyond	Static Shock	The Zeta Project	Justice League	Justice League Unlimited	Batman: Mask of the Phantasm	Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero	Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
Heroes and Allies
Bruce Wayne Batman	Kevin Conroy
Dick Grayson Robin/Nightwing	Loren Lester	Mentioned	Loren Lester	Mentioned			Cameo			Loren Lester	Mentioned
Barbara Gordon Batgirl	Melissa Gilbert	Mentioned	Tara Strong	Stockard Channing, Angie Harmon			Cameo	Mentioned		Mary Kay Bergman	Angie Harmon, Tara Strong (flashback)	Tara Strong
Tim Drake Robin		Mathew Valencia		Mentioned	Eli Marienthal, Shane Sweet		Cameo	Mentioned			Dean Stockwell, Mathew Valencia (flashback)	Eli Marienthal
Alfred Pennyworth	Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Clive Revill	Efrem Zimbalist Jr.			Efrem Zimbalist Jr.		Efrem Zimbalist Jr.		Efrem Zimbalist Jr.			Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Commissioner James Gordon	Bob Hastings			Cameo	Bob Hastings				Bob Hastings		Mentioned	Bob Hastings
Detective Harvey Bullock	Robert Costanzo				Robert Costanzo				Robert Costanzo			Robert Costanzo
Clark Kent Superman		Tim Daly	Cameo	Christopher McDonald	George Newbern		George Newbern
Lois Lane		Dana Delaney	Cameo	Mentioned			Dana Delaney
Kara In-Ze Supergirl		Nicholle Tom						Nicholle Tom				Mentioned
Jimmy Olsen		David Kaufman					David Kaufman	C
Jonathan Kent		Mike Farrell					Mike Farrell
Martha Kent		Shelley Fabares					Shelley Fabares
Jor-El		Christopher McDonald					C	Christopher McDonald
Terry McGinnis Batman				Will Friedle				Will Friedle			Will Friedle
Dana Tan				Lauren Tom				Lauren Tom			Lauren Tom
John Henry Irons Steel		Michael Dorn			Mentioned			Phil LaMarr
Wally West Flash		Charlie Schlatter			Michael Rosenbaum		Michael Rosenbaum
John Stewart Green Lantern					Phil LaMarr		Phil LaMarr
Shayera Hol Hawkgirl					Maria Canals		Maria Canals
J'onn J'onzz					Carl Lumbly		Carl Lumbly
Virgil Hawkins Static					Phil LaMarr			Phil LaMarr
Diana of Themyscira Wonder Woman		Mentioned			Mentioned		Susan Eisenberg
Villains
The Joker	Mark Hamill			Cameo	Mark Hamill		Mark Hamill	Mentioned	Mark Hamill		Mark Hamill	Mentioned
Harleen Quinzel Harley Quinn	Arleen Sorkin			Cameo	Arleen Sorkin		Arleen Sorkin				Arleen Sorkin
Pamela Lillian Isley Poison Ivy	Diane Pershing		Diane Pershing		Diane Pershing		Diane Pershing
Ra's al Ghul	David Warner			David Warner
Oswald Cobblepot The Penguin	Paul Williams			Cameo				Mentioned				David Ogden Stiers
Edward Nygma The Riddler	John Glover			Cameo							Cameo
Rupert Thorne	John Vernon											John Vernon
Jervis Tetch The Mad Hatter	Roddy McDowall			C							C
Bane	Henry Silva			Cameo								Hector Elizondo
Dr. Jonathan Crane The Scarecrow	Henry Polic II		Jeffery Combs
Victor Fries Mr. Freeze	Michael Ansara		Michael Ansara					Mentioned		Michael Ansara	Cameo
Arnold Wesker Ventriloquist and Scarface	George Dzundza		George Dzundza				C			C
Selina Kyle Catwoman	Adrienne Barbeau		Adrienne Barbeau	Cameo				Mentioned				Mentioned
Harvey Dent Two-Face	Richard Moll		Richard Moll	Cameo							Cameo
Matt Hagen Clayface	Ron Perlman		Ron Perlman				Ron Perlman
Temple Fugate The Clock King	Alan Rachins							Alan Rachins
Garfield Lynns Firefly			Mark Rolston				Mark Rolston
Lex Luthor		Clancy Brown					Clancy Brown
Mercy Graves		Lisa Edelstein					Lisa Edelstein
Darkseid		Michael Ironside					Michael Ironside
Brainiac		Corey Burton			Corey Burton		Corey Burton
Kalibak		Michael Dorn					Michael Dorn
Granny Goodness		Ed Asner						Ed Asner
Winslow P Schott Jr Toyman		Bud Cort			Bud Cort		Corey Burton	Bud Cort
John Corben Metallo		Malcolm McDowell					Corey Burton	Malcolm McDowell
Rudy Jones Parasite		Brion James					Brian George
Sinestro		Ted Levine			Ted Levine		Ted Levine
Lobo		Brad Garrett					Brad Garrett
Claire Selton Volcana		Peri Gilpin					Peri Gilpin	C
General Hardcastle		Charles Napier					Charles Napier
Gorilla Grodd							Powers Boothe

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: ^[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]

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. ^[33]

An audio revival of Batman: The Animated Series is in development with Alan Burnett, and others returning. Conroy was also set to return prior to his death in 2022. ^[34]

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. ^[35] 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. ^[36] This series published monthly triple-sized issues, containing three stories of Terry McGinnis, Clark "Cal" Kent, and the future Justice League Unlimited, respectively. ^[37]

Batman Beyond Universe succeeded Unlimited in August 2013, condensing to double-monthly issues upon the elderly Superman's rejoining the future Justice League. ^[38]

Terry McGinnis was the central figure in The New 52: Futures End weekly series. ^[39]

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 ^[40] and scheduled for a six-issue release starting November 9, 2016. ^[41]

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:

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 [42]	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) [43]
	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.

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 ^[44] and Batman: The Complete Animated Series Blu-ray/Digital box set, ^{[45] [46]} and was later made available on the official Warner Bros. Entertainment YouTube channel. ^{[46] [47] [48]}

Crossovers, adaptations, and references

TV series

Year	Series	Episode	DCAU Reference
1995	Freakazoid	Dance of Doom	Batman appears, but is unable to help due to being on a different network [49]
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 [50]
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 [51]
2013	Teen Titans Go!	multiple	Meta-gags referencing the DCAU have been made [52]

Comics

Year	Title	Issue	DCAU Reference
1994	Man of Steel	#37	Batman appears in his BTAS design on the front cover [53]
1999	Fan Boy	#5	Bruce Timm was a featured artist, lending his Batman to the issue [54]
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 [55]
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
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 TNBA look. [56]
2017	Action Comics	#975	Mr. Mxyzptlk and Superman appear in their STAS style. [57]

Characters adapted from the DCAU

See also: List of DC animated universe characters

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)
• Blight (Batman Beyond)

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. ^[58]

See also

• Arrowverse (2012–2023)
• DC Extended Universe (2013–23)
• DC Animated Movie Universe (2013–20)
• Tomorrowverse (2020–24)
• DC Universe (2024)

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External links

• World's Finest