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DC animated universe

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A Justice League Unlimited promotional image.
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A Justice League Unlimited promotional image.

The DC animated universe is a series of animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Entertainment which share the same continuity. Most of these animated series are adapted from DC Comics properties. The abbreviation "DCAU" is often used. This continuity is also sometimes referred to as the Timmverse (after Bruce Timm, the continuity's most consistent creative influence) and in the past, the Diniverse (after Paul Dini, who has mostly departed from Warner Bros. Animation).

Contents

In-continuity in the DCAU

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 , the original show in this universe. Older shows such as Super Friends and newer shows such as The Batman are not part of this continuity.

TV series

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

Films

The following spin-off films also are part of the continuity:

Web cartoons

Two canonical DCAU Macromedia Flash web cartoon series were downloadable from the WB website, and were voiced by their original actors. As can be expected, the animation wasn't up to par with the television shows. Although these webtoons were well received, neither show is available on DVD as of this writing.

Comic books

Many of the DCAU shows have also had comic books created based on the characters of the shows. Bruce Timm has declared most of them non-canon, although they are still based on the continuity of the shows. The comics are (not counting annuals, or specials):

On a different note, issue #22 of DC Comics' Superman/Batman series, which explores alternate realities, had a character transported to an alternate version of Gotham City patrolled by a Batman using the Batman Beyond version of the costume. This has been the first time the DCAU and the mainstream comic book DC continuity have crossed over, but it has not been the first time elements from the former have appeared in the latter (as the mainstream DC continuity's Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya, as well as other elements, such as Mr. Freeze's origin, were adapted from the animated universe).

DC Adventures: Possible Canon

While they may not be officially be part of established of the DCAU, some of the comics could fit in the series canon (provided they don't contradict events. Some even expanded on what we know):

Other Films & TV series

Other TV shows and films that are questionable additions to the DCAU:

Each of those shows is believed to be associated with the DC animated universe differently. The Batman is completely separate from the animated continuity.

Krypto the Superdog

Krypto the Superdog is more of a regular children's cartoon than an all-ages animated series. The debate stems from the appearance of Superman in the show, although not enough of him was seen to deduce whether he was the same as appearing in Justice League Unlimited. However, the background shots of Metropolis strongly resemble those in the Superman animated series. As a counterpoint, Lex Luthor, is shown as a businessman at a time he was in jail in the DCAU, and his appearance is distorted from that in the DCAU. It is possible that this series, much like the non-canonical comic books, uses the continuity of the DCAU, but not vice versa.

Teen Titans

A source of controversy among fans had surrounded the place of the series in the DC Animated Universe. Series producer Bruce Timm had stated that there will be no crossover with Justice League Unlimited; however it should be noted that he did consider doing it, and chose not to for style and presentation reasons. Also, series producer and creator Glen Murakami had stated that the inspiration for the series is the 1980s The New Teen Titans comic book series, and not the Justice League animated series. Although Batman does refer to the Titans in the Static Shock episode "Hard as Nails," there was no proof that the mentioned Titans relate in any way to the ones represented in this series. During the show's run it was never established to be a part of the larger DC Animated Universe though it gave several hints.

Evidence of a shared setting include Kid Flash's Teen Titans costume in the Flash museum and an older Speedy drawn in his Teen Titans model. It is also interesting to note that Speedy and (Kid) Flash are voiced by the same actors in both Teen Titans and JLU (Mike Erwin and Michael Rosenbaum respecively).

Superman: Brainiac Attacks

At first glance, this direct-to-video in many ways appears to be a continutation of the DCAU Superman: The Animated Series. It uses the same character models and backgrounds and some voice actors return to reprise their roles. However, writer Duane Caprizzi has stated that "the movie is not intended to be in continuity with the Timm-verse."[link]

Inconsistencies within the DCAU

Most of the inconsistencies in the DCAU have been cleared up via retroactive continuity.

DVD releases

The following DCAU Dvd sets are available:

The following DCAU DVD sets are scheduled for release (Dates subject to change):

External links

The Bruce Timm DC animated universe
The Television Series
' | ' | The New Batman Adventures | The New Batman/Superman Adventures | Batman Beyond | The Zeta Project | Static Shock | Justice League | Justice League Unlimited
Feature Length Movies
' | ' | ' | '
Web cartoons
Gotham Girls | Lobo

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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