Why the DC ANIMATED UNIVERSE is AWESOME

A break from formula today now as we delve into the DC Animated Universe - a collection of animated shows from the mid-90s to the early 2000s - which puts the current live action universe to shame.
Patreon: www.patreon.com/rowanjcoleman
Instagram: @rowanjcoleman
Twitter: @rowanjcoleman
Facebook: RJCFilms
SPECIAL THANKS TO PATRONS
L. Carton
Millie Coleman
Andy Luke
Edward Bedor
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Clips and Music from...
Batman The Animated Series (1992)
Batman Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Superman The Animated Series (1996)
The New Batman Adventures (1997)
Batman Beyond (1999)
Justice League (2001)
Justice League Unlimited (2004)
Superman The Movie (1978)
Man of Steel (2013)
Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice (2016)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Justice League (2018)
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COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

[@TheAdorkableRJ]

Just having the best versions of Batman, Superman, Joker, and Luthor already make the DCAU well worth diving into. Come for them, stay for all the other awesomeness you'll quickly find.

[@AndyKnode]

The question was truly one of my favorites.

[@GamerSlyRatchet1]

I kind of prefer Lex Luthor in Young Justice. Completely agree with the others, though.

[@ericlytle2209]

Dont forget flash

[@_Snafu_]

I can’t wait till my son is old enough because I will love revisiting this classic series with him

[@mr_indie_fan]

@@AndyKnode he has the best scenes in justice league

[@mrposhshark]

Speaking of lesser known characters that appeared I think a special menion has to go to Jeffery Combs as the Question. He was brilliant through the Cadmus arc.

[@RowanJColeman]

He was fantastic, I can't believe I didn't give that performance a shout out in the video.

[@Carnyx72]

Jeffery Combs is always fantastic - even when whatever it is he's in is not

[@mrposhshark]

Rowan J Coleman Tis all right mate I'll keep you right 😉

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Mr PoshShark Let us also remember he started Batman TAS as voice of Scarecrow.

[@daniellogan-scott5968]

Question and Huntress

[@prinzessinugk1279]

What makes me love especially JLU so much is how they cast a spotlight on the not-so-mainstream characters, examples being the Question, Huntress, Booster Gold or Stargirl. Not to mention intriguing villains like Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Amanda Waller.

[@tabiusthompson8101]

Exactly . I didn’t even know that these heroes existed until I watched JLU and now they are some of my favorites. I would honestly watch a series with Question and the huntress, or green arrow and black canary. Even Booster gold !

[@normadgarmez7026]

That's what I liked about the DCAU, they have the most popular characters ( Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) shown in their adventures, but take advantage on showing heros we're not aware of and give the spotlight to.

[@Godzilla-tu2cd]

I'm late but my god the dcau is amazing going back to watch them again

[@AndyKnode]

And that is the best part that it still holds up all these years later.

[@TJUC123]

Ignore my other comment. I though this video was about the movies. But yeah. I LOVE the DCAU shows. They're so perfect.

[@akidfromafrica3795]

Where can i watch all of these

[@ty-fighter9969]

A Kid From Africa A decent chunk of it is on the DC Universe streaming service for like $6 a month. The rest you’d have to buy on iTunes or something, unless you want to try and torrent it but that’s usually my last resort.

[@akidfromafrica3795]

@@ty-fighter9969 as far as i know the streaming service is only in usa and i live in europe

[@NebLleb]

In case you're wondering, my favourite part of the DCAU is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The movie so great, it's tied with Batman Returns and Batman Begins as my favourite Batman movie. Plus, it's so good it was released in cinemas!

[@RowanJColeman]

Mask of the Phantasm is far better then it has any right to be. It should be way more appreciated than it currently is.

[@NebLleb]

And in fact, it is starting to get more appreciation. Nostalgia Critic once called it the "Best Batman Movie", and it's recently gotten a release on Blu-Ray! If only the theatrical marketing had marketed it as if it were one of the Burton ones rather than as just an animated movie with Batman in it...That way it would've been a smash hit.

[@BoUrnNe26]

@@RowanJColeman It did get a 25 yr anniversary release this past November. Wish I could have seen it on the big screen but my work schedule conflicted with it. 😣

[@kadijahamad9862]

I love Batman: Under the Red Hood. But that’s a very biased pick because Jason Todd is my favourite character from DC. Objectively, Under the red hood may not be the best animated DC movie, but it is my favourite

[@richardadams4928]

@@RowanJColeman Look up Siskel & Ebert's review of Mask of the Phantasm on KZbin if you haven't seen it already. They justifiably carried ON about how great it is, they both LOVED BMOTP. Although Siskel's dismissal of Hamill's Joker is baffling....

[@JimPlaysGames]

Yes! I think animation is a better fit for a comic book adaptation anyway. Why does it have to be live action? Wonderful video, thank you!

[@AndyKnode]

I have to wonder what the live action movies would be like if they brought Bruce Tim on as a producer.

[@mikemike-lu1so]

I like live action adaptions because it gives a different feel then animation. The whole reason I wanted to see a live action Last Airbender is to see how cool bending would look in a 3d space.

[@Darkfrost7456]

mike mike and look how that worked out for you. M Knight crapbag butchered the source material. What he did the last air bender makes fans cry.

[@Hysterically_Accurate]

@@Darkfrost7456 there is no live action avatar movie.

[@crocuslament9680]

@@Hysterically_Accurate There is no movie within these comments. Here, we are safe. Here, we are free.

[@nicholashylton6857]

*AMEN!* Preach it, brother!!! The MCU has Civil War. The DCEU *_COULD_* have had, _"Tower of Babel."_ That latter is a more up-close and personal story of betrayal of trust, hubris and good intentions gone awry. It could have been _so awesome_ to see that story arc! But DC didn't take the time to world build, establish relationships and flesh out their rogues galleries. IMO, Vandal Savage would have been a great villain. An immortal, brilliant and VERY patient foe with an understandable (but evil) agenda. A nice appetizer before we delve into Darkseid.

[@Godzilla-tu2cd]

Nicholas Hylton yup

[@DarkLordDiablos]

The biggest problem with the DCEU is that they tried to be like the MCU way to quickly. The MCU took it's time to build up, the DCEU didn't and moved ahead with Justice League before letting the paint dry on the solo movies. Hell in the time between the first MCU movie and the Avengers there had been two Spidermen and two Hulk's which goes to show that Marvel took their time in finding the right people before throwing them together as a team. DC on the other had just said "Fuck it, let's go with what we have." What's even worse is that DC have a separate movie and TV universes which in the case of Supergirl is good as it allows Superman to appear, but in the case of The Flash is stupid because it alienates the fans of the TV show by having a different guy playing the role.

[@rmsgrey]

@@DarkLordDiablos The secret to making good DC film/TV shows seems to be keeping the WB executives and money people as far away from them as possible. Though that can also produce things like WW84, so...

[@AndyKnode]

You Nailed It! The Animated Universe has just the right balance of fun and adventure, and is obvious that is is made by fans of the characters. And I totally agree if feels as though the recent live action movies have been embarrassed by the source material and are trying to make is too gritty and real in order to cast a wider net. But what they are failing to realize is there is a huge group of fans like you and me that grew up on this animated shows that would love to see that brought to life. They just need to trust the material and stop trying to make DC something it is not. Great video!.

[@BoUrnNe26]

I've been saying this for years, why can't WB allow the DCAU writers to write the live-action films and get directors who aren't egotistical enough to want to change the movies to their "vision".

[@Gandoan]

No. sorry, this is 100% wrong. Marvel did well because there is no nostalgia associated with it. DC movies that did well had no nostalgia associated with them such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam. Even though Man of Steel was a superior movie to Superman movie ages ago, it didn't do well because people do not like change. Xmen, didn't do so well because there was tons of nostalgia, Spiderman same thing. People grew up with this stuff and cannot tolerate change or character growth. It has to remain a constant and to fit their expectations which is stupidity because they'll never experience anything new. Batman V Superman extended is superior to the majority of marvel movies. Marvel movies are just safe and all the same. BVS has a villain that people aren't even aware of unless they pay attention to 3 different movies. What I cannot stand is the complete hypocrisy. Oh Justice league animated is soo good.. ~complain about BVS not having proper character development for Wonder Woman and yet Justice league animated has no character back stories for anyone of their characters. The league just shows up because "superman" summoned them. Do you people see the stupid double standards you're showing?

[@RadinV1]

You look familiar..where have I seen you?

[@tuffdude7795]

@@Gandoan The DCEU is full of trash movies. The reason the movies don't do well isn't because of nostalgia it is because the movies are bad or mediocre. There are plenty of videos explaining the many problems with these movies. It isn't just because people don't like what they did with these characters,which does play a part.

[@tuffdude7795]

@@Gandoan Also if you think MCU movies are all the same then you don't understand movies and only look at similar things between them. From Avengers to Winter Soldier to Guardians of the Galaxy there is plenty of variety amd different stories to tell. The ones that do follow a basic formula are usually people's least favorites , even fans.

[@micronoid]

DC animated: amazing. DC movies: a mess. Marvel movies: great. Marvel animated: Basically non-existent, and anything they have made doesn't come close to DC animated. Why is it that both companies are doing well in one department and can't get their shit together in the other. It baffles me why this problem exists the way it does for both companies.

[@InfernoBlade64]

micronoid plus DC video games and comics are now way better than counterparts

[@kamcampbell8651]

The only great Marvel animation is The Spectacular Spider-Man

[@alfa01spotivo]

Kam Campbell and X-Men, X-Men Evolution, Wolverine, Incredible Hulk (90s), Spider-Man 90s, Silver Surfer, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Spider-Man Mtv,

[@55Quirll]

Marvel had a great series 'The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Hero's ' Season 1 - great dialogue, witty dialogue and good scripts and plots. Season 2 stunk, dialogue was lousy, script and plots were lousy the characters were not the same as in Season 1. DC has had great animated series from the get go, dialogues are great, scripts are great, plots are great and voices for the characters are just spot on. Wish they would have had JLU last more than 1 season.

[@aperson7340]

Dc animated movies:amazing Marvel animated movies:they barely make them ,the ones they do make are rarely better than anything dc has done in the animation department Dc live action:BURN IT WITH FIRE(except the dark knight) Marvel live action:why are we calling God's blessing mcu? Dc games:amazing! Marvel games:on par,yeah most say dc is better in games but I say they are equals here Dc animated tv shows:the BOMB! Marvel animate shows:some meh,some good,it's mixed Dc tv shows:Some great,some meh,its mix-wait have I said this? Marvel tv shows:The NUKE! Dc comics:Freaking great! Marvel comics:YEEEEAAAAHHHHH BOIIIIII

[@BatteredWalrus]

I always loved that ending for justice league unlimited; the DCAEU started with batman and ended with him in the final shot, a nice touch.

[@rmsgrey]

Just seeing all the heroes that way still gets me...

[@Grilinctus]

Sorry, I love the DCAU, but there’s something I have to get off my chest. The first part of ‘Only a Dream’ (from season 2 of Justice League) is the greatest execution of a sinister cliffhanger I’ve ever seen. Phew. Been holding onto that one for years.

[@Nakhon_Ratchasima]

Yes great episode. The DCAU dvd's are my treasured possessions.

[@ISBuckley8]

That episode scared me a lot as a kid but I love it now because it’s so dark and I love the interaction between J’onn and Batman. Plus it’s kinda tragic since a civilian dies in the episode, which is pretty risky for a kids’ show

[@mindandbody9427]

You can gush all you want about every aspect of this show, but in essence, it's success falls right into the laps of the writers and the writing teams. Dwayne Mcduffie, Paul Dini, Bruce Timm just to name a few...these guys were passionate about the source material and it shows.

[@campbria4225]

Some of the best television I've ever seen. And you did it justice.

[@Susrek]

Young Justice

[@lafortya]

It really is amazing how right they got the DCAU.

[@josuepf3730]

this animated universe had a bit of everything, this series had action, comedy, drama, among other things and in some episodes of its series it left some teaching.

[@ToonamiT0M]

I would also recommend Green Lantern The Animated Series. It only got one season, unfortunately. I don't think it has ever been officially said to be in the DCAU, but I consider it to be.

[@RowanJColeman]

Yeah I've seen a few episodes of that and I like what I saw. I gotta watch it all some time. In fact I've been getting into Green Lantern comics a lot recently. So many great ideas and imagination in those stories, it truly makes me realize how much the Green Lantern movie was botched.

[@donstrutz750]

It gets dark near the end.

[@55Quirll]

I forgot about the series, it was very good, especially when they were on the other side of the galaxy and then they got help with the Blue lantern. A very good series. I also liked the Animated movies about the Green Lantern - First Flight, Emerald Nights not sure if there were any others but those two stick out.

[@TheEnigmaticBM39]

@@55Quirll it was just those two movirs

[@BenSchwartz00]

How about Young Justice? Great example of DC animation still going strong.

[@RowanJColeman]

That's something I'm yet to properly watch. I've seen half of the first season and need to watch more.

[@puterboy2]

Yes. In my opinion, it has more comics from the DC universe that the DCAU never really had, like Jason Todd.

[@jonsnor4313]

Its a really good series, and stays strong. Superboy became the heart of the series, and its good in handling story and characters, and as usual, lex luthor is the worst as politican.

[@shawnjavery]

@@jonsnor4313 See I liked it for season 1, but was lost heavily in season 2. Felt a bit too dramatic, and not having the team dynamic that was present for season 1 was hard to adjust for. Plus the cast ballooned in size, which wasn't easy to get invested in them because of it. It feels more like an animated series for comic book fans than a series that will get people to become fans of the comic books.

[@crocuslament9680]

@@shawnjavery Also, the timeskip was confusing. I actually spent like twenty minutes on google trying to find out which series/movie I missed that explained... anything.

[@jakebrady7426]

Finally! Someone else who fully acknowledges/appreciates Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor! 👍🏻 Everyone else keeps forgetting that and just keeps going "Oh ThE Guy wHO PlaYs mr krABS!" It's annoying!

[@doom7ish]

When ever I hear Clancy Brown voice I think: Lex God damn Luthor!

[@robertwilliams4682]

I always think of him as The Kurgan

[@ISBuckley8]

He was Luthor before Krabs, too. It honestly feels wrong to hear anyone else as Lex Luthor. Sure, others have been good, but Clancy Brown will always be the best version of Lex Luthor

[@jakebrady7426]

@@ISBuckley8 exactly! Thank you!

[@harrisonmetcalf3184]

The dc animated shows are a main example of why I'm a dc fan

[@phantomsidious2934]

The dc animated universe just gets everything right with its characters aand story telling, never gets old, im 33 and im still loving it even now, just awesome!!

[@MiorAkif]

Im also a fan of how Timm's universe brings many of the less mainstream characters to light. Exhibit: the Question. Also they got the freakin' Crimson Avenger!! (although he only ever gets one line of dialogue xD but still, he's there)

[@jaga7752]

Damn it, now I have to watch Justice League and Justice League Unlimited again :D

[@teejaykaye4357]

The DCAU, Justice League and Unlimited specifically, were FUNDAMENTAL to my childhood. They were the cartoons I watched before I even started watching cartoons on the TV. My sisters and I watched those episodes we had on dvd ENDLESSLY. Perfect superhero content right there. It infused my early childhood with brilliant writing and dynamic, heartfelt characters and to this day remains one of my favorite cartoon series ever. I constantly find myself comparing and contrasting newer content with these characters to the DCAU and never once has it measured up. It simply doesn't get better than the DCAU.

[@enzoarayamorales7220]

These aren't shows for kids, these are shows for everyone.

[@BizzareJungle13]

In the episode of Batman beyond when Terry helps the Current Justice League, they ask him to join at the end of the story saying “Batman was only a part timer.” Terry replied with “I guess we have more in common than I thought.” Superman the said “More than you know son.” That leads into the Justice League Unlimited episode Epilogue with what is revealed then.

[@Rocksteady72a]

Static Shock meeting the Justice League was the Avengers-meeting-up moment of my childhood. 😅

[@glasscitystudios8548]

The themes playing throughout the video gave me goosebumps

[@mrposhshark]

MASSIVE NOSTALGIA FEELS.

[@Godzilla-tu2cd]

Mr PoshShark oh yeah I think I got tears in my eyes

[@RoyCyberPunk]

I agree 100 percent. The DCAU was created organically in stand alone shows very much like Feigi built the MCU with stand alone movies leading up to the first Avengers movie and he respected the source material. As a fan of both Marvel and DC I would indeed love if DC used the formula from their animated universe on the DCEU but we are expecting too much from the WB big wigs. As much as the CW shows are maligned they are still better and closer in spirit to the source material than the DCEU with the exception of Wonder Woman.

[@Starforge1]

If the CW shows hired decent writers and stopped the political propaganda I would agree with you. Sadly, they're just poorly written. Even the Flash, after starting off good, has gone down this rabbit hole. Is it really so hard to find writers who can tell a good story without all the politics? I know the local bookstore with a very large fantasy / sci-fi section seems to do just fine.

[@RoyCyberPunk]

Starforge1 They seem to have fallen into extremely formulaic seasons Black Lightning being the exception.

[@Starforge1]

@Roy CyberPunk and yet from what I hear (haven't bothered to watch) BL has the worst level of politics in it so /shrug. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of stories out there for DC's main characters from comics to cartoons - it's really impossible to use some of that excellent source material to generate a decent show? I guess so.

[@RoyCyberPunk]

Starforge1 Oh wow then you heard wrong. Black Lightning is DCs version of Black Panther for TV. Stop listening to naysayers like those and watch it. You won't be sorry.

[@thehypershon4064]

The CW shows suck because the channel is more focused on romance and fan service for teen girls then delivering any kind of story. This mindset was easily visible in the flash they just got a lot less subtle with it as time passed. Politics are the least of the concerns.

[@Slagdar]

It is so true that Superman-TAS and JLU's Superman was the first incarnation I actually liked. because he was powerful, but never godly. and despite his boyscoutish nature could still make rash decisions when angry. His Hate and nearly muderous tendency's towards Darkside in JLU felt controversial but at the same time SO justified knowing what he did to him in Superman-TAS.

[@MrGeekFreek]

After watching Infinity War I kind of feel the DCEU should just throw in the towel and leave the movies to Marvel. Let DC keep making the animated movies. DC animated movies are better than Marvel animated movies.

[@RowanJColeman]

The current version of the DC Movie Universe no doubt needs a reboot. I don't think they have to stick to animation exclusively. I really wanna see this universe on the big screen, they just have to be smart in how the build their universe. Infinity War has effectively stolen the thunder of a Darkseid plot, but perhaps building up to a CADMUS like story can be brilliant if executed well.

[@carrottoponcrak]

Infinity War was trash compared to the comic. They did Thanos dirty in that movie, didn't even make him as ballin as he truly is; they made him a fucking good guy for christ sake

[@Zarastro54]

+carrottoponcrack What the hell are you talking about? A good guy? They made him a single minded ruthless psychopath who would go through literally anyone and anything to achieve his goal in murdering half the universe. They made the logic behind his end goal a lot more interesting and understandable than the ridiculous "I wanna fuck Death" nonsense from the comics.

[@AndyKnode]

DC/ Warner Bros just needs to stop trying to follow what Marvel is doing and carve their own path.

[@55Quirll]

True, the only exception would be the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroe's, The first season was great had excellent dialogue and script - wasp and thor having a funny dialogue going after AIM or fighting KANG as an example, the second season was going down hill, after that it was trash. Other than that Marvel hasn't had a decent animated series but great movies. DC has had great animated movies and series. I really love the voices Romano choose.

[@Timberwolf410]

The DCAU is so awesome and pure and fun, and like you said, you can tell the creators are having fun when you watch it.

[@VALKRYSA]

oh jeez, time to start a rewatch of everything

[@Godzilla-tu2cd]

Alice Robinson yup

[@AndyKnode]

And they still hold up so well.

[@epm1012]

6:12 They’re doing Christrian Bale.

[@noahbawdy3395]

Kevin Conroy is THE BATMAN to me. When I read a comic, I hear his voice.

[@briannalee1998]

I hate it when people say DC sucks, it means they’ve probably never seen any of these shows. I want reruns of all these shows to play on Cartoon Network so kids today can see them and I want them to make new shows from this universe.

[@eastonenroth2366]

What I love about each of the justice league’s members is how their colors and themes of the characters just pop out from each other

[@tofu_golem]

Because of that cartoon, John Stewart will always be MY Green Lantern. If you had a magic ring that was powered by will, why wouldn't you give one of those rings to a marine? It just makes sense. Besides, Hal Jordan is kind of goofy.

[@tylerbertram7065]

Chad DC animated universe vs Virgin DC extended universe.

[@edwardlozano8807]

Speaking of THE Batman voice...RIP Kevin Conroy!

[@somerandom6883]

This universe needs to come back.

[@biguy617]

Two words, Bruce Timm

[@paulr.1961]

AND Paul Dini!

[@navy0287]

And Dwayne McDuffie.

[@michaelkiptoomwaniki5456]

Jay Oliva (Flashpoint Paradox) & Sam Liu (Fatal Five, Apocalypse) deserve major props too. But yeah, Bruce is The Godfather 🔥

[@warhorse5152]

They all need to work with marvel also

[@sidneywade2454]

and alan burnett, don't forget him

[@RoseKB22]

The DC animated universe was a huge part of my childhood

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Mine too. They got awesome voice actors for the characters, had wonderful stories and cool music. For a lot of people Kevin Conroe is Batman and Mark Hamil is the Joker.

[@dzello6773]

When ever someones says DC is trash, I just say "Ever heard of the DCAU"

[@jba2048]

My favorite team up from the DCAU and wish I could see more is Question and Huntress. Their story arc and how it lead to the all out war between the JLU and Cadmus was one of the best. My disappointment in this forced DCSU has lead me to start buying up all the animated movies. As a big Teen Titans comic book fan, I really enjoyed Teen Titans vs Justice League and The Judas Contract. Justice League Dark was great because I loved Matt Ryan's Constantine and of course Deadman. Why is there no Deadman movie yet? It's getting so ridiculous how all these great characters are getting ignored. My wife had no idea who Martian Manhunter was. The most important question is "Where is my Booster Gold/Blue Beetle Movie"? Sorry I'm ranting here. I'm just a total DC nerd and I've been trying to show Marvel fanboy friends how awesome DC is by showing them the animated universe while wondering, why aren't the people who write and produce the animated films making the live action movies.

[@noahbawdy3395]

I loved that they didn't do origin stories for every character. I was around 6 years old when I started reading comics (mid 60s). I figured it out without all that crap.

[@kamui003]

I agree that the DC animated shows are a lot better than the recent live action ones they've produced.

[@awesomebacon1075]

It disappoints me that whenever I mention the DCAU, the majority of people autocorrect it to DCEU.

[@holorn1280]

When I was young (I'm 25) I always thought that it was a show for adult, because of how badass it is. It was like an introduction to cinema in itself

[@mdmjeremiah]

I agree with every single point you make in this video. It sounds like every conversation I have with people who ask me why I don't like the DC films and why I prefer the animated universe. Well done vid!

[@mahadibrahim8836]

Due to watching the jl tas as kid they became original to me and batman beyond was great too love them both

[@Batz130]

Leave it up to DC and Warner Bros to make beautiful animated series but can't get half their movies right.🤔

[@dekulevi936]

The reason DCAU is successful because the WB Animated Studios writers understand these characters, while DCEU writes doesn't.

[@DarkLordDiablos]

The DCEU is a failed attempt to piggyback off of the success of the MCU without taking the time to build it up like the MCU did. The only thing that DC has done which Marvel hadn't done upto last year was release a standalone female lead movie and that was only because Wonder Woman is part of the Trinity unlike Black Widow. But even that hasn't hurt the MCU financially or critically and Black Widow now has a movie coming out this year.

[@Baffled_King]

"Can we please stop with the near constant Frank Miller worshipping?" AMEN!!!!!

[@puterboy2]

Well, they did it with Shazam.

[@MandoWraith]

Awesome video. A little disappointed that you didn't mention Young Justice or Teen Titans, but they aren't really connected to the larger DCAU (but they're both awesome too!)

[@RFEM520]

Also check out Gotham by gaslight. It's awesome.

[@andrepaul3483]

These shows were my first exposure to the whole DC universe. Now time to buy all of the DVDs and rewatch all of them😁

[@elderadult8544]

Man the nostalgia hit me like a truck with the justice league opening

[@baileysmith2646]

As a huge superhero fan, I have always said that “Marvel makes the better live action movies, but DC makes the best animated films by far.”

[@zxtreme31]

i must've watched the final scene of JLU at least a hundred times. but this is the first time i ever noticed this: Look at Zatanna's shoulder at 16:32

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

DC had damn Post Crisis edicts on Superman TAS. No Kandor, no cousin Supergirl, no Legion Superboy etc. How many classic Superman stories adapted as a result? One. Thanks to DiDio, DCAU eventually sold Supergirl as a cousin and that classic? For the Man Who Has Everything!

[@kingcrimson2643]

There was a short lived cartoon called Legion of Superheroes and Teen Clark Kent was a lead character in that cartoon. So fans at least got that in animation.

[@EwanMakeMovies]

This popped up in my suggested feed. I'll definitely be subscribing, keep up the good work. 👍

[@spider-manunknown9193]

The Dc animated movie universe are the definitive version of these characters outside of the comics and will always be the best take of these iconic characters outside the books.

[@wilsonjonah]

Without Batman: The Animated Series... I wouldn't love the Dark Knight or any of his enemies the way I do now. I bought the blu-ray box set and have been binging the show for a few days... Truly excellent in every sense and still holds up amazingly well ☺️

[@sharendavis9216]

THANK YOU! Batman is my all time favorite hero and I am so sick of the Frank Miller-azation that every iteration feels the need to make. Some of my favorite moments from Batman in the comics is some of the lighter stuff.

[@sablebranwen2539]

These will always be my favorite versions of these characters. Period. I'm lucky this was how I was introduced to DC.

[@MiXVoy]

DCAU > DCAMU and DCEU combined

[@DreamMarko]

I may not agree with everything you say, especially new trek shows and movies, but I 100% agree with you on this! DCAU is so amazing, hopeful, and inspiring. There are so much heart and care that went into making this animated universe.

[@ryancollins1183]

Awesome video! Loved your analysis on the characters. Great job!

[@norbertop.niebres6320]

I only wish there was a Legion of Superheroes (DCAU) series with Supergirl as one of its members. The Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home" could easily be the backdoor pilot. This is the episode where Supergirl (Kara In Ze) remains in the 31st Century with the Legion of Superheroes.

[@georgehaz2608]

Finally someone understands. As you mentioned Batman theme composed by Sherley Walker gives me goosebumps and the voice actors are amazing. This is the universe I grew up with and I love it.

[@MegaFafnir]

MAJOR kudos to you for giving the DCAU the love it deserves! And you're absolutely right about how it's the PERFECT version for future incarnations of the characters to draw inspiration from :)

[@mrsportsguy134]

The only bad thing about the DCAU is that the characters were really nerfed and not that powerful.

[@lifeisberserk9566]

Exept for batman 😎

[@ssjDez24]

I’m just now seeing this video and it’s amazing thank you.

[@DavidSilva-mn4dz]

From X-Men, Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Avengers Earth Mightiest Heroes, Spectacular Spiderman, it's seems that Marvel started missing the mark of the animation medium.

[@spaceman3952]

Wow! This video is great! Just found and subscribed. I grew up reading all these characters in the 70s and had multiple comics subscriptions for years as a kid. Yes, I had them mailed to my house every month. You nailed it here. The DCAU creators, just like the MCU, love the source material and the characters. And it shows. Michael Ansara’s Mr. Freeze in ‘Heart of Ice’ still brings me to tears. Where the DCEU misses the mark regarding Miller is how much fun it is. DKR and ‘Year One’ are dark and have a healthy mean streak. Which Miller wanted to bring back after the goofy, but fun, 60s. He also said just how much fun it was to write and draw. They are really fun. Warner’s take took out most of the fun. Chris Nolan got it right twice. ‘Rises’, not so much for me. Let’s be dark like Nolan and have no fun. Swing and a miss! Brooding, emo, self-serious, just stop it! The DCAU crushes it on every level. Love those shows and need to revisit them. Inspired work. Those are the real heroes I grew up with. They’re truly evergreen. Love ‘em.

[@darksharxz]

Young Justice is my "Ish"

[@lukeyznaga7627]

I agree with what you are saying, Rowan. THIS...this is the real best world of DC comic movies. I have seen all the animated movies. And they are great and ACCURATE in their portrayal of the supeheroes origins and powers and uniforms. the stories and villains are great! Thank you for highlighting this and bringing this out.

[@JurassicLion2049]

I grew up watching the DCAU shows and as a kid, while familiar with Spider Man, Hulk, the Xmen, I and most people when they thought of superheroes pretty much only could name DC heroes and the Justice League. I was a baby when reruns of Batman the Animated Series aired alongside Superman the Animated Series. Was a kid when Justice League and Statis Shock aired. Teen Titans being a sorta not in name spin off also helped cement this era as the best versions of the DC heroes. The DCAU being as awesome as it is is why Im not as butthurt about the horrendous DCEU.

[@kratoscraken5614]

Justice League and Justice League TAS were the best ever. Great video well done 💪

[@noahbawdy3395]

I loved the DCAU. They really understood the characters and made you care about their relationships.

[@rogeliobaltazar5386]

These shows were my life as a kid! I was always more into DC characters than Marvel characters and that's because of these shows, but the DC movies seem to lack something for me that the MCU delivers. Regardless I'm still a fan of comic book characters in general. Growing up, Batman was my favorite DC character & Spiderman my favorite Marvel character. I got love for both animated universes & to me they act as standards for how accurate the characters are when appearing in other forms of media (aside from the comics). Great vid! I love the trip through nostalgia I was given. For a sec I almost thought you weren't gonna mention Static Shock, but you threw it in there right at the end (: also I seen someone comment below that Young Justice serves as a great example for DC animation that still went strong after this era and I liked to also throw out Teen Titans. That one was a banger for me. Btw I rarely if ever comment on vids haha.

[@nitebird67]

The DC Animated universe is fantastic. The DC Extended universe is trash

[@devil7660]

DC let Snyder ruin their cinematic universe, now they're making all these damn TV shows. I don't want more DC TV, I want more movies. DC's CW shows all suck now.

[@Godzilla-tu2cd]

nitebird67 amen

[@mystical2846]

@@devil7660 Titans, Gotham, Doom Patrol are amazing

[@ItsButterBean1020]

Honestly the cross overs are good tho

[@MiXVoy]

So as the DCAMU

[@hendrixisgod777]

Thanks for the vid Rowan. My 2 fave stand alone episodes are from the final season; “the clash” where Captain Marvel battles Superman, one on one. And the meta brawl episode where the female members of the league face off against a mind controlled Wonder Woman. I think they spent more time on the animation on those ones as the fight choreography is fantastic.

[@merlyworm]

This. (yeah old comment) That scene with the women vs Wonder Woman is so beautiful. they even made all their faces perfect the 'Oh shit. We're gunna die'.

[@dannybuckle3763]

The only character I feel like the DCAU really screwed up is Wonder Woman. Diana is the spirit of truth, the only hero in the DCU who can rival Superman in raw goodness, and yet so many adaptations go for the "bloodthirsty warrior" angle that guys like Geoff Johns and this universe helped popularise. She is the most willing to kill of the Trinity (and even then it's not something she enjoys doing or does very often when written accurately), so of course this translates to "Imma just gonna go and try to kill everyone I don't like" which is the opposite of Diana's true personality; she's the first to forgive her enemies and help them reform, not the first to the kill them. The DCAU sometimes captured Diana right, like in the episode with the Super-Friends pastiches. That Diana was compassionate, caring, powerful and likeable. Most of the time, however, she felt like she only existed to say "Great Hera", get shipped with Batman (ugh) or beat people up mercilessly, and none of that matches Wonder Woman when she's at her best. I do love the DCAU (I grew up with it after all), but this version of Wonder Woman has always rubbed me the wrong way, being my least favourite hero of the Big Seven and tied with Green Arrow for my least favourite hero on the League when I was younger (I really didn't like Ollie until recently). Other than her though, most of the heroes of this series managed to either match or out-compete their comic counterparts excellently.

[@benwasserman8223]

At this point, the Arrowverse is the closest thing I’ve got to a DCAU spiritual successor.

[@kingcrimson2643]

Even though it has shitty cw writing.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Edward West-Summers a.k.a. CrimsonWitch26 Even with that, yes. It managed to grow their universe organically much like the DCAU did.

[@justyouraveragegeek548]

In my opion justice league action would be a good successor

[@thehypershon4064]

Pretty sure that’d be the Young Justice universe

[@prinzessinugk1279]

@@thehypershon4064 Young Justice is amazing, but what makes the Arrowverse special is how it branched out to the point at which the action takes place on different earths and still manages to feel natural.

[@bdr113080]

Great vid. As a hardcore DC fan that grew up loving the DCAU it pisses me off so bad that Warner Bros. seems to have no idea what they are doing on the big screen. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movies ‘Man of Steel’, ‘Aquaman’ ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Justice League’, but as someone who knows DC comics , I believe there is no reason why the DCEU shouldn’t be the new Star Wars, let alone to be out done so badly by Disney/Marvel.

[@eduardpeeterlemming]

MCU and DCAU. Perfectly balanced as all things should be

[@user-os8of8od1m]

I remember being a kid watching Justice League and I would watch like 5 or more episodes a day and when I got older and watched it again I loved it even more

[@juggert]

I mean the fact that there is a kickass episode focussing on booster gold is proof enough that the DCAU is awesome. Young Justice is probably the only other show that comes close

[@calebross8174]

The jla episode that has Batman and Orion follow around the flash, is the best animated episode of anything I’ve ever seen. Has everything in it.

[@Serching4JerryGarcia]

What's the name of the episode?

[@Koichiizumi]

DCEU solution: Give Bruce Timm the reins and get out of his way

[@wilsonjonah]

Yessssss! All of this

[@n1c704]

So many memorable episodes from BTAS. And they were doing the ten years of continuity thing before RDJ was cast and when Chris Evans was the human torch.

[@jamiehanrahan4705]

1. Huge thumbs up to you for acknowledging Andrea Romano's work on this show. (I only recently learned that many years prior, she was the voice director for the first season or so of _ReBoot_, another terrific show!) 2. Kevin Conroy - directed by Andrea Romano - should provide the "Batman voice" in every Batman live-action movie, no matter who is actually in the suit. Nobody else has come close. Just one more way that the DCAU gave us the "best non-comic Batman" ever.

[@maqpi8335]

Justice League war was an awesome movie it is what the live action justice league should have been

[@JackNapier-pl2hv]

The DCAU is 100 times more adult and conplex than anything zack snyder did.

[@adammohamed..]

fantastic video , great and informative views.

[@Coolsomeone234]

No DCAU, no MCU. Easy and simple

[@rohithkumar8708]

Pretty sure marvel just wanted to do what comics has been doing for decades. It doesn't have anything to do with any other franchise. They had scrap left over and built a franchise like how comics do superheroes and it did well .

[@ecliptorcalrissian5014]

I wish the DCEU would look at not just Marvel but DC's own successes. The DCAU and the Arrowverse are already there to show you how an awesome shared universe with these very characters should be done.

[@mrmichaellatham]

damn straight!

[@NerdHerdReviews]

This is severely underviewed! Great video sir!

[@MultiMackD]

I love how in some of these shows they were able to pull off a Gargoyles like casting, at least in terms of guest stars (i.e Kalibak, Question, and AMAZO)