The correct order to watch DC Animated Universe shows

Both Marvel and DC Comics have grown fan bases through a shared universe between the series. This web of continuity is intertwined with young minds, who see comics not just as simple adventures, but portals to a whole other world whose history they can study and master. Subsequently, superheroes have taken over Hollywood in the 21st century by importing the same storytelling model. But the first major superhero cinematic universe debuted on the small screen, not the silver screen. Yes, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). A series of interconnected cartoons with an overlapping cast and crew, the DCAU ran for 14 years from 1992 to 2006.

This long run wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the people who made these cartoons. The first DCAU cartoon, “Batman: The Animated Series”, was co-created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. Tim’s distinctive art style (like Jack Kirby meets pin-up girls stickers) has become the DCAU standard. Other important artists who helped guide the DCAU from one series to the next include writers/producers Alan Burnett, Paul Dini (co-creator of Harley Quinn with Tim)Dwayne McDuffie, director Dan Ripa, and voice director Andrea Romano. It was Romano specifically who delivered the DCAU’s most famous voices Kevin Conroy as Batman to Mark Hamill as the Jokerand convince them with the character’s distinctive performances.

these We are Kids shows, so most DCAU episodes are simple affairs that you can watch without any context. But with “Justice League Unlimited,” they were building on the base they had created, with serialized stories drawn from past events, both major and minor, in previous shows. ‘Justice League Unlimited’ is best enjoyed if you have previous knowledge of the DCAU – but how do you get it?

Discounting the spin-off films (which include “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,” “Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero,” “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker,” and “Batman: Mystery of Batwoman”), here’s the DCAU in Release command:

1. “Batman: The Animated Series” – follows the adventures of Batman as he faces superstitious and cowardly villains in Gotham City. The series is known for its gothic backgrounds and Fleischer Studios-inspired animation, which is less edgy and more expressive than later DCAU shows.
2. “Superman: The Animated Series” – basically Tim and co. They do to Superman what they previously did to Batman. “Superman: The Animated Series” is most remembered for Clancy Brown’s performance as Lex Luthor. It is also where the more refined art style used in later DCAU projects was introduced.
3. “New Batman Adventures” – A sequel to “Batman: The Animated Series”, complete with an updated art style and character designs. A handful of crossovers with “Superman” officially established the DCAU.
4. “Batman Beyond” – Set 40 years in the future, an elderly Bruce Wayne mentors the new Batman, teenage Terry McGuinness, in cyberpunk Gotham City.
5. “Static Shock” – Black teenager Virgil Hawkins gains electromagnetic powers when a mutagenic gas spreads through his hometown of Dakota City. McDuffie, one of the original creators of the Static comics, was involved with the series and it was his gateway to working further on the DCAU.
6. “Project Zeta” – A spin-off from the “Batman Beyond” movie that sees the robot Zeta trying to find his creator while on the run from the NSA. Overall, it’s a futuristic take on “The Fugitive” (and it’s not the only animated film out there).
7. “Justice League” – Team Timm builds on previous Batman/Superman crossovers and brings DC’s greatest heroes together in one show. Uniquely, each episode was made up of two or three parts, actually allowing for 40-minute episodes instead of 20 minutes.
8. “Justice League Unlimited” – a sequel to “Justice League” where the team expands from just seven heroes to several dozen. The two-part episode format has been eliminated for 20-minute episodes, usually highlighting one to three members of the now massive ensemble.

This is also the order in which you should watch the shows, if you’re feeling accomplished. The answer is always release order, because it’s the simplest method and prequels created later are usually based on previously made installments. Imagine, for example, watching the “Star Wars” prequels without having seen the original trilogy.

In the case of the DCAU, the finale of “Justice League Unlimited” Season 2 — “Epilogue” — is almost an episode of “Batman Beyond.” If you haven’t watched “Batman Beyond,” you won’t get anything from that episode. Even if you watched “Justice League” first, save “Epilogue” to use after you complete “Batman Beyond.”

If you insist on watching the DCAU in chronological order:

1. “Batman: The Animated Series”
2. “Superman: The Animated Series”
3. “The New Adventures of Batman”
4. “static shock”
5. “justice league”
6. “Justice League Unlimited”
7. “Batman Beyond”
8. “Project Zeta”

“Project Zeta” is the least important DCAU show. It’s not actually based on a pre-existing DC comic, which makes it an aberration compared to the others, and it ends frustratingly on a cliffhanger. There’s a crossover episode in “Batman Beyond” Season 3 titled “Countdown,” but Zeta’s debut in “Batman Beyond” itself will fill you in.

“Static Shock” also feels more bubbly than the other films, because it wasn’t originally supposed to be part of the DCAU. It only became so when the Season 2 premiere, “The Big Leagues,” turned into a Batman crossover vehicle. “Static Shock” later had a few other crossovers with the DCAU:

1. “Hard A Nails” season 3 premiere of Static Shock, where Static visits Gotham City and battles Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn with Batman.
2. “A League of Their Own”, which is part of the third season of “Static Shock” which intersects with “Justice League”. Static is called in to help solve some technical problems at the League’s satellite base, the Watchtower, and ends up rescuing the adult heroes from Brainiac.
3. “Toys in the Hood” guest appearance by Superman. (“Superman: The Animated Series” had concluded at this point, but the Man of Steel himself was part of the “Justice League.”)
4. “Future Shock”, a “Batman Beyond” crossover where Static is sent into the future.
5. “Fallen Hero,” in which Static teams up with Green Lantern to fight Sinestro.
6. “The Back and Future Thing”, the final episode of the first season of “Justice League Unlimited”. It is a crossover with both “Static Shock” and “Batman Beyond”, because Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern travel to the future, where they meet Terry McGinnis who is now a middle-aged Static.

As you can see, the “static shock” crossovers were mostly one-way; Teen Virgil has never appeared in Justice League. Basically, the core DCAU experience is: “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Superman: The Animated Series,” “New Batman Adventures,” “Batman Beyond,” “Justice League,” and “Justice League Unlimited.” Age appropriate, and I promise you’ll be a superhero fan for life.