DCAU

With the New 52 animated universe currently a priority, I don't the DCAU future will be focused on anymore sadly. The best we got from the "old DCAU" were films like Gods And Monsters and that one Batman Beyond short.

I'M MR. MEESEEKS, LOOK AT ME!

There was also a comic where 2012 Ninja Turtles teamed with TAS Batman.

if it’s as good as the first one they did (where Batman famously tries pizza to Alfred’s chagrin) then I oughta hunt it down.

The entire Batman Beyond series is coming to Blu-Ray October 29th!

(And yes, it includes Return of the Joker.)

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Jul 18th 2019 at 5:07:36 AM

"Very good then Mr. McGinnis. Welcome to my world."

theme music intensifies

Edited by Soble on Sep 7th 2019 at 10:17:54 AM

I'M MR. MEESEEKS, LOOK AT ME!

What if Batman Beyond was a Fighting Game?

Actually, most of Jokerz introduced in the movie looks a little like they came out of a fighting game.

I'm still hoping for the Caitlin Snow incarnation of Killer Frost to be featured more in animated stuff.

Phil LaMarr posted a video on Twitter of himself reciting the GL oath for people who wanted to meet him at a con but couldn't due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Or just plain up Killer Frost herself. Some characters need to be featured more, not everything is Batman and Batfamily.

If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. Toni Morrison

So, I was thinking on two things: Episode 16 of Justice League, and Donna Troy.

And I realize that while Aresia is meant to be a nod to Hypolyta "Lyta" Trevor, aka Fury, who was the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, she also reminds me of another character related to Diana, namely Donna.

Mostly in the young girl adopted into the Amazons vein, which was Donna's original origin, though that's the only thing the two have in common.

Until I checked the page and was reminded of Lyta (who I know little about mind you) I flat out thought she was a very loose adaptation of Donna, though as a blonde instead of a brunette.

One Strip! One Strip!

There was a period a few years where KF was showing up in, like, everything. Injustice, The Flash CW, the animated Arkham and Suicide Squad movies, Young Justice...

I got the feeling she was getting a push that dried up for some reason.

Caitlin was in Justice League Action, at least.

I assume she doesn't show up as much because her concept is a little harder to do. Her being a sympathetic person hunted (sometimes) by an evil organization but antagonistic because she's struck with Horror Hunger makes her a little harder to do as a drop-in character (note that CW Caitlin is a composite of all three Killer Frosts and basically ditches her comics backstory, and Action Caitlin has a very different character). That sort of heartfelt story that the audience is totally going to want to see saved works best for a show where she can be a recurring character, whether the writers choose to actually improve their lives or not (IE, a Firestorm-centric show).

Louise Lincoln gets more use because her "what if Joker but ice powers" schtick makes her way easier to just put into stories as an evil ice wielder.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 25th 2020 at 11:49:58 AM

"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.

Come to think about it, DC *can* use Wildstorm characters in animation, right? We got Grifter in Flashpoint Paradox, so I suppose they can, but I can't remember a single instance of Wildstorm characters in DC animated works ever since.

The mention of the 'Caitlin' name made me remember Fairchild. Maybe they could put the Wild Cats in one of those DCAU semi-revival movies we get every once in a while, like Fatal Five or Batman and Harley. Or Gen 13 in Super Hero Girls, oddly enough I think they'd kind of fit after a makeover.

Oh hey, I spy a couple of old faces from other posts, keeping this thread alive!

There's a youtube channel on the DCAU I strongly recommend, "Watchtower Database". In collaboration with some other channels, they had a 1-hour video on the top 5 DCAU episodes.

A lot of the episodes I think were fantastic, but I had to disagree with their methods. So I made some lengthy comments just to put my thoughts on paper (and not necessarily to contradict them), which I'll copy below. Let me know what you all think!

---

For me, "most essential" depends on which story you want to tell. I'll get to other's by series/character family in the replies, but for the overall DCAU in 5 essential "episodes", the theme is "you can't save everyone, but you keep trying, never give up, and it truly matters."^note Static Shock actually gets this point across the best as a solo show For that, my 5 episodes across the full DCAU, in viewing order:

• Growing Pains (BTAS)
• Flashback (Static)
• Starcrossed (JL)
• Meltdown (Beyond)
• The Once and Future Thing (JLU)

If you can squeeze in a 6th, then "World's Finest" between "Growing Pains" and "Flashback", to lay the ground work for the Justice League's eventual formation.

It takes a bit of time travel, but it gets all of the DCAU and important points (except Superman, the formation of the League, and Cadmus, I'll get to them last). It also shows that this is a breathing, complex world beyond just these 5 episodes, and makes you want to learn about how these characters got so familiar, interact, especially given everything comes together in "The Once and Future Thing". Also, the villains make you realize their depth and complexity as well, beyond just the Joker and Lex Luthor.

---

As for the 3 Batman series, the theme and heart is "The balance of identity: hero and person". For this, the viewing order is:

• Mask of the Phantasm
• Sins of the Father
• Rebirth
• Return of the Joker
• Epilogue

If you can fit in 3 more episodes, then put "Old Wounds" and "Heart of Ice" before "Rebirth" in that order, then "Meltdown" after "Rebirth".

The first 5 emphasizes "the Bat-Family". Its growth, decay, and maintenance. Bruce may have failed, but makes amends before it's too late. But he was still necessary. And so were the rest of them. And the balance is finally achieved, in Terry. Adding the 3 extra reinforces how the family broke down, and shows more about how Bruce and Terry take on different approaches, leading to Bruce finally getting to mend the Bat-Family again. Adding "Old Wounds" in particular also explains why Tim is the central Robin of this abridged story, and not Dick.

---

For Static, the story is "It's too much for one kid (later two), even a prodigy, to tackle all of crime in one city, either gang violence or white collar. But step by step, he DOES make a difference." I'm going to cheat on a 5 count here, since the first two episodes should be 1. The viewing order is:

• Shock to the System/Aftershock
• Gear
• Army of Darkness
• Flashback
• Future Shock

I'm hesitant to end on a crossover episode, but part of the strength of that particular crossover is that it puts a good ending to the story of Static (and Gear), reminding that he really does make an important difference, even being validated by a hero everyone knows.

The next two episodes I'd recommend would be "Jimmy", and "Static in Africa", because they well encapsulate the character of Virgil, an because it's important to include more episodes actually written by Dwayne McDuffie, besides "Gear".

---

The central story of Justice League/Unlimited is the Cadmus story, but it's not the most essential, and it doesn't actually have a true ending within the show itself. I'll discuss Cadmus when I get to Superman. The "heart" of Justice League, more important than the Cadmus story, is heroes coming together: as coworkers, as friends, even as more than friends. For this, the 5 episodes are:

• The Terror Beyond
• Comfort and Joy
• Starcrossed
• Wake the Dead
• The Once and Future Thing

If I expand it to 2 more, then add "Tabula Rasa" and "The Return". Mainly to set up Amazo's conversation with Luthor. Not because they're essential to that story, but because that conversation was so strong. But really, just watch the whole show. Especially the Cadmus episodes.

The Terror Beyond is actually a good starting episode for why we have multiple heroes working together. Also, if you squint, it almost looks like the League was always "Unlimited", if that's going to bother anyone recommending just these 6 episodes to anyone who hasn't seen Justice League. The expansion isn't critical to this story.

As for the original 7, John Stewart is the heart of the overall Justice League story, which you could extend to the GL/Hawkgirl/Flash friendship trio. My selection has that trio, and also shows the Wonder Woman/Batman dynamic in the background, with some key moments for the friendship of Superman and Martian Manhunter, as the two "last of their kind". To my own surprise, none of these episodes feature The Question, who is the heart character of JLU.

---

For Superman.... Hoooooo boy. We have to go waaaaay beyond 5, especially since his story requires Justice League and JLU. The heart of his story is "With the greatest power comes the greatest responsibility. The weight of being Superman, the hope and fear that having a Superman inspires, and the drive to never give up, no matter how much he'd want to just be Clark Kent."

His episodes aren't tied in the above most essential at all, because his character journey is far more expansive, and has to include the Cadmus, Darkseid, AND Brainiac stories, which all play into each other. As a bonus though, this also ties in Supergirl, the expanded Justice League (especially including the Question and Green Arrow), the Legion of Super Heroes, the Justice Lords, the New Gods, etc. If you limit it to his show alone, there actually are 5 stories, but for actual closure, you have to include a LOT more from both Justice League shows, and one more Superman episode out of order.

The essential Superman episodes, in viewing order, are:

From STAS:

• The Last Son of Krypton
• Ghost in the Machine
• Apokalips... Now!
• Little Girl Lost
• Legacy

From Justice League/Unlimited:

• Secret Origins
• Twilight
• Tabula Rasa
• A Better World
• Fearful Symmetry
• The Doomsday Sanction
• Clash
• Question Authority/Flashpoint/Panic in the Sky/Divided We Fall
• Alive!/Destroyer

For closure, also from STAS:

• New Kids in Town (intentionally out of order)

These episodes show the building, fall, and rebuilding of trust and hope in a true superhero, with a legacy that will last for centuries.

---

On a personal note, I'm actually a bit of a hypocrite, as there's several episodes (especially in the Superman story) in the above that I either haven't seen or don't have strong memories of, and intend to (re)watch as soon as I can:

• Growing Pains
• Sins of the Father
• Ghost in the Machine
• Apokalips... Now!
• Little Girl Lost
• Legacy
• New Kids in Town

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on Oct 17th 2020 at 10:51:09 AM

The sad, REAL American dichotomy

(wrong thread)

Edited by AyyItsMidnight on Oct 24th 2020 at 11:10:57 AM

Self-serious autistic metalhead who goes by any pronouns. (avvie template source)

Um... Not in the DCAU. A DC animated movie yes, but not canon to the DCAU.

You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid

Ah. Uh, whoops.

Self-serious autistic metalhead who goes by any pronouns. (avvie template source)

https://www.ign.com/articles/batman-beyond-the-classic-that-nobody-wanted-inside-stories

This article talks about the development of Batman Beyond .

Interesting article. I had no idea that the sculpture shots in the intro were live-action, not CGI. They did a great job.

On a side note, I had no idea that Mac Curdy had died; there were no obituary articles about her death. There are usually a few obituary articles on prominent entertainment news sites when someone in the entertainment world dies.

"You can run, but you can't hide from the Buzzinator!"

Just in time for Andrea Beaumont's Canon Immigrant debut in main DC Universe, James Strecker of the DC Watchtower Database discusses Batman: Mask of the Phantasm's canonical sequel comic: "Shadow of the Phantasm".

Edited by XMenMutant22 on Dec 6th 2020 at 4:51:46 AM

DC WatchTower Database covers the scrapped storylines and alternate plans of the short-lived canonical Batman Adventures comic book run during 2003-2004. (Bruce's busy times during the Justice League era.) According to DCAU alumni Ty Templeton and Dan Slott, some of these plans include:

• Ra's Al Ghul's hinted Brazil plot that required Bruce's life (9:12)
• Nightwing potentially leading The Outsiders, or coming across Deathstroke with Batman. (11:37)
• A fleshed-out take on Barbara making her decision to give up Dick in favor of Bruce, running parallel to Mr. Freeze's storyline with Nora. (14:09)
• How the original Red Hood and the haunting legacy of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm affects the Waynes, the Beaumonts, the Powers families. (30:11)

A lot of that stuff sounds cool, particularly Nightwing and the Outsiders as well as how the Barbara/Dick break-up would've paralleled with Victor and Nora's story. It actually makes me a bit more disappointed at how the Batman: The Adventures Continue comic turned out.

As for Red Hood, I didn't really know about Victoria being Warren Powers's wife before, but I'm not sure about the twist. Red Hood being Andrea's mom is already kind of pushing it. I think another connection is kind of convoluted.

Latest blog update (November 5th, 2022).

Kaizen Gamorra, a villain from Stormwatch and The Authority appeared briefly in Young Justice: Outsiders.

Edited by Anicomicgeek on Jan 4th 2021 at 12:08:38 PM

Troper Wall — DeviantArt

Think they'll ever make a show about a Wildstorm series?

Wake me up at your own risk.

Wasn't there Wild Cats animated series from 1990s?