Summary

• The DCAU, also known as the Timmverse, expertly translates classic DC stories to TV, introducing iconic characters like Harley Quinn.
• The interconnected DCAU shows and movies, starting with Batman: TAS, offer a rich viewing experience best enjoyed in chronological order.
• Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Three featured the DCAU years after its conclusion.

The all the DCAU movies and shows in order. While the concept of a shared universe became popular on the big screen thanks to the MCU, DC already saw its characters and storylines crossing over from one TV show to another since the late '90s. The crossovers between the Batman and Superman animated series led to the production of Justice League, and a full-fledged animated universe featuring DC's biggest heroes and villains like Darkseid was created.

Also known as the "Timmverse," the creators masterfully translated the DC universe from comics to TV, inspired by classic tales from DC's history. The DCAU also created original characters like Harley Quinn and Terry McGinnis. While watching the DCAU movies in order is not a bad choice, watching them in chronological order makes for an even better experience. The DCAU is made up of eight shows and six films, all of which share at least some degree of interconnectivity, and which also can be seen to inspire DC animated movies and shows to this day.

Batman: The Animated Series Season 1 (1992-1993)

65 Episodes

Batman: The Animated Series is one of the best iterations of The Dark Knight and a classic of its own, but it is also the birth of the DCAU. The creative team led by Bruce Timm was on a mission to create a show that followed up on the shift in how the public perceived Batman after the Tim Burton Batman movies, hence why the option for the noir aesthetic and the darker themes. Batman: TAS was not supposed to be the start of a DC animated universe. Each season of the show has an episodic structure in which every episode stands on its own. Despite that, this is where to start watching the Batman animated movies in order.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Movie

While it is hard to pinpoint when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm takes place in the TAS' chronology, the film works fine as something that happens between seasons 1 and 2 of the show. Mask of the Phantasm also flashbacks to an earlier point of Bruce's life and reveals what this Batman's year one was like. To this day, Mask of the Phantasm is one of the most praised Batman films, in pair with live-action ones such as Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.

Batman: The Animated Series Seasons 2-3 (1994-1997)

44 Episodes

After reasserting himself as Batman following his reunion with Andrea, Batman: The Animated Series seasons 2 and 3 are next when watching the Batman animated movies in order. Once again, the show has an episodic structure, and an episode can be watched without too many concerns about chronology. It is worth noting that some tend to split Batman: TAS into just two seasons, but most streaming platforms, as well as the Blu-ray boxes, have the episodes spread over three seasons, with The New Adventures of Batman serving as season 4.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)

Movie

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero was the second film to be produced for the DCAU. Arnold Schwarzenegger played Freeze in Batman & Robin in 1997, a year before this animated movie was released. However, here the animated Batman movie continues the highly praised Batman: The Animated Series Mr. Freeze story, which reinvented the character by giving him a tragic backstory and sympathetic motives. Unlike Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero was not a theatrical release.

Superman: The Animated Series Season 1(1996-1997)

13 Episodes

The success of Batman: TAS in both ratings and reviews was such that Warner Bros. tried to repeat the formula with Superman — and it worked. With Superman: TAS, both Bruce Timm and voice actor Tim Daly managed to create a character that embodied the heroes' classic elements but still felt like something new, which is something modern adaptations of Superman have struggled with.

Superman: TAS (Season 2-4)/The New Batman Adventures (1997-2000)

41 Episodes/ 24 Episodes

Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Mark Hamill as the Joker both returned for The New Batman Adventures, which is often referred to as Batman: The Animated Series season 4. This aired concurrently with the final two seasons of Superman: The Animated Series. Despite the new art style and the new name, The New Batman Adventures is essentially a continuation of Batman: TAS. In Superman: The Animated Series season 2's three-part episode "World's Finest," Batman and Superman meet for the first time.

Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman (2003)

Movie

This animated film takes place far in the future in The New Batman Adventures' timeline when watching Batman animated movies in order. It has Barbara Gordon living outside of Batman's Gotham City for college. It was also the first entry in the DCAU to suggest that Bruce Wayne and Barbara had a relationship, by far one of Bruce Timm's most controversial and criticized creative decisions. This same concept was carried over into the animated adaptation of The Killing Joke.

Justice League (2001-2004)

52 Episodes

Up next in the DCAU watch order is the show bringing it all together, as Justice League featured Batman, Superman, and The Flash, all of whom had appeared in previous shows. The cartoon was the first that Warner Bros. produced for the Cartoon Network, and it really opened up the DCAU by introducing several other iconic characters. This included Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and Hawkgirl. The show ran for 52 episodes, followed by Justice League Unlimited.

Static Shock (2000-2004)

52 Episodes

Static ShockStatic Shock brought Virgil Hawkins from Milestone Comics to TV. While the show had some of the Milestone comic creators like Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan as producers, it made changes to the source material. By season 2, heroes like Batman, Superman, and the Justice League started to appear, tying it all together.

Justice League Unlimited* (2004-2006)

38 Episodes

Justice League Unlimited picked up where Justice League left off, except on a much larger scale. In addition to the returning founding of the Justice League, Justice League Unlimited featured a plethora of DC characters, many of who had never appeared in any movie or show. Episode 26 is the only one viewers should skip when watching DCAU movies in order.