| Concept Name: | DC Animated Universe |
| 1st Appearance: | # |
| Appears in: | 32 issues |
The animated adaptation of the DC Comics universe, created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Edit
The Universe
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The universe is considered to be made up of eight cartoon series, thirteen comics book series, four (possibly five) movies, and two web series.
Definitive Series Canon
Despite fan spectulation and some evidence supporting it, the Teen Titans series is not in DCAU continuity according to everyone at the Titan's studio and Bruce Timm and Co., and unlike other non-canon material, that was forced into continuity by fans, a majority of fans do not want the series in the DCAU.
Comic Books
There are thirteen comics book series that Timm confirmed as non-canon but are considered to be in canon by fans:
Movies
There are four movies based on their respective series:
As of right now it is unknown if Superman Brainiac Attacks is part of the DCAU continuity. It was not originally intended to, but it has almost all the same voices and character designs and it would fit perfectly between the last season of S:TAS and the first season of JL.
Web Shows
Though they featured different voices and designs Gotham Girls and Lobo, two macromedia flash series, are considered canon by fans and non-canon by Bruce Timm, despite massive fan demand they still have not been released in a DVD form.
Characters in the DCAU
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Many characters have appeared in the DCAU cartoons series and even more in the comics, here is a list of every hero and villain to appear and their voices if they spoke (Alphabetical by codename or last name).
Original Seven
| Hero | Voice |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Batman | Kevin Conroy |
| Flash | Michael Rosenbaum |
| Green Lantern (John Stewart) | Phil LaMar |
| Hawkgirl | Maria Canals |
| Martian Manhunter | Carl Lumbly |
| Superman | Tim Daly/George Newbern |
| Wonder Woman | Susan Eisenberg |
Heroes
| Hero | Voice |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Aquaman | Scott Rummell |
| Atom | John C. McGinley |
| Atom Smasher | Appearance Only |
| Aztek | Uncredited |
| Bat Lash | Ben Browder |
| Batgirl | Melissa Gilbert/Mary Kay Bergman |
| | Tara Strong/Stockard Channing/Angie Harmon |
| Batman (Terry McGinnis) | Will Friedle |
| Big Barda | Farrah Forke |
| Black Canary | Morena Baccarin |
| Jason Blood | Billy Zane/Michael T. Weiss |
| Blue Beetle | Comic Only |
| Blue Devil | Appearance Only |
| Booster Gold | Tom Everett Scott |
| B'Wanna Beast | Peter Onorati |
| Captain Atom | Chris Cox/George Eads |
| Captain Marvel | Jerry O'Connell |
| Creeper | Jeff Bennett |
| Deadman | Raphael Sbarge |
| Dove | Jason Hervey |
| Doctor Fate | Oded Fehr |
| Doctor Light | Lauren Tom |
| El Diablo | Nester Carbonell |
| Elongated Man | Jeremy Piven |
| Etrigan the Demon | Billy Zane/Michael T. Weiss |
| Fire | Maria Canals |
| Gear | Jason Marsden |
| Gray Ghost | Adam West |
| Green Arrow | Kin Shriner |
| Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) | Adam Baldwin |
| Green Lantern (Kilowog) | Dennis Haysbert |
| Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) | Will Friedle |
| Green Lantern (Kai-Ro) | Lauren Tom |
| Green Lantern (Katma Tui) | Kim Mai Guest |
| Hawk | Fred Savage |
| Hawkman | James Remar |
| Jonah Hex | Adam Baldwin |
| Highfather | Mitchell Ryan |
| Huntress | Amy Acker |
| Lightray | Rob Paulsen |
| Apache Chief | Greg Rainwater |
| Metamorpho | Tom Sizemore |
| Metron | Daniel Dae Kim |
| Micron | Wayne Brady |
| Mr. Miracle | Ioan Gruffudd |
| Mr. Terrific | Michael Beach |
| Nightwing/Robin | Loren Lester |
| Orion | Ron Perlman |
| Question | Jeffrey Combs |
| The Ray | Appearance Only |
| Red Tornado | Powers Boothe |
| Robin (Tim Drake) | Matthew Valencia/Eli Marienthal/Mariy Scheer |
| | Andrea Romano/Dean Stockwell |
| Sandman | Appearance Only |
| Shining Knight | Chris Cox |
| Static | Phil LaMar |
| Steel | Phil LaMar |
| Adam Strange | Comic Only |
| Spectre | Comic Only |
| Supergirl | Nicholle Tom |
| Vigilante | Nathan Fillion |
| Vixen | Gina Torres |
| Warhawk | Peter Onorati |
| Waverider | Appearance Only |
| Wildcat | Dennis Farina |
| Zatanna | Jennifer Hale |
| Zeta | Gary Cole/Diedrich Bader |
Villains
| Villain | Voice |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Ra's al Ghul | David Warner |
| Talia al Ghul | Helen Slater |
| Amazo | Robert Picardo |
| Ares | Michael York |
| Atomic Skull | Lex Lang |
| Bane | Henry Silva |
| Baby Doll | Laraine Newman |
| Braniac | Corey Burton |
| Captain Boomerang | Donal Gibson |
| Captain Cold | Lex Lang |
| Catman | Only appeared in Comic. |
| Catwoman | Andrienne Barbeau |
| Cheetah | Sheryl Lee Ralph |
| Chronos | Peter MacNicol |
| Circe | Rachel York |
| Clayface | Ron Perlman |
| Darkseid | Michael Ironside |
| Despero | Keith David |
| Black Manta | Michael Beachn |
| Dr. Polaris | Michael Rosenbaum |
| Doomsday | Michael J. White |
| Zan | Grey DeLisle |
| Felix Faust | Robert Englund |
| Firefly | Mark Rolston |
| Power Girl | Nicholle Tom |
| Gentleman Ghost | Robert Atkins Downe |
| Gorilla Grodd | Powers Boothe |
| Harley Quinn | Arleen Sorkin |
| Joker | Mark Hamill |
| Black Vulcan | Uncredited |
| Kalibak | Michael Dorn |
| Killer Croc | Aron Kincaid/Brooks Gardner |
| Klarion | Stephen Wolfe Smith |
| Morgaine Le Fey | Olivie d'Abo |
| Livewire | Lori Petty |
| Apache Chief | Greg Rainwater |
| Hades | John Rhys-Davies |
| Lex Luthor | Clancy Brown |
| Mad Hatter | Roddy McDowall
| Metallo | Malcolm McDowell |
| Mirror Master | Alex Denisof |
| Mr. Freeze | Michael Ansara |
| Mongul | Eric Roberts |
| Ocean Master | Richard Green |
| Parasite | Brian George |
| Penguin | Paul Williams |
| Poison Ivy | Diane Pershing |
| Riddler | John Glover |
| Roxy Rocket | Charity James |
| Vandal Savage | Phil Morris |
| Scarecrow | Henry Polic II |
| Shade | Stephen McHattie |
| Zan | Grey DeLisle |
| Solomon Grundy | Mark Hamill |
| Star Sapphire | Olivia d'Obe |
| Tala | Juliet Landau |
| Rubert Thorne | John Vernon |
| Toyman | Bud Cort/Corey Burton |
| Trickster | Mark Hamill |
| Two-Face | Richard Moll |
| Ultra-Humanite | Ian Buchanan |
| Ventriloquist | George Dzundza |
| Weather Wizard | Corey Burton |
| Samurai | Jamie Sie |
Background Characters
| Name | Voice |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Captain Marvel | Shane Houboucha |
| Harvey Bullock | Robert Contanzo |
| Snapper Carr | Jason Marsden |
| Lucius Fox | Brock Peters/Mel Winkler |
| Wade Eiling | J.K. Simmons |
| James Gordon | Robert Hastings |
| Lois Lane | Dana Delany |
| Maxwell Lord | Tim Matheson |
| Renee Montoya | Ingrid Oliu/Liane Schirmer |
| Jimmy Olsen | David Kaufman |
| Alfred | Clive Revill/Elfrem Zimbalist Jr. |
| Emil Hamilton | Robert Foxworth |
| Hippolyta | Susan Sullivan |
| Creeper | Jeff Bennett |
| Amanda Waller | CCH Pounder |
Introductions
Besides taking characters from the comic book the DCAU also created numerous new characters. Their most notable creation was the Joker sidekick Harley Quinn here are a few more notable entries some of which made it into the mainstream DCU:
Production
Bruce Timm was given the job of turning the popular comic book adventure into an animated series. Timm took the series in a more contemporary direction to that of the previous incarnations like the Super Friends. Leaving the sidekicks and pets behind Timm had two main aims when he was making the series, to pay homage to the original line up of the Justice League ( Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Flash (Wally West) and Martian Manhunter .) and to promote cultural and racial diversity. The line up of the team was changed slightly but still both goals were achieved. The line up of the series stood as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash (Wally West), Hawk girl (who replaced Aquaman in favour of a second female member) and the African American John Stewart as Green Lantern who replaced Kyle Rayner to promote racial diversity. Kyle Rayner (who appeared in Superman series) was not chosen for that reason and in season two Kyle was described as a trainee Green Lantern under the tutelage of John Stewards old mentor, although both Kyle would later make appearances in Justice League Unlimited.
The show was greeted with great success somewhat due to many loyal fans who were already familiar with the incarnation of the characters but the show also introduced the characters to an entire generation. Due to the fact that most episodes were one of two parts Cartoon Network chose to run two episodes back to back. It was later learned in the DVD release of season two that the episode “Starcrossed” was expected to be the final episode of the entire series but in February 2004 Cartoon Network released the next season with a new name, Justice League Unlimited. The show premiered on July 31st 2004.
The new series featured an expanded League who had opened their doors to nearly all of the Superhero community . Due to the great number of characters now in the show episodes tended to star three or four at a time so as to keep up with character development and so as not to drown out the quality of the show with quantity. In several episodes the entire roster of League members star often the entire brut force of all the members are needed to fight off universal threats.
Character changes
Timm sought out to keep the continuality of the Dc Animated Universe alive and so sought out Kevin Conroy to voice Batman, who he played in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and in Batman Beyond (1999). Conroy set out to make his voice different then the two previous incarnations of Batman as Justice League/Justice League Unlimited is set after Batman: The Animated Series and before Batman Beyond. To do this Conroy made his sot harsher and more weathered than Batman: The Animated Series but softer then Batman Beyond. To also add to the development of the character Batman’s costume was changed. The spikes or ears found at the top of his mask were made more prominent then in Batman: The Animated Series , his boots were also given slight heels and red highlights replaced the blue ones found in Batman : The Animated Series.
Tim Daly was originally sought out to voice Superman as he had in the previous Superman series but was unable to. Instead George Newborn was brought in to voice the man of steel. During the first season he was deeply criticized as fans felt he lacked the authority that Daly brought to the role. Timm has stated that this was more a fault in the writing of the series then in Newborns abilities and has openly defended him every since. Many fans have been swayed by this feeling that Newborns performance has improved throughout the series and that both Daly’s and Newborn’s incarnations of the character both have merit and fault. Superman’s over all look was redesigned so as to show him looking slightly older then in his previous animated series. To do this he was given a slight squint in his eyes and a slightly greying streak to his hair. He was also made to look broader in the series to suggest greater physical strength. Fans did not react well to the changes made and so at the beginning of season two the creators toned down the streak in his hair (to the point of almost disappearing) and took the squint away all together. As an inside joke to this failure the facial templates for the original Superman were used for Jor-el in the episode “For the Man who has Everything”.
Most other characters were left close enough to their comic book counterparts although some notable changes were made. Wonder Women’s (voiced by Susan Eisenberg) back story completely changed from that of her competing against her Amazonian sisters to her being an ambassador to the outside world. This is seen in the episode “Secret Origins” She has also been referred to as a rookie hero and several episodes touch on how hard she is finding it to adjust to the new life she now leads. Also the Flash (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum) was given attributes that made him appear slightly younger and less mature then in his comic book incarnation. It has also been noted that he was given several traits to that of Plasticman who usually provides the comic relief for the team in the comic book series. In this incarnation of the team Flash was found to be the funny one. Much like the changes put under Wonder Women, John Stewart’s (voiced by Phil LeMar) back story was also significantly changed. The original comic story was that of a civilian architect but was changed to him being a hardened ex-marine for the series.
One character that was entirely changed was Aquaman. He was dropped completely from the team in place of Hawkgirl. Maria Canals was cast to voice the part of Hawkgirl because of her Hispanic accent. The creators thought that as Hawkgirl was not from Earth it would make her stand out as a more foreign character within the team. Her back story was set so that she had been transported to earth by criminals using a Zeta beam. Hawkgirl and Green Lantern John Stewart began a romantic relationship. Later in the series it was revealed that she was actually a scout for the Thanagarian invasion force. Obviously the League felt betrayed by this, especially when the entire Thanagarian force arrived ready to over throw earth. To make matters worse Hawkgirl went to their aid. Eventually the Thanagarians left but Hawkgirl remained on earth. She fled from the League in shame and chose to stay with DR. Fate and his wife in their stronghold to find piece of mind and a new direction in life. She was eventually brought back to kill her possessed friend Solomon Grundy. After this she chose to rejoin the league and was warmly excepted back into it. She decide to leave her Thangarain military dress for more conventional attire. Although her and John's relationship would never be the same again.
Another romantic relationship was that of Batman and Wonder Woman. The creators of the show did not seem to like the fans insistence of Wonder Woman being paired with Superman. Although no relationship actually blossomed it was the intent of Wonder Woman but Batman on several occasions turned her down saying that if his villains knew about them they could use her to get to him. Although Batman kissed, danced and sang to save Wonder Woman, no one knows what he really wanted!!!
Martian Manhunter also went under change. In his comic books he is found to have a power called Martian Vision usually shown as a beam of light, an extension off his telekinesis, but which also works very like Superman’s heat vision. This power was dropped in his animated form in favour of his shape shifting and phasing abilities.
Heart of Ice
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Up until Batman the Animated Series, Mr. Freeze did not have much of a characterization or backstory in the comics. Thanks to a unique design by Mike Mignola and a tragic backstory thought up by Bruce Timm, Freeze went from a crummy hoodlum, to a tragic villains who only wanted to save his wife. Fan reception to this version of the character forced the story into mainstream. The episode he appeared in was "Heart of Ice" which introduced the entire background story and even ended up winning an Emmy for "Best Animation". Mr. Freeze would go on to be in every season of B:TAS, make an appearance in the first season of Batman Beyond, and even have his own movie dedicated to him.
Initiation
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When the Justice League decided to expand their numbers they became incredibly powerful, it was Bruce Timm's choice to then add Green Arrow after popular fan demand. The fans saw Green Arrow as an almost eighth member to the original seven member team. A second reason to add Ollie was to form a bridge between the new JLU and the people on Earth. He was the first hero to appear in JLU. He appeared in "Initiation", the first episode of the first season. Originally he did not want to join because he felt that they had given up on the "little man" and he was the only thing protecting him, but after some convincing from Batman he joined and helped keep them together when Superman almost disbanded the group.
Question Authority
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During the Justice League Unlimited run Bruce Timm decided to add one of his favorite characters, little did he know adding him would be a huge development. The Question first fully appeared in "Fearful Symmetry" where he was given a complete persona redesign. This Question was one of the league's top detectives (second to Batman and maybe Elongated Man) but he was incredibly paranoid and claimed to see patterns in useless bits of information. His design was the O'Neil version from the 80s comics and over the course of the series he developed a relationship with Huntress, much like his comic book counterpart. Timm's reaction to his Question made him want to do a series completely based on him and that is somewhat what he did for the second season (or first season according to the DVDs) finale in which the Question discovers a link between Luthor, the Justice Lords, Cadmus, and Flash that could potentially destroy the planet. Fan reaction to Timm's version of the character was phenomenal and he, much like Green Arrow, became a major reoccurring character,
Differences
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There are many notable differences between the regular DCU and the DCAU, here are a few:
DVD Collections
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The various DVDs collecting episodes of the different series. There are also DVDs collecting individual episodes of some series that are not listed.
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Resources
A two great websites used to help gather pictures and voice information are:
