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DC Animated Universe

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DC Animated Universe

The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and ended with Justice League vs. the Fatal Five in 2019. The associated media franchise includes theatrical and direct-to-video feature films, shorts, comic books, video games, and other multimedia adaptations.

The DC Animated Universe has been praised for its storytelling, voice acting, animation, and maturity, with several of its shows listed among the greatest animated television series of all time. It has also influenced the mainstream DC Comics in various ways, such as introducing new characters, revamped backstories, and character designs.

While there are many animated projects based upon DC Comics characters, the DC Animated Universe consists of TV series and films that spin off from Batman: The Animated Series. While the series is largely standalone, two characters outside of the normal Batman canon, Zatanna and Jonah Hex, would guest star. However, the first series to indicate a shared continuity with other well-known characters was Superman: The Animated Series, in which the title character encounters heroes such as Batman, the Wally West version of Flash, the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Aquaman, and Doctor Fate. The follow-up sequel to Batman: The Animated Series, titled The New Batman Adventures would feature an art style revamp similar to Superman: The Animated Series, and these two shows would feature crossovers. Both of those shows would be followed by Batman Beyond, which featured an elderly, retired Bruce Wayne passing on the mantle to Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future.

After Batman Beyond's third season, the Justice League show followed, which starred Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and Hawkgirl. After two seasons, the series was rebranded as Justice League Unlimited, a successor series which expanded the League roster and was the final series set in the DC Animated Universe. In between these shows was also Static Shock, which told the story of Virgil Hawkins and showcased a different aspect of the DC Animated Universe. It was the first time an African American superhero was the titular character of his own animated show. It explored many diverse stories and characters throughout its run. Another show that aired was The Zeta Project, which was a spin-off series based on the character Zeta from the Batman Beyond episode of the same name, an android who is on the run from NSA agents. The Zeta Project is largely unconnected to the larger DC Animated Universe, with Zeta appearing in one episode of Batman Beyond following his introduction and Batman appearing in one episode of The Zeta Project.

The DC Animated Universe consists of the following animated television series:

The DCAU continuity also includes the following feature films:

The DCAU also includes tie-in materials such as comic books, video games, and direct-to video films with a similar animation style; however, their continuity is disputable. While they are sometimes marketed as being part of the DCAU, some of these works have contradictory elements or are written by a different team.

For instance, many of the DCAU tie-in comics were written by a different team than the animated crew, such as the Ty Templeton penned The Batman Adventures comic series. However, some of the comics, such as the Batman: The Adventures Continue comics were written by the animated series writers, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett. Per the opinion of Bruce Timm, who has commented about the continuity of the DCAU comics previously, said "we didn't have any direct input on the comics...DC never solicited our opinions on what they were doing, nor would we have had time to give them notes if they had--I learned very early on not to get my nose bent out of joint if they did something in the comics we would never have done--my own personal way of dealing with it was to consider only the animated episodes themselves as true canon-which means that even Mad Love wasn't purely canonical until we adapted it for the animated series."

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