From Super Friends to Young Justice, the DC Comics Universe has been depicted in animation countless times over the years. Every generation has its definitive take on the World’s Greatest Superheroes, but for those of us who came of age at the cusp of the new millennium, nothing quite compares to Bruce Timm’s DC Animated Universe. Spawning out of Batman: The Animated Series, and featuring shows like Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, and Static Shock, the DCAU spent years delivering action, heart, and mature storytelling that still resonates today. With that in mind, here are my picks for 10 Essential Episodes From The DCAU...
10. Superman: The Animated Series, "Blasts From The Past" (2x02-03)
Kryptonian criminals Mala (Leslie Easterbrook) and Jax-Ur (Ron Perlman) escape from the Phantom Zone and begin wreaking havoc across Metropolis. Fortunately, with a little help from Lois Lane (Dana Delany) and Professor Hamilton (Victor Brandt), Superman (Tim Daly) is eventually able to lure the dastardly duo into a trap and send them back to the prison dimension, proving that brains can oftentimes come in just as handy as brawn — even for the Man of Steel.
9. Justice League Unlimited, "Panic In The Sky/Divided We Fall" (2x11-12)
While the larger League battles Cadmus clone Galatea (Nicholle Tom), the founding heroes square off with Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown), who has not only succeeded in turning the public against the group, but fused himself with Brainiac (Corey Burton) and is now hell-bent on consuming the Earth! Delving into the dangers of unchecked power, this episode not only ponders Juvenal’s timeless question of “who watches the watchmen?”, but also acknowledges the hard-hitting truth that even superheroes can make mistakes.
8. Superman: The Animated Series, "A Little Piece Of Home" (1x05)
Lex Luthor’s (Clancy Brown) deep-seated hatred of Clark Kent’s costumed alter ego is further explored in this early episode, which officially introduces Kryptonite into the DCAU. Oh, and in a fun bit of Fleischer-esque flair that calls back ever so slightly to 1942’s “The Arctic Giant”, Superman (Tim Daly) battles a mechanical Tyrannosaurus at the Museum of Natural History! Seriously, what’s not to love?
7. Batman Beyond, "Black Out" (1x03)
New Caped Crusader Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) must quickly learn to “think on his feet” when he crosses paths with a mysterious metahuman known as Inque (Shannon Kenny). This Annie Award-winning episode also explores the simmering tensions between Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and Derek Powers (Sherman Howard), while bombarding fans with a barrage of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter eggs that harken back to Batman’s past — anyone else enjoy 1992’s “Beware the Gray Ghost” as much as I do? Trust me, this one is worth repeated viewings!
6. Static Shock, "Future Shock" (4x01)
Giving fans a glimpse of the man Virgil Hawkins (Phil LaMarr) will eventually become, this Static Shock stalwart pays a visit to Neo-Gotham and sees the young hero launched 40 years into the future, where he teams up with an elderly Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and new Batman Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) to stop the criminal organization known as Kobra. Loaded with action and plenty of heart, this is one cool crossover that reminds viewers what it truly means to be a hero!
5. Batman Beyond, "Meltdown" (1x05)
Not only does this episode see Derek Powers (Sherman Howard) transformed into the radioactive baddie known as Blight, it also brings the long-running Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) character arc — which began all the way back in 1992 with “Heart of Ice” — to a very satisfying conclusion. Somber and mature, with a deeply human payoff and some pretty wild sci-fi concepts thrown in for good measure, “Meltdown” is the sort of episode that proves this was one universe that truly understood its audience.
4. Superman: The Animated Series, "The Last Son Of Krypton" (1x01-03)
I’m a sucker for a good origin story, and Superman got a really great one when his series flew onto the air back in 1996. Consisting of three parts, “The Last Son Of Krypton” sees Jor-El (Christopher McDonald) sending his infant son to Earth, where he is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent (voiced by Mike Farrell and Shelly Fabares). Eventually discovering his powers, Clark Kent (Tim Daly) moves to Metropolis and becomes Earth’s mightiest hero — just in time for future supervillain John Corben (Malcolm McDowell) to show up and start causing trouble! A really solid retelling of Superman’s beginnings in animated form, “The Last Son Of Krypton” is required viewing for any and all fans of the Big Blue Boy Scout.
3. Batman Beyond, "Rebirth I & II" (1x01-02)
Serving as the origin story for an all-new hero (back when the show debuted in 1999), “Rebirth” is a two-part tale that sees an aging Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) coming to grips with the fact that he’s getting too old to continue his crusade against the ne’er-do-wells of Neo-Gotham. Twenty years later, the torch is passed to Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle), and a new era of the Dark Knight is born! Like I said, I’m a sucker for a solid origin story, and “Rebirth” delivers one of the best — not to mention one of the most amusing buddy/buddy dynamics ever depicted in animation!
2. Justice League Unlimited, "Question Authority/Flashpoint" (2x09-10)
Easily the smartest episodes of Justice League Unlimited, if not the most sobering, this terrific two-parter puts the spotlight on The Question (Jeffrey Combs, in one of his best performances ever), who’s so frightened by the prospect of an evil Superman that he does everything in his power — including trying to kill Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) — to stop that from ever happening! Then everything comes to a head when Lex hacks the Watchtower’s big gun and launches an attack on a government facility, all in an effort to show the world just how dangerous a group of unchecked superheroes really could be. It’s a truly wild and topical hour of television that dares to admit maybe superheroes should be more feared than revered!
1. Justice League Unlimited, "Epilogue" (2x13)
Paying homage to the Dark Knight while also revealing some rather interesting truths about who Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) really is, “Epilogue” takes place in the future of Batman Beyond and sees Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) having a rather interesting chat with Bruce Wayne’s (Kevin Conroy) latest protégé. Reflective and surprisingly intimate, this emotionally charged finale brilliantly ties together a decades-worth of storytelling while reminding viewers that heroism isn’t defined by powers or gadgets, but by the choices people make when the odds are stacked against them.
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