The DC Animated Universe: Movie Edition

It’s not new: DC has animated movies. However, they aren’t as mainstream as the live-action movies. We all know DC’s reputation for not having the greatest live-action movies; however, if you want the good stuff, this DC person recommends the animated universe!

Unlike most superhero movies (DC and Marvel), the animated movies are very faithful to the comics, very rarely straying away from the original source material. People who are superhero fans know that the best thing about DC is the comics, therefore making the animated movies VERY good by default. Here are a few of my favorites that I recommend.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

If you want a story that will have you confused about who to root for, this is it! Under the Red Hood was based on the comic run of the same name. You follow Batman trying to a vigilante named Red Hood and trying to figure out who he is, while the Red Hood takes over the Gotham crime underworld, using extreme methods to get to the top and to reach one man: The Joker.

Justice League: War

Want a better Justice League movie? This one has a fun story line, along with more depth and dynamic characters. Bonus: Green Lantern doesn’t suck! (sorry Ryan Reynolds). This act throws the heroes together facing the ultimate enemy: Darksied. Imagine the live-action Justice League, plus the Snider cut, all pushed together in one animated movie, without the unnecessary extras.

Justice League: Dark

This storyline introduces a character that everybody can get behind: everyone’s favorite bisexual wizard, John Constantine. John Constantine, Batman, Zatanna, Black Orchid and Deadman are all on a magical mission to find out why law-abiding citizens are committing terrible crimes. The Justice League believes them to be guilty, but Batman is skeptical that regular people seeing demons more and more are not connected. This movie is great for many reasons, my favorite being Batman trying to be logical in a magical situation. If you want mystery, magic and a crazy sorcerer with nothing to lose, this movie is for you.

Justice League: Doom

Someone has figured out how to tear apart the Justice League, but how? This adventure throws the Justice League for a loop by having their enemy be the last thing you expect: Batman?

This movie has you glued to the chair, wanting to know how this happened and having you question the morality of the Dark Knight.

Injustice

Hands down my favorite DC Animated film ever! If you have ever heard of the game Injustice: Gods Among Us, this is the same premise. The Joker takes a field trip to Metropolis, and unfortunately, kills the love of Superman’s life, Lois Lane. Superman had just found out that Lois was pregnant, and he loses his mind. He kills the Joker and takes the law into his own hands, killing everyone who gets in his way. Can Batman and the last remaining few in the Justice League take down a rogue Superman?

All the above movies are available on HBO Max, or you can buy or rent them online. If these don’t get you into DC animated movies, then nothing will!