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The DC animated universe is a series of animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these animated series are adapted from DC Comics properties. The abbreviation "DCAU" is often used. This continuity is also sometimes referred to as the Timmverse (after Bruce Timm, the continuity's most consistent creative influence) and in the past, the Diniverse (after Paul Dini, who has mostly departed from Warner Bros. Animation). This term was first coined by The World's Finest.
In-continuity in the DCAU While there have been several animated series based upon DC Comics characters over the decades, what is commonly accepted as the "DC animated universe" refers to the stable of shows and films that spin off from , the original show in this universe. Older shows such as Super Friends and newer shows such as The Batman are not part of this continuity. TV series The DC animated universe primarily consists of these animated series (and their related films; see below): Films The following spin-off films, theatrical feature films and direct-to-video, also are part of the continuity: Web cartoons Gotham Girls, a Macromedia Flash web cartoon series was downloadable from the WB website, and featured DCAU versions of characters voiced by their original actors. A DC comics mini-series inspired by the series was released in 2004. Although Gotham Girls webtoons were well received they remain unavailable on DVD as of right now despite fan interest. There was a second web cartoon series starring Lobo, but featured designs and actors different from the established DCAU versions, so it is considered out of continuity and is also unavailable on DVD at present. Comic books Many of the DCAU shows have also had comic books created based on the characters of the various shows. Bruce Timm has declared most of them non-canon, although they are still based on the continuity. The comics are (not counting annuals, or specials): Video games There have also been a number of DCAU tie-in video games released to correspond with the various animated television series. Some of these games have original plots, while others follow previous stories, their status in DCAU canon is unknown as of yet. The games are: Characters adapted from the DCAU Though the DCAU is an off-shot of the mainstream DC comics universe, it has also impacted the DC universe in return. The following characters were originally created for their respective series' in the DCAU, but were eventually adapted into the mainstream DC comic continuity: In addition, the backstory of Mr. Freeze was adapted from his portrayal in Batman: The Animated Series, and the visuals and characterization of Green Lantern, Tim Drake, Supergirl, Toyman, Two-Face, Parasite, Metallo, Clayface, and many others have been applied to their comic counterparts. On a different note, issue Inconsistencies within the DCAU Most of the inconsistencies in the DCAU have been cleared up via retroactive continuity. DVD releases The following DCAU DVD sets are currently available: | ||||||||
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