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Tag: DC Animated Universe

  • Best Animated Superhero Movies on HBO Max (January 2026)

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    Warner Bros. was once famed for their animation department. While originally devoted to theatrical shorts, the animators began devoting more time to television and film productions. These included superhero movies set in the DC Universe. Today, many of these films are available for streaming on HBO Max.

    What are the best animated superhero movies on HBO Max?

    Unfortunately, the full library of animated superhero movies made by Warner Bros. Animation is not freely available on HBO Max. In recent years, the streaming service has become infamous for cutting costs by not hosting the full Warner Archive. Despite this, there are still some great animated DC Comics movies available.

    Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

    There is considerable debate among superhero fans as to which of the many Batman movies is the best. Whenever these discussions happen, there is one dark horse candidate that some argue against purely because it is animated. That movie is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

    Ten years after beginning his war on crime, Batman encounters a new vigilante who doesn’t share his code against killing. This Phantasm begins targeting the gangsters of Gotham City, leading the Dark Knight to seek a common link. The trail leads to businessman Carl Beaumont, who is recently returned to Gotham City after a decade abroad. It also leads Bruce Wayne to reconnect with Beaumont’s daughter, Andrea, who almost got him to give up the superhero life before breaking their engagement without explanation.

    Produced by the same creative team behind Batman: The Animated Series, Mask of the Phantasm plays out like an extended episode of the show. The same moody orchestral music is on-hand, along with the series’ trademark Art Deco backgrounds painted on black paper. It is the script and the voice acting, however, that truly make the movie a classic.

    Kevin Conroy delivered many classic performances as the Dark Knight, but Mask of the Phantasm was his first truly great one. The scene in which Bruce Wayne pleads at his parents’ grave during a thunderstorm was truly groundbreaking for the time. Both in terms of portrayals of Batman and superhero animation aimed at adults.

    Dana Delaney also earned accolades for her performance as Andrea Beaumont. Many believe her work here led to her being cast as Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series. And unsurprisingly, Mark Hamill delivers a perfect performance as The Joker.

    Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)

    For ages untold, the Green Lantern Corps has protected the universe. Now, the sun of their home base on the planet Oa is under attack by forces from the Anti-Matter universe. As the Corps prepare for the greatest battle in their history, a new recruit named Arisia questions her worthiness to be a Green Lantern. However, her spirits are boosted by veteran Lanterns Hal Jordan and Sinestro, who tell her tales of the challenges faced by other members of the Corps.

    There have been quite a few animated movies based upon the Green Lantern comics. However, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is easily the best. Part of this is due to the anthology format, which allows it to tell several stories within the frame of the larger conflict.

    The best of these is adapted from a comic by Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It concerns an evil warrior known as Bolphunga the Unrelenting, who hunts the mightiest warriors in the universe. He seeks out a legendary Green Lantern called Mogo, and ultimately learns just why Mogo is respected and feared in equal measure.

    Green Lantern: Emerald Knights also boasts one of the most impressive voice casts of any animated superhero movie. Elisabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale plays Arisia, while Jason Isaacs lends his voice to Sinestro. Henry Rollins plays the Green Lantern drill sergeant Killowog, while Bolphunga the Unrelenting is voiced by wrestling legend and They Live star Roddy Piper. It is Nathan Fillion’s performance as Hal Jordan, however, which anchors the film. It also led to Fillion recreating the role of Hal Jordan for the DC Animated Movie Universe, from 2013 to 2020.

    Justice League: Doom (2012)

    The immortal Vandal Savage has schemed to take over the world for millennia. His latest plan involves two elements. First, a Legion of Doom made up of the greatest enemies of the Justice League. Secondly, an attack from within using plans designed by Batman to stop his superhero allies should they ever get out of control.

    The villains divide and conquer, putting their archenemies in dire straits. The only thing that might save them is the efforts of Cyborg, the new recruit who was overlooked in Savage’s plans. But even if the superheroes save the day, will the Justice League recover from the revelation that it was Batman’s plans that almost killed them?

    Justice League: Doom is not set in the DC Animated Universe. This is made clear by the presence of Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the absence of Hawkgirl. It also features a dramatically different animation style.

    However, the film was scripted by Justice League Unlimited producer Dwayne McDuffie and adapted from the classic Justice League storyline ‘Tower of Babel.’ The movie also featured many voice actors from the DC Animated Universe, including Kevin Conroy as Batman and Tim Daly as Superman. This gives Justice League: Doom a familiar feeling, despite the darker tone and art direction. It also features some intense action scenes, such as The Flash reenacting the movie Speed on-foot, after being tagged with a velocity-sensitive bomb.

    The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

    The Lego Movie was a surprise smash when it was released in 2014. However, the film’s version of Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, was far and way the film’s breakout character. Three years later, he reprised the role in The Lego Batman Movie.

    The film finds Batman in a panic, as new Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon plans to restructure the GCPD so they don’t need Batman. This leads him to go over the edge to prove his worth and accidentally enable Joker’s jail-break from the Phantom Zone. However, with the help of his new adopted son, Robin, a new Batgirl, and his butler Alfred, Batman may learn the value of family and that he doesn’t need to do everything on his own.

    The Lego Batman Movie contains more of the same jokes about Lego figures from The Lego Movie. However, it also features a number of Easter eggs involving the DCU and DC Comics. Throw in a great ensemble including Michael Cera as Robin and Zach Galifianakis as Joker, and you have a movie that is as touching as it is funny.

    Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

    Knowing the threat Darkseid poses to Earth, the Justice League and Teen Titans join forces to stop him once and for all. They fail. Most of the superheroes are killed in the battle or enslaved by the armies of Apokolips.

    Two years later, a depowered Superman tries to rebuild what was lost and save the Earth. With the aid of Lois Lane, Raven, Robin, and John Constantine, he will build a new superhero team. They will even draw upon the Suicide Squad in Earth’s darkest hour. However, it may be too late to save their universe, much less the Earth.

    Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was a coda for the first chapter of the DC Animated Movie Universe. It was also proof that WB Animation could produce adult superhero anime and do it well. Again, the movie featured a stunning script and a talented voice ensemble. The stand-out, however was Matt Ryan, recreating the role of John Constantine after playing him in live-action in the Arrowverse.

    How we picked the best animated superhero movies on HBO Max in 2026

    Beyond the question of whether it was available on HBO Max or not, three criteria informed this list. First, is the movie well-regarded and historically important? Second, is it adapted from a notable comic book story? Finally, does it feature great voice acting?

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    Matt Morrison

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  • When To Expect the Premiere of ‘Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three’

    When To Expect the Premiere of ‘Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three’

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    Viewers who have been enjoying the animated adaptation of DC Comics’ storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths are anxious to know when Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three will arrive.

    Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One was released on January 9, marking the eighth installment in DC’s Tomorrowverse. Over the years, DC has built up quite a collection of animated films, which comprise multiple universes and continuities. The Tomorrorverse is one of the newest continuities, as it is the successor to the old DC Animated Universe (DCAMU). The new universe was established in 2020 with Superman: Man of the Tomorrow. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths was quite an exciting addition to the shared universe as it marked a major crossover event, with Monitor (Jonathan Adams) recruiting heroes across the multiverse to combat a major threat.

    The sequel, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two, premiered on April 23, 2024. It follows the heroes as they begin to question Monitor’s past and are confronted by an extremely powerful army of shadow demons. Now, viewers are awaiting the final part of the major crossover film.

    When does Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three come out?

    (Warner Bros.)

    Unfortunately, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three does not yet have an official release date. However, it is confirmed it will be released sometime in 2024. There was a gap of about three months between the first two films. If the latest film follows the pattern of the previous two, it could arrive as early as August 2024.

    In addition to concluding the multiversal adventure, there are a few other reasons the movie is so important to fans. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three includes the final performance of Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman. Conroy first voiced Batman in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and would reprise the role dozens of times throughout his career, bringing the Caped Crusader to life across multiple DC universes. He recorded his part for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three before his passing in 2022, and the movie’s release is likely to serve as a touching tribute to the legendary voice actor.

    Additionally, the film will also include Mark Hamill’s final performance as The Joker. Hamill has been voicing the Joker since 1992 and has come to be considered as one of the character’s best actors. However, he recently announced he was retiring from the role. As such, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three will close out the careers of two iconic figures in DC’s animated world, as well as wrap up the latest animated crossover event. Fortunately, viewers can rest assured that the movie should be arriving in just a few months.

    (featured image: Warner Bros.)

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    Rachel Ulatowski

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  • Batman Beyond Shouldn’t Have to Beg for a Movie

    Batman Beyond Shouldn’t Have to Beg for a Movie

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    Earlier in the week, My Dad the Bounty Hunter creator Patrick Harpin and Yuhki Demers, a visual artist on Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse films, revealed their concept art for an animated Batman Beyond movie they’re trying to get made. They’re both fully aware nothing might come of this, and talks are still happening. But it didn’t stop said art from going viral, both because it looks really cool, and also because it’s Batman Beyond, a fan-favorite character who’s always felt like he’s within spitting distance of a big bat-break.

    If you work in a creative field, you likely have to pitch something to your boss before actually starting on it. That’s particularly true in animation, and that’s doubtful to change anytime soon. But there’s something ugly, for lack of a better word, in seeing Harpin and Demers have to publicly rally for support to prove their project’s “worthy” in this way to WB. It wasn’t that long ago that we learned the studio’s executives, led by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, are likely going to cancel Coyote vs. Acme without really considering any of the deals offered to them, or having actually seen the film. The people in charge of WB seem very anti-art in a way that makes this all come off as rather cruel, especially when folks have been so vocal about their love for Batman Beyond over the years.

    Legacy superheroes have become so widespread nowadays, but Terry McGinnis was an early example of that working to great success. Separate from their love of Batman: The Animated Series, fans have had an affection for 1999-2001 animated series Batman Beyond and Terry’s exploits as the Batman of Neo-Gotham. It wasn’t just that the show was offering a new take on the Dark Knight, it was also really good and not just coasting off the novelty of a teenager in a high-tech Batsuit. And while he briefly showed up in Justice League Unlimited, DC didn’t make any active moves to continue Terry’s story, and largely closed the book on him after JLU revealed he was Bruce’s son.

    Comics-wise, Terry’s actually been doing fairly well for himself in the past decade, where he was weaved into the prime DC universe. In his recent solo runs, he’s crossed paths with more recent Batman mainstays like Damian Wayne and the Court of Owls, and he’s now at the point where he’s on his own now that Bruce is dead. Yet even with that, WB has never tried to give him a bigger presence outside of the comics: a live-acton Batman Beyond movie was junked several years ago, much like an animated one rumored in 2019. He hasn’t been revived via the animated movies that WB likes to put out three or four of every year, and he doesn’t even have a video game presence beyond being costumes for Bruce in the Lego or Arkham games.

    Outside of comics, WB has always handled Batman’s supporting cast oddly. Sometimes it puts embargoes on specific characters so there can’t be multiple versions; sometimes other characters can headline shows for about half a decade or be a supporting player in the story of another, bigger Batman character. The studio constantly overcomplicates itself for no real reason, and the same is true here—it loves Batman to death, and DC’s often been at its best when animated. Harpin and Demers’ hypothetical movie checks both those boxes, and gives audiences something they’ve never seen in theaters before: Batman being a detective in the cyberpunk future is a cool idea! And again, folks have been clamoring for more Terry for years.

    Image for article titled Batman Beyond Shouldn't Have to Beg for a Movie

    Image: Warner Bros. Animation

    In a sane universe, a Batman Beyond movie in a Spider-Verse art style would probably be out by now. But this WB is trying to burn money and stall for time ahead of a likely buyout, so we’re watching an interesting idea by a pair of creators more than eager to work on it be held hostage. Batman Beyond isn’t owed this just because Harpin and Demers asked, or even because he’s been around for 25 years. What he’s owed is a legitimate chance to have something with him move forward with people who care about the property at the helm. But the focus on the bottom line means WB will be making moves that are more dystopian than the actual dystopia of Gotham City 2049.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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