10 Biggest Things The DCAU Changed From The Comics

One of the most influential pieces of media adapted from DC would be the DC Animated Universe. Starting with Batman: The Animated Series and ending with Justice League Unlimited, the DCAU has become as quintessential as some comics. The animated shows all helped inspire comics, movies, and TV shows that followed.

The writers including the duo Bruce Timm and Paul Dini distinguished their world; using their unique art styles, voice actors, and stories. To help, they also made drastic changes that helped reshape the future of characters and story arcs of the future. Which changes were the biggest and are still felt today?

10 Batman’s Voice Is His Real Voice

In the comics and movies, Batman would change his voice when he got into the cowl. Meanwhile, as Bruce Wayne, he would use his real voice and that would seem to be the case in the DCAU. However, if one listens closely, the legendary Kevin Conroy adds a unique trait to his Batman.

Bruce Wayne in his case is the fake voice. Whenever he’s out in public, he puts on the suave playboy voice; but at home, even out of the Batsuit, he speaks in the Batman voice. This helps in showcasing that Batman is the true personality while Bruce Wayne is the mask.

9 New Founding Members

The DCAU showrunners decided to diversify the founding members of the Justice League. This led to the perfect inclusion of John Stewart’s Green Lantern. Played by Phil Lamarr, this version of John Stewart would become so popular that the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, would fade into obscurity for a while.

Also added to the League was Hawkgirl whose popularity also led to Hawkman being forgotten by many. The two new members would have a cute romance and become loved by fans as iconic members of the Justice League. Martian Manhunter would get his biggest boost in popularity due to the DCAU hence why many look forward to his cinematic introduction in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

8 Perfected Mr. Freeze

Prior to the DCAU, Mr. Freeze was hardly even a villain to be remembered. He was a one-dimensional gimmick villain with a freezing gun. It wasn’t until he was revamped in Batman: The Animated Series that Mr. Freeze became iconic.

In the episode Heart Of Ice, fans were introduced to the new origin story; he was a good scientist trying to cure his wife’s disease when an accident transformed him into the deadly but tragic Mr. Freeze. This led to this version of Mr. Freeze being introduced into the comics, games, shows, and even 1997’s Batman & Robin.

7 Superman Was Heavily Nerfed

In the comics, Superman has enough strength to push a planet and then some. However, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini made the interesting choice to reduce Superman’s power in the DCAU. He was certainly still Superman but fans noticed that more things caused him trouble.

For example, he would have trouble listing certain vehicles that would be no problem for the comic book counterpart. Some villains seemed tougher for him to fight head-on and he definitely did not match anywhere near the comics in terms of speed. However, he still remained a great version of the Man of Steel with Tim Daly and George Newbern playing him perfectly.

6 There Was No Oracle

Despite the DCAU Joker committing some pretty evil acts over the years, the events of The Killing Joke never occurred. So as a result, Barbara Gordon never lost the use of her legs and she remained a crimefighter as the always amazing Batgirl.

Even later in life when she ditched the cape and cowl, she followed in her father’s footsteps. So in Batman Beyond, Barbara Gordon is the new Commissioner Gordon. Much like her father, she even helps the new Batman on some of his cases.

5 Tim Drake’s Disturbing Demise

In a drastically dark turn even for the DCAU, Tim Drake left the Robin moniker behind on a horrifying note. Joker and Harley kidnap Robin and use torture and chemicals to turn him into a brainwashed child of their own named Joker Junior.

This turn of events was showcased in Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker; Joker was then shot dead by Tim. It was so disturbing that it warranted a PG-13 rating. Later on, it is revealed that Joker almost put his DNA into a microchip implanted into Tim that metabolically transforms him into the Joker as an older man. Luckily, Terry McGinnis was able to cure him of the evil and twisted villain.

4 Batman Beyond

Believe it or not, the idea of a future Batman had only been played around with a few times in the past but nothing ever stuck. It wasn’t until Batman Beyond was created that fans realized the potential of this idea and Batman Beyond became one of the greatest cult gems.

Oddly enough, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini were forced to make the show because the studio wanted something to appeal to younger crowds. Luckily, they put as much effort into it as the other DCAU entries. New unique villains were introduced, classic villains returned, and the character of Terry McGinnis became as famous as Dick Grayson.

3 The Best Wally West

Similar to Green Lantern, the DCAU introduced the second incarnation of the character. However, in a bizarre twist, there is no first Flash. Instead, the showrunners combined characteristics of both Barry Allen and Wally West to create their own version of Wally.

Granted, it resulted in a fan-favorite character who was the heart and soul of the team. It was also the first step in how The Flash became one of the most famous superheroes ever made. Because of the DCAU, The Flash now has his own live-action show and an upcoming movie.

2 The Blossoming Of Wonderbat

With Justice League taking place in the modern day, Wonder Woman did not have a Steve Trevor to fall in love with. Instead, she found her heart calling for a man who is tall, dark, and broody: Batman.

Over the course of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Batman and Wonder Woman form a rather adorable relationship fans have called “Wonderbat.” Their interactions together are adorable and some of the best parts of the DCAU which is refreshing compared to the toxic relationships Batman usually has.

1 Harley Quinn And Other Awesome Ladies

Probably the DCAU most famous contribution to comics and movies alike is the creation of Harley Quinn. She began as a simple henchwoman for Joker but fans loved her so much that she got her own origin story and her own episodes. This resulted in her being introduced into the comics, games, and later on, Margot Robbie would embody the character in live-action.

However, Harley was not the only creation to get love. The iconic Mask Of The Phantasm introduced Andrea Beaumont as The Phantasm and Superman: The Animated Series introduced Mercy Graves and Livewire. Even Justice League would introduce a brand new version of the villain Fury known as Aresia.

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