Starting with the critically aclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) is what made many of us fall in love with DC’s characters.
We have several DC animated universes. This timeline doesn’t cover all of them. But there is one that stands out above the rest. We present the DC Animated Universe, consisting of the Batman/Superman animated series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, etc. There were tie-in comics to these series that, as of right now, we do not include in the timeline. These tie-in comics are complex, and don’t always line up perfectly with the continuity of the shows they are based on. However, we will hopefully include them in future updates.
The following films are stand-alone and do not share continuities with each other or other films.
Superman: Doomsday (2007)
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
Wonder Woman (2009)
Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
Batman: Death in the Family (interactive short) (2020)
All-Star Superman (2011)
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
Superman vs. The Elite (2012)
Superman: Unbound (2013)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (web series) (2015)
Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
Superman: Red Son (2020)
Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
Injustice (2021)
Catwoman: Hunted (2022)
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)
Watchmen (2024)
Superman/Batman
This continuity is based on the Superman/Batman storyline.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
Justice League (JLA)
This continuity is based on JLA storylines published in 2000.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Justice League: Doom (2012)
Dark Knight Returns
This continuity is based on Frank Miller's Batman: Year One arc and The Dark Knight Returns.
Batman: Year One (2011)
DC Showcase: Catwoman (short film) (2011)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 (2012)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 2 (2013)
Other universes
Batman: Gotham Knight (set in the Nolanverse, although it is not necessarily considered canon) (2008)
Batman: Assault on Arkham (set in the Arkhamverse) (2014)
A shared universe, with influences from various DC eras and productions.
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
Justice Society: World War II (2021)
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)
Green Lantern: Beware My Power (2022)
Legion of Super-Heroes (2023)
Justice League: Warworld (2023)
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One (2024)
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two (2024)
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three (2024)
Marvel TAS Chronological Order
If you don't go by air dates it is possible to create a streamline continuity between all the shows despite all of the series being created by different people. Some episodes could take place around the same time.
X-Men
Iron Man
Fantastic Four
Spider-Man
The Incredible Hulk
Spider-Man Unlimited
The Avengers: United They Stand
According to The Official Marvel Handbook the different series take place in different realities. But for the purpose of this wiki all series in the Marvel Animated Universe are to be treated as if they exist in the same universe, with the exception of Silver Surfer: The Animated Series. This is because Silver Surfer: The Animated Series contradicts the events of Fantastic Four: The Animated Series far too much to be considered part of the main universe.
Earth-92131
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
X-Men: The Animated Series
X-Men '92
X-Men '92: House Of XCII
X-Men '97
Earth-534834
Iron Man: The Animated Series
Fantastic Four: The Animated Series
The Incredible Hulk
Earth-634962
Silver Surfer: The Animated Series
Earth-751263
Spider-Man Unlimited
Earth-730784
Avengers: United They Stand
Continuity error: Scarlet Spider was created in an alternate reality but appears in the episode Nightmare in Green of Fantastic Four: The Animated Series and One Man's Worth, Part I of X-Men: The Animated Series which is part of the mainstream universe.
Solution: There is more than one Scarlet Spider. The one shown in Fantastic Four and X-Men is from the mainstream universe while the one that appears in the Spider-Man: The Animated Series is from an alternate reality.
Continuity error: In The Fantastic Four episode, To Battle a Living Planet (1995), She-Hulk is shown as a member of the Avengers. However, The Incredible Hulk episode, Doomed (1996) showed Jennifer Walters becoming She-Hulk.
Solution: The episode Doomed takes place before To Battle a Living Planet.
Continuity error: In the X-Men episode, Repo Man (1993), Sasquatch is a member of Alpha Flight. However, in The Incredible Hulk episode, Man to Man, Beast to Beast (1996), Walter Langkowski turns himself into Sasquatch for the first time.
Solution: Man to Man, Beast to Beat takes place before Repo Man.
Continuity error: Vision is shown as a member of the Avengers in the Fantastic Four episode To Battle a Living Planet (1995), but is first created by Ultron in the Avengers: United They Stand episode Avengers Assemble, Part I (1999).
Solution: Avengers Assemble Part 1 & 2 takes place before To Battle a Living Planet.
Continuity error: At the end of Secret Wars, Chapter III: Doom, Madame Web returns Captain America to the vortex, but in Fantastic Four and Avengers: United They Stand, Captain America is free from the vortex and a member of the Avengers.
Solution: Sometime after the events of Secret Wars, Part III: Doom, the Avengers free Captain America from the vortex and he joins the team.
Continuity error: At the end of the episode, Carnage, Venom and Carnage are trapped in another dimension. However, in Spider-Man Unlimited, it is stated that they were being held captive by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Solution: Venom and Carnage somehow escape the Dark Dimension and were captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Continuity error: In the episode Hulk Buster (1996) from Iron Man: The Animated Series, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner do not know each other personally. However, in Helping Hand, Iron Fist (1996) of The Incredible Hulk series Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are good friends.
Solution: Helping Hand, Iron Fist takes place after Hulk Buster.
The Silver Surfer series takes place in a totally different reality from the other seven shows. This is because Silver Surfer: The Animated Series contradicts several events from Fantastic Four: The Animated Series.
