The DC Animated Universe is making a comeback. Batman: The Adventure Continues is a digital-first comics series that will continue the world that began in fan-favorite shows like Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. But while those two shows might've finished up their runs by 1999, their animated universe continued with shows like Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
Since those series weren't released in chronological order, the DC Animated Universe timeline can be a little confusing, especially with the DC Animated Original Movies that have toed the line of being part of the DC Universe. But before Batman's animated adventures continue, we're taking a closer look at what happened in the canonical DCAU after Batman's solo adventures ended.
The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures featured a large supporting cast that included Tim Drake as Robin and Dick Grayson as Nightwing alongside franchise mainstays like Batgirl and Alfred. Sporting updated controversial designs, Batman's last solo DCAU TV series expanded upon the classic Batman: The Animated Series and gave most of the Bat-Family a time to shine, with several episodes spotlighting certain characters.
This series coincided with and often crossed over with Superman: The Animated Series, which eventually expanded into the world of Justice League and the future of Batman Beyond. From what we know about Batman: The Adventures Continue, the comic appears to pick up more or less where this series left off.
Batman: The Mystery of The Batwoman
In 2003, Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman became the first sequel film to the New Adventures. The story revolves around Batman’s investigation of a new vigilante who’s borrowing his overall M.O. -- Batwoman.
However, Batwoman's rougher style of crime-fighting gives Batman some concern. While dismantling the Penguin's operations, she's captured by Bane, and Batman steps in. In his other life, Bruce Wayne is introduced to multiple women who he suspects of being Batwoman. While this particular Batwoman never reappeared, this Batman was busy with Justice League business and wouldn't have another solo adventure until He has different relationships with each of them which made for some interesting drama. We wouldn’t see this version of Batman solo until 2017's Batman and Harley Quinn.
Batman and Harley Quinn
In Batman and Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Floronic Man are trying to make plants the dominant form of life on Earth. While Batman and Nightwing can’t seem to catch their trail on their own, they try to get help from Ivy's old gal pal Harley Quinn, who's trying to turn her life around.
After hijinks ensue, this somewhat controversial film takes the trio through some wild situations. While Ivy and Woodrue come surprisingly close to taking down the heroes, Harley ends up saving the day by giving Batman and Nightwing the simple solution to defeating Floronic Man.
Justice League vs The Fatal Five
Released in 2019, Justice League vs Fatal Five is essentially a continuation of the two Justice League animated series. The plot follows the Justice League trying to stop the time-traveling Fatal Five, as they attempt to kill the new Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. At the same time, Batman is introduced to Starman, an alleged time traveler serving in Arkham Asylum who has a dire warning about the Fatal Five.
Batman is only one character in a much larger story here, and his main role is as a mentor to Miss Martian, one of the team's new recruits. While they eventually fight the Five with Wonder Woman, Cruz and Starman, Cruz ultimately saves the day by defeating the Five on her own.
How Batman: The Adventure Continues Fits In
With its red skies, a young Tim Drake Robin and a Batman who's just on the cusp of middle-age, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett and Ty Templeton's The Batman Adventures appears to take place somewhere around the end of The New Batman Adventures and Mystery of the Batwoman or even around Batman and Harley Quinn, perhaps concurrently with the Dark Knight's Justice League adventures.
“Fans familiar with the Batman of The New Batman/Superman Adventures will be right up to speed,” said Paul Dini in promotional material for the digital-first series. “Alan and I approached the writing with the idea that we were doing the season you might have seen if we had not put the series aside to do Batman Beyond.”
While the series is set to bring DC icons like Deathstroke and Red Hood into the DC Animated Universe for the first time, it will also give this fan-favorite incarnation of the Dark Knight one more chance to swing through the skies of Gotham City.