In 1941, just three years after making his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman took to the big screen in the first of seventeen animated adventures created by Fleischer Studios. These cartoons not only brought he Man of Steel to movie theaters for the first time, but they also set an immensely high bar for all superhero cartoons to reach for.
Since then, just about every DC Comics superhero has appeared in animated form - even Ambush Bug! But with so many animated series based on the heroes of the DC universe, how can you know which ones are the best? It is with that question in mind that we give you the 10 best DC animated series according to IMDb...
10 Batman: The Animated Series - 9
Animator Bruce Timm was deeply inspired by the Fleischer Studios Superman shorts when he created the now-iconic look for Batman: The Animated Series. Made to coincide with Tim Burton's Batman Returns, this animated series ended up having a far bigger impact on the history of Batman than Burton's films. That impact, created by writer Paul Dini, is Harley Quinn.
Along with introducing the world to Harley Quinn, Batman: The Animated Series also created Renee Montoya, who is played by Rosie Perez in Birds of Prey, and revitalized Mister Freeze by giving him a tragic backstory and reminded people of just how cool Clayface was. It could be argued that half the DC shows on this list would not exist without this one.
9 Justice League Unlimited - 8.7
If Batman: The Animated Series is the alpha of the Bruce Timm DC animated universe, Justice League Unlimited is the omega. This animated series only ran for two seasons, but by expanding the roster of the League from seven members to over thirty, viewers young and old were introduced to characters that they may never have learned of otherwise. Characters like Vigilante, the Question, and Stargirl all found new fans through this show.
Justice League Unlimited also allowed Timm and his team to finish off long-running stories that can be traced back not only to Batman: The Animated Series, but the other shows that made up this animated universe.
8 Young Justice - 8.6
Four years after Justice League Unlimited ended, Young Justice picked up the baton and created a new universe filled with DC characters. Where Justice League Unlimited focused on the adult characters of the DCU, Young Justice is all about the teens. Across its three seasons - so far - Young Justice has told a long-form story where the characters grow up, experience great wins and tragic losses, and become the best heroes the DC universe could hope for. Now a part of the DC Universe streaming service, a fourth season is in production and will hopefully be making it to our screens soon.
7 The New Batman Adventures - 8.5
This follow-up to Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures continued the story of the Dark Knight Detective, but with an updated art style and some new characters. Dick Grayson, who had once been Robin, was now Nightwing. A new Robin, Tim Drake, had taken his place. Batgirl also played a larger role in this series.
With the focus spread out to more characters, Batman rarely had a solo mission in this show, but it also served as an early look at how Timm and his crew would handle the Justice League in just two years.
6 Justice League - 8.5
Centered on just seven members, Justice League was an exciting and fun new series for fans, but it was also upsetting at times. The seven members of the team rarely all showed up in episodes. Instead, the show would have adventures where three or four members would be involved while the others took some time off. That format would work better with Justice League Unlimited when the team consisted of over 30 members, but on this series, viewers noticed when Wonder Woman didn't show up.
Still, Justice League was a fantastic series that introduced many viewers to pieces of DC lore that they may not have known before. It also built off of the Batman and Superman animated series that came before it and started to play with the long-form storytelling that would run through the two seasons of Justice League Unlimited.
5 Harley Quinn - 8.4
The newest of DC's animated shows, Harley Quinn has quickly become a fan favorite. Airing on the DC Universe streaming service, Harley Quinn is very much not for kids, which is something you could figure out from the first few minutes of the first episode, but we would hate for you to sit down with some little ones and expect to get some family-friendly entertainment from a cartoon about the Joker's ex.
The first season of Harley Quinn follows the hyena loving costumed criminal as she leaves Joker behind and goes out to make her own name in the underworld of Gotham City. With appearances by Poison Ivy, Batman, Joker, Kite-Man and more, this show is a must-see for any DC fan.
4 Superman: The Animated Series - 8.1
The second series from the Bruce Timm DC animated universe, Superman: The Animated Series opened up the world to more heroes, introducing Flash and Green Lantern in two classic episodes. The series also brought in the New Gods, and with them came Darkseid.
While it may never have hit the heights of Batman: The Animated Series, these adventures of the Man of Steel contain some of the best superhero fights you'll see on the big or small screen and helped remind comic fans of just how cool Brainiac could be.
3 Batman Beyond - 8.1
Set in the future of Bruce Timm's DC animated universe, Batman Beyond showed viewers a Bruce Wayne that was too old to keep being Batman and introduced us to Terry McGinnis, the high schooler who would take on the mantle. Batman Beyond walked a tightrope of revealing the fates of some of Batman's friends and foes while also introducing new allies and villains to the mythology.
Like Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya, Batman Beyond has made his way into the comics. The character has his own series and recently showed up in Justice League for the end of Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV's run on the series.
2 Green Lantern: The Animated Series - 8.1
Developed by Bruce Timm, Giancarlo Volpe, and Jim Krie, Green Lantern: The Animated Series was DC's first attempt at an animated series that was made with CGI. Lasting just 26 episodes, the series followed Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and his partner Kilowog as they battled Red Lanterns and Manhunters on the edge of space.
While the show was popular, with viewers, the toyline was made to accompany it, and the Green Lantern movie that came out the year before both bombed. Warner Brothers decided to cancel the series. This was very rough for fans of the show since it ended with a set up for a great second season.
1 Teen Titans - 7.8
Created by Glen Murakami and Sam Register, who based the series on Marv Wolfman and George Perez's classic run on the comic, Teen Titans ran for five seasons and one special. Unlike Young Justice, Teen Titans focused on a small team consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven as they faced off against some of their biggest foes, including Deathstroke - who goes by Slade in the series - Brother Blood, and Trigon.
Teen Titans was popular, but the show that it spawned - Teen Titans Go! - is on a whole different level of popularity. Currently in its sixth season, Teen Titans Go! consists of 273 episodes and even had a critically acclaimed movie, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies come out in 2018.