However, it wasn’t until more recently that a push for more adaptations into other media really took off. Indeed, in the last two decades or so, since Marvel’s Iron Man really, the comic book industry has seen a boom in observance as well as profitability as IPs from the comic book medium became more viable. Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics, has attempted to create a DCEU that runs parallel to Marvel’s MCU, but while some movies have been successful, very few of them have matched the almost seemingly unattainable popularity of the MCU.
However, that is not the case when it comes to DCAU, the DC Animated Universe. Starkly, Warner Bros.’ DCAU has done exceptionally well with putting out content and to high fanfare.
With that being said, here’s every New 52 DCAU movie, ranked.
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14 Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
Warner Bros
One of the more popular superhero groups in recent years, theTeen Titans, in this animated feature, face off with super villain supreme, Deathstroke, and Brother Blood. Needless to say, Deathstroke as a villain against this young team of heroes is intriguing to watch as he sets in motion a devious plan to take the Teen Titans down from within. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is layered with relevancy, action, and strong character development, which is poignant, especially dealing with characters who are coming-of-age.
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13 Batman: Hush (2019)
Warner Bros.
Batman: Hush is an animated feature adapted from the comic book story arc of the same name. In this particular story, it is Batman that is being hunted in Gotham by a mysterious new enemy that goes by the name of Hush. While Batman tries to find out the identity of this new villain and put an end to whoever it is, his relationship with Catwoman continues to grow, putting her in danger along with everyone else within the Bat-Family. Batman: Hush is a solid detective story with an ominous overcast.
12 Justice League Dark (2017)
Another great team animated feature, Justice League Dark sees Batman gather a team of heroes with supernatural abilities to investigate and thwart a sudden craze that has overtaken the world. Believing that magic is at the root of the problem and attack, Batman enlists the likes of John Constantine, Deadman, Zatana, and others to help him, thus, creating the “Justice League Dark.”
The story is full of mystery and great characterization, leveraging the devil in the details of each team member how they interact in this different version of the Justice League. Justice League Dark is intriguing and fun to watch.
11 Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
In Batman: Bad Blood, Batman aka Bruce Wayne goes missing. This leads to potential chaos for Gotham as Nightwing and Robin have to take over and patrol the city, keeping the criminal underworld at bay. In the midst of the mystery of what happened to Batman (Bruce Wayne), new heroes like Batwoman and Batwing emerge.
Their arrival offers a new look into heroism in Gotham and while the absence of Batman defintely changes the action of the movie, his presence is still felt through the budding members of the Bat-Family as his influence on them is clearly examined as part of the unfolding story.
10 Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Based on the book of the same name by Geoff Johns, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is about Arthur Curry, better known as Aquaman, who is half-Atlantean, discovering who is and his heritage.
Ultimately, Arthur joins forces with the Justice League to stop his half-brother, Ocean Master, as he’s orchestrated a brewing war between people on the surface world and those in Atlantis. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is considered to be a standalone sequel to 2014’s Justice League: War.
9 Son of Batman (2014)
In Son of Batman, Batman officially becomes a father. Although both Bruce Wayne and Batman have unconventionally been in the role of father to many of their wards, Dick Grayson in particular, neither persona has ever had a biological child. In this movie, Batman (Bruce Wayne) learns that he has a son, Damien, and that he’s been secretly raised by the terrorist group, the League of Assassins. Batman must figure out how to be a real father while simultaneously save his son from continuing to go down the wrong path.
8 Justice League Vs. Teen Titans (2016)
In Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Damien Wayne, now Robin, after defeating an enemy against Batman’s instructions, preventing the League from gaining much needed intel, is sent to work with the Teen Titans. Needless to say, Damien’s recklessness and penchant for jumping into action before assessing becomes problematic. However, when the Justice League are overtaken and possessed by another entity sent from the same master as the one before, Damien aka Robin and the Teen Titans must stop the Justice League before it’s too late.
7 Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay (2018)
In Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, Amanda Waller is strickened with an illness that is going to kill her, and she enlists Task Force X to track down a mystical object that will help her to escape what she believes could be an even worse fate for her after death. However, there’s another group, led by Vandal Savage and his daughter, Scandal, that are after the same object. It is a race and fight to the object with life and death and the consequences of both on the line.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is an adventurous, gritty movie with some fun twists and turns as bad guys go against each other to avoid a dark fate.
6 Reign of the Supermen (2019)
The Reign of the Supermen is a sequel to the 2018 The Death of Superman and is based on the same arc as the comic book series event of the same name. This movie takes place six months after the death of Superman by Doomsday where four different Supermen have arrived and are vying to be the protectors of a crime infested Metropolis.
The Reign of the Supermen has intense action along with a complexity in characterization as Lex Luthor and Lois Lane mourn the death of Superman in their own way. However, a startling reveal changes everything.
5 Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
Matt Ryan’s performance of John Contantine in Contantine: City of Demons is considered stuff of legends as the titular character attempts to save a childhood friends’ daughter from a magic induced coma. This movie is considered to be one of the best depictions of John Contantine and the visuals of gore and horror solicit the ominous and foreboding. The story is intense and heartfelt as Constantine takes on demons in a quest to save the soul of his friend’s daughter.
4 Justice Leage: War (2014)
Justice League: War is an adaptation of Geoff John’s and Jim Lee’s Justice League: Origin story. This is considered to be the first movie of the relaunch and follows an alien invasion led by New God, Darkseid. In order to stop Darkseid, Earth’s heroes must come together as one to counter the attack, thus forming the Justice League. Subsequent movies about the Justice League follows this one, concluding the arc of stories with Justice League Dark: Akropolis War.
3 Batman vs. Robin (2015)
Father and son, both superheroes, ideologies clash in this Gotham City story. The Court of Owls are preparing to launch an assault on Gotham while Batman and Robin (son, Damien Wayne) are at odds with each other about crime-fighting. Damien has grown weary of his father’s no-killing stance and is becoming more and more defiant. The Court of Owls exploits this in an attempt to divide Robin and Batman, father and son, even more.
The story revolves around the father and son dynamic, laced with indepth characterization and an exploration of dynamic relationships. Batman vs. Robinis a masterpiece of story beats and pacing with action-packed sequences.
2 The Death of Superman (2018)
The Death of Superman is based on the original comic book event and is probably one of the most impactful comic book stories adapted into animation. Superman struggles with the idea of revealing his true identity to the woman he is in love with, Lois Lane, as a more than formidable threat looms large in Metropolis in the form of Doomsday.
Unfortunately, the battle between Superman and Doomsday changes everything and as tragedy befalls Superman, the heartbeat of his relationship with Lois, Metropolis, and the entire world comes to tragic stop.
The Death of Superman is superb storytelling and captures the intensity of lost moments through an unbelievably horrific event.
1 Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is a cautionary tale that warns about the dangers of intervening with fate, or better yet, the idea of playing God. The story revolves around Barry Allen and his sudden existence with no super powers and where his alter-ego, Flash, no longer exists. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox unfolds as Barry attempts to figure out what happened in the midst of everything in this reality and the world being turned on its head, where Batman isn’t even actually Batman.
This feature is considered a seminal animated work within the DCAU as the storytelling is sharp, the characters are familiar yet distinctly different, the mood is burdened, and the action and story beats are perfectly paced.
