The comic book community has been buzzing ever since the debut trailer for James Gunn’s Superman appeared in the sky earlier this month. Alongside the premiere of Creature Commandos, the writer-director’s new DCU and newly minted DC Studios is taking shape. This is after a rough couple of years for the brand, which included box office bombs and critical failures. However, one of the bright spots for DC over the last decade has been their animated features. Now, if you need to brush up on your DC history, a massive number of DC animated films are streaming for free.
The DCU is now defending Tubi with over a dozen beloved animated adventures. This includes Superman: Doomsday, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Wonder Woman (2009), Justice League: The New Frontier, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, Reign of the Supermen, Constantine: City of Demons, Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, All-Star Superman and Justice League: War. There are also beloved Elseworld stories like Justice League: Gods and Monsters and Superman: Red Son. There are too many DC titles to list here, but whether you’re a younger fan just starting your comic journey or a vet rediscovering some old favorites, there’s something for every kind of fan to enjoy.
The Golden Age of DC Animation
Following the massive success of the DC Animated Universe, which included Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League, Warner Brothers started their own line of direct-to-video films. Since 2007 with Superman: Doomsday, there has been at least one animated feature-length adventure a year. Whether it has been adaptations like Justice League: Doom and Superman/Batman: Public Enemy or multiple shared universes that include films like Son of Batman and The Death of Superman, DC has dominated the home video market for the last two decades. In 17 years, that included a whopping 56 films. This ended with the three-part adaptation of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths and the two-part adaptation of Watchmen this year. With Gunn’s universe going to integrate live-action and animated projects right out of the gate, it looks like this underrated era of the company has come to a close. While an argument can be made about their overall quality, this batch of films included critically-acclaimed classics like Batman: Under the Red Hood, The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1 and 2, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Many of these action-packed stories remain the perfect gateway for new fans.
The DC Universe is Waiting
The entire list of DC animated films can currently be viewed on Tubi. Before your heroic binge begins, you can view the trailers for Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: War below.
