Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” has come and gone. The fans, however, are not through with Warner Bros though. Oh no, not by a long shot. On Twitter, Snyder fans have been vocally advocating for a full-blown restoration of the “Snyderverse”. They want to see the director’s multi-film vision come to light. One that would have seen a truly apocalyptic future for the heroes of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with Darkseid ruling the Earth and the heroes on the run.
Unfortunately, the chances of that coming to pass seems slim to non-existent. That being said…what if we told you that there was another DC cinematic universe that saw the heroes of Earth clash with Darkseid? An epic film saga that concluded with the Justice League meeting Darkseid in a climatic battle to determine the fate of all worlds. Can you imagine that? Well, you won’t have to because it’s already made!
Barring the most avid DC fans, chances are you’ve probably never even heard of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about the other DC cinematic universe!
A Snyder Fan’s Dream Come True
The one thing we keep hearing from Snyder fans is how much they love the director’s approach and tone to the DC universe. Oftentimes, his heroes are seen to be far more darker and cynical in comparison to their brighter, more optimistic Marvel rivals. Whether it’s “Man of Steel” or “Justice League”, his characters are ultimately defined by struggle, both from within and from external evils. Oh and then there’s the stylized gore…Snyder loves his blood. Which is why we believe fans of the Snyderverse should definitely give the DCAMU a chance.
Much like Zack Snyder’s films, the DCAMU is heavily inspired by DC’s New 52 line of comics. The New 52 was meant to introduce newcomers to a more grounded and grittier version of traditional characters. We’ve seen a Superman who was less certain about his place in the world and more inclined to violence. A Batman who has been beaten and broken on multiple occasions. A Wonder Woman who was more warrior than she was ambassador of peace. The New 52 even introduced a supernatural team that battles against demonic and supernatural forces: Justice League Dark.
While the Snyderverse only had a measly three films to flesh out this darker, arguably more mature vision of the New 52, the DCAMU has sixteen of them! And unlike Snyder’s trilogy, there are no cliffhangers here. Let’s do a quick rundown of what fans can expect from the DCAMU.
A Complete Saga
The film series surprisingly doesn’t begin with an origin story. Instead, it kicks off with something utterly unexpected. The death of an alternate timeline. In 2013’s “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox”, we see the Flash, Barry Allen break through the time barrier in an effort to save his mother. In the process, he forever changes his previous timeline, creating the DCAMU one we see today. Now that’s groundbreaking! A full year before “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, Warner Bros made the first ever cinematic rebirth event. Up until that point, we’ve only seen it in comics. Which is why it’s such a crying shame that this landmark moment doesn’t get nearly enough of the attention it deserves. Even as we write this now, Warner Bros is planning yet another Flashpoint-like event with 2022’s “The Flash”.
From then on, we see a whole cinematic universe of interconnected animated films. There’s the Batman film series that gives one of the satisfying character arcs in the history of his incarnation. We see Bruce undergo a journey of fatherhood in “Son of Batman” and “Batman vs Robin”. We’ve seen him loved and lost in “Batman: Bad Blood” and “Batman: Hush”. We’ve even seen new heroes rise as well. From Constantine in “Justice League Dark” to Raven and Damian Wayne’s Robin throughout “Justice League vs. Teen Titans” to “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract”.
The most pivotal film series to the DCAMU timeline though would be the Justice League film series alongside the Superman duology. They feed into the overall plot of having Darkseid finally conquering the DC universe. The DCAMU culminates in a grand “Avengers: Endgame” level event that sounds something right out of Zack Snyder’s playbook.
In “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War”, we see the Justice League battle against Darkseid and lose, only to have the rest of the surviving heroes mount a desperate last stand against the Lord of Apokolips. “Apokolips War” ends on a melancholic note with a twist that no one saw coming. Much like Marvel’s “Endgame”, the finale amazingly ties up all the sub-plots and character arcs throughout the DCAMU films. If you’re a fan of the Snyderverse, you owe to yourself to check the this animated film series out.
How You Can Watch It Today
At this point you’re probably asking: Where can I binge-watch this entire catalogue right now?! Well, here’s the thing. Originally, you could have access to the entire DCAMU catalogue on the DC Universe streaming service. That was the case until September 2020 last year when they decided to rebrand the service to cater exclusively to digital-comics. So it seemed for a time like there was nowhere DC fans could go to watch DCAMU films.
That was the case until recently it was announced that the entire DCAMU, alongside other DC related films and TV series, would be finding a home on HBO Max streaming services. That’s right folks! All you diehard DC nutcases can have all the Batman, Superman and Justice League you handle on HBO Max today. Perhaps with the release of DC’s full catalogue of films and series on the service, the DCAMU will remain secret no longer.
So what do you think of DCAMU? Do you think it’s worth investing in a HBO Max account? Or do you plan on simply using a free-trial to binge-watch the entire saga? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below!
