Chronology in the DC animated universe

The DC Animated Universe is a series of animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these animated series are adapted from DC Comics properties. The abbreviation "DCAU" is often used.
The Present Day DCAU
The timeline in the DCAU can be divided into two great eras.
The first era is the "The Present Day DCAU" and it presents events that take place in the present of the animated universe.
This era can be divided into three periods.
The Batman Period
This first period describes the adventures of the original Batman (Bruce Wayne) and his allies, most notably the first Robin (Dick Grayson) and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), as well as Commissioner James Gordon. These events are the first to take place in the animated universe.
* The lengthy flashback sequence of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm depicting a college-aged Bruce Wayne becoming Batman ten years previous.
* The Dark Knight's First Night: A short pilot episode, in which Batman stops a couple of jewel thieves.
* "Robin's Reckoning", which depicts the murder of Dick Grayson's parents nine years previous.
* Batman: The Animated Series - beginning with the episode "On Leather Wings" and ending with the episode "The Worry Men."
* Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - theatrical feature animated film
* The Adventures of Batman and Robin - beginning with the episode "Sideshow" and ending with the episode "Batgirl Returns"
* Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero - direct-to-video animated film
The New Superheroes Period
The second period begins with Superman's decision to use his super powers for the good of mankind (the destruction of Krypton and arrival of Kal-El on Earth are presented here, but they took place some time before). Note that as Clark Kent dwells upon becoming a superhero his adoptive mother, Martha Kent, makes a reference to "that nut in Gotham City". This indicates that Bruce Wayne was already operating as Batman, and apparently that the events seen in Batman: The Animated Series already happened.
This period introduces many DC Comics superheroes into the animated universe. They include Static, The Flash, Supergirl, Doctor Fate, Aquaman, Steel, The Creeper, and Etrigan the Demon.
* The Last Son of Krypton - a direct-to-video animated film composed of the first three episodes of Superman: The Animated Series
* Superman: The Animated Series Season 1 and a great part of Season 2 - features episodes "Fun and Games" to "Father's Day." We follow Superman's adventures as he defends Metropolis
* Static Shock - meanwhile young Virgil Hawkins becomes the superhero Static and defends Dakota
* ' - another direct-to-video animated film that consists of three episodes from Superman: The Animated Series ( Parts 1,2 & 3), presents the first time Batman and Superman work together.
* The New Batman/Superman Adventures - some years have passed since the events of Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (period in which we followed the adventures of Superman and Static), and in this time Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing and Tim Drake becomes the second Robin.
* Static Shock - features episodes "The Big Leagues", "Hard as Nails", and the present-time events of "Future Shock," all of which have Static teaming up with Batman. Also during this time, Static's best friend Richie becomes his partner Gear.
* Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman - direct-to-video animated film
The Justice League Period
In the third period of the Present Day DCAU, all these heroes and many more unite and form the Justice League. This period introduces the following notable superheroes to the animated universe: Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Captain Atom, Green Arrow, The Question, Mister Terrific, Black Canary, and The Huntress.
* Secret Origins - a direct-to-video animated film composed of the first three episodes of Justice League
* Justice League - animated series that chronicles the adventures of the League's founding members (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter)
* Static Shock - features episodes "A League of Their Own" (Parts 1 and 2, in which Static meets all the members of the current Justice League except Superman and Wonder Woman), "Toys in the Hood" (in which he teams up with Superman), and "Fallen Hero" (in which he teams up with the Green Lantern John Stewart)
* Gotham Girls - Flash animation series chronicling the daily lives of female characters such as Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Batgirl, Catwoman and Zatanna
* Justice League Unlimited - a direct sequel of Justice League, presents the new and extended Justice League
* The lengthy flashback sequence of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker takes place (according to Paul Dini) at the end of the Present Day DCAU.
The Future DCAU
The second era is the "The Future DCAU" and it presents events that take place in the future of the animated universe.
About 13 years after the events of Justice League Unlimited, an aged Bruce Wayne is having increasing difficulty handling criminals he once subdued with ease. One day a heart attack forces him to betray a lifelong personal principle by threatening a criminal with a gun, and subsequently Bruce decides to retire from crimefighting permanently.
After another 20 years, Gotham is a city of the future equipped with staggering high rises and hovering/flying vehicles. It is then that Bruce meets young Terry McGinnis, who will become the second Batman.
* Batman Beyond - Terry McGinnis begins work as Batman and meets his own rogues gallery, formed of the seductive shapeshifter Inque, the confusing hypnotist Spellbinder, the bitter, deaf sound expert Shriek, the most deadly of the League of Assassins Curaré, the insane terrorist Mad Stan, the African hunter Stalker, and the walking nuclear meltdown, Blight.
* Batman Beyond - features episode "The Call" during which Terry meets this era's Justice League
* The Zeta Project - after the episode "Zeta" of Batman Beyond this spin-off series was born, the events depicted in the two series take place at the same time and there are several cross over episodes on both shows
* Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - direct-to-video animated film - thought to occur either right after Batman Beyonds third season episode "" where Paxton Powers is arrested, therefore leaving Wayne-Powers up for grabs or after the third season ends, as Bruce Wayne returning to CEO was never discussed in the show.
* "Future Shock" (episode of Static Shock) - the events of this episode of Static Shock (Static travels into the future where he meets and works with the new Batman) probably take place in this period
* "The Once and Future Thing" [end of "Part 1:Weird Western Tales" and entire "Part 2:Time, Warped"] (episode of Justice League Unlimited) - some time later (Terry already knows and works with the future Justice League) the present day Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman chase Chronos into the future Gotham City, where the combined heroes defeat a gang of retooled Jokerz led by the supervillain (however, since the present day Batman traps Chronos in a time loop, right before he started his first time travel, these events never truly take place)
* "Epilogue" (episode of Justice League Unlimited) - after 15 years as Batman, Terry McGinnis learns the secret connections between Bruce, him, and his brother Matt, and his parents' unwitting involvement with Amanda Waller's scheme at Project Cadmus over thirty years ago (this episode marks the end of the DCAU timeline for now)
* "Far From Home" (episode of Justice League Unlimited) - Supergirl, Green Lantern and Green Arrow are transported approximately 1,000 years into the future of the Justice League Unlimited period by Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy are the only members left that have not been captured by the Fatal Five. Seeing no other way they decided to recruit the three heroes from the past. At the end of this episode, Supergirl decides to remain in this time period while Green Lantern and Green Arrow are sent back to their era.
* "New Kids In Town" (episode of Superman: The Animated Series) - Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Chameleon Boy come from the future to help teenage Clark Kent against Brainiac.
Connection with real time
There have been instances in the DCAU in which linkages have been made to real time.
* The birth of Terry McGinnis was stated as 2023 in Batman Beyond. As Terry says he was 16 years old when he became Batman, this places the first episode in about 2039. As Bruce Wayne is said to be 80 years of age at the beginning of this series, his birth in the DCAU would be around 1959.
* In the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past" Terry mentions a "near apocalypse of 09". This is mentioned again in the JLU episode "Epilogue".
The notion of the DCAU occurring in real time is not without inconsistency, however. Tim Drake, in early adolescence as of his 1997 début in The New Batman Adventures, was shown to be still a small boy, albeit with a deeper voice, in the flashback sequence of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker that shows the Joker's death; this could not have happened until after the Joker's final appearance in the 2003 Justice League episode "Wild Cards".

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