The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most popular movie franchises of all time. Since the series started with Iron Man, Marvel and Disney have managed to craft a truly unique cinematic concept, a shared universe that connects different movies into one overarching story. That being said, the MCU was not the first to do this. In the 1990s and early 2000s, DC had its own interconnected universe in the form of its animated TV shows. Using Batman: The Animated Series as a foundation, the DC Animated Universe would go on to create its own Justice League show, with some properties still being connected to the DCAU to this day.
This article will give five reasons why the DCAU was the best connected universe, and five why the MCU is.
DCAU: Great Villains
There is no denying that the MCU has had a villain problem. While they have done well recently with Thanos and Hela, before this, their villains would lean toward the forgettable, and would often be predictably killed off at the end of the movie. The DCAU, on the other hand, had lasting and impressive villains.
In addition to Joker and Lex Luthor who frequently appeared in the series, there was also Darkseid, Brainiac, and Vandal Savage who all made appearances in the show, becoming part of memorable and long-running storylines in the process.
MCU: Brought Superheroes Into The Mainstream
While superheroes have always been relatively popular, as shown by the success of the Raimi Spider-Man movies and the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, there is no denying that the MCU truly brought comic book culture into the mainstream as its connected universe took off.
The sheer popularity of the MCU is one of its greatest achievements, which is perhaps most clearly seen by the incredible fanfare surrounding the release of Endgame in 2019.
DCAU: Vast Cast In Justice League: Unlimited
The number of failed interconnected universes shows just how difficult it is to build a shared universe, even if you're using characters that are well established, like Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. The fact the DCAU managed to introduce such a vast cast in Justice League: Unlimited is a testament to the talent of the showrunners.
Characters such as Booster Gold, Doctor Fate, and Captain Atom are fairly obscure, and this show successfully introduced them to wider audiences.
MCU: Used Lesser-Known Characters
The most popular Marvel characters at the time were Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. However, Marvel Studios did not have the film rights to these characters, meaning that they would have to rely on superheroes like Iron Man and Captain America to build their movies.
Fortunately, due to the incredible filmmaking and performances of the actors, these lesser-known Marvel heroes become some of the most popular characters in the world.
DCAU: Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most influential and iconic TV shows ever. Released in 1992 after the popularity of the Tim Burton Batman movies, Batman: The Animated Series aimed to balance the dark, gothic elements that adults loved about Batman with the more lighthearted side of the character that would attract children.
Remarkably, the creators of the show merged these two sides of Batman perfectly, creating an adaptation that many fans of the Caped Crusader would consider to be definitive.
MCU: Banter Between The Avengers
The banter between the Avengers is one of the strongest factors behind the success of the MCU. We first started to see this after the release of 2012's The Avengers, but the chemistry between the heroes would only grow as the MCU grew.
This banter between the Avengers made the results of Infinity War and Endgame even more crushing for the audience, resulting in an even greater emotional reaction.
DCAU: Mark Hamill's Joker
While the Joker has been portrayed by several different actors across over 50 years of adaptations, for many, the best interpretation will always be the Mark Hamill Joker from Batman: The Animated Series.
For many fans, his voice and laugh mean that Mark Hamill simply is the Joker, and the vast amount of work the actor has done as the Clown Prince of Crime certainly testifies to the immense popularity of the interpretation.
MCU: Different Directors
While some may believe that multiple directors working on a movie franchise may result in disjointed filmmaking, and in many instances it does, in the case of the MCU it actually results in a stronger and more varied franchise.
This variety can be seen most clearly between Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. While both movies are part of the same franchise, they offer different styles and genres that allow the franchise to appeal to a wider audience.
DCAU: New Characters
The DCAU was incredibly influential. Not did the adaptation help to introduce countless children to DC , but the DC Animated Universe also had a huge impact on the comics themselves as it introduced several new characters into the wider DC canon.
The most notable was Harley Quinn, who is currently one of the most popular DC characters, even receiving her own movie. In addition, the DCAU also introduced Batman Beyond and Renee Montoya, both of whom were added to the wider DC mythos.
MCU: Natural Progression To A Wider Universe
The MCU has advanced naturally into a wider cinematic universe, an achievement that other imitators have failed to do. Due to this natural progression, we had time to grow accustomed to the characters and the world in which they live.
While the DCAU did build its world fantastically, the jump from Justice League to Justice League: Unlimited was stark, and certainly took many audiences by surprise.