5 Great Animated DC Shows Nobody Talks About

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Marvel and DC are major competitors, constantly battling for dominance in areas like movies and television. For the last fifteen years, Marvel has consistently outperformed DC in theaters with its highly successful Cinematic Universe. While DC has struggled to keep pace, the arrival of James Gunn offers hope for a turnaround. However, DC isn’t a complete loser; they’ve consistently excelled in animation, creating many fantastic movies and shows over the past twenty years.

Look, as a huge animation fan, everyone always raves about Batman: The Animated Series – and rightfully so, it’s incredible and really set the bar for how to do Batman. But it often overshadows other fantastic DC animated shows. I wanted to highlight five seriously good series that don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

5) Green Lantern: The Animated Series

I always felt like Aquaman gets a bad rap as the most boring Justice League member, but honestly, Green Lantern doesn’t get much credit either. I really think things would be different if Green Lantern: The Animated Series had gotten to run longer than just one season. What I loved about it was that it didn’t bother with a typical origin story – it just threw you right into the adventure, sending Hal Jordan and Kilowog on this urgent mission to rescue other Lanterns. And the animation? It was seriously fantastic – way better than anything I remember from the DCAU!

4) The Batman

Stepping into the role of Batman is always challenging. But the early 2000s animated series, The Batman, really delivered. What set the show, created by Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi, apart was its equal focus on Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. We see Bruce actively involved in Gotham’s daytime life while simultaneously fighting crime at night with a team. The series is also remembered for its distinctive character designs, like a Joker with long hair, which still feel fresh today.

3) The Zeta Project

Up until now, we’ve been comparing everything to projects within the DC Animated Universe. But The Zeta Project is different – it’s actually part of that universe! As a spin-off of Batman Beyond, the show centers on a robot originally programmed for one thing: to kill. However, after a failed mission, Zeta begins to question his purpose and rebels against his creator. While The Zeta Project doesn’t feature one of DC’s most famous heroes, it packs an emotional punch. Think of it as The Iron Giant, but as a TV series.

2) Kite Man: Hell Yeah!

The animated series Harley Quinn has been a huge hit for DC, and one of its standout characters is Kite Man. He’s so popular, he even got his own spin-off show, Kite Man: Hell Yeah. At first, the series focuses on a fairly low-stakes problem: Kite Man trying to save his bar from being bought out by Lex Luthor. But things quickly escalate, and Kite Man finds himself as the unlikely hero who must save the entire universe!

1) Justice League Action

DC animated shows are usually better with more characters, and Justice League Action brings together all of DC’s strongest heroes to battle villains. While it might seem a little less serious than previous Justice League and Justice League Unlimited shows, it still has plenty of emotional depth, particularly when the heroes face tough challenges from enemies like Darkseid. Since there aren’t any live-action Justice League movies or shows planned right now, Justice League Action is a great way to get your fix.

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2025-12-30 23:13