DC Animated Movies in Order: A Guide to Each Universe

Watch DC animated movies in order by choosing a continuity first, then following its films in release order. DC lists 15 films in the DC Animated Movie Universe, while the Tomorrowverse has a separate ten film sequence. The distinction matters because a familiar hero can appear in more than one continuity, so a title featuring Batman does not automatically belong in the same sequence as another Batman film. Choose the story you want to follow before using either table as a checklist.

The DC Animated Movie Universe begins with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) and concludes with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020). The Tomorrowverse begins with Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) and concludes with Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three (2024). Each has a defined starting point and ending, which makes either sequence a manageable choice for a viewer approaching the catalog for the first time.

For Batman's broader screen sequence, use Batman movies in order. The Batman movies hub covers the franchise beyond this guide to DC animation. The sections below focus on the two main animated sequences and explain how the DC Animated Universe and smaller adaptations fit alongside them.

The DC Animated Movie Universe, usually shortened to DCAMU, is a connected movie continuity that DC lists across 15 films released from 2013 through 2020. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) starts the published list, and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) concludes it. DC describes the ending as the conclusion of the seven year story begun by Flashpoint, giving viewers a defined beginning and finish for this particular marathon.

The DCAMU sequence moves between Justice League ensembles, Batman stories, and Teen Titans entries without requiring a separate checklist for each group. Son of Batman (2014), for example, occupies third place in DC's published sequence, following Justice League: War (2014). Its Batman title identifies the characters in focus, while its place in the list shows where it fits within the wider continuity. Following the published sequence keeps those changes in focus in context.

Some guides include related material alongside the core DCAMU features, which can produce a different total. Constantine: City of Demons is an optional related inclusion, so keep it separate when using DC's published count of 15. If another checklist gives a different number, compare the material it includes before assuming that either list uses the same definition of the core sequence.

Follow the DC Animated Movie Universe in DC's published 15 film sequence, using release order as your viewing route. The table keeps Batman stories, Superman stories, and ensemble entries together instead of rearranging them into separate character collections. Begin with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and continue through Justice League Dark: Apokolips War to complete the sequence described by DC.

The DCAMU table is a release sequence for watching the connected films, rather than a claim that every scene follows an uninterrupted internal calendar. Son of Batman is the third entry, so a viewer looking for Batman can reach it after the first two films without making a separate Batman list. The final entry completes the story that began with Flashpoint.

Other DCAMU guides may add related productions, changing their totals without changing the scope of DC's published list. Keep optional additions outside the numbering if you want the table to remain a checklist of the 15 core films. Once you have finished that sequence, the Tomorrowverse offers a separate starting point.

Watch the Tomorrowverse in release order, beginning with Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) and finishing with the three Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths films. Count the two parts of Batman: The Long Halloween separately, giving the sequence ten feature films. The table places both parts together and leaves the Crisis trilogy at the end of the checklist.

Batman: The Long Halloween occupies two consecutive places in the Tomorrowverse sequence, rather than counting as one film. That distinction matters when comparing a ten film checklist with a guide that groups the two parts under one title. Watch Part One before Part Two, then continue with Green Lantern: Beware My Power.

Justice League: Warworld (2023) brings Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman together in the same Tomorrowverse film for the first time, according to DC. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three (2024) concludes both the animated trilogy and the Tomorrowverse story arc. Allow room for all three Crisis films when planning the end of the sequence.

You can begin the Tomorrowverse with Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) without first watching the DC Animated Movie Universe. Each sequence has an identifiable entry point, so choosing the Tomorrowverse does not require treating all 15 DCAMU films as an introductory assignment. Start with the sequence you intend to follow, then use its table to keep the films in release order through the conclusion.

Watching the DCAMU first offers broader animated context for viewers planning a longer marathon, particularly around the later Crisis finale. That choice serves a different purpose from following the Tomorrowverse on its own. A viewer who wants the additional context can finish Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) before starting Superman: Man of Tomorrow, then leave the three Crisis films at the end of the Tomorrowverse list.

A focused Tomorrowverse viewing begins with Superman: Man of Tomorrow and continues through the ten films in its table. The two Batman: The Long Halloween films occupy separate places, as do the three Crisis installments. Neither starting choice requires inserting every separate DC animated adaptation between the two sequences. Pick the longer route if you want both continuities, or follow the Tomorrowverse table alone if that is the story you want to start.

The DC Animated Universe, or DCAU, is associated with Batman: The Animated Series, while the DC Animated Movie Universe, or DCAMU, is the later 15 film movie continuity. Their similar abbreviations make the full names useful when comparing viewing lists. The DCAMU runs from Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020), so its boundaries can be checked against DC's published list.

Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019) illustrates why the distinction matters when organizing DC animated movies. DC places the film in the DCAU associated with Batman: The Animated Series, rather than in the DCAMU sequence that concludes with Apokolips War. Its release year falls within the DCAMU publication period, but that shared period does not establish a shared continuity. Check the universe assigned to the film before adding it to a marathon.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006) illustrates a related visual distinction between DC animated productions. DC says the film uses the DCAU visual style and voice actors without belonging to that continuity. Familiar drawings and voices therefore cannot settle its place in a checklist by themselves. When a film sits outside the two main tables in this guide, check its stated continuity before placing it in either sequence.

Separate adaptations and smaller connected groups sit alongside the DC Animated Movie Universe and the Tomorrowverse. Neither main table represents every DC animated movie, so a complete checklist of either sequence has a narrower scope than the wider catalog. Some viewing choices need only a pair of films, while an adaptation project can have its own boundaries. Identify the group you want before deciding what to watch first.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) form a two film continuity, according to DC. Watch Public Enemies before Apocalypse when choosing that pairing, rather than placing them ahead of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox as earlier DCAMU installments. The pairing offers a shorter checklist for viewers who want a connected story without beginning either of the longer sequences in this guide.

Watchmen Chapter I (2024) is the first part of an animated two part adaptation, with Watchmen Chapter II following within that project. Superman: Doomsday (2007) illustrates a different catalog distinction: DC identifies the 75 minute feature as the first DC Universe Original Movie. That publishing position does not make it the opening chapter of the DCAMU, which begins with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Use the stated continuity or adaptation project to decide which film follows next.

Start with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox for the DC Animated Movie Universe, Superman: Man of Tomorrow for the Tomorrowverse, or Superman/Batman: Public Enemies for a shorter continuity. These starting points offer different lengths of viewing project, from the two film Superman/Batman pairing to DC's 15 film DCAMU list. Choose the sequence that fits the time you want to spend, then use its own order as your checklist.

For the DCAMU, keep the Batman entries within the wider release order if your aim is the complete connected run. Son of Batman appears third in DC's published list, and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War concludes the sequence. For the Tomorrowverse, count both Batman: The Long Halloween films and allow space for all three Crisis installments. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three concludes that story arc.

For a shorter project, follow Superman/Batman: Public Enemies with Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and treat the pairing as its own continuity. The Facts box records the main continuity boundaries, while the FAQs answer common starting questions. When comparing another DCAMU guide, check what it includes before comparing its total with DC's list of 15. Choose one sequence, begin with its first entry, and keep optional related material on a separate checklist.