From 'Batman' to 'Zeta Project': A Guide to the DC Animated Universe

Before the Arrowverse and the Marvel Universe, there was the DC Animated Universe (a.k.a. the Timmerverse, named after its leading creative force Bruce Timm), a glorious shared universe of TV shows that ran for over a decade on television. What made the DCAU such a landmark achievement is that it not only made the oft-convoluted DC Comics mythology accessible to newcomers, but it also pushed said universe in interesting and often weird directions that the DC Extended Universe (the current movie universe you know from, say, Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad) can only hope to rival at this point. The DCAU began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. From there, the universe slowly started to grow, first with Superman: The Animated Series, which featured several crossovers with Batman's world. Then came the future-set Batman Beyond, the more kid-friendly Static Shock, and the oft-forgotten Zeta Project. In 2001, Superman and Batman joined forces with five other legendary heroes for Justic...