Batman And Superman's New 2024 Shows Highlight A Major 83-Year-Old DC Problem
The DC animated shows My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader present a fresh take on Superman and Batman, yet they also demonstrate a big problem with DC's adaptations. My Adventures with Superman season 2 continues Clark Kent's modernized story in 2024 with the threat of foes such as Amanda Waller, Metallo, and Supergirl herself. Meanwhile, Batman: Caped Crusader is set to introduce a young Batman who establishes himself as Gotham's only hero. Both My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader take place in unique Elseworlds timelines, each in their own distinct continuity.
My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader are preceded by several DC animated series centered around the World's Finest. Both heroes starred in their solo DCAU shows, as well as in the DCAU's Justice League and in The New Batman/Superman Adventures. Superman also had two popular animated shows in 1988 and 1996, while Batman starred in nine different animated series centered solely around the Dark Knight and Gotham. With Batman and Superman again dominating the animated medium in 2024, DC continues an unfortunate trend for their equally popular but often overlooked icon.
Unlike Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman hasn't received a single animated show in her 83-year history. Wonder Woman has played a big role in DC animated shows like the DCAU's Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, as well as animated movies like Justice League: Throne of Atlantis and Justice League: The New Frontier. Wonder Woman has also starred in two animated movies — 2009's Wonder Woman and 2019's Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. However, no DC animated show has focused exclusively on Wonder Woman despite her status as DC's most famous female superhero.
No solid plans for an animated Wonder Woman series have been announced yet
Minor characters like Krypto the Superdog and an anthropomorphic version of the Batmobile have starred in their own animated shows. Harley Quinn, who was created in 1991 for Batman: The Animated Series, made the jump to the comic book format, live-action TV and live-action movies before receiving her own animated series in 2019. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has appeared in ensemble shows like Justice League Action and DC Superhero Girls, but no solid plans for an animated Wonder Woman series have ever been announced.
Harley Quinn receives a huge overhaul in Batman: Caped Crusader, creating some parallels between the animated character and her DCEU counterpart.
My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader prove that animation is still a priority for DC. What's more, James Gunn's DCU is set to give animation its fair time in the spotlight, to the point that Creature Commandos will be the project that will inaugurate the franchise in late 2024. An animated Wonder Woman prequel series could complement the DCU's upcoming Paradise Lost within DCU canon, perhaps following a young Diana Prince in Paradise Lost's Themyscira. Otherwise, a completely separate Wonder Woman animated show could join My Adventures with Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader in DC's Elseworlds multiverse.
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