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DC Animated Movies in Chronological Order: Release Order and Connected Universes

DC animated movies span separate universes, so there is no one in-universe chronology. Follow the DCAMU or Tomorrowverse order—or watch standalone films independently.
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There is no single in-universe timeline for all DC animated movies: they belong to separate continuities, crossovers and standalone stories. For a connected watch, follow the films within the continuity you want. The lists below give DC’s published DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) sequence and the sourced core of the Tomorrowverse; they are not a complete release-date catalogue of every DC animated feature.

What “chronological order” means for DC animated movies

For a franchise-wide list, chronological usually means release order. For a story binge, it means following one named continuity. Those are different viewing orders: films from separate universes do not become one timeline just because they share characters or voice actors.

Standalone films can be watched on their own. A connected-continuity order is more rewarding if you want to follow character and story developments across films. DC’s guides identify continuity boundaries, but do not provide one master in-universe timeline for every animated movie.

Viewing choice What it answers Best for
Release order When films came out A broad franchise overview; it does not imply a shared story timeline.
Continuity order Which films belong to one connected story Following a particular universe’s character arcs and ending.
Standalone viewing Which films can be watched independently Choosing a story or character without committing to a longer run.

DCAMU movies in release and story sequence

DC identifies Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) as the beginning of the DC Animated Movie Universe and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) as its conclusion. Its published fifteen-film sequence is:

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  1. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
  2. Justice League: War (2014)
  3. Son of Batman (2014)
  4. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
  5. Batman vs. Robin (2015)
  6. Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
  7. Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
  8. Justice League Dark (2017)
  9. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
  10. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
  11. The Death of Superman (2018)
  12. Reign of the Supermen (2019)
  13. Batman: Hush (2019)
  14. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)
  15. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

This sequence follows DC’s published film order. It is not a separately established scene-by-scene chronology. DC describes the continuity as a seven-year story from The Flashpoint Paradox to Apokolips War.

Tomorrowverse movies in continuity order

DC identifies Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) as the first Tomorrowverse film and describes the Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy as the continuity’s concluding arc. DC’s Superman guide lists the following dated entries, giving this sourced core order:

  1. Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
  2. Justice Society: World War II (2021)
  3. Legion of Super-Heroes (2023)
  4. Justice League: Warworld (2023)
  5. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One (2024)
  6. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two (2024)
  7. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three (2024)

This is a core order of the entries named in DC’s Superman material, not a claim that a character-led guide is a complete catalogue of every film that may be associated with the Tomorrowverse. The trilogy closes the continuity. Producer Jim Krieg said DC had planned to build toward Crisis from the outset, with the intervening films moving characters and story elements into place.

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Where other DC animated films fit

DCAU is not the DCAMU

The DC Animated Universe (DCAU), which includes Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited, is distinct from the DCAMU. DC identifies Justice League vs. the Fatal Five as a DCAU film, not a DCAMU chapter.

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Two Superman/Batman films form their own run

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) are a self-contained two-film continuity according to DC. Familiar voice actors do not make these films continuations of the DCAU.

Other Batman stories are separate projects

Films such as Batman: Gotham Knight, Batman: Assault on Arkham, Batman Ninja and Merry Little Batman sit outside the DCAMU and Tomorrowverse lists above. Treat them as separate projects unless a particular film is explicitly placed in a continuity you are following.

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LEGO films have separate groupings

DC groups its LEGO direct-to-video films separately from The LEGO Batman Movie and the theatrical LEGO Movie continuity. DC describes narrative consistency among the direct-to-video releases as loose, so release order is an adequate approach for that group.

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How to choose your watch order

  • Want one connected DC movie story? Watch the fifteen DCAMU films in the listed order, from The Flashpoint Paradox through Apokolips War.
  • Want the Tomorrowverse arc? Start with Superman: Man of Tomorrow and follow the listed core order to the three-part Crisis on Infinite Earths conclusion.
  • Want a particular standalone story? You can watch it independently, but do not assume it belongs to either connected run.
  • Want every DC animated feature in release order? The continuity lists here do not supply a complete all-franchise catalogue; use a verified filmography rather than combining the separate universes into a fictional timeline.

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