As DC prepares for the launch of the DC Universe, this side of the superhero genre will finally use its biggest advantage over its competitor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The superhero genre keeps expanding with its two biggest connected universes: the MCU and the DCEU, the latter being in the middle of a major rebrand. After many failures in the DCEU, Warner Bros. is now preparing the DC Universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran in the lead. The plan for the DCEU is for it to feature a continuity and story across live-action movies, TV projects, animation, and video games, thus covering more than the MCU does so far.

The DC Universe will be divided into chapters, the first one being “Gods and Monsters”, and will kick off in 2025 with the movie Superman: Legacy. So far, among the titles already announced as part of “Gods and Monsters” is an animated TV project (Creature Commandos), but there aren’t any animated movies on the list yet. However, James Gunn has shared on social media that animated films from the DC Universe will be released theatrically, which proves that DC is finally using its biggest advantage and strength over the MCU: animated movies of its most popular characters.

DC Does Animated Movies Better Than Marvel

Although DC has obviously had its not-so-great animated movies, most of them have been a success with both critics and viewers, giving DC a reputation for making outstanding animated movies. While Marvel has also given the animated movie treatment to its most popular characters, DC is generally held in higher regard than Marvel when it comes to animated movies. Among DC’s best animated movies are Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, one of the darkest DC stories ever; Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, set within the world of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series; Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which used the multiverse to its advantage; and Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 and 2, one of the most iconic Batman stories ever.

DC knows how to bring the darkness and suspense of its best comic book stories to life in animated format and has been very loyal to the source material, which has earned it the praise and respect of fans. Although Marvel also has good animated movies like Planet Hulk and Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, none of its animated features has truly stood out, and they certainly haven’t overshadowed DC’s animated projects. Marvel has recently enjoyed success in the world of animation thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but DC has excelled in animation for years now, and the inclusion of these in the DC Universe gives this new era the upper hand over the MCU.

Animated Movies Being Part Of The DCU Is A Superhero Franchise First

All DC animated movies so far haven’t been part of DC’s franchises and connected universes, as the DCEU was all about live-action adventures, and neither has the MCU made canon animated movies yet. Although they follow Miles Morales’ Spider-Man throughout the multiverse, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse aren’t part of the MCU nor Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, instead living in a universe completely separate from these. The DCEU had no animated movies, so the DC Universe will be marking a superhero franchise first by not only making canon animated movies set in the same continuity as live-action movies and TV shows, but by releasing them theatrically as well.

James Gunn's DC Casting Promise Makes Animated DC Movies More Exciting

The more that is revealed about the DC Universe, the more exciting it becomes, and the bigger chances it has to finally beat the MCU – or, at least, be at its same level in terms of critical and box office success. In addition to its animated movies being released theatrically, thus giving them the same importance as live-action movies, James Gunn has already promised that characters in animated projects will be portrayed by the same actors from their live-action versions. As mentioned above, so far there’s only one animated project in development, the TV series Creature Commandos, which will feature characters not before seen in the DCEU, so Gunn’s promise won’t be fulfilled for now.

By bringing back the actors from live-action to voice their characters in animation, the DC Universe will truly make all of its projects feel interconnected, with the potential of building a universe even bigger and more cohesive than the MCU. It was about time DC seized its biggest strength to boost its own connected universe, so now it’s only a matter of waiting for animated movies in the DC Universe to be officially announced.