The 26 Greatest DC Animated Shows Of All Time

While Marvel might lay claim to box office offerings, the best DC animated shows dominate the world of cartoons and animated content. In the 1990s, a major shift in tone set in, transitioning from the campy offerings of the 1960s and 1970s to a darker and more cinematic feel thanks to Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series, released in 1992. This genre-defining show, one of the best cartoons based on DC comics, introduced new characters like Poison Ivy and Harley, who transitioned over to the comics and became staples in Batman's gallery of rogues. Furthermore, Batman: The Animated Series ignited an animation revolution, spawning the DC Animated Universe of both TV and film, affectionately referred to as the "Timmverse" due to Timm's signature art style.

This created a shared universe between most of the shows DC and Warner Brothers produced between 1992 and 2006, culminating with Justice League: Unlimited, beating out Marvel's Shared Cinematic Universe by nearly a decade. Included below are the the best DC animated shows ever created, who all built upon their predecessors to continue telling the timeless DC pursuit of justice. Some even topped the list of best comic book TV shows of all time, so it goes to show that in the end, justice really does pay off.