The superhero genre is forever flexible due to the forms of media it uses to tell stories. Stories on paper will forever set the foundation for things to come. Films have expanded the popularity and power of heroes. The intermediate is animation. Several animated superhero shows have come and gone but have made a lasting impact on the genre. Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Teen Titans helped these characters jump onto the scene, gain more popularity, or served as the first introduction for many fans. Some of these versions are still considered as the defacto variation of the characters. Even Invincible has benefited from getting an animated show. All the shows mentioned above has been given new life or a spiritual successor. Due to part because these characters are so why liked. But there was an animated show that debuted in this time frame. A show that fans want the live action interpretations to gain inspiration from. That will be Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. While Batman, Superman, and Teen Titans have been given new shows, THE Superhero team has fallen by the wayside. For a team that has made a huge mark on the superhero genre and is composed of the most iconic heroes of all time, a new animated show will be a great way to honor that.
Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited premiered in the early 2000s. Of course, the lineup consisted of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman but also brought in characters like Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl that a young audience may not be familiar with. The shows told more in depth, digestible details about each character, not matter if they were known or not. The episodes had a great balance of digging into each character and showing off the worlds they belong to. And it was entertaining to see these classic heroes interacting with each other. To see their chemistry, their different forms of relationships and see Batman and Superman work side by side more often. Then that got multiplied greatly with Justice League: Unlimited. Characters that were on the cusp of being popular to deep cut characters were given a spotlight in this show. That show made room for more stories. Which made for more captivation. In a time where DC is giving a lot more unknown characters more time in the sun, it would be great for a show to pull it back to the roots to showcase the team that is a huge piece of groundwork for the brand.
Right now is great time to capitalize on animated storytelling. Marvel’s What if…?, the refreshed X-Men cartoon and Invincible, even The Boys Presents: Diabolical have all shown that great stories can be done in an animated format. But, DC doesn’t have to look at those because it already had success in animation. They just need to jump on the fact animated shows are home to perhaps the best way of telling a story. They need to throw a player in that game. Yes, they have My Adventures with Superman, Batman: Caped Crusader, and eventually Creature Commandoes. The first two shows are off to a great start each. But a new Justice League show could be a great way to house so many under one roof. Go back to that success of having classic characters work off of each other’s traits.
But mostly because the Justice League just needs a win right now. Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited were acclaimed shows. Since then though, that level of success has been sporadic at best or controversial at the least. A few animated films got the spirit of the League right, borrowing some flare from both shows. The current animated movies Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths has been holding the flame for the team. Yet, there’s a little more accessibility when it comes to shows. The League needs to get the same treatment that the X-Men did. The X-Men was a team that was forced to take a back seat because the Avengers, in the comics and films, were way too popular. The X-Men were losing their hold. But the revamped X-Men series made the X-Men the talk of the town due to the quality. It gave back the X-Men their seat at the table. The Justice League on the other has been the premier team for years. They were the ones that casted a long shadow over all the other superhero teams. But the Avengers have taken that crown and it’s still snug on their heads. Everyone knows the popularity of the Avengers, the X-Men has it back due to their refreshed show and Deadpool & Wolverine, the Fantastic 4 will have some magic back, even The Authority will get some type of respect. While one of the oldest and greatest teams of superheroes – that helped set the table for all others – is falling by the wayside. It’s a team made up of the most classic, greatest, famous, and trendsetting heroes of all time yet, their treated as a c-list team. There’s so much more for the Justice League to do. They have a great roster of heroes and villains to make all episodes amazing. They have enough villains to have one appear as the big bad for each season. And of course, with that much personality, ego, and ideas, there’s bound to be inner turmoil within the team. With that much power on one team, a few films aren’t enough to contain. And since the DC universe has expanded greatly since Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited, a new show could use that as a tool.
If a new Justice League show were to come out, it would obviously clash with the plans that Jame Gunn has set up. It would obviously be another Elseworld story among many. And will clash with a more than likely Justice League film within the revamped DCU. The fact this show will be a one of many Elseworld stories will only add to confusion and over abundance, so the show has no chance as of now. Regardless, the Justice League needs more love than what they are getting right now. So many teams and individual characters are getting a brighter spotlight than them. The Justice League may not have been the first superhero team nor the most popular right now, but still stands at the most iconic. Treatment needs to reflect that. An animated show could fill the need.
