Summary
The Tomorrowverse was the latest attempt at aDC animated movie universe, with some films pulling off the concept better than others.The most recent cartoon cinematic continuity for DC Comics began with the release ofSuperman: Man of Tomorrowin 2020, showing off a daring new art style and voice cast after the conclusion of the beloved DCAMU. While theTomorrowverse improved on the DCAMUin many ways, it’s final filmography ends up being somewhat uneven.
With the release ofJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three,the series has officially come to a close after only four short years.Ending with a grand total of only 10 feature-length films, the Tomorrowverse had fewer opportunities to demonstrate what it was capable of. By theending ofJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three, the series had both highly-rated hits and painful critical missteps.
10 Most Rewatchable DC Movies, Ranked
DC has had many hits on film, from standalone movies to installments of the DCEU, with some movies being more rewatchable than others.
The most recent and final entry in the Tomorrowverse,Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Threehas had a somewhat unfavorable reputation. That’s not to say that the epic conclusion of the animated adaptation of the famous crossover comic of the same name doesn’t have anything worth watching.The film relatively neatly tied together an unwieldy, expansive story,not to mention the long-awaited final performance ofKevin Conroy as Batman.
However,Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Threemanaged to besmirch not only its own animated legacy, but those of other continuities. The film features a controversial sequence in whichhighly-celebrated animated continuities, like the originalTeen Titansseries and the DCSuper-Friendscartoon, are erased from the multiverse entirely.Between this disrespect of other franchises and the film’s own lackluster conclusion to the Tomorrowverse, the final installment of the series was something of a dud.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Threemarks Mark Hamill’s last performance as the Joker, following the death of Kevin Conroy.
Similarly to the ill-fated live-actionGreen Lanternfilm starring Ryan Reynolds,this interpretation of the verdant vigilante wasn’t met with much critical success.Starring John Stewart as the main Green Lantern of the Tomorrowverse,Green Lantern: Beware My Powertells the incarnation of the hero’s origin story while propelling him into a dangerous galaxy-spanning conflict. Along the way, he meets the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, who has become corrupted by the influence of the Yellow Rings.
For a multitude of reasons,Green Lantern: Beware My Powerwasn’t well-received by Tomorrowverse fans.
For a multitude of reasons,Green Lantern: Beware My Powerwasn’t well-received by Tomorrowverse fans. Like many Tomorrowverse movies,the film introduced far too many characters far too quickly,and didn’t provide enough time to satisfyingly explore John Stewart’s backstory, overshadowing him with the appearance of the more popular Hal Jordan. That being said, the movie at least has a few entertaining fights which put it above the level ofJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three.
The first genuineanimated Justice League movieto be featured in the Tomorrowverse,Justice League: Warworldtook an interesting approach to finally joining the famous “Big Three” of DC’s premiere superhero team. Here, the trifecta of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are brought together on the titular Warworld, an artifical planet that traps the League’s members in a dizzying alternate reality. The three heroes go on various adventures in vastly different settings before coming together to escape the Warworld.
By all accounts,Justice League: Warworldshould be a massive event film as the first genuine Justice League movie in the Tomorrowverse, butlacks the urgency or sense of weight for such an occasion.Having the Justice League spend the majority of their first true team-up movie separated in a patchwork anthology movie was a disappointing direction to go in. Still,Justice League: Warworldhas a few interesting segments that are worth at least watching in a vacuum.
Another major team-up movie,Legion of Super Heroesalso serves as something of a solo film for Supergirl, who morphs into a last-minute flagship character for the Tomorrowverse. Here, a young,frustrated Supergirl is sent far into the future to learn the art of heroismfrom the titular Legion of Super-Heroes. Along the way, she faces the sinister criminal organization the Dark Circle and slowly falls in love with her fellow Legion candidate, Brainiac 5.
Legion of Super-Heroesis closer to a stock-standard superhero film than an outright poor showing for the Tomorrowverse, with no especially glaring issues.Supergirl and Brainiac 5’s chemistry is believable enough, and the dynamic of the entire team is enjoyable to watch unfold.However, the film’s action setpieces are severely lacking, and the forgettable villains pile on to the sensory overload of character introductions typical to the Tomorrowverse.
Justice Society: World War II
Cast
Justice Society: World War II is an animated feature where the Flash travels back in time to World War II. He collaborates with Wonder Woman and the covert group Justice Society of America, highlighting the superhero dynamic against the backdrop of global conflict.
At first glance, it may seem strange for the Tomorrowverse to have planned a Justice Society movie before a serious Justice League team-up film. But the pulp charm ofJustice Society: World War II’s period action more than makes up for its odd place in the series' chronology.When The Flash accidentally channels the Speedforce and winds up in an alternate version of the 1940s, he joins forces with the ancient Justice Society to do battle with the Nazis.
Following The Flash as a viewpoint character,Justice Society: World War IIhas a great emotional center to anchor its over-the-top war sequences and eye-popping superhero fights. It may have been a little lazy for the film to find excuses to regurgitate present-day Justice League members into the past instead of using more historical characters, but it doesn’t overly distract from the enjoyable adventure romp. Doing a better job balancing its stacked cast than other team-up films,Justice Society: World War IIis a modest bright spot in the Tomorrowverse.
At this point, the quality of the Tomorrowverse films becomes high enough to make distinguishing the best entries from one another truly difficult. Directly proceedingBatman: The Long Halloween - Part One,the Caped Crusader’s second solo appearance in the cinematic universe nearly eclipses the original.Batman: The Long Halloween - Part Twopicks up right where the first part left off, continuing Batman’s desperate attempts to solve the elusive Holiday killer.
The excellent dialogue of this reprise for the Tomorrowverse’s Bruce Wayne is a great showcase for the talents ofJensen Ackles as Batman, delivering his lines in a smooth timbre in both identities.The payoff to Batman finally figuring out the killer’s true identity is perhaps one of the most compelling scenes in the entire Tomorrowverse.If there’s one thing that holds the second part of the duology back, it’s the overwhelming number of characters and plotlines to keep track of, which utterly fail to hold their own without the first film’s context.
Kicking off theCrisis on Infinite Earthstrilogy,Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Oneis able to establish the famously confusing cross-over event with shocking clarity. Once again, Barry Allen’sThe Flash is used to navigate the true introduction of paralell Earths into the Tomorrowverse,setting up the crisis to come. Standout plotlines include Amazo’s villain-to-hero arc, Barry and Iris' relationship, and the tragic death of Brainiac 5.
There’s a lot of great moments of payoff toJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One.From the Tomorrowverse’s Batman meeting a grown version of the Bat-family to Barry finally reuniting with the Justice Society,the film is able to substantiate long-running questions while setting up new mysteries,such as the identity of the mysterious hobo that sends The Flash down the right track. That being said, the film is undeniably meandering, struggling to land on a consistent throughline conflict to drive the plot.
WhereasJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Onehad some awkward stumbling blocks to overcome in the genesis of the famously-convoluted comic adaptation, the second part was able to run away with the story. In the wake of Supergirl’s appearance as Harbinger,Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Twoexplains how Kara came to be in such a position while introducing the threat of the anti-matter waves in the present.As the crisis unfolds, it’s hard to predict where the film will go next.
Despite the fact that it has to split its focus across so many heroes,the sequel film manages to provide enough intrigue for each character,no matter how minor of an appearance they have. Psycho Pirate’s extended backstory and the part he plays in the crisis as the Anti-Monitor’s pawn is a surprising standout. While theEaster Eggs ofJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Twomay be numerous, there’s still a satisfying core underneath, even if it is difficult to keep track of at times.
2020
Superman: Man of Tomorrow
Superman: Man of Tomorrow explores the early career of Clark Kent as an intern at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. As he uses his alien powers to fight for justice alongside Lois Lane, Clark faces emerging threats that challenge his heroic ideals.
The film that kicked off the Tomorrowverse and gave it its name,Superman: Man of Tomorrowis surprisingly high up on the totem pole ofSuperman-centric animated movies.The film tells the iconic origin story of Superman, pitting him up against the likes of the foul-mouthed alien bounty hunter Lobo,as well as the dangerous, monster-like threat, Parasite. A smash hit on release,Superman: Man of Tomorrowwas popular enough to kickstart its own animated universe for a good reason.
The Tomorrowverse’s debut film debuted the series' striking art style, doing so perhaps better than any other film in the franchise since.The stellar voice cast makes rare Superman team-ups like Lex Luthor, Lobo, and Martian Manhunter worth watchingwithout overloading the viewer with new characters, as the later Tomorrowverse films were wont to do. While the series had still yet to definitvely establish its identity,Superman: Man of Tomorrowwas an almost unfairly strong start to the franchise.
As great as Superman’s first solo film in the Tomorrowverse was, it’s safe to say that the Man of Steel was utterly outdone byBatman: The Long Halloween - Part One.Adapting the Batman comic run of the same name,the film oversaw a pre-established Batman taking on one of the most grueling cases of his life,tracking a series of high-profile murders that all seemed to fall on arbitrary holidays. It’s up to Batman to uncover the killer’s motive on his own while minimizing the escalating damage of the crimes.
Making the story a two-parter gaveBatman: The Long Halloween - Part Onetime to breathe, pace itself
Letting Batman actually do some real detective work was a stroke of genius on behalf of the Tomorrowverse,drenching the dark tone of the story with unique art that evoked the original comic. Making the story a two-parter gaveBatman: The Long Halloween - Part Onetime to breathe, pace itself, and fully examine its mysteries, letting Batman and the audience chew over the possibilities of the Holiday killer’s idenitity. One of the best animated Batman films period,Batman: The Long Halloween - Part Oneis the clear crowning jewel of theTomorrowverse.
