Release Order (Recommended)Recommended
0 / 12 watchedBroadcast order, which is how the creators paced the crossovers and reveals.
- 1 Batman: The Animated Series 85 episodes through 1995. Use production numbering, not airdate order.
- 2 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Given a theatrical run during the series. Works anywhere in its run.
- 3 Superman: The Animated Series 54 episodes through 2000. Its Batman crossovers start in season two.
- 4 The New Batman Adventures 24 episodes, produced alongside Superman's final seasons.
- 5 Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero Direct-to-video follow-up to the 'Deep Freeze' episodes.
- 6 Batman Beyond 52 episodes through 2001, set roughly twenty years on.
- 7 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Seek out the 2002 uncut version; the 2000 release was trimmed for broadcast.
- 8 Justice League 52 episodes across two seasons, through 2004.
- 9 Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman Direct-to-video, set in the New Batman Adventures era.
- 10 Justice League Unlimited 39 episodes through 2006. The second-season finale, Epilogue, is set in Batman Beyond's future.
- 11 Batman and Harley Quinn Written by Bruce Timm, with the original voice cast.
- 12 Justice League vs. the Fatal Five The last entry in the continuity. Continues Justice League Unlimited.
Chronological Order
0 / 13 watchedBy when the story happens. Batman Beyond moves to the end and Epilogue comes after it.
- 1 Batman: The Animated Series 85 episodes.
- 2 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
- 3 Superman: The Animated Series 54 episodes, its last stretch overlapping The New Batman Adventures.
- 4 The New Batman Adventures 24 episodes, mostly concurrent with Superman's final season.
- 5 Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
- 6 Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman Placement is loose; it only needs the New Batman Adventures era established.
- 7 Justice League 52 episodes.
- 8 Batman and Harley Quinn Bruce Timm describes it as following The New Batman Adventures, so this slot is approximate.
- 9 Justice League Unlimited 39 episodes, holding back the Epilogue finale.
- 10 Justice League vs. the Fatal Five
- 11 Batman Beyond 52 episodes, set about twenty years after Justice League Unlimited.
- 12 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker The 2002 uncut version.
- 13 Justice League Unlimited: Epilogue The second-season finale, set decades after Batman Beyond. Saved for last.
About Batman Animated Universe
Kevin Conroy's Batman, Mark Hamill's Joker and one continuity running from 1992 to 2006: Batman: The Animated Series (85 episodes), Superman: The Animated Series (54), The New Batman Adventures (24), Batman Beyond (52), Justice League (52) and Justice League Unlimited (39).
The catch is that release order and story order disagree. Batman Beyond is set about twenty years after Justice League but aired in 1999. The films pin to fixed points: Mask of the Phantasm inside Batman's run, SubZero after it, Return of the Joker inside Batman Beyond.
The one episode people argue about is Epilogue, the second-season finale of Justice League Unlimited, which jumps decades forward and works best watched last.
Good to know
Batman: The Animated Series was broadcast in an order that does not match its production order, so follow the Blu-ray or DVD numbering rather than whatever a streaming platform shows. Static Shock and The Zeta Project extend the universe through crossover episodes but are optional. Batman: Caped Crusader is a separate continuity and does not belong here.
