The battle of good vs. evil is a tale as old as time, but the Justice League films keep managing to reinvent new and interesting storylines. Based on comic books by DC Comics, the movies, across animation and live-action, showcase plot lines that involve a range of elements. From time travel to the supernatural to family drama, there’s a great mix of everything in these films but the one thing they all have in common is that a band of superheroes comes together to fight a supervillain(or a team of villains) and they ultimately emerge victorious, though the victories may come at a high cost. There is something comforting about enjoying the action as it happens, but knowing that all will be right with the world in the end. While the franchise is most widely recognized these days for its live-action films, the animated Justice League movies have proven themselves to be just as good if not better than their counterparts. The animated side of the franchise is set to expand this year with the release of Justice League: Warworld. With that in mind, the following article will explain how to watch the Justice League animated films in order, both by release date and chronologically. But first, watch the trailer for Justice League: Warworld here.
Justice League Animated Movies in Order of Release Date
For those of you interested in watching the animated Justice League films in order of their release date, take a look at this list:
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Justice League: Doom (2012)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)
Justice League: War (2014)
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
Justice League Dark (2017)
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
Injustice (2021)
The Standalone Justice League Animated Movies in Chronological Order
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
The very first animated Justice League movie, this Emmy-nominated film was adapted from the limited series DC: The New Frontier. It was first broadcast on Cartoon Network and shows the origins of the Justice League. While it is a standalone feature, it makes sense to start off any Justice League animated movie binge with The New Frontier, as it deftly introduces the world with a self-contained plot. And again, it was the first.
The film begins with individual superheroes being inspired to join forces to fight against an entity called “The Centre”. The Centre has a deep connection to the Earth and has seen all the major events throughout history. Because of man’s proclivity for violence and war, The Centre decides that they must be destroyed. The moral judgment of mankind and our failures is a mature theme considering it is an animated film. The New Frontier features a massive cast of characters including Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Adam Strange, the Blackhawks, and the Challengers of the Unknown. Behind the scenes, the voice cast is equally star-studded, featuring the likes of Lucy Lawless, Jeremy Sisto, Kyle MacLachlan, David Boreanaz, Miguel Ferrer, Neil Patrick Harris, and Lex Lang. The superheroes band together in order to defeat a common enemy, and it is no surprise that good defeats evil in the end.
JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)
The Justice League return in the animated feature JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time. The plot revolves around the villain Lex Luthor (Fred Tatasciore) and his Legion of Doom and how the Justice League stops their evil plan. The plan in question is to create new islands where they can rule by causing a gigantic change in sea level. Before they can do this, the Justice League destroys the satellites that the Legion of Doom wanted to use to expand the polar ice caps. The supervillain Captain Cold (Corey Burton) causes one of the satellites to fall and trap Luthor in ice. Everyone believes him to be dead…that is until we go forward in time to the 31st century, when he is accidentally released!
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
This 2015 film also features an alternate Earth, with a version of Superman (Benjamin Bratt) who is the son of the world-conquering General Zod, a Batman (Michael C. Hall) who is a vampire-like creature, and a Wonder Woman (Tamara Taylor) who is a warrior from New Genesis. These versions are violent and dark, but they are forced into a corner when a mysterious enemy frames them for a series of murders. With a world unlike any other, Justice League: Gods and Monsters is a refreshingly unique story within the franchise.
Injustice
Yet another dark world, but one where the line between heroes and villains gets practically erased. Injustice is based on the video game series of the same name and shows a world where Superman (Justin Hartley) is pushed beyond the edge after a devastating attack by the Joker (Kevin Pollak). Now taking an absolute view of justice, Superman sets out to remake the world, with the superhero community and the Justice League split between his supporters and the rebels led by Batman (Anson Mount).
The Crisis on Two Earths/Doom Continuity
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
If interdimensional travel piques your interest then check out Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. It takes place in a parallel universe where two notorious villains, Lex Luthor (Chris Noth) and the Joker (James Patrick Stuart), play the heroes, and the Justice League takes on the role of the villains. The plot begins in the alternate reality and then moves to the Earth of the regular Justice League. Worlds collide and confusion ensues as the roles of good and evil are flipped. This is an intriguing idea, showing that everyone has the capacity to be a hero or a villain, and it is a matter of both circumstances and choices that make us who we are.
Justice League: Doom (2012)
A standalone sequel to Crisis on Two Earths, Justice League: Doom follows the supervillain Vandal Savage’s (Phil Morris) attempts to wipe out two-thirds of the Earth’s population. He creates the Legion of Doom, a collection of supervillains, who attempt to carry out his plan. In order to make sure nobody stands in their way, Vandal Savage hires Mirror Master (Alexis Denisof) to steal plans from Batman’s computer, which explain how to incapacitate each member of the Justice League in case they ever turn evil. When these plans are used against Superman (Tim Daly), Martian Manhunter (Carl Lumbly), Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and the Flash (Michael Rosenbaum), Batman must save the day and rescue them, stopping the Legion of Doom at the same time.
The DCAMU Justice League Movies in Chronological Order
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
The movie that created the DC Animated Movie Universe, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is more about the Flash (Justin Chambers) than the League, and you’ll recognize the similarity to The Flash (2023) since they’re both based on the same source material. The story is kicked off by the Flash finding himself in a world drastically different from the one he knows. On the one hand, his mother is alive. On the other hand, the world is on the brink of a devastating war between the Amazons and Atlantis.
Justice League: War (2014)
Justice League: War is an animated film that tells the story of an alien invasion of Earth by “New God”, Darkseid (Steve Blum). The opening of the film shows Batman (Jason O’Mara) being implicated in different abductions throughout Gotham. After being attacked by a Parademon (Dee Bradley Baker), Batman and Green Lantern (Justin Kirk) team up. The rest of the Justice League forms in order to combat the alien invasion and save the Earth.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
In the film Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, a half-Atlantean prince, Arthur Curry (Matt Lanter), and the Justice League form an alliance to stop a war between humans and the Atlanteans. Ocean Master/Orm (Sam Witwer), who is a supervillain and the half-brother of Arthur, is the mastermind behind starting the war. Ocean Master holds a grudge against the Justice League believing they are responsible for his father’s death. Arthur Curry goes on to become the superhero Aquaman.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
Take two superhero teams, put them together, and you get one awesome movie. The superheroes we are referring to are the Justice League and Teen Titans. They are brought together because of the demon Trigon (Jon Bernthal) sending a demonic corruptor to Earth. Batman’s son, Damian Wayne (Stuart Allan), takes charge of defeating it, but acts irresponsibly and is sent to join the Teen Titans. Trigon’s daughter, Raven (Taissa Farmiga), is also a Teen Titan, and together they combat their family issues in the most entertaining way.
Justice League Dark (2017)
This animated movie could be described as a mix of science fiction and fantasy. Unlike the other films on the list, this one has an original storyline that is not based on a specific issue in a comic book. It is also rated R for some disturbing violence. This violence is committed by regular people, as they think that they are killing demons. The Justice League attempt to discover what is causing this strange and disturbing behavior and believes that it is magic. Batman (Jason O’Mara) is not convinced and brings on John Constantine who deals with cases of the occult.
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
Three heroes from the 31st century, members of the Legion of Superheroes, end up in the 21st century, and a young woman who has been through some terrible trauma is chosen by a Green Lantern ring. These two events come together when a group of villains called the Fatal Five start hunting down the new Green Lantern, prompting the Justice League to team up with the time-lost Legionnaires.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the sequel to Justice League Dark, which was released a few years after the original. Many different superheroes are brought together for this film including the Justice League, Justice League Dark, Suicide Squad, and Teen Titans. Their main goal is to defeat the supervillain, Darkseid (Tony Todd) and to save the planet. Lots of battling occurs, and it also received an R rating for violence, language, and some sexual references. If you are an adult who likes superhero movies then the last two Justice League films will be up your alley. But if you are looking for something for the kids to watch, better skip over the last two films.
The Tomorrowverse Justice League Movies
Justice League: Warworld (2023)
Like the last two movies, Justice League: Warworld is also geared toward adults. It is exciting that after three years there is another Justice League movie being released on July 25. This time the plot will focus on Batman (Jensen Ackles), Wonder Woman (Stana Kanic), and Superman (Darren Criss) as they attempt to maneuver in a strange world after being kidnapped. While this is the first Justice League film in the new Tomorrowverse timeline, it’s certain to be followed by plenty more.
