10 Reasons Why The Justice League Cartoon Is Better Than The Film

Wait, you're telling me this Batman DOESN'T use guns? How absurd!

by Ewan Paterson
Warner Bros.

2017 might have heralded the live-action debut of the Justice League, but the group's earlier, more animated appearances are something every fan should cherish.

Released as a part of the DC Animated Universe and as a follow-up to both Batman: The Animated Series and its Superman counterpart, Justice League (later Justice League Unlimited), was the comic book adaptation fans had always wanted. Spearheaded by the likes of Bruce Timm, Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Dini, the show reiterated that mature storytelling - much like BTAS - could be a staple on kid's television. It was smart, dark, entertaining, and provided the defining image of DC's premier team a decade before Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot would take to the screens as Batman and Wonder Woman respectively.

And yet, it's been largely overlooked since.

Cancelled in 2006 and never heard from again, the series has developed a major cult following and one that's managed to mobilise itself within the past week as talk of a potential film reunion has hotted up. Indeed, it's a testament to the series' timelessness that it still endears people today, and while yes, there are plenty of people out there content with the DCEU, it's equally fair to say that Justice League - the 2001 version at least - is a superior product.

Also, Kevin Conroy is a better Batman. Just saying.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.