12 Best Animated Superhero TV Shows Of All Time

Was there ever any doubt?

A triumph in every way imaginable, Batman: The Animated Series caused a seismic shift when it hit screens back in 1992, proving to critics that both the superhero genre and the animation medium was capable of adopting mature narratives and employing long-form storytelling in order to explore them. And, in the process, it gifted the comic book character with some original inventions that have since taken on a life of their own - such as Harley Quinn and Mr. Freeze's tragic backstory.

A dark, reimagining of The Caped Crusader, it was inspired by the classic Tim Burton films and utilised the best of them in order to create something that very much stands apart as its own entity. The incredible animation style of Paul Dini melded well both the overall presentation and the strong writing in order to produce an unusual art deco aesthetic the likes of which had never been seen before. That, coupled with the goosebump-inducing performances of Kevin Conroy's Batman, Mark Hamill's Joker and so many others in the extraordinary voice cast carried this unique show to greatness.

Not just the best of the superhero genre, but perhaps the best animated TV show of all time, Batman: The Animated Series transcended genres, mediums and limitations to tell multiple highly complex and engaging stories that would stand up against the best that any live-action show could offer.

The benchmark for shows of its kind, it is quite literally the stuff of legend.

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What's your favourite animated superhero TV show? For more, check out our list of the 25 greatest live-action superhero shows of all time.