Marvel and DC Comics have both cultivated a shared universe fantasy between series. This web of continuity entangles young minds, who come to see comics not just as pulp adventures, but as gateways to an entirely different world whose history they could study and master. Then superheroes took over 21st century Hollywood by importing the same storytelling model. But the first major superhero movie universe debuted on the small screen, not the silver. Yes, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). An interconnected cartoon series with overlapping cast and crew, the DCAU ran for 14 years from 1992 to 2006.

That long run would not be possible without the people who made these cartoons. The first DCAU cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series, was co-created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomsky. Tim's signature art style (like Jack Kirby meets pin-up girl posters) has become a DCAU standard. Other important artists who helped steer the DCAU from series to series include writers/producers Alan Barnett, Paul Dini (co-creator of Harley Quinn with Tim)and Dwayne McDuffie, director Dan Riba and voice director Andrea Romano. Romano in particular provided the DCAU's most famous voices, from Kevin Conroy as Batman to Mark Hamill as Jokerand forced those character-defining performances out of them.

These everything kids shows, so most DCAU episodes are simple stuff you can watch without any context. But with Justice League Unlimited, they've been building on the canon they've created, with serialized stories that draw from past events, big and small, in previous shows. So Justice League Unlimited is best enjoyed if you have prior knowledge of the DCAU - but how are you supposed to get that?

Discounting the spin-off films (which include "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm," "Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero," "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" and "Batman: Mystery of Batwoman"), here's the DCAU after order of release:

1. "Batman: The Animated Series" — follows the adventures of Batman as he faces the superstitious and cowardly villains of Gotham City. The series is known for its Gothic backdrop and Fleischer Studios-inspired animation, which is less stark and more expressive than subsequent DCAU shows.
2. "Superman: The Animated Series" - basically Tim and co. doing for Superman what they had previously done for Batman. Superman: The Animated Series is best remembered for Clancy Brown's performance as Lex Luthor. It is also where the more refined art style used in later DCAU projects was introduced.
3. "Batman: The Animated Series" — The sequel to "Batman: The Animated Series," complete with an updated art style and character design. Several crossovers with "Superman" officially created the DCAU.
4. "Batman Beyond" - Set 40 years in the future, an aging Bruce Wayne mentors the new Batman, teenage Terry McGuinness, in cyberpunk Gotham City.
5. "Static Shock" — Black teenager Virgil Hawkins gains electromagnetic powers when a mutagenic gas is dispersed throughout his hometown of Dakota City. McDuffie, one of the original creators of Static's comics, was involved in the series and it was his gateway to more work on the DCAU.
6. "The Zeta Project" — spin-off of "Batman Beyond" in which the android Zeta tries to find his creator while on the run from the NSA. Overall, a futuristic riff on The Fugitive (and not the only animated one out there).
7. "Justice League" — Team Up builds on past Batman/Superman crossovers and brings together DC's biggest heroes in one show. Uniquely, each episode was a two/three-parter, effectively allowing for 40-minute episodes instead of 20-minute ones.
8. "Justice League Unlimited" — a sequel to "Justice League" where the team expands from just seven heroes to several dozen. The two-part episode format was ditched for 20-minute episodes, usually highlighting one to three members of the now vast ensemble.

This is also the order in which you should watch the series, if you're feeling so complete. The answer is always release order, because that's also the simplest way and the prequels made later usually build on installments made earlier. Imagine, for example, watching the Star Wars prequels without seeing the original trilogy.

In the case of the DCAU, the season 2 finale of Justice League Unlimited — "Epilogue" — is more or less a "Batman Beyond" episode. If you haven't seen Batman Beyond, you won't get anything out of that episode. Even if you watch Justice League first, save the Epilogue for after you finish Batman Beyond.

If you insist on watching the DCAU in chronological order:

1. "Batman: The Animated Series"
2. "Superman: The Animated Series"
3. "The New Adventures of Batman"
4. "Static Shock"
5. "Justice League"
6. "Justice League Unlimited"
7. "Batman Beyond"
8. "The Zeta Project"

The Zeta Project is the least essential show of the DCAU. It's not actually based on a pre-existing DC comic, which makes it an aberration compared to the others, and it ends frustratingly on a cliffhanger. There's a crossover episode in Batman Beyond Season 3 titled "Countdown," but Zeta's Batman Beyond debut alone will fill you in.

Static Shock also feels more saturated than the others, as it wasn't originally intended to be part of the DCAU. It didn't until the season two premiere, The Major Leagues, turned into a Batman crossover. Static Shock subsequently had several other crossovers with the DCAU:

1. Static Shock Season 3 premieres "Hard A Nails", where Static visits Gotham and battles Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn with Batman.
2. A League of Their Own, a two-parter in the third season of Static Shock that crosses over with Justice League. Static is called in to help with some technical problems at the League's satellite base, Watchtower, and ends up rescuing the adult heroes from Brainiac.
3. "Toys in the Hood," featuring Superman. ("Superman: The Animated Series" had ended by this point, but the Man of Steel himself was part of "Justice League.")
4. "Future Shock", a "Batman Beyond" crossover where Static is sent to the future.
5. "Fallen Hero", where Static teams up with Green Lantern to fight Sinestro.
6. "The Once and Future Thing," the season 1 finale of Justice League Unlimited. It's a crossover with both Static Shock and Batman Beyond, as Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern travel to the future, where they encounter Terry McGuinness and a now middle-aged Static.

As you can tell, the Static Shock crossovers were mostly one-way; Teenage Virgil never appeared in Justice League. Basically, the core DCAU experience is: Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. Watch them at the right age, and I promise you'll be a superhero fan for life.