2017 marked the first time that the Justice League was brought to the big screen with its own self-titled movie. The magic was repeated for the sake of Zack Snyder's Director's Cut released exclusively on HBO Max earlier this year, but for many fans, it is unlikely that this was the first time they saw the Justice League on any sort of screen.
About 15 years earlier, the DCAU beat the DCEU to the punch with two animated series: Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. There were many aspects to the DCEU movie that made audiences feel nostalgia for their favorite DCAU animated shows.
10 The Time Traveling
The end of Zack Snyder's Justice League sees The Flash go back in time to reverse an outcome where Steppenwolf and Darkseid's side win and destroy the planet.
Time travel is perhaps the most common recurring trope in comic book history, so much so that the animated series committed to the idea as well. Only, the animated series did so in a more elaborate mechanism, taking the League in the past and the future in the "Once and Future Thing" two-parter when the villainous David Clinton (aka Chronos) builds a time machine.
9 Batman & Wonder Woman Bonding
In both the original theatrical cut and the Director's Cut of Justice League, Batman and Wonder Woman have a tight-knit friendship. It all started in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice where their bond quickly grew out of mutual respect and that respect carried over into Justice League, where Bruce treats her like an equal and a co-captain of the team.
That dynamic is very much present between Batman and Wonder Woman throughout the animated series, albeit with a little bit more romantic tension. Granted, it's mostly just Wonder Woman flirting with Batman and the latter never taking a hint, but the mutual respect is still very much there.
8 Martian Manhunter's Appearance
For a lot of fans who grew up with the Justice League animated series, seeing the Martian Manhunter appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League must have brought up a lot of nostalgic memories for them. After all, a good argument can be made for his animated rendering being the most popular and well-known interpretation of the Martian Manhunter. Yes, even more famous than his comic version.
In that scenario, seeing Martian Manhunter make his DCEU debut instantly reminded fans of his DCAU version of the character.
7 Superman Returns From The Dead To Save The Day
To be fair, these two instances share similar scenarios because both are more or less adapted from the Death of Superman storyline from the comics. Like in the comics, the movie sees Superman killed off after a fatal encounter with Darkseid. Batman and the rest of the League conspire to bring him back to life and miraculously succeed. He then returns in the knick of time to help the JLA stop Steppenwolf.
Similarly in the animated series, Superman is seemingly killed by Toyman of all people in the "Hereafter" two-parter, only rather than dying, he's actually transported thousands of years into the future. When he returns back to the past, he arrives in the knick of time to save his teammates from certain doom.
6 Superman & Batman's Bromance
In the Snyderverse, these two came a long way from trying to kill each other in Dawn of Justice. In Justice League, they develop something of a fast bromance where after setting aside their differences, they finally understand how much not only the world needs each of them respectively, but how they need each other.
They have a similar bromance in the animated series. Superman practically plays the eager older brother to Batman's brooding, easily annoyed but still loving little brother.
5 The Whole League Vs. One Leaguer
It is certainly rare to see members of the League fighting off each other and even rarer to see one member take on the whole team by themselves. Though, like most things in both the DCAU and DCEU, it is not impossible. Fans certainly saw this happen when Superman went on a rampage in Justice League and had to take on Cyborg, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Batman all by himself.
A reverse scenario happens in the episode "Eclipsed." Rather than a single Leaguer going berserk, everyone except The Flash goes berserk when the team gets possessed.
4 The Flash's Crush On Wonder Woman
Every now and again, The Flash tends to flirt or make witty, romantic remarks at Wonder Woman in the animated series. Granted, since he's depicted as a playboy, he flirts with every woman on the show, but he does so with Wonder Woman almost as soon as they meet. "Dibs on the Amazon," is one of Flash's first lines uttered to Wonder Woman.
This relationship carries over to an extent in both versions of the cinematic Justice League. Ezra Miller's depiction of The Flash is far from a playboy, but even as an awkward, shy guy, Flash clearly had a crush on Wonder Woman.
3 Dr. Destiny Gave The League Nightmares Before Knightmare
One of the more memorable aspects of Zack Snyder's Justice League was an epilogue featuring another nightmare vision—better coined as Knightmare—from Bruce Wayne where he dreams of a future where himself, heroes, and villains are forced to work together when Superman becomes a threat to humanity.
Knightmare wasn't the first time that the League caught a glimpse of their deepest horrors. "Only a Dream," the two-part season one finale, saw Dr. Destiny force every member of the JLA into a nightmare of their own, including one where Superman has become a threat to humanity when he loses control of his powers.
2 Villains & Heroes Fight A Common Enemy
The Knightmare sequence saw the Justice League begrudgingly team up with the likes of Deathstroke and The Joker in hopes of defeating a common enemy.
In the epilogue to Zack Snyder's Justice League, that common enemy was Superman, but in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Alive," the common enemy is Darkseid. To defeat this enemy, the Justice League not only conspire with villains, but a horde of villains in the form of the Legion of Doom led by Lex Luthor.
1 The Flash Saves The Day
As unexpected as it was to see the bad guys win at the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League, it was even more surprising to see The Flash of all people save the world by using the Speed Force to rewind back time.
This isn't the first time that The Flash suddenly emerged as the unlikely hero to save everyone in the end. The season two finale of Justice League Unlimited, titled "Divided We Fall," saw Brainiac and Lex Luthor become one and throwing the world into peril. No one in the JLA was a match for this new being until Flash ran faster than he ever ran before, using every ounce of Speed Force to break away Luthor's Brainiac armor. It nearly killed him, but The Flash beat the villain that no one else could.
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