Top 10 Most Violent Moments in the DC Animated Universe
#10: Grudge Match
“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06) The entrepreneur Roulette is known for running a metahuman fight ring. But when it stops turning profits, she decides that an all-women roster might draw in the crowds. “MetaBrawl” effectively becomes “Glamour Slam,” a tournament consisting of mind-controlled female superheroes. The main event pits Black Canary and Huntress against Vixen and Hawkgirl in a death match. Although the heroines overcome their mind control, they then face the star attraction: Wonder Woman. But even these four beautiful bruisers don’t stand a chance. The Amazonian princess easily defeats them and gets shockingly close to smashing their heads in. Roulette hopefully got her money’s worth, because this was a gladiatorial match for the ages.
#9: Joker Pushes Harley Out a Window
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“The New Batman Adventures” (1997-99) Everybody knows the Joker’s sidekick will do anything for her “Mistah J.” No matter how badly Harley’s treated, she’ll always fall prey to his manipulations and mistreatment. And the episode “Mad Love” is a prime example of this. When Joker becomes too busy planning Batman’s demise, Harley takes it upon herself to do it for him. But things don’t go as expected when the Joker horrifically beats and berates her for trying to kill his arch nemesis. This scene feels chillingly realistic as Harley meekly defends herself while trying to calm him down. The Joker then repays her act of love by pushing her out a window. Sure, Harley Quinn may be a criminal, but even she doesn’t deserve this.
#8: Tala’s Death
“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06) It’s no surprise that Lex Luthor is responsible for one of the DCAU’s most sinister acts. When the villain prepares to reassemble Brainiac, he uses the sorceress Tala to power the resurrection process. The only caveat is that Tala would die in the process, not that Luthor cares. Even as Tala begs for her life, he activates his machine, making her endure excruciating pain. The guttural screams we hear as she’s being electrocuted are surprisingly haunting. But for better or worse, Tala does get revenge by instead resurrecting a vengeful Darkseid. Hell hath no fury like a villainess scorned.
#7: Terry vs. Bullwhip’s Gang
“Batman Beyond” (1999-2001) Superhero cartoons have limits to the amount of violence they can show. But “Batman Beyond’s” animators came up with a creative way to push the limits of censorship. When Terry McGinnis battles the April Moon Gang, he’s free to cut loose on his cybernetic foes. He electrocutes their leader Bullwhip and runs Terrapin’s head into a wall. The most grotesque defeat, however, is probably the one where Kneejerk’s arms and legs come apart. If not for the gang’s enhancements, things probably would’ve been a whole lot messier. There may not be any guts and gore, but the body horror is still pretty aggressive.
#6: Galatea’s Shocking Fate
“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06) The Justice League overcomes anything that comes their way, but sometimes their victories can look ugly. When the evil Galatea is unleashed on the League, she comes dangerously close to destroying the Watchtower. The only one left standing in her way is the hero she was cloned from: Supergirl. Their fight is violent enough on its own, with Galatea ruthlessly beating Kara. But the fight comes to an end when Supergirl electrocutes her foe with a power coupling. Galatea would’ve gone down after a few seconds, but Kara really takes the time to fry her. The last we see of Galatea is catatonic and barely recognizable. Supergirl may have a more sadistic edge than we thought.
#5: Clayface’s Transformation
“Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-95) Many Batman villains are known for having painful origins behind their disfigurements. Joker fell into a vat of chemicals, and Two-Face was caught in an explosion, but none had it as bad as Clayface. When the actor Matt Hagen is scarred in a car accident, he starts using a restorative chemical called “Renuyu,” courtesy of the corrupt Roland Daggett. Hagen however is caught by Daggett’s thugs after he tries to steal more of the compound. As punishment for his attempted theft, they pour a huge container of Renuyu right down his throat. The silhouette of Hagen writhing in pain is arguably a more disturbing sight than Clayface himself. At least he can say he got what he wanted.
#4: Captain Marvel vs. Superman
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“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06) You’d think these two would get along easily. After all, they’re the Justice League’s boy scouts with hearts of gold. But even Superman has his breaking point. When the Man of Steel spots a suspicious device beneath the city, Lex Luthor tries to explain that it’s merely a power generator. Captain Marvel tries to act as a mediator, but to no one’s surprise, a fight ensues between the two heroes. The initial blows create shockwaves that collapse entire buildings. And Superman only gets more brutal the longer it goes on. At one point, he even uses a bank vault to bash Marvel into the ground. The only time Billy Batson comes close to winning is when he electrocutes the Kryptonian with his famous phrase.
#3: Clayface Absorbs Annie
“The New Batman Adventures” (1997-99) Tim Drake has suffered a lot during his time as the Boy Wonder. From the death of his father, to his torture by Joker, it’s surprising he’s endured this much at a young age. And one traumatic moment involved the death of a young girl named Annie. When Robin first meets her, she’s lost her memory and is set on discovering her origin. Together they find out that she’s actually a sentient piece of Clayface. And unfortunately, the villain is looking to become whole again. Despite Robin’s best efforts, Clayface finds Annie and kills her through absorption. The idea of someone slowly disappearing into Clayface’s body is already frightening. But when you make the victim an innocent child, then that’s nightmare fuel.
#2: Darkseid Kills Dan Turpin
“Superman: The Animated Series” (1996-2000) As leader of the Special Crimes Unit, Dan Turpin worked with Superman to foil their city’s villains. His greatest moment comes when he inspires the citizens of Metropolis to fight back against Darkseid. Despite being sorely outgunned, Turpin frees Superman from Darkseid’s captivity and helps save the Earth. However, Darkseid couldn’t retreat without a parting gift. As Darkseid and his army flee, he disintegrates Turpin with his Omega Beams, proving that a fight with him always comes at a cost. The blast from Darkseid instantly causes Turpin to explode into dust. The fact that Turpin served as an homage to the late comic artist Jack Kirby makes this death as shocking as it is sad.
#1: The “Death” of Barbara Gordon
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“The New Batman Adventures” (1997-99) We know that this episode was mostly just a dream, but this death hits hard nonetheless. When Scarecrow attacks Gotham City Hall, the Bat-family assembles to stop him. But Batgirl becomes separated from the dynamic duo and decides to go after the villain herself. She then pays the ultimate price when Scarecrow knocks her off a skyscraper. We’re then shown Jim Gordon’s point of view as he watches Barbara land on the hood of his police car. The crash is sudden and intense. And her tumble onto the pavement is eerily realistic. This death is what finally pushes Gordon to the edge. And after seeing his daughter tremble and struggle to breathe moments before dying, we understand why.