There is something odd about the DC Animated Universe that has captivated casual and hardcore fans since the shows in the universe began airing. This particular dissonance within the universe is something that is never explained inside or outside the narrative, but sets up a Battleworld-level landscape for the stories about our beloved heroes.
A theory on the internet attempts to rationalize this narrative dissonance, given that the characters existed in a world that simultaneously had outdated technology coexisting with future tech. This ‘fractured timeline’ theory finds its basis in the episode where the Justice League had to fight Vandal Savage.
Vandal Savage’s technology ‘fractured’ the timeline
In one of the episodes of the show, Vandal Savage goes back in time to give himself the technology that would help him overthrow Adolf Hitler. This would allow him to take over the world when the technology was not as advanced. However, the Justice League finds a way to cripple Savage’s reign, but the effects of his advanced technology existing in the past would persist.
This would cause the technology of the time to evolve at a different rate than human beings, given that humans would have access to certain technologies from centuries in the future, allowing things like zeppelins and wired phones to exist alongside DNA splicers and machines strong enough to capture and contain aliens.
James Gunn can build on this in his Elseworlds
The Fractured Timeline theory not only allows any creator working in the DCAU to play around with multiple aesthetics but also creates a unique world with a period that is ever-green. James Gunn has previously managed to mix retro tech with space opera-esque aesthetics (such as in Guardians of the Galaxy films).
This is the perfect opportunity for Gunn to employ the same ideas in a parallel DC universe that could benefit from the Fractures Timeline approach. It would also serve the director well in his mainline DCU endeavors, given that he could have a noir Batman co-exist with a space-age Superman. Such a trend will give the universe a more lived-in aesthetic, along with a diverse Justice League that feels authentic to the comics.
