For many, the “Justice League” animated series is a cornerstone of superhero animation. Debuting in 2001, it brought together DC Comics’ greatest heroes – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more – for thrilling adventures.
The series owes a huge debt to Bruce Timm, the visionary artist and animator who co-created this iconic show. However, even the most creative minds can have ideas that don’t quite land.
In this case, Timm had a concept for the Justice League that, if not for a last-minute intervention, could have drastically changed the way we see these heroes.
Bruce Timm Toyed With The Idea of Giving Justice League A Uniformed Look
Imagine a Justice League where everyone looked…well, uniform. No more iconic capes billowing in the wind, no individual color schemes reflecting each hero’s personality. That was almost the reality for the beloved Justice League series.
Bruce Timm, the show’s co-creator, initially considered a radical design choice that could have fundamentally altered the series. As per the show’s IMDb page, while creating the show, there was a thought to make the Justice League costumes more uniform.
However, DC Comics shut this idea down for the main characters. The president at the time, Paul Levitz, specifically said to only change the costumes for Green Lantern, Flash, and other members, if needed. The creators were asked to keep the classic designs for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
Interestingly, these unused uniform designs were later used for the Justice Lords, an alternate version of the Justice League. While the Justice Lords’ costumes looked cool in their episode, a uniform look for the main heroes throughout the series could have upset fans. Superhero costumes are a big part of their character, and removing their uniqueness might have caused a negative reaction.
Bruce Timm’s Idea of A Justice Society of America Crossover Was Also Turned Down
Bruce Timm had plans for a Justice Society and Justice League crossover. This exciting idea ultimately faced challenges. The main concern was how to handle such a large team of heroes. With both groups combined, the Justice League would have doubled in size, potentially making it difficult to manage the characters and storylines effectively.
This plan was then dropped by President Paul Levitz who found the overall story to be rather inappropriate for Justice Society. Bruce Timm revealed the details on ToonZone.
“However, DC Comics publisher Paul Levitz had some concerns with the story. He felt the story as written disrespected the JSA and was overall an inappropriate use of the characters. We pleaded our case, but we could clearly see his point, too: the DC guys have spent a lot of time and effort in revitalizing the JSA recently (to the point here it’s now one of their most popular titles) we certainly didn’t want it to seem as if we were saying the JSA was a joke. No disrespect was intended on our end-quite the opposite!”
While not every one of Bruce Timm’s innovative ideas made it to the screen, his contributions remain undeniable as a key architect of the DCAU’s enduring success. The team’s consistent high-quality work continues to win over fans year after year.
