One of DC’s most popular and successful animated series was Justice League: The Animated Series that aired on Cartoon Network between 2001 and 2004. Based on the Justice League of America comics, the show which was a sequel to the Batman and Superman animated series, reached out to a wide audience who turned into hardcore buffs on the franchise.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of the animated series was the various interesting trivia and facts that it carried with regard to DC storylines and its tributes to actors who played cult DC characters. One of them was Mark Hamill whose portrayal as Trickster in the 1990 series The Flash, was adapted beautifully into the show.
Justice League: The Animated Series Paid Tribute To Mark Hamill’s Trickster
Apart from his evergreen Star Wars gig, Mark Hamill was also famous for voicing DC’s iconic villain Joker for many years in Batman: The Animated Series. In addition, the veteran also played Trickster in the 1990 television series The Flash. Justice League: The Animated Series which has been known to incorporate many DC Easter eggs with regard to the storylines and characters, paid a fitting tribute to Hamill’s villain in The Flash.
Nerdist states that the actor was not only signed on to voice the character, but was also honored by the series which animated Trickster to look exactly like him. This brilliance nuance paid off richly for the show as fans and DC buffs all over the world lapped it up excitedly.
Incidentally, Hamill has since stepped down from voicing Joker after many successful years in which he brought the DC villain to life. He stated in an interview with AS that the death of legendary Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy was a defining factor in his decision. Having worked with the late artist extensively, he felt that his Joker without Conroy’s Batman would make no sense.
Jensen Ackles’ Justice League: Warworld Was Unique In Many Ways
DC has always been known to push the envelope with regard to darker and more intense themes through their world of animation. Their 2023 animated film, Justice League: Warworld which released in July 2023, was rated R for violence and bloodshed according to a report in CBR. This makes it the second film in DC and Warner Brothers Animation’s Tomorrowverse to carry this rating, following 2021’s Batman: The Long Halloween, Part 2.
Among the cast of voice actors, Supernatural star Jensen Ackles was officially announced to reprise the role of Batman/Officer Wayne after his presence in Parts 1 and 2 of Batman: The Long Halloween. The animated movie also features other prominent stars including Stana Katic as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, and Darren Criss as Superman/Agent Kent.
Another interesting feature of the film was its exploration of three cinematic genres namely western, sci-fi, and fantasy operating together in a 50s vibe. The plot also took inspiration from King Kong and and its use of multiple storylines before the climax.
For the Western sequences, executive producer Butch Lukic who pioneered this idea, looked into Spaghetti Western films while the fantasy sequences were inspired from scenes in iconic movies like Conan the Barbarian.
