While aimed at kids, DCAU was no stranger to crossing boundaries by incorporating s-xual innuendos and double entendres into their shows in order to keep the adults hooked. Although Batman: The Animated Series, which started it all, and its successor had their fair share of adult jokes packed into them, with Justice League Unlimited, Bruce TImm took it a step further.
This was a result of the plethora of romantic subplots that were incorporated into the series, which also involved a surprising romance arc between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Later elaborating on it, Timm revealed it was a result of their experiment with the show’s format.
Hawgirl and Green Lantern’s Romance Was a Result of JLU’s Serialized Format
In most comic iterations, Hawkman is often the match for Hawkgirl, but to fans’ surprise, in Justice League Unlimited, we witness a romantic arc between her and John Stewart. Speaking to Jim Harvey, Bruce Timm explained this dynamic was a result of their decision to adopt a more serialized approach to storytelling.
Unlike BTAS and Batman Beyond, which followed an episodic form, JLU branched towards telling a story over the course of several episodes, eventually leading to the romantic angle between the duo.
Timm explained:
“As for the GL/HG romance, that’s just us experimenting with the form. JL is the first show that I’ve worked on where we deliberately plotted out a long-term story/character arc. Previous shows, from BTAS to BATMAN BEYOND were much more episodic, with self-contained, ‘stand-alone’ episodes the general rule. We had fun letting their story develop gradually over the course of two seasons; leading up to the big (ahem) climax in ‘Starcrossed.’ And, I’d have to say I think the whole thing was tastefully done even their first kiss in “Wild Cards,” while certainly “passionate,” wasn’t at all “dirty” or ‘inappropriate.'”
The experiment did work out for them, as Hawkgirl and Green Lantern’s romance would be further explored later in Derek Fridolfs’s Justice League Beyond #7 and #8.
Bruce Timm on the Extent of Adult Themes Explored in JLU
Further reflecting on incorporating adult themes into the mix, Bruce Timm admitted to pushing the boundaries of Y7 rating on several instances. However, the animator said that the adult theme presented in the show was more in line with the old Star Trek show, stressing that it was nothing in front of other primetime “family hour” shows.
He said:
“I admit we pushed the boundaries of the Y-7 rating several times in season 2, in terms of ‘adult’ content, but it’s NOTHING compared to what goes on in primetime ‘family hour’ shows like ‘Friends,’ say. For the most part, I would roughly equate the level of ‘sex appeal’ stuff in JL to the kinds of things the old STAR TREK show might have gotten away with. And that was 30-some-odd years ago.
To this day, JLU remains the definitive portrayal of the Justice League on screen, and fans will hope the DCU takes notes from it for their own sets of heroes.
Justice League Unlimited is available to stream on Max.
