How DC’s New Streaming Service Plans to Stick the Superhero Landing

DC Universe makes it easy to binge watch from the comfort of your very own Batcave.
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The Source

There’s a new streaming service soaring in from the minds at DC, and it’s making a very heroic superhero-landing right on “Batman Day,” September 15th. As the name would suggest, the holiday of sorts is set by DC Comics as the date to celebrate all things Batman. This will be the event’s fifth year, no doubt made all the more celebratory by the arrival of DC Universe. Kevin Smith announced the service’s debut on his DC Daily kick-off live stream yesterday — watch below!

DC Universe has a whole treasure trove of exciting features and shows lined up for fans of the superhero franchise. It boasts the expected collection of DC television series, live-action and animated, as well as a few unique additions to the subscription. Those who tuned in for the DC Daily live stream definitely have something to look forward to as the daily news show will be a staple attraction on DC Universe. The official description for the DC-packed series is as follows:

‘DC Daily’ will be hosted by a variety of faces familiar to DC fans, with special guests and other co-hosts joining the daily cast. Currently the ‘DC Daily’ format is scheduled to include ‘Headlines,’ a run-down of daily news briefs; ‘Reports,’ a single-topic segment that may feature an in-depth interview or deep dive into an upcoming book, film or series; and ‘Talk,’ a panel discussion including in-depth analysis about today’s hottest topics and news, which will be exclusively available only to DC Universe members via the subscription service.

Deadline reports that some of the talent hosted on the news show will include John Barrowman, Samm Levine and Harley Quinn Smith, Sam Humphries, Hector Navarro, Clarke Wolfe, Brian Tong, Markeia McCarty, and John Kourounis. During the initial DC Daily live stream, DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee also revealed some intriguing new details about the other kinds of content available on the service.

One of the bigger standouts of DC Universe will be the brand new series Titans, which had that mildly concerning trailer back in July (see it below if you haven’t already). The dark take on everyone’s favorite teen team-up will be premiering at New York Comic-Con on October 3rd and will make its way to the streaming service on the 12th that month. Hopefully, the show itself can garner more appreciation than did its much-discussed initial trailer.

One thing that made Teen Titans so popular back in the early 2000s was its ability to blend genuine humor with very real, serious episodes. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Titans (and for that matter Teen Titans Go! as well) has not been able to exactly capture that same balance which made the adventures of this teenage squad of heroes so winsome to begin with. However, at the very least, the allure of a live-action series featuring Dick Grayson’s Robin, who has not been seen in live-action form since 1997, makes Titans appealing nonetheless. Fortunately for fans, the original Teen Titans has also found a new home on the streaming service at its launch. This alone is a major draw for DC Universe.

Considerably more anticipated than Titans is the extremely popular series Young Justice, set to have its first two seasons available on DC Universe from the get-go. The Cartoon Network series, which started back in 2010, has always been a fan favorite and is a fun, action-packed adaptation of the young heroes of the comics. Even more exciting, the long-awaited third season of the show, titled Young Justice: Outsiders, is set to premiere on the streaming service in 2019.

Besides these knockout shows, DC Universe also has something special in store for longtime fans of the comic book franchise. Included with the subscription will be special issues of comics featuring the first-ever appearances of some of DC’s biggest heroes. These comic books spotlighting the debuts of characters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are an unexpected addition to the new service, one that more than sweetens the pot. Other comics, such as fan favorites like Jack Kirby’s “New Gods” and some classic issues, will be available to subscribers as well.

To top it all off, DC Universe will, of course, have the four Christopher Reeve Superman movies (1978’s Superman is the greatest DC film of all time, after all) as well as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The addition of classic shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman along with iconic animated films, including Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, really beef up the service line-up.

Then in 2019 the brand new animated Harley Quinn series (where she will be joined by the incomparable Poison Ivy in the adult-oriented show) and the live-action horror Swamp Thing will be making their way onto the platform as well. All in all, it’s going to be very hard to decide what to watch first.

Kendall Cromartie: Kendall is a recent graduate and San Diego native who is passionate about the environment, writing, and above all else Keanu Reeves.