DC Thinks You Need to Do Your Homework Before Watching 'Superman'

James Gunn is restarting the DC Universe with the upcoming Superman: Legacy, but Warner Bros Discovery thinks you need to do your homework first.

Hero Mode, the official Instagram for Max’s (formerly HBO Max) more action-oriented offerings, just posted what can only be described as a bit of a passive-aggressive demand to watch DC shows before the release of Superman: Legacy, giving fans a primer of what’s necessary.

According to Max, anyone who wants to see James Gunn bring back Superman (now played by David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) to the greater DC Universe needs to watch four shows to really get the vibe the director is going for. In order, those shows are Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, and Green Lantern: The Animated Series.

 

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Notably, all of the series that Max pushes on DC fans like a mom who really wants you to get algebra done before turning on the PlayStation are animated shows. That means various live-action DC shows like Titans, Doom Patrol, and Batwoman are all out. Sorry, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, there’s no room for you here.

Justice League is the oldest of the shows and was broadcast on Cartoon Network from 2001 and 2004. It was a follow-up to the well-regarded Batman: The Animated Series and featured Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart version), The Flash (Wally West edition), Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl as its core group of characters.

Its key connection to Superman: Legacy seems to be the lattermost hero; the new James Gunn movie will feature Hawkgirl as a character, albeit the Kendra Saunders (Isabel Merced) version rather than the Thanagarian Shayera Hol.

Justice League Unlimited was the immediate follow-up to Justice League and featured more cosmic storytelling and an expanded cast of characters; for the purposes of Superman: Legacy, that included Mr. Terrific, who will be played by Edi Gathegi in the movie.

Young Justice featured the younger members of the DC Universe, including Robin, Aqualad, Superboy, and Kid Flash. Interestingly, the main selling point of this one seems to be that it featured the antihero Metamorpho (who has been announced to be portrayed by Anthony Carrigan in Superman: Legacy) in a single episode.

And finally, you don’t get to have your Superman: Legacy dessert if you don’t eat your vegetable, which in this case is Green Lantern: The Animated Series. As the image shows, the series prominently featured Guy Gardner, who will be played in live-action by Nathan Fillion.

Related: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Turns Into ‘Justice League’ Prequel

Warner Bros seems to be playing a risky game by pushing the idea that Superman: Legacy needs you to do homework to enjoy it, considering that Marvel Studios, its main competitor in the superhero movie game, has been struggling against accusations that its storytelling has become too dense and unwieldy. No better way to contrast that than reference homework!

Should you have to do prep work in order to enjoy Superman: Legacy? Let us know your answers in the comments below!