DC Comics Creative Boss Jim Lee Declares Batman, Superman House “Will Not Support AI Generated Storytelling Or Audio”
In taking a stand against a future filled with actual, genuine slop, DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee has made it clear that so long as he’s around, neither Batman, nor Superman, nor any of the publisher’s many costumed heroes and villains will ever find their adventures produced by way of generative AI.
The Batman: Hush 2 artist took a stance against the AI enshittification of DC’s output while speaking to the publisher’s future during the 2025 New York Comic Con’s self-explanatory Retailer Day.
Opening with a note on how 2035 will mark DC’s 100th anniversary – “And yes, I fully intend to be here for that, yes, hopefully still drawing, hopefully still not working on Hush 2,” he joked. “Too soon?” – Lee turned to “talk about why we’re bullish about the future”:
“I’d say we’re absolutely on the right track, thanks in large part to our combined hard work and resilience and some
creative geniuses, like [Absolute Batman Vol. 1, DC K.O. Vol. 1 writer] Mr. Scott Snyder and [The Flash Vol. 5, Superman Vol. 6 writer Josh Williamson.
“It’s imperative that comics continue to evolve to change and that we the caretakers do the same as we stare
down a troubling future. A future with many a storm cloud on the horizon, challenges such as AI generated writing
and art, shrinking attention spans, characters drifting into the public domain, and that constant tug-of-war between digital and print.
And here’s the thing, every era has its killer bees – I don’t know if anyone in this room knows that reference. So, when I was a kid, we were told we were told swarms of killer bees were coming up from South America to take over and ravage the world. Obviously, didn’t happen, but it was something I spent a lot of sleepless nights on. And then we were told Japan’s booming
miracle economy would overwhelm and crush all their rivals. That too did not happen. Then it was Y2K, then NFTs, and
now it’s AI.”
From there turning from general musing to decisive action, Lee then asserted, “History has a way of
humbling predictions. The future rarely turns out the way the headlines warn us it will. But let me make one
prediction I know I can stand by today: DC Comics will not support AI generated storytelling or audio. Not now, not ever, as long as [DC Senior Vice President, General Manager] Anne DePies and I are in charge.”
Providing an aptly poetic insight into his and DePies’ rationale, the Justice League Vol. 2 penciller continued, “Because what we do and why we do it is rooted in our humanity. It’s that fragile, beautiful connection between imagination and emotion that fuels our media, the stuff that makes our universe come alive.
RELATED: DCU Boss James Gunn “Uncomfortable” With How “Religious” Some Fans Are About Batman’s Costume
“It’s the imperfect mind, the creative risk, the hand drawn gesture that no algorithm can replicate. And when I draw, I make mistakes, a lot of them. But that’s the point. The smudge, the rough line, the hesitation. That’s me in the work. That’s my journey. That’s what makes it come alive. It’s the product of true effort, of inspiration, and perspiration.
“Fans know this. They sense this. They can feel when something was made with care, when it cost the artist time, energy, heart, and effort. People have an instinctive reaction to what feels authentic. We recoil from what feels fake. That’s why human creativity matters.
“AI doesn’t dream. It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t make art. It aggregates it. Our job as creators, as storytellers, and as
publishers is to make people feel something real. That’s why we create, and that’s why we’re still here.”
Drawing his thoughts on the topic to a close with a similar declaration on the aforementioned ‘public domain’ issue, as centered on the fact that a number of DC’s most iconic characters are set to enter the public domain in the next two decades – including Superman and Lois Lane (2034), Batman (2035), Joker (2036), and Wonder Woman (2037) – Lee assured retailers, “Yes, characters will fall into the public domain. We’ve all seen these unsettling knockoffs of Mickey Mouse lurking
around online. But here’s the truth: The character isn’t the magic. The storytelling is. The world building is.
“Owning Superman isn’t the same as understanding Superman. Knowing how he moves, how he speaks, what he stands
for. Anyone can draw a cape. Anyone can write a hero. That’s been around as long as comics have been. It’s called fanfiction.
“And there’s nothing wrong with fanfiction, it shows how deeply these characters live inside all of us, but Superman only feels right when he’s in the DC universe. Our universe, our mythos. That’s what endures. That’s what will carry us into the next century.”
Far from a case of cynical PR, DC has previously put their money where their mouth is when it comes to their ‘No AI’ stance.
In July 2024, the publisher pulled a pair of variant covers, as provided by Francesco Mattina and set to appear on Superman Vol. 6 #18 and Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #17 (both featured above), after noted Marvel Comics artist Adi Granov accused them of being AI generated.
“When image generators first came to prominence the first person who came to mind was the serial plagiarist Francesco Mattina as I thought he’d think all his Christmases have come at once. If you don’t remember, he made a whole career out of photobashing other people’s art (mine included) into whatever you want to call his ‘work’.
“I don’t post about artists I dislike, but I neither consider him an artist nor can I hide my dislike for the continued blatant plagiarism. Anyhow, here’s his new cover. Not only is he a hack, but he’s not even good enough to hide the glaring mistake on one of the most iconic symbols in all of pop-culture.”
