Art Style for Justice League vs. The Fatal Five Revealed

JB Augustine |

Jan 17, 2019

The animation style for Justice League vs. The Fatal Five will look familiar to avid fans of DC’s Animated Universe, as Twitter user @BreakABone sure thinks. Sharing a teaser image and reaction, seen below, it’s pretty clear Warner Bros. and producer Bruce Timm are harkening back to the days of Justice League Unlimited for this one.

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The Justice League vs Fatal Five art style looks awfully familiar! pic.twitter.com/m8Qhhlj8QI

— April's Fool (@BreakABone) January 16, 2019

The style is exactly like the look of the team show which, initially called simply Justice League, aired on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2006. It traces its roots and continuity back to Batman the Animated Series but the animation really took shape when Superman the Animated Series debuted on Kids WB! in 1997 and Batman made the jump a year later from Fox, changing in tone and form. Former animation styles — for Supes and Batman mostly — were resurrected for feature films before in [easyazon_link identifier=”B005HN69G4″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman[/easyazon_link] (2003) and (the awful) Superman: Braniac Attacks (2006).

Voice Talent Returns

But that’s not all they brought back. Justice League vs. The Fatal Five features the returning voice talents of Kevin Conroy (Batman), George Newbern (Superman on JLU), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Kevin Michael Richardson (Mr. Terrific), and Tara Strong (Saturn Girl).

Created by Jim Shooter, The Fatal Five — comprised of the Emerald Empress, Mano, Persuader, Validus, and leader Tharok — first appeared in 1967 as shortlived allies and enemies of The Legion of Superheroes. They guest starred once before on an episode of JLU titled, oddly enough, “Far From Home.” The wicked quintet is voiced by Peter Jessop (Thorak), Tom Kenny (Bloodsport), Matthew Yang King (Persuader), Sumalee Montano (Emerald Empress), and Philip Anthony Rodriguez (Mano).

The official synopsis is as follows:

“Justice League vs. The Fatal Five finds the fate of the earth hanging in the balance when the Justice League faces a powerful new threat — the Fatal Five! Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman seek answers as the time-traveling trio of Mano, Persuader, and Tharok terrorize Metropolis in search of budding Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. With her unwilling help, they aim to free remaining Fatal Five members Emerald Empress and Validus to carry out their sinister plan. But the Justice League has also discovered an ally from another time in the peculiar Star Boy — brimming with volatile power, could he be the key to thwarting the Fatal Five? An epic battle against ultimate evil awaits!”

It will air sometime this year as a DC Universe original movie and release on DVD and Blu-ray August 6th.