With the animated Justice League now being 20 years old, it's time to analyze the big differences between the animated and comic JLA.

Even after 20 years have passed, the animated Justice League series still holds up and is celebrated as one of the greatest animated shows of all time. The show managed to pull off the impossible, giving each member their proper due whilst living up to Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.

With all that in mind, Bruce Timm, James Tucker, Dan Riba, Rich Fogel, and more had to make some really crucial changes that very much differed from the comics. Though the series was mostly faithful, it has its fair share of major changes from the source material.

8 The Watchtower's Origin

If a creative team is developing a Justice League project, it'd make sense for the team to have a home base. The show utilized The Watchtower, a satellite that orbits Earth, but it seems the creators of the show meshed two separate Justice League bases together.

In the DC comics from the late-90's, The Watchtower was a White Martian base on the moon that the Justice League made their headquarters, meanwhile the show simply states that The Watchtower was created by Wayne Enterprises. The JLA did make use of an orbiting satellite that loomed over Earth in the comics, but it was never identified as The Watchtower.

7 The Villains Had Way More Depth

The Justice League has some cool villains, but the comics rarely took the time to afford these villains the depth they really needed. That was something the show corrected, as even the silliest villains got a degree of gravitas that made them both fascinating and deadly.

Some prime examples of this include Amazo and the Justice Lords, the latter being a substitution for The Crime Syndicate. Amazo was turned from a simple robot to a sympathetic Frankenstein's monster-like creation, while the Justice Lords were a tragically twisted take on the Justice League whereas The Crime Syndicate is just pure evil.

6 The Team's Roster

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman. That is the Justice League roster that kicked off the league and was very much the comics' roster at the time. It'd have been easy for those behind the DCAU to go in that direction, but instead, they choose to create a more unique incarnation of the team.

Rather than Aquaman, the creative team choose to make Hawkgirl the seventh member, both to increase female representation and because Bruce Timm liked her. Also, while Wally West was the founding Flash of the Post-Crisis landscape, Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern at the time, but the show decided to use John Stewart, which was a much better decision.

5 Aquaman Wasn't A Member

Aquaman had previously appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, but he appeared closer to his Super Friends counterpart. In Justice League, looked more like the incarnation from the '90s, with hook-hand, a beard, long hair, and a more grizzled demeanor.

Now the true DC king of the seas, Aquaman had little time to work with the Justice League, though the episode "The Enemy Below" improved his relationship with them. In the comics, Aquaman was a founding member of the team, somehow managing to balance his kingly duties with his adventures with his friends.

4 Wonder Woman's Origin

Unlike her friends Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman never got her own animated series, with Justice League more or less serving as Wonder Woman's origin story. In order to fit her in in a relatively short amount of time, the creators made some pretty major changes to her origin.

Instead of going through The Contest of Bullets and Bracelets in order to return Steve Trevor to man's world, Wonder Woman sneaks away from Themyscira when she was beckoned by Martian Manhunter. It's also stated that Hades was involved in her conception, whereas traditionally, Wonder Woman was a clay sculpture turned human by the gods.

3 Justice Society Vs. Justice Guild

"Legends" is easily one of the best episodes of Justice League, with the classic feel of the episode having an uncanny eeriness and a tragedy that lies underneath. The Justice Guild are all fascinatingly one-dimensional, not unlike the classic incarnations of the team that inspired them.

It doesn't take a detective to piece together that the Justice Guild was based on the JSA, with The Streak, Green Guardsman, Black Siren, Tom Turbine, and Catman being based on Jay Garrick's Flash, Alan Scott's Green Lantern, Dinah Drake's Black Canary, Al Pratt's Atom, and Ted Grant's Wildcat. In fact, the JGA was originally the JSA, but DC didn't like the team's portrayal.

2 Batman Wasn't A Full-Timer

In Justice League, Batman wasn't a very good friend, with his loner status affecting his membership with the Justice League. Despite funding The Watchtower, Batman was a part-time member, making it somewhat of a free-for-all as to whether or not he'd even appear in an episode, despite Kevin Conroy being top-billed in the credits.

While Batman in the comics isn't necessarily a people person, he takes his JLA membership a tad more seriously than the DCAU incarnation. This isn't to say that The Dark Knight didn't receive some interesting character development in the show, as he developed some really interesting relationships with his fellow Leaguers.

1 Workplace Romances

The DCAU had some great romantic relationships, but Justice League's two biggest romances have little to no basis in the comics. For example, while Batman and Wonder Woman had flirted and even kissed in the comics, it wasn't as explicitly romantic as it was in the show, though neither relationship is all that serious.

The relationship between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl was way more serious, as it was clear the two were desperately in love with each other, making Hawkgirl's eventual betrayal of the team all the more heartbreaking. There is no romantic tissue between the two in the comics, as Hawkgirl is typically romantically tied to Hawkman.

NEXT: The 10 Best Relationships in Justice League Comics, Ranked

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