Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

No one is above the law.

RELEASED 29 Sept 20091h 7m★ 7.1 TMDB

United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite meteor to frame Superman and declare a id="main" billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his ‘partner in crime’, Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite—and recruit help—to try and stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the meteor Luthors plot.

Why it matters in DC

Lex Luthor's position as president turns the pursuit of Superman and Batman into a conflict with political authority. Their alliance becomes the story's anchor when heroes and villains are set against them, offering a concentrated examination of the pair under shared pressure.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before Superman/Batman: Public Enemies — 28h 49m in total.

Justice League: The New FrontierOptional background1h 15m★ 6.8
Batman: Gotham KnightOptional background1h 16m★ 6.7
The Dark KnightOptional background2h 32m★ 8.5+1 before this
Batman: The Brave and the BoldOptional background23h 46m★ 7.6

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is title 6 of 40 in our Animated Elseworlds viewing sequence. Public Enemies begins the Superman/Batman animated feature pairing, with Apocalypse providing another adventure involving the central heroes. The pair is separate from the larger connected animated movie universe that begins later in the catalogue. Its political setting should not be imported into every other animated Superman or Batman story.

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