November 1 Will Be a Really Sad Day For Superman Fans

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John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.

Superman and DC Comics fans are about to lose more than a half-dozen of the best animated superhero movies on one of the biggest streaming platforms.

October 31 marks the final day that fans will be able to stream eight of the biggest superhero films from the DC catalog on HBO Max. As of November 1, Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Superman: Red Son, Superman: Unbound, The Death of Superman, and Reign of the Supermen will all be leaving the platform, as will the live-action Shazam starring Zachary Levi.

The oldest of the films on the list, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, was released back in 2009 and was the sixth overall in the ongoing DC Universe Animated Original Movie (or DCUAOM) line. The film adapted the "Public Enemies" comic book storyline, and proved to be a major hit with fans. The success of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and similar animated ventures pushed DC to develop and produce further entries in the DCUAOM line, which now stands at over 60 feature-length animated films in total, not to mention over a DC Showcase animations and other smaller productions.

The latest DCUAOM release, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires was released in September to largely rave reviews from both critics and audiences. The film follows a young warrior, Yohualli Coatl, who dons the appearance of an ancient Bat God in order to fight back against both invading conquistadors and the twisted priest known as Yoka, who heeds the call of Huitzilopochtli and embarks upon a quest to provide the deity with mass human sacrifices. As of the time of writing, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires holds a 74% approval rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' user-generated "Popcornmeter," further cementing the success of not just the latest film in the line, but the DCUAOM as a whole.

What's Next for the DC's Animated Movies?

Bane snapping Batman's back in Knightfall Vol.1.

It was announced that the next DCUAOM film on the list is nothing less than an animated adaptation of one of the greatest DC Comics stories of all time — Batman: Knightfall. Set to be released across multiple parts, the first entry from the DCUAOM's Batman: Knightfall is set to arrive some time in 2026, and will see Bane emerge in Gotham City to not just threaten everything The Dark Knight has built, but the very life of Batman himself. The official logline for Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall reads, "When the mysterious behemoth known only as Bane frees Batman’s entire Rogue’s Gallery from Arkham Asylum, the Caped Crusader is pushed to his mental and physical breaking point." The film is being directed by Jeff Wamester and written by Jeremy Adams, while Rick Morales, Jim Krieg, Kimberly S. Moreau, Sam Register, and Michael Uslan serve as producers and executive producers on the project.

Batman: Knightfall is set to arrive some time in 2026.