DCAU influences on mainstream comics

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The DCAU, though it is primarily derivative of DC Comics, produced several creative innovations that were adapted into the mainstream comics and other media.

## Original Characters

The following is a partial list of characters created for the DCAU who found their way into the mainstream comics:

### Livewire

First appearing in the *Superman: The Animated Series* episode "Livewire", Livewire was first introduced into the comics in *Action Comics* #835, published in March 2006. Her origin story in the comics was very similar to her DCAU origins—in both instances, she was previously a shock jock named Leslie who enjoyed humiliating Superman on her radio show.
However, there were differences:

* In the comics, Leslie ended up losing her job at the radio station before becoming Livewire. However, in the DCAU, she still had her job, and was in fact hosting a huge concert to celebrate her anniversary of working at the station when she was hit by lightning.
* In the comics, Leslie was able to control electricity from birth, whereas her DCAU counterpart only gained this power after being hit by lightning.
* While most of her comic counterpart's career was as a supervillain, in her final (to date) appearances in the comics (*Superman* #711 and #714) Livewire decided to give up supervillainy and joined Superman's team the Supermen of America. As a heroine, she wears the containment suit Superman himself wore for a short period in the late '90s, only changing the stylized S-shield to an L-shield.

**Television:**

* In the eighth season of the series *Smallville*, Livewire appears as part of an Injustice Gang that also includes Parasite, Neutron, Eva Greer, and Plastique. Livewire was portrayed, in an uncredited appearance, by Canadian actress Anna Mae Routledge.
* She appears in *Supergirl*, portrayed by Brit Morgan.
* She also appears in the recent animated series about Superman titled My Adventures with Superman, voiced by Zehra Fazal.

### Clayface

The original Clayface from the comics, Basil Karlo, had certain attributes adapted into the animated incarnation of Matt Hagen, who, in the comics, was the second Clayface. However, after Batman: The Animated Series finished airing, Karlo joined up with various other persons that have gone by the title of Clayface (in a group known as the Mudpack) and absorbed all of their combined shape-shifting powers. After this, his size and appearance became much more like that of the animated version of Matt Hagen. A recent figure release in the DC Universe Classics line even has Clayface identified as Basil Karlo, but with the exact same appearance as the animated version.

### Parasite

The animated incarnation of the Parasite was fairly close to the original incarnation of Rudy Jones, aside from having a slightly different overall appearance that resembles the pre-Crisis Maxwell Jensen version; the comic version lacked the distinctive 'bands' that were part of the animated Parasite's design. Soon after, this band pattern seen on the animated Parasite was used on the comic version. Later still, the comic Parasite mutated further and acquired a mouth full of sharp teeth, almost like a leech; this appearance was used as the basis for Parasite II's appearance in Justice League Unlimited's "***Epilogue***". Recent appearances in *Blue Beetle* and *Superman* #700 have him in his more friendly *Superman: The Animated Series* appearance.

### Supergirl

In 1996, at the same time that *Superman: The Animated Series* was airing, the current incarnation of Supergirl was given a comic series. This Supergirl was the combined merged form of a life-form known as Matrix and a human girl named Linda Danvers. Eventually, she was given the exact same costume and physical appearance that Kara In-Ze had right up until her costume change in "Chaos at the Earth's Core". Interestingly enough, the DCAU version's costume change happened not too long after the Kara Zor-El version of the character had been reintroduced into the mainstream DC Universe.

## Other Influences

### DC Universe Online

* The main antagonist, Brainiac (voiced again by Corey Burton), is portrayed much closer to his DCAU counterpart than his Mainstream Comics one. His appearance seems to be a cross between the two and is made to look bigger and much more menacing. Several characters within the game as well as its biweekly comic series tie-in think of Brainiac as a machine and his true origins seem to be somewhat unclear (though he still seems to be from Colu, his home planet in Mainstream Comics). As in his DCAU appearances, he has used several duplicants of himself for battle and as decoys. Also, the entire apocalyptic future featured in the game's opening seems to have developed as a result of Brainiac's partnership with Lex Luthor, which he accomplished by promising Lex power, knowledge, and a better shot at Superman than he ever had much like the scenario in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Divided We Fall".
	+ Brainiac's design also greatly resembles the Brainiac/Luthor Hybrid from "Divided We Fall", but with DCAU Brainiac's traditional silver and purple coloring as well as the face on the stomach Luthor had when Brainiac first emerged in "Panic in the Sky" used for his armor.

### Other

* Brainiac being an android program from the planet Krypton, was a direct inspiration for his incarnation on The CW TV series *Smallville* where he is played by James Marsters.
* The confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor at the end of the *Superman: The Animated Series* premiere, "The Last Son of Krypton, Part III", is virtually identical to the opening scene of Part II of the series premiere of *Iron Man: Armored Adventures*: