loudly to Booster Gold about feeling left out in comparison to Plastic Man, given the two's very similar powers (although Plastic Man can change into objects, Elongated Man is also one of the premiere detectives of the DC Universe). Phantom Stranger Bruce Timm had intended to utilize the Phantom Stranger in the DC Animated Universe, but was not allowed to do so. Teen Titans The Teen Titans and related characters were off-limits due to the eponymous series. Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy appears in the episode "Patriot Act" following the finale of Teen Titans. Vertigo characters Sandman and other Vertigo characters were said by Bruce Timm in a Wizard interview to be considered, featuring an appearance of Neil Gaiman's Sandman character, but they weren't sure how to incorporate it into the tone of the show. He went on to say "But now, it's not even an issue. The whole Vertigo universe is closed off for us." In the same interview, Bruce Timm also states that they did attempt to use the Phantom Stranger and the Spectre but were told they could not use those characters. Neil Gaiman on the subject: "I always loved the idea of doing a Sandman/Batman Animated cartoon episode, and we were definitely talking about it in '93, after Vertigo came into existence...I'd assumed that they lost interest. But there was definitely some kind of Vertigo/DC divide that came into existence in there somewhere, imposed from DC/Vertigo editorial and above, worried, I was told, that a kid would feel pressured by continuity to pick up a 'For Mature Readers' title and the world would end." Canceled characters A few characters were developed by writers and producers during the production of the various shows; however, they ultimately did not appear in any episodes or films. Cyborgirl and Impulse When Justice League was pitched to the Kids' WB network, the lineup originally included three young members as proteges for the League. The members would have been Robin, Impulse, and an original character described as a "teenage female version of Cyborg" (Cyborgirl). The promo, which is viewable on the fourth disc of the Justice League Season 1 boxset, is the only appearance of Cyborgirl and Impulse in the DC Animated Universe. Nightshade When plans for a Justice League series were originally in development in the late 1990s, Nightshade was included in a roster of prospective Justice League members by producer Bruce