Batman The Animated Series

***Batman: The Animated Series*** is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. For the final fifteen episodes, the series was given the on-screen title ***The Adventures of Batman & Robin***, which was also used for reruns of earlier episodes. The series became the first in the continuity of the shared DC animated universe, spawning further animated TV series, feature films, comic books and video games with most of the same creative talent.

The series was praised for its thematic complexity, film noir aesthetics, darker tone, artistic presentation, and modernization of its title character's crime-fighting origins. IGN.com listed *Batman: The Animated Series* as the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics, the best comic book television show of all time and the second-best animated series of all time (after *The Simpsons*). *Wizard* magazine also ranked it #2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time (again after *The Simpsons*). *TV Guide* ranked it the seventh-greatest cartoon of all time. The widespread acclaim led the series to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program.

## Overview

The series took influence from Tim Burton's live-action films, *Batman* (1989) and *Batman Returns* (1992), and the acclaimed *Superman* theatrical cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s. In designing the series, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated the Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness", incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police airships (although no such thing existed, Timm has stated that he found it to fit the show's style) and a "vintage" color scheme with film noir flourishes.

The visual style of the series was based on the artwork of Radomski, and the gothic look of Gotham City was derived from his initial designs. In addition, Radomski issued a standing order to the animation department that all backgrounds be painted using light colors on black paper (as opposed to the industry standard of dark colors on white paper). The distinctive visual combination of "noir" imagery and Art Deco design was dubbed "Dark Deco" by the producers.

The series initially took a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the Burton films as its theme; later episodes of the series used a new theme with a similar style by Shirley Walker (Walker was occasionally Elfman's conductor for films). The score of the series was influenced by Elfman's work on the Burton films, as well as music of 1940s film noir.

The series is more adult-oriented than many of the previous superhero cartoons. It depicts outright physical violence against antagonists, including realistic firearms (though only one character, Commissioner Gordon, was even depicted as having been shot, in the episode "I Am the Night"). First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which, according to Timm, "got a lot of people off our backs". During the series' production, producer Alan Burnett wrote a silent episode (without dialogue) entitled "Silent Night" to explore more of Batman's sexual life, but this was never produced. Burnett also intended to make an episode featuring a female vampire that would bite Batman to suck his blood, but plans never materialized.

The series is also notable for its supporting cast—numerous known actors provided voices for a variety of recognizable villains, most notably Mark Hamill (previously famous for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original *Star Wars* trilogy) finding success in voice acting thanks to his "cheerfully deranged" portrayal of the Joker. The role was originally given to Tim Curry, but he developed bronchitis during the initial recording sessions. John Glover, who later voiced the Riddler, also auditioned for the Joker role. Hamill, who found himself to be the biggest fan of the Batman comics among the cast, credited the laughs he had honed on stage in *Amadeus* with landing him the role. The recording sessions, under the supervision of voice director Andrea Romano, were recorded with the actors together in one studio instead of taking separate recordings, as is typical. This method would later be employed for all subsequent series in the DC animated universe. Al Pacino was considered to voice Two-Face in the series, but he declined the offer. Richard Moll was instead cast in the role. Other actors included Ron Perlman as Clayface, Roddy McDowall as the Mad Hatter, David Warner as Ra's al Ghul, Michael York as Count Vertigo, Kate Mulgrew as Red Claw, George Murdock as Boss Biggis and George Dzundza as the Ventriloquist.

One of the series' best-known inventions is the Joker's assistant, Harley Quinn, who became so popular that DC Comics later added her to mainstream Batman comic book continuity. The Penguin underwent change for the series; his appearance was remodeled after the version seen in *Batman Returns*, which was in production simultaneously with the series' first season. New life was also given to lesser-known characters for the series such as the Clock King. In addition, dramatic changes were made to other villains such as Clayface and Mr. Freeze, who was changed from a gimmicky mad scientist to a tragic figure whose "frigid exterior [hid] a doomed love and vindictive fury".

## Characters

The Joker's accomplice Harley Quinn, Gotham City police detective Renee Montoya, the vigilante Lock-Up, former actor Simon Trent, and ninja Kyodai Ken are original creations who became characters in the comics. Older villains that were lesser known from the comics, such as Count Vertigo, the Mirror Man and the Clock King, were modified for the series in both appearance and personality. Other original antagonists were created, such as Roland Daggett, Red Claw, Lloyd Ventrix, the Sewer King, Boss Biggis and Emile Dorian, but to little acclaim, and did not make any appearances outside the series, though Daggett was re-imagined as businessman John Daggett for *The Dark Knight Rises*.

Aside from creating characters that crossed over into the main line of DC Comics, several of the series' reinterpretations were carried over as well. Mr. Freeze was revised in the comics to emulate the series' tragic story, the success of which actually compelled DC to bring the character back after "killing" him off some years earlier. Clayface was revised to be much more similar in appearance to his animated counterpart; and Two-Face's double-sided, black-and-white suit has become a common appearance for the character.

### Bruce Wayne / Batman

Batman as depicted in the series.
At the age of eight, Bruce Wayne, the son of billionaire philanthropists, witnessed the murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha, during a mugging on the street. The event left him traumatized and mentally scarred for the rest of his life. This left Bruce to be cared for by his family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Over the years, Bruce slowly turned the pain and trauma he sustained into a burning fuel for a lifelong obsession, as he underwent rigorous training in mental and physical conditioning, the martial arts, criminology, sciences, manhunting, forensics, detective work, interrogation methods and intimidation, for the next years of his life. Having observed the rampant crime and corruption across Gotham City, he chose to deal with the crime-wave in Gotham in his own way, by utilizing his years of training and swore an oath to dedicate his entire life to fighting crime, in a bid to avenge the murder of his parents and to use his pain and suffering to drive him to do good, while being guided by his self-enforced moral code to never kill and to refrain from utilizing firearms. Inspired by the presence of bats, his childhood fear, which used to present around his home, Bruce chose to undertake the alias of The Batman, a feared, near-mythical and bat-masked vigilante.

One of the most notable changes made in *The Animated Series* is the treatment of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. In nearly all other media, including the comics, television shows and films, Bruce deliberately plays up his image as a vacuous, self-absorbed and not-too-bright billionaire playboy. In *The Animated Series*, his character is assertive, outwardly intelligent, and actively involved in the management of Wayne Enterprises, without jeopardizing his secret identity. For example: in the episode "Eternal Youth", Bruce is shown angrily ordering one of his directors to cancel a deal with a timber company in the Amazon rainforest that had been made behind his back, threatening him with termination upon failure to comply.

Kevin Conroy used different voices to distinguish between his portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman, a tactic used previously by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's live-action films. Conroy based his dual-voice performance on the 1934 film adaptation of *The Scarlet Pimpernel*.

### Dick Grayson

The story of Dick Grayson began at a circus. Growing up, Dick was a circus performer. He traveled the country with his mother, Mary, and father, John, performing acts as "the Flying Graysons," a world-famous trapeze troupe that performed with Haly's Circus. Eventually, things turned for the worst. The circus was set to perform in Gotham and was setting up when a mobster named Tony Zucco went up to Mr. Haly and attempted to extort him in exchange for protection money. When Haly refused to pay, Zucco retaliated by having his thugs sabotage the circus's trapeze with acid. At this time John and Mary were set to begin their act. In the middle of their performance, the tampered wires snapped and sent them plummeting to their deaths right before Dick's eyes. Bruce Wayne happened to be in attendance to witness the incident and quickly sprung into action as Batman during the chaos. Having had the experience and trauma of being suddenly, violently orphaned, Bruce decided to take Dick under his wing so they could set about avenging the Graysons' murders. After a series of intense training, Dick began making a costume and a Superhero identity for himself. Getting inspiration from his mother's favorite bird and his favorite folktale hero, Robin Hood, Dick chose the name "Robin", and he officially became Batman's sidekick, thus creating the Dynamic Duo.

The series also redefined the original Robin, Dick Grayson. While much of Dick's past remains the same, his Robin costume is modernized with short sleeves and long tights, exactly like Tim Drake's original Robin outfit but with a non-italicized "R" symbol. In addition, Dick is given a more serious and mature personality to match the tone of the series. The episode "Batgirl Returns" establishes that Dick and Barbara Gordon attend the same college and that they have a mutual romantic attraction to each other, but neither one knows the secret identity of the other. Their relationship is one of the plot elements of the film *Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero*.

### Barbara Gordon

Barbara Gordon is first seen in the two-parter "Heart of Steel", where she becomes convinced her father is an imposter. She makes her first appearance as alter ego Batgirl in "Shadow of the Bat", after her father Commissioner Gordon is arrested under charges of corruption. Her Batgirl costume is exactly the same from *The Adventures of Batman* and the Bronze Age of comics, sporting the same gray bodysuit, blue cape and cowl and yellow bat-symbol and utility belt, but with blue gloves and boots to mirror that of Batman's costume instead of yellow ones. She makes several appearances throughout the series, and attends the same university as Dick Grayson, though neither of them are aware of each other's crime fighting alter ego. In "Batgirl Returns", Barbara actually makes a cease fire deal with Catwoman, and they work together in solving the case of missing valuable cat statues while Batman is away. All of Barbara's/Batgirl's appearances are in episodes written by Brynne Stephens.

### The Joker

Though the Joker's origin is never shown in the series, some of his past is seen in the feature film *Batman: Mask of the Phantasm*. In flashbacks, he is shown before his accident but is not referred to by name. His potential real name, **Jack Napier** (the same name of Jack Nicholson’s version of the character), is established in the episodes "Dreams in Darkness" when it is spoken by Dr. Bartholomew and in "Joker's Wild" where it is written in a dossier. However, it is stated on a later occasion that the Joker used many aliases throughout his career, meaning his true identity is still unknown.

The man who would become the Joker started out as a chauffeur and hitman for mobsters Salvatore Valestra, Buzz Bronski and Chuckie Sol. Twice on separate occasions, he saw Bruce Wayne and exchanged glances years before they would clash as the Joker and Batman. Years later, after the Valestra Mob had gone their separate ways, the pre-Joker struck out on his own and formed a small gang. The night he and his gang broke into the ACE Chemical Plant marked the first time he encountered Batman. During their fight, the pre-Joker fell off a catwalk and into a drainage vat of chemicals. He was washed out into the bay and discovered the chemicals bleached his skin chalk white, dyed his hair green, stained his lips red, leaving them in a permanent rictus smile, and dyed his suit purple. This new, clown-like appearance snapped his already sadistic mind and drove him to eternal insanity. He reinvented himself as the Joker, Batman's greatest enemy and Gotham City's most dangerous costumed criminal.

The use of this origin was due to the show being heavily patterned after the success and influential tone of *Batman*. However, when *The New Batman Adventures* began, during the era of Joel Schumacher's films, Joker's origin was retained but his identity was retconned as being merely one of many aliases as seen in the series finale "Beware the Creeper". This reflected the efforts of the writers to put the character back in line with his conflicting multiple origins from the comics.

### Other characters

Batman's rogues gallery from left to right: Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, the Penguin, the Joker, Harley Quinn, the Mad Hatter, the Riddler, Catwoman (and her cat Isis) and Two-Face.
Other antagonists that appeared in the series included classic villain such as Poison Ivy, Catwoman, the Riddler, Two-Face, the Mad Hatter, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Man-Bat, the Penguin, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Bane, the Ventriloquist and his dummy Scarface, Hugo Strange and Tony Zucco. Friends and allies of Batman featured in the show not previously mentioned include Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Bullock, the Gray Ghost (an original character created by the series to portray Bruce Wayne's childhood hero and crime-fighting inspiration), Lucius Fox, and Leslie Thompkins.

### Protagonists

 Loren Lester
 Clive Revill
 Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
 Bob Hastings
 Robert Costanzo
 Tara Strong