Batman: The Brave And The Bold

***Batman: The Brave and the Bold*** is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series *The Brave and the Bold* which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain. As the title suggests, the cartoon focuses on Batman's regular "team-ups" with various heroes similar to the most well-known version of the original comic book series. The series premiered on November 14, 2008 on Cartoon Network in the United States,[1] and ended on November 11, 2011.

## Overview

Each episode of *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* features the main character (Batman) teaming up with other characters from the DC Universe to thwart villains or to solve crimes. Most episodes have a cold open with an escapade not related to the remainder of the episode, apart from the regular appearances and reappearances of a villain who will figure prominently in episodes to come. In the first season, the villain was Equinox, who later returned in "Time Out for Vengeance!"; and in the second season, the villain was the alien Starro. During production, the show's creator said that if a character's cold open appearance was deemed successful, then it may warrant exploring the character further in a future episode's main adventure.[2]

The show has no overarching story, instead having most episodes stand alone.[3] The show is lighter in tone than previous Batman series,[4] depicting the Dark Knight as more lighthearted and playful with a "dry, ironic wit."[5] The show features various references to various depictions of Batman in media, including the 1960s *Batman* TV series.[6]

While the tone is lighter, the series has touched on the subject of death with such examples as retelling the murder of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne at the hands ofJoe Chill, the death of the Silver Age Blue Beetle, the assassination of Boston Brand, the death of the first Black Canary, the execution of "Gentleman" Jim Craddock, and the self-sacrifice and death of B'wana Beast and the Doom Patrol. The tone of the series was addressed in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!", when Bat-Mite broke the fourth wall to read out this missive from one of the show's creators:

Show creators have chosen to go with "lesser known" characters. In many instances, the characters are those that were repeatedly teamed with Batman in the 1970s run of the *Brave and the Bold* comic book, such as Green Arrow, Wildcat, Plastic Man, and even the Joker; thus, the characters have a look and feel akin to their Silver Ageincarnations. While the show has featured major heroes such as the Green Lantern and the Flash, it consistently focuses on the lesser-known individuals to have carried the names, such as Guy Gardner and Jay Garrick, rather than the more popular, better known Hal Jordan or Barry Allen,[4] until Barry appeared in the second season episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" (though this episode centers around Kid Flash and Jay Garrick) while Hal appeared in the first season episode "The Eyes of Despero!" as well as the third season episode "The Scorn of Star Sapphire". In the episode "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!", Batman even teamed up withScooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang to defeat the Joker and the Penguin in a retelling of the similar crossovers from *The New Scooby-Doo Movies*.

Additionally, Batman's alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne did not appear as an adult during the series in situations where Batman was unmasked. His face was kept hidden until the season 2 episode "Chill of the Night!" when Batman finally confronts Joe Chill.[5] From this episode onwards, whenever Bruce Wayne appears, his face is no longer silhouetted (as in "The Knights of Tomorrow").

It was announced at the San Diego Comic Con 2010 that *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* would end after season three, which had 13 episodes.[7] Production began on a new Batman animated series, which was set to return the character to a more serious tone.[8]

## Cast

* Diedrich Bader – Batman (Bruce Wayne/Matches Malone),[9] Green Lantern (Kilowog), Ace, Owlman, Solomon Grundy, Punch, Gorilla Boss, Batman (Damian Wayne), Lord Death Man, Creepy Usher, Caveman Batman, Pirate Batman, Batmanicus, Robot Batman, Musketeer, Teen Batman
* Jeff Bennett – Joker/Red Hood,[10] OMAC, Captain Marvel, Batman's Singing Voice, Rubberneck, Abra Kadabra, Joker-Mite, Joker Jr., Rubin, Penguin (Scooby-Doo version), Prez Richards, El Gaucho, Ultra-Humanite, Starman
* Corey Burton – Red Tornado, Silver Cyclone, Thomas Wayne (in "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"), False-Face, Doctor Mid-Nite, Dr. William Milton Magnus, Mercury, Chancellor Gor-Zonn, General Zahl, Killer Moth, Batman (Bat-Manga version), Joker (Scooby-Doo version), Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
* John DiMaggio – Aquaman, Gorilla Grodd, Tiger Soldier, Typhon, Enemy Ace, Ubu, Faceless Hunter, Black Adam, Black Mask, Tattoo, Pharaoh, Toyman, Vigilante, Hellgrammite, Mr. Freeze, Legionnaire,Captain Boomerang, Owen
* Will Friedle – Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Scarlet Scarab, Lazy Eye
* Tom Kenny – Plastic Man, Baby Face, Ray, Deadshot, Mirror Master, 'Mazing Man
* James Arnold Taylor – Green Arrow, Blue Bowman, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner),[11] Major Disaster, Wotan, Nabu, Mark Desmond, Arges, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, Alpha-Red, G.I. Robot, Jace