Bruce Timm has influenced an entire generation of DC fans with his take on popular superheroes by bringing them to the animation medium. Timm’s work on Batman: The Animated Series remains iconic and the writer-director continues to contribute to projects based on DC properties to this day.
One of Timm’s more recent projects in the DC sandpit is the animated film Batman: Soul of the Dragon. During an interview, Timm was asked about what made him return to his Batman roots and why the film was a departure from his previous take on the character. Here is why Bruce Timm made Batman: Soul of the Dragon, explained in his own words.
Bruce Timm Reveals the Real Reason He Worked on Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
Directed by Sam Liu, Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 animated film, which sees Bruce Timm serve as an executive producer. The film marks Timm’s return to tackling the character of Batman, five years after 2016’s Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, which he also executive produced.
During an interview with CBR, Timm was asked about what attracted him to Batman: Soul of the Dragon, despite having previously worked on different iterations of the titular hero. Timm stated that he was excited at the opportunity to present a different version of Batman. He said:
“When it came to that one, we knew people would complain that we make Batman too much of a Bat-God, always the smartest guy in the room and the best fighter. So we teamed up with three guys and he’s not as good a fighter as any of them.”
Timm’s comment implies that he approached the project as a means to address some of the criticism aimed at his previous takes on Batman, such as Batman: The Animated Series. At the same time, Timm added that the creative team focused on keeping the character fresh and giving him an emotionally fulfilling story arc.
Bruce Timm Talks the 1970s Influences in Batman: Soul of the Dragon
In a separate interview with Syfy, Bruce Timm also spoke about the martial arts-heavy tone of Batman: Soul of the Dragon and revealed what inspired this take on the Dark Knight. Timm explained that the idea had been in his mind for years, since the 70s.
“The two big things that were really, really big in pop culture at the time were kung fu movies and blaxploitation movies.”
Timm added that he was inspired by 70s comics such as Master of Kung Fu and Richard Dragon. At the same time, Bruce Wayne’s training to become Batman provided an ideal opportunity to incorporate the 70s martial arts influences into the story.
Additionally, Timm revealed that Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon was also the inspiration behind the animated film, especially in terms of the character dynamics. However, the creative team intentionally avoided picking any plot points from the iconic martial arts film.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon is streaming on Max.
