Superman: The Animated Series was created for television by executive producers Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, renowned for their exceptional work on Batman: The Animated Series.
Leveraging their success with Batman, Timm, and Burnett thought to bring Superman’s adventures in an animated project, giving new life to the iconic superhero’s tales of courage in defending Metropolis.
In an interview with CBR, Bruce Timm shed light on the idea of the groundbreaking crossover event, for the first time in World’s Finest, which debuted in 1997. Timm revealed that the idea arose from the unique circumstance of Batman’s rights becoming available during the production of Superman‘s second season.
How Bruce Timm Brought Batman and Superman Together For The First Time?
In the interview with CBR, Bruce Timm discussed the origins and production of Superman: The Animated Series. When asked if Warner Bros. wanted to bring together Batman and Superman. Timm said that it just happened.
“It was really more about the fact that right in the middle of our second season of Superman, the rights to Batman became available again because they had been tied up with Fox Kids. Once they became available again, Kids’ WB immediately said we should make more Batman episodes, which we thought was great. Somebody had the bright idea to launch the new series by teaming him up with Superman, and we all thought that sounded great and loved to do that.”
With the rights becoming available again after being tied up with Fox Kids, Kids’ WB suggested creating more Batman episodes, which was enthusiastically received.
“We might have gone a little overboard with their animosity to each other, but it was a lot of fun… To the point where Batman is romancing Lois right from underneath Superman, but we already knew Kevin Conroy and Dana Delaney had great chemistry, so figured why not play that card. It was all serendipity. It all kind of just happened.”
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was released in 2016 while the World’s Finest episode aired back in 1997.
Bruce Timms Shed Light on the Enduring Appeal of DC Characters
Bruce Timm has been one of the masterminds behind the popularity of modern animated DC comic shows. In the same interview with CBR, he spoke about his enduring creative passion for these iconic characters. Timm, who executive produced the 2023 film Batman: Soul of the Dragon, said that the incredible versatility of DC’s characters is one of the main factors that makes him keep coming back.
“I am constantly amazed how flexible these characters are to the point where I can watch a Batman or Superman movie done by someone other than myself.“
Whether it’s the campy charm of Adam West’s portrayal or the gritty realism of Christian Bale’s iteration, each version offers its own distinct flavor. Timm noted how it allows creators to continually reinvent and reimagine these timeless figures.
“If you ever get tired of doing one version, there’s something else, and Soul of the Dragon is the perfect example of that,” he added.
He anticipated some viewers might find his usual portrayal of Batman a little too invincible.
“We knew people would complain that we make Batman too much of a Bat-God. So we teamed up with three guys, and he’s not as good a fighter as any of them.” he admitted with a laugh.
Timm concludes by reaffirming the vast potential these characters hold, saying that there’s an endless variety of flavors to choose, and that’s why he never gets tired of them.
Superman: The Animated Series is available now on Blu-ray and Digital HD.
