It’s been almost half a century since superheros from the Marvel and DC Comics started to gain popularity in the entertainment industry, as Superman and Batman became some of the first to attain mainstream attention.
While several iterations of the superhero exist in different forms of entertainment today, many consider Christian Bale’s performance as the titular protagonist in The Dark Knight trilogy to be a classic.
While hardcore fans of comic book films believe that Bale’s version of the hero was iconic, they also believe the 1993 animated feature of the character titled Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was even greater.
Since this film received so much love after its release in the ’90s, people cannot deny its legacy and mark in history.
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm Is More Beloved By Fans Than Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight Trilogy
Since there are countless versions of the iconic Batman in popular culture today, be it from films, TV shows and animated series or movies, it is quite hard to pick the best among them.
But even when fans are spoiled with so many choices, the most dedicated among them claim that 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm should be at the top.
In a past interview with The Pitch, the animated film’s writer and producer Alan Burnett talked about how he was so proud of what he and his team had accomplished with this film.
This became even more special because it was originally going to be a video for home release, rather than the cinematic achievement we know it as today. He said:
“Yeah, it is. I’ll tell you the truth because I wrote the story and I liked the story and it was a group effort with all the writers on staff. It was originally, it was supposed to be a video for home. Then one day an executive came to our office from the lot and was looking at some of what we were doing. In particular, he was looking at the opening credits, which were all computerized, which was a very new look back in 1992. And he said, you know, “Why don’t we release this as a movie?”
In comparison to Christian Bale‘s portrayal of the character in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, this was one of the earliest examples of the greatness that superhero films can achieve with extremely well-executed storylines and visual work.
What Was Batman: Mask of the Phantasm About?
With the titular superhero voiced by the legendary Kevin Conroy, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm has some of the most well done animations and storylines in comic book film history, especially in regard to the early days, which was realized when this genre started to gain mainstream attention.
The movie was set in the 1940s, where Bruce Wayne receives intel about a masked individual mingling and even rubbing the criminal underworld of Gotham City the wrong way.
Since that person wears a mask, most of these criminals and members of the law believe it’s none other than Batman himself, just in a different suit.
Now, charged with murders of several high-profile individuals, Wayne would have to prove Batman’s innocence by donning the cowl once more and taking down this unknown foe.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, available on Apple TV.
