In this FandomWire Video Essay, we explore why THIS is the DEFINITIVE depiction of Batman.
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Is Batman: The Animated Series The DEFINITIVE Depiction of Batman?
This… is perhaps the GREATEST depiction of Batman to ever appear on-screen.
Releasing in September of 1992, Batman: The Animated Series has cemented itself as one of the greatest cartoons ever created while simultaneously redefining the vigilante through its use of unique animation techniques, a heartfelt and well throughout approach to its villains, and one theater actors incredibly unique perspective on the Dark Knight that would forever become iconic.
Batman: The Animated Series is the type of lightning-in-a-bottle comic book adaptation that comes around once in a lifetime. Family-friendly enough to air as a Saturday morning cartoon, while mature enough to resonate with adult audiences. To this day, it continues to live on through fans sharing it with their own kids.
But what was it that made Batman: The Animated Series such a rousing success?
Perhaps the aspect of The Animated Series that is most responsible for its success is its serial nature. Although there have been plenty of great Batman movies, no Batman project has been able to capture a truly comics-esque feel as well as this one did. At the time, the comics were going through an evolution of their own — from the earlier, more playful comics to the moodier graphic novels becoming more popular.
Batman: The Animated Series manages to capture the middle ground in that tonal shift PERFECTLY. Knowing that the primary audience of the show was kids, of course, it doesn’t completely delve into the darkest elements of some of the more nihilistic takes on the vigilante. However, it does borrow some character beats from those versions, resulting in a much more mature and rich approach.
The segmented nature of the show also lends itself to the noir-esque theming that would bring the series back to Batman’s detective roots, much like Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022. Each episode essentially feels like a case for Batman to solve. While there are some arcs that last more than one episode and recurring characters that come back throughout the show’s seasons, the structure of the animated series is much more in sync with what comic fans may be used to, with each issue having a unique story within the greater arc.
The 22-minute runtime of each episode means the storytelling is much more condensed. Although there are a handful of double episode storylines, most of the arcs wrap themselves up nicely in under half an hour — which is a stark contrast to the two-plus hour run times of most Batman movies, making The Animated Series a much breezier watch.
Thankfully, the creators of the show take this opportunity to expand Gotham in ways that we hadn’t seen before. Unlike the movies, which tend to utilize more well-known and recognized villains, Batman the Animated Series was able to go in a more obscure and unique direction, exploring seedy sides of Gotham that were, at the time, uncharted territory.
The Animated Series adapts antagonists that we had never seen on screen before, and even creates some new ones that had never appeared in the comics. There are some swings and misses, as you would expect from a show that spans over eighty episodes, but there’s one thing that the series never lacks: ambition.
This ambition extends to the visual style of the show as well, which took a very different approach to animation. Since the show was looking to create a darker atmosphere, the backgrounds were drawn on black paper — a method used to make the setting appear darker and more gothic, while also saving on costs due to the insane amount of ink that it would have taken to create this type of Gotham.
It’s clear that Batman: The Animated Series offers a uniquely dark take on the world of Gotham. Whereas the Adam West iteration of the character was more zany and wacky, and Tim Burton’s vision was influenced by the macabre world of German Expressionism, The Animated Series was firmly rooted in the dark world of film noir which is, arguably, a perfect fit for the character we all know as the world’s greatest detective.
Speaking of dark tone, Batman: The Animated Series is also where we start to see the guilt and grief over the death of his parents become a major part of Batman’s arc. Although his orphaned childhood has always been part of Bruce Wayne’s origin story, the two-episode “Two Face” storyline is one of the first times we see the character fully come to terms with the weight this trauma has had on his life.
This aspect of the series is what gave birth to Kevin Conroy’s incredible portrayal of the Caped Crusader — which remains a fan-favorite to this day. Although in a recent video, we made the argument that Michael Keaton is the best live-action Batman, be sure to give that a watch if you haven’t already, it’s hard to argue that there is a more nuanced version of the vigilante than we’d seen adapted before.
Prior to his tenure under the cowl — well, at least metaphorically — Conroy had garnered great acclaim for his roles on the stage, which allowed him a unique perspective on the character. In one interview, he put his role as Batman into context by saying, “You’re describing an archetypal hero, almost like a Hamlet character. I was putting it in terms of stage roles that I was familiar with.”
There’s something undeniably unique to Conroy’s approach to The Dark Knight, that allows it to stand out from every other version we have seen. Of course, we know Christian Bale’s signature growl, Michael Keaton’s soft and smooth tone, and even Batfleck’s voice modulator. But in giving a voice performance, Conroy had a unique medium to work in, in that he had to create the character ONLY through his voice. Sure, the animation also adds to the version of Batman we see, but the performance is crafted by Conroy’s voice.
Perhaps the defining mark of Conroy’s portrayal of the character is how he changes his voice when he is playing millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, versus when he is playing the superhero Batman. It was Conroy’s unique take on the true identity of the character that lent itself to this decision. During one interview he said, “the key for playing the character … is that the Batman persona is not the disguise. The disguise is Bruce Wayne.”
He took inspiration from many of the great film noir detectives, bringing a very New York feel to the character and his voice — which was very different from what we had seen before, and unlike anything we have seen since.
Another part of what makes Batman: The Animated Series stand out from other pieces of Batman media — at least at the time — is its propensity for mature, emotional storytelling. When BTAS launched in 1992, we’d seen Tim Burton’s macabre version of Gotham, as well as the signature campy version starring Adam West. But Batman: The Animated Series presents a uniquely grounded and emotionally-driven take on the property, which is reminiscent of Jim Starlin and Frank Miller’s work in the comics.
One of the best examples of this more nuanced approach to storytelling is “Heart of Ice,” widely considered one of — if not the single best episode of Batman: The Animated Series. This episode humanizes its Villain in a way we had never seen Batman media do before. It takes the character of Mr. Freeze and makes him an empathetic foe with a tragic backstory and a noble purpose driving his villainous deeds. He’s trying to save the life of his terminally ill, cryogenically frozen wife, Nora. This new origin story and take on the character was so beloved that it’s widely been accepted as canon for the character, even acting as the backstory for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version of the Villain in Batman and Robin.
Although Batman Returns gave us deeper villains than we had seen in the past with Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman, Mr. Freeze in “Heart of Ice” is the most complex villain we had seen to that point — and arguably maintains that title today.
This trend of humanizing its villains and giving them deeper purpose beyond just being a generic embodiment of evil is something that would continue through The Animated Series’ run. We also see it with Two Face, the villainous alter ego of Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent. Although it seemed Billy Dee Williams’s appearance as the D.A. in Batman 1989 was priming him to turn into the villain in later sequels, we never got the opportunity to see that take on the character since Burton’s planned third film in the franchise was scrapped. We also talked about “Burton’s Batman 3” in another video essay, and that movie sounded WILD, so give it a play after this one.
Eventually, Tommy Lee Jones would play a much goofier version of Two Face in Batman Forever, but the version we get to see in Batman: The Animated Series is much more nuanced, like the portrayal we would see Aaron Eckhart give in The Dark Knight.
In the two-part “Two Face” arc, we see how Harvey Dent became the villain. Beginning as a well-meaning DA who wants to change Gotham for the better, albeit with unorthodox methods that pushed the boundaries of what’s ethically acceptable, we see Dent suffer a psychotic break and eventually falls victim to an unfortunate accident that prevents him from being able to tell the difference between right and wrong. This inability to recognize his own actions as being wrong is a core element of Criminal Insanity which is often defined as mental illness or disease that make it impossible for somebody to know that their actions are a crime or to understand that their actions are wrong.
The Animated Series does a great job of showcasing Dent before his transformation, especially with regards to his friendship with Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne. It’s an approach we had rarely seen to villains before — getting to connect with them before they became a villain, that way their actions feel less evil and more tragic when they commit crimes.
Of course, one of the most iconic villain portrayals to come out of Batman: The Animated Series is Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker, which is considered by many to be among the best voice performances in any animated series in history. Hamill brings such an enjoyable lunacy to the character, while also showing great emotional depth, and you can’t talk about the Joker without talking about Harley Quinn. She’s likely best known for her live-action appearances as played by Margot Robbie, but it was Batman: The Animated Series that gave her life, creating her to act as a girlfriend to the Joker, before evolving into a character all her own.
While much of the series is grounded and at least flirting with the realm of reality, The Animated Series took advantage of its animated medium to explore some of the more out-there premises that would not have worked in a live-action format. Take “Perchance to Dream,” for example, in which Roddy McDowall stars as the villain Mad Hatter, trapping Batman in a simulation. Yet, despite this being a less grounded premise, it still maintains the strong emotional core of the series.
Another episode with a more whimsical storyline that was very different from what we had seen in previous Batman adaptations is “Trial,” in which the criminals of Arkham capture Batman and put him on trial. Fans will definitely recognize some similarities between this episode and a scene in The Dark Knight Rises, in which Scarecrow sentences Commissioner Jim Gordon to “exile.” However, the idea of a storyline where the villains took over Gotham was completely unique when Batman: The Animated Series did it.
It’s clear that Batman: The Animated Series did many things that no adaptation of Batman had done before that point, paving the way for future movies that have become some of the most acclaimed comic book adaptations ever made.
There’s a reason why this show has stood the test of time and continues to earn new fans, even thirty years later: it’s probably the best adaptation of the Batman comics we’re ever going to get.
What do you think? Is Batman: The Animated Series the ULTIMATE version of the Batman story? Or do you prefer another version? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, be sure to like and subscribe. Until next time!
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