Disney Owns Batman's TV Rights

[@ComicDrake]

Correction: Disney bought ABC in 1996, not 66. I blame my dyslexia. 😅

[@googamp32]

Correction: Disney bought ABC in 1996, not ABD.

[@ComicDrake]

@@googamp32 GOD DAMMIT

[@keitrickmiller]

​@@ComicDrakeWe still rock with you Drake, why.....cuz your GREAT.

[@somethingeasy3005]

Drake this was BRILLIANT. Now I’m wondering can we get one of these for other heroes? Nightwing for example? Other than Titans, i feel like Grayson hasn’t gotten the shine he deserves..but WHY?

[@a15yearold]

Would you say this video still has potential to be true then (not trying to be mean just genuinely curious)

[@Anthintendo]

If this is true, the executive leadership at Disney must feel so smug about themselves that one of their Industry Rivals, Warner Bros. has to tiptoe around 9 miles of legal land mines just to sneak REFERENCES to their most popular IP in live action on television. Like, imagine Bob Iger chuckling to himself whenever he hears “oh WB is putting together a new live action TV project featuring Batman,” and has one hand on a bright red phone waiting for the call from David Zaslav to ask permission to have Batman appear out of focus in the distance of a shot for 30 seconds.

[@tonypeppermint5329]

Definitely.

[@ivanagustinortiz5237]

Which is why, even tho we as fans suffer for it, I LOVE that Sony does the same to Disney with Spider-man, giving them a bit of their own medicine.

[@Anthintendo]

@@ivanagustinortiz5237 Kevin Fiege and Ravi Ahuja meet in smoky rooms and play high stakes Poker games but instead of poker chips, they bet Spider-Man characters’ film rights

[@NIDELLANEUM]

@@ivanagustinortiz5237 Exactly. I'm now glad that Disney owns Marvel, but needs to be really careful when handling Marvel's biggest hero

[@somethingeasy3005]

@@ivanagustinortiz5237No literally. When you put it like this it’s HILARIOUS . then there’s the other part of me that’s hates the fact that this is what they do…It’s like you said. In the end we the fans end up starved of content. Idk man, I just feel like we should put the comic back in comic book movies.😔😂

[@juliusbossman7280]

Disney at the next comic con: Our new tv show is about a Caped Crusader, a real Dark Knight you can say. He may fight throughout the night against his infamous rogue's gallery but you can clearly see him fight in his famous dark costume. Coming to ABC: Nighthawk

[@tombecker381]

And his name is Darkwing Duck. Let's get dangerous.

[@chrischriskidnicky6088]

Isn’t that what Moon Knight is?

[@leithaziz2716]

To be frank, there are MANY parallels you can draw to Daredevil when it comes to Batman. Hell's Kitchen is Matt's "Gotham" equivalent.

[@ДимчоДимов-ж7е]

He'd be played by Zac Efron.

[@TheKyleMark]

@@ДимчоДимов-ж7еEfron would be a dope Batman, especially now that his jaw looks like it does.

[@MathieuLeblanc1991]

I did notice that on the credits of Space Jam A New Legacy, they had to credit Disney for sharing the rights to the theme song for the film

[@irrespondible]

HUH?!

[@MathieuLeblanc1991]

@@irrespondible Yeah they liscenced the theme song of Batman 66 for the film and had to credit Hollywood Records ( Disney’s label) since they legally own the song. It’s why the two direct to animated Batman 66 movies never had it, they had to pay for it

[@irrespondible]

@@MathieuLeblanc1991 Oh, yeah, the song is likely also in the flux...

[@MathieuLeblanc1991]

@@irrespondible Same thing happened with the Spider Verse movies and its uses of the 1960s Spider Man cartoon footage and music

[@irrespondible]

@@MathieuLeblanc1991 In an interesting reversal, those rights belong to Warner. Funny enough, the theme song was altered for the Spider-Man TAS series, which was already made outside of Warner, so the melody seems in the realms of usability.

[@mediabaron2416]

There is one conclusion to be drawn from all this.... Character rights suck and will forever be the bane of storytelling.

[@Drekal684]

And a big part of the problem is... Once again, Disney! This time for pushing copyright laws to a ridiculous, obscene degree. Like, they only really stopped it when they realised it wasn't worth it anymore. The sheer damage that's caused to long term creativity is only really starting to be felt now, though there are of course other factors too.

[@olliehearton]

Ask the Spectacular Spider-Man fans.

[@Superlad9494]

The *Bane* ....what a *Knight*

[@oldylad]

@@Drekal684no, the problem is the industry refusing to take risks. Are they wrong though? It’s a lot easier to adapt or make a sequel than it is to make something genuinely unique or creative. It’s far easier to copy everyone else too, that’s why everything feels samey and bland

[@Drekal684]

@@oldylad There can be more than one problem going at once. I agree with you that what you've said is *a* problem, and a very big one, but it's not the only thing going amiss in the entertainment industry right now. Cargo culting is another issue (that is, seeing something blow up and trying to copy it without understanding why it was popular). Chasing metrics is another. Short term planning to satisfy investors is another really, really big problem that splinters off into causing multiple other issues - like the one you raised.

[@FanboyimusPrime]

Even if what James Gunn said is correct this video is still an interesting look into the weird and complicated mess Batman's legal rights for live action TV have been.

[@HyperionStars]

@@SonicStantzhe said on twitter “This is not true” replying to this theory

[@CrashdummyNation]

It hasn't been at all. Batman 66 distribution rights isn't the same as Batman tv rights lol This video might aswell have been proving aliens were real. He told you all the reasons it was possible but left out all the reasons it wasnt...Like an out focus Batman in titans? Lmao ...It was Batman, if they weren't allowed to use him they would have been sued. It was clearly Batman. Lol

[@michaelmaguire4147]

@@CrashdummyNation you seem to be confusing "cannot ever use" and "needs permission to use"

[@GothamKnight84661]

You shouldn't believe everything Gunn say's. He lies so much, even he isn't able to be truthful about anything.

[@alexandermccalla5098]

@@CrashdummyNationI’m not sure if I’m reading you correctly but titans never had Batman as far as I can recall. What they had was a blonde Bruce Wayne.

[@michaelmaguire4147]

One aspect of this that I've always heard about, that you only just barely touched on is that "Batman can't be on TV because it would dilute the brand" line being attributed to a decree from Nolan when he was making his Batman movies.

[@jturner2577]

Nolan's Decree was and still is bullshit.

[@kevin10001]

That could just be an official statement to cover up not having the television or not having them fully of something cause the 1966 series have to put out a few cover up statements themselves like when they had to replace the riddler in the Batman’s anniversary plot and brought in John Ashton from the Addams family the official cover up statement was that Frank gorshin had a night club engagement he couldn’t reschedule but he was having a contract dispute with the show as stated in Adam’s book back to the batcave for example

[@thewhitewolf58]

I miss nolan batman. He felt like a cartoon character in real world. Synders batman feels like a dark and edgy teenage nerd after his crush rejected him.

[@Goodbutevilgenius]

​@@thewhitewolf58Snyder's Batman hasn't been the most recent one for some time.

[@The_Phantasm]

12:58 Small error there. Clock King is in fact a Green Arrow villain. Most people assume he's a Batman villain because of his small appearance in Batman TAS, but that version of Clock King was a different person named Temple Fugate as opposed to the comic book William Tockman. Also, while Deathstroke has certainly fought Batman, he is a Titans and Nightwing villain not a Batman villain.

[@wilsonng994]

Huh. I didn't know that. I was pleasantly surprised to learn some of the supervillains Batman fought were originally minor or B-tier villains that were originally a part of other DC superheroes.

[@The_Phantasm]

@@wilsonng994 Deathstroke was never B-Tier and has always remained a Titans and Nightwing villain.

[@RunicRazili]

Another small error from the same moment, Deathstroke is a Nightwing villain. Most people assume he’s Batman because of his many appearances in Batman media, but everybody forgets that he has more beef with Dick and the Titans as opposed to Bruce after the death of his son. Edit: just read the last sentence of your comment, ignore what I said 😅

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

What about the Clock King on the '66 TV series?

[@The_Phantasm]

@@DavidTSmith-jn5bs I mean he was there but no one ever refers to his appearance in the show.

[@Pikashades]

This is like having divided two parties so that one them has a video game but can't play the DLC, while the other party has the DLC but can't play the video game it's for.

[@bladerj]

not that different, marvel downs own movie rights to spider-man, but they held for games, while sony was allowed to have movies and tv shows, now marvel owns spider-man on tv shows, its why they can do whatever they want with the animated show and the mcu animated what ifs.

[@super_carson]

My guess was always that Warner Bros doesn’t want to cheapen the brand with constant appearances on live action television and make people less interested in going to a Batman film. Really good video and I respect your research

[@NIDELLANEUM]

Exactly. That was a logical way to justify stuff like having Batman be a 60 year old retired man on Titans, or making sure that the Arrowverse would only feature "Bruce Wayne" once, and only with Hush pretending to be him

[@basilciccone1679]

Idk if anyone remembers a youtube series called After Hours; I think they had the same opinion on what you’re saying like a decade ago, pretty cool stuff.

[@einootspork]

That's not a "headcanon," that's just an assumption. Headcanons are for fiction.

[@Doomsword0]

I've always found it a strange excuse though, I still look forward to the next Superman movie even though I watched Superman and Lois. It's a super old and outdated perspective from when movie were seen as the goal and tv was lesser than which hasn't been the case for many years now

[@super_carson]

@@Doomsword0 This is what I believe Warner Bros' approach to be, not reflexive of my own. The big decision to exclude Batman in live-action television most likely came from old business execs who didn't want to make any type of "financial risks" with an obvious cash cow. The reason why I believe Superman gets the greenlight for live-action television is because those same business execs don't view something like "Superman and Lois" stepping on any congruently running appearances in film. Superman, at least before James Gunn stepped in as CEO, unfortunately wasn't as much of a priority as Batman is. Completely the fault of DC for relying on Batman so much instead of equally growing other character's public brand just like what they did with Batman '89, but that's a whole other can of worms. I agree with you that it's an old excuse, I'm just trying to look at the situation from the perspective of the people who give the thumbs up or not

[@NIDELLANEUM]

For a long time, I assumed DC shows barely featured Batman or made sure he wasn't going to appear much as an active superhero because WB wanted to "save" him for big budget movies. That was the only way I could justify them doing stuff like barely making him show up on Arrow, featuring him as an almost 60 year old man on Titans, and somehow making Gotham, a show about Gotham City when Bruce Wayne was a teenager, with barely a few direct references to Batman. Now you're telling me that it's because Disney, who already owns the majority of western pop culture, found themselves with the TV rights to Batman? Man, how is it fair that Disney gets to control so much entertainment?

[@jadenbryant9283]

its also could be because of the batman embargo.

[@mgaskill]

Well, Disney may be liquidating assets soon, so Warner Bros might find those valuable rights come available on the open market …

[@matthewtetley7048]

Imagine if WB had the rights to hulk or spider man, I think there would be similar pains, in fact thinking where is the fantastic 4 tv or animation at rights wise

[@jmk0512]

​@mgaskill considering how bad Warner Bros is doing under discovery does having to be sold again, I doubt that they will be able to afford to buy the TV rights back at all. I doubt James Gunn will even do any better what DCU is, then any other previous attempt to make the DC movie franchise thrive. I could be wrong but I'll believe it when I see it.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@jmk0512 I definitely trust Gunn more than I do.

[@pegasusdrive12]

Ok, couple of corrections: Firstly, Penguin is also being aired on HBO (linear TV) and not just a streaming project. Secondly, we see Burt Ward as Robin in Crisis on Infinite Earths where he is credited as Robin from the Batman 66 universe.

[@futuramayeah]

he was only in a sweater, so i don't know if he counts as robin even though we know the actor so he didn't have to say he was robin, him saying holy crisis on meatballs made us know it was him

[@wilsonng994]

Wow. Something else new to know. Thks man.

[@jasonmullinder]

don't forget Batman in Costume appeared in the final episode of Gotham

[@SonicXtreme99akaCreeperMario]

I thought it had something to do with dc’s weird rule about how writers aren’t allowed to use the same character if a movie is using it (that’s why twoface wasn’t in 2004’s the batman)

[@NIDELLANEUM]

I wonder if that rule is still in place. Seems kinda sus how they suddenly made a cartoon where the Penguin is a woman right as a TV show about the Penguin premieres

[@lordofninjas1]

I think that rule has only been around in recent years (I've really only heard it be applied to the Arrowverse and DCEU since they were running at the same time), so I don't think it applies to a show from the 60's, and pretty sure it only ever applied to live-action projects, so animated projects like the Batman from 2004 wouldn't have been effected by it. Now with Gunn and Safran taking over DC it sounds like that rule doesn't exist anymore since they said they are wanting to use the same actors they cast for movies to appear in tv shows and games and such.

[@magicalgirllaurie]

@@lordofninjas1 No, the Batman in 2004 was VERY much affected by it. It's why Gordon didn't show up till season 3 and Robin didn't show up till season 4. Gordon was in the Nolan movies and Robin was in the Teen Titans cartoon. It's been a thing for ages, although I don't think it's in effect anymore, at least not as strictly if it is.

[@lordofninjas1]

@@magicalgirllaurie hmm. Ok, I've not seen or heard anything about that being the case for the Batman Animated show. As I mentioned in my comment I only have ever heard it be applied to the Arrowverse and DCEU projects, so I'm wondering if there is some kind of thing floating around about it that I just haven't seen or if it's sort of fans retroactively conflating it to apply to the older projects prior to DCEU/Arrowverse when it actually doesn't or whatever.

[@leithaziz2716]

It's always interesting to look at the unique rules put on each proprty. Godzilla for example is not allowed (by Toho) to die in a film unless he's replaced by another Godzilla. Hence Godzilla Jr fully maturing to become the next big lizard at the end of "Godzilla Vs Destoroyah."

[@gibbeynator]

Honestly, I think the Bat-embargo really is just that strict. Legend has it that the Bat-embargo is why Robin didn't show up on The Batman until season 4; because he was already on Teen Titans and WB didn't want to confuse the viewers.

[@racool911]

But they don't care about that for Superman? I don't buy it

[@nineexists6621]

the penguin show was built to not have batman because its meant to focus more on penguin and lets be honest, if batman was in it, he would steal the show.

[@CaptainCat101]

Happy Batman Day! "ET forgives Bat"

[@kinglycrimson]

Disney owns the rights to the 2001 transformers show "robots in disguise"

[@RainbowLegion]

Aswell as many of the comics as Marvel UK made them

[@Cre8Lounge]

Damm

[@irrespondible]

@@Cre8Lounge That's because the show is Japanese, and the dubbing was made by Saban, afaik.

[@0H00C-Ultra]

@@irrespondibleSaban?

[@irrespondible]

@@0H00C-Ultra Yes, indeed. Transformers RID was licensed for dubbing by Saban Entertainment in 2000. Saban Entertainment was bought by Disney in 2001 alongside Fox Family and that included all the rights to the series that Saban made back in the day.

[@theoutoftouchnetwork9204]

You missed one major Batman TV appearance. In 1979 two TV specials aired called Legends of the Super Heroes. Basically a live action Super Friends. Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin all returned for their respective roles. It was made by Hanna-Barbera and aired on NBC. WB released them on DVD in 2010.

[@theotherjared9824]

WB also for the longest time had a policy that a character can't appear in more than one fim and tv project at once. Robin appeared in season 4 of the batman because he was already in teen titans. A suicide squad CW show was scrapped because the movie was already in production. Deathstroke was barred from anything for a while because executives wanted to save him for a movie. Only recently has this rule lightened up with multiple of the same character appearing everywhere.

[@Jason_Bryant]

I would also argue against Drake's comment about WB having no problem with a Superman show because of Superman and Lois. There was actually a long road to that show. At first they did Supergirl, but they weren't allowed to have Superman show up. Then they had a Superman, but just as a guest star. That went on for a couple of years before the CW was able to convince the higher ups that people liked Tyler Hoechlin Superman so much that they needed to make a Superman show. So they definitely had *less* resistance to a Superman show, but there was some.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@Jason_Bryant which is great since it lead to us getting some of the best superman media we have had in a long time.

[@Superlad9494]

​@@Jason_Bryant the movie rule. During the DCEU/Arrowverse years, WB wanted to focus on Cavill instead of Hoechilin even though Hoechilin was the better Superman from the start. This is why Hoechilin got the guest star role later on Supergirl and ultimately his own show. I also think another thing similar to what happened with someone else during the Smallville years helped with his popularity...he was Ruthie Camden's ex...too bad when Simon was on Smallville they had to pull from Hanna-Barbera's bargain basement even though it had been previously established that Simon was both a Flash ("Red Lightning") and Batman fan...surely they could have picked a different superhero at the time without needing to resort to the Wonder Twins.

[@iamcitizen38]

The Penguin isn't a streaming-only project, though. It airs on cable as well.

[@Panthror]

Great video once again! One minor note: 'The Penguin' airs first on HBO before it is available on MAX, so it is also on TV and not only on a streaming service.

[@orlandorolon7338]

It airs simultaneously. It doesn't become available to stream until it's time slot.

[@Panthror]

@@orlandorolon7338 Eh, semantics, point is: It's also on TV.

[@Blastertronus]

Transformers Robots in Disguise 2001: First time?

[@themilkman5004]

Oh, a lot of things make sense now

[@Chris_Thorndyke]

Welcome to reality

[@comixproviderftw_02]

DC Fans: But you don’t own Batman. Disney: Not yet… Not completely anyway. 😏

[@KadeStringer2.0]

Disney doesn’t own Batman

[@carsonsmith7314]

The only Batman they own is the '66 version. Which ironically is one of the best versions. Go figure.

[@RyanG0899]

​@carsonsmith7314 He's not even regarded as one of the top 3 live action Batmen.

[@carsonsmith7314]

@@RyanG0899 He should be. He's the only one, aside from Michael Keaton and maybe Robert Pattinson who understood the character. "I never had to say 'I'm Batman'. I showed up. People knew I was Batman." - Adam West

[@comixproviderftw_02]

@@carsonsmith7314 That’s the best line Adam West ever said and it’s from The Big Bang Theory of all things

[@flintlockwood25]

I've always wandered about this because Fox aired Gotham, which was STILL airing during the Disney/Fox merger

[@TheFunnyGuy9000]

Nope, it ended right before fox was bought by Disney

[@TheRealFry2024]

That's Fox Corporation, completely different

[@TheFunnyGuy9000]

@@TheRealFry2024 Yup

[@Dashiell777]

​@@TheFunnyGuy9000I'm glad because honestly. They're a horrible company to work with. I'm not saying warner butters is any better but at least with them They could end up selling the stuff off. Disney will just ruin it and shut it down.

[@Dr.Dimension]

@@Dashiell777 mf lier: Batgirl, scooby 2, Coyote vs acme and way way more good movies that got canned because warner bros wanted tax write offs🤡

[@Scorbunzx]

2:31 man is canon!

[@klaus-mikael_son]

Why wouldn't he be. Are u stupid?

[@SpaceCore2053]

I thought man was a man, not a cannon. Am I stupid?

[@kubzeez]

“ermm the jokers right behind me isn’t he?” - TV Batman probably

[@ragemonkey117]

Yall really getting some mileage out of that joke huh.

[@TSLAYER34]

It makes a lot of sense because the only time I see Batman live action TV is always the Adam West version

[@sonicgen20]

Batman the face of DC comics? I always felt both Superman and Batman shared that title. Also Superman is actually a year older than Batman. Superman’s debut was Action Comics #1 1938 while Batman’s debut was Detective Comics #27 1939.

[@Elephantsaresupreme]

But its inargueable that DC post 2008 has relied heavily on Batman across almost all if their media.

[@ender7278]

I remember hearing that WB let FOX do Gotham in exchange for the rights to '66, hence comics and animated movies based on it coming out around the same time.

[@2ndeaster]

"One step at a time... One step at a time." - Bob Iger

[@packedentertainment2866]

Palpatine but in real life

[@wiilov]

No steps at all. His House of Cards is a-crumbling

[@jameskiely2788]

Not a snake monster, eh? Just the thing a snake monster would say!

[@realghoststories1210]

Even if Disney owns the right to a live action TV show of Batman. They can't do anything with him because they don't have the rights to the other characters. Sony is getting around with the shared rights of Spiderman. By making movies with the other characters like Venom. But it's not like Disney can make a show with just Batman. Usually these TV rights have a limit, if you don't use them. You lose them. So the question is, when does the Batman rights expire. Or is Disney shuffling the rights to the show between all their other IPs.

[@markusnavergard2387]

i´ve loved green arrow ever since the animated justice league cartoon where he identifies himself as " a old Lefty"

[@ericfusco8235]

Disney bought ABC in ‘96 not ‘66. Obviously just an oversight but just bringing it to your attention before you are inundated with angry nerds. Love your content , Drake! Recommend it to all my old nerd friends!

[@ComicDrake]

Dyslexia strikes again. 😭

[@CaptainCat101]

I knew something about that didn't sound right

[@pirate4460]

Here's what WB can do: make a live action FMV batman game with limited interactivity - but never release the game to the public. Then, make a TV show about a streamer that only plays WB video games - and coincidentally he's only going to play the FMV game, one hour per week.

[@crystalballstudiostm2355]

Dear god no...

[@theelitebattleangel]

Yesss

[@SinbadNaiver]

Oh no.....for the love of god PLEASE GOD NO. If it's true...that would explain why DC's gone to crap.

[@Sparksparky1]

​@SinbadNaiver dc as a company is aseparate entity it's just that this is a spiderman situation all over again also do you have any idea who comics drake is he literally covers dc and marvel and other comic franchises

[@raven3067]

DC has gone to crap even before Disney took over.

[@kb6900]

You beat me to it

[@clarktooncrossing3975]

"I assure you, I'm not a snake monster or anything." That's something A SNAKE MONSTER WOULD SAY!

[@edwardsimpson119]

Comic Drake is only a couple letters off from Comic Snake...

[@TheFunnyGuy9000]

@@edwardsimpson119 Yup

[@JohnScaer]

I’ve always assumed Batman got so little TV time because WB wanted to keep the character exclusive to the big screen. Somewhat similarly, Disney is pretty protective of Mickey Mouse, not allowing that character to be used in the “DuckTales” revival, for example. If Disney does own the Batman TV rights, I’m sure WB will pay to rent the Dark Knight if they really want to, similar to Disney renting Spider-Man from Sony for the MCU.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

One has to wonder just how much more complicated this mess will become when Batman enters the public domain in 2035.

[@alexzeng9833]

The opposite really, it'll make everything much easier and simple

[@johnelmartagbago3764]

It's not gonna do much complications since only the OG Batman would become public domain. The things we can expect from it is that people will have more Batman fanfilms and maybe horror parodies.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

@@johnelmartagbago3764 By compilations, I meant with the whole live-action depiction in a TV series thing.

[@henshinrider]

This reminds me of the Bat-Embargo that I heard rumoured around the late 2000's. If I recall correctly it was basically certain bat-characters were off limits for certain shows to 'prevent confusion'. I think the biggest examples were Batman's rogues gallery being mostly off limits in JLU while the Batman was also running. I vaguely remember that being the rumoured reason why Smallville couldn't use Bruce Wayne etc.

[@samspurgeon4222]

I wish they would do a proper GCPD/Gotham Central show like the comics.... I thought that's what Gotham was supposed to be but it unfortunately wasn't. It could focus on all the crime Gotham is supposed to be famous for, the major crime bosses and families, maybe some of Batman's lesser villains occasionally, but I think a hard boiled crime fighting show like that could be a winner. You wouldn't have to even see Batman. A note left on Gordon's desk next to an open window, turning on the Bat signal to occasionally end an episode, crooks tied up on the sidewalk with a bat note, that kinda thing to show he's around and working to help.. Have a cast featuring the good cops doing what they do best. Commissioner Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, Crispus Allen, Merkel(whose face you never see, but he's always next to Gordon, etc..) I dunno, I'd watch it

[@superthomasgaming]

I could be wrong but Penguin is an HBO original not a max original and would therefore air on HBO on tv

[@ComicDrake]

Yes, that is the conclusion of the video.

[@leafykille]

Any sock company that won't say how much their socks cost in a sponsorship is clearly over charging for their socks and wasting money on advertising.

[@renucis2994]

0:32 what was that noise?!

[@IceGuyProductions0]

The MGS “spotted” soung

[@IceGuyProductions0]

(Metal gear solid)

[@bonnierabbit1413]

SNNAAKKEEE❤

[@friskjidjidoglu7415]

People have got to stop giving Disney their shit.

[@evansgardens]

I have both the movie and every episode of the 66' show. It was my first fixation, I absolutely loved it as a kid and I still do

[@kevin10001]

I have the movie in both formats and I got the blue-ray box set when it released cause Adam was my introduction to Batman when I was 5 years old in 1989 during the second wave of batmania when family channel now known as Freeform got the syndication rights for the series and i feel in love with the series almost immediately to were Adam became my hero my love of Batman would grow into a general love of Batman as a character but the series will always be my favorite depiction of Batman the series is why I love behind the scenes information about movies and television today trying to hunt down ways to watch it online when it wasn’t being syndicated lead me to lean what I know about the series today winding up on fan sites with the information on them

[@jacksvendsgaard2270]

It would be hilarious if Disney made a Nighthawk show just to rub it in DC’s faces

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

Or a Hyperion show with the main character sporting a spit-curl?

[@RyanG0899]

Yeah, because Nighthawk is going to be more successful than a Batman show...

[@jacksvendsgaard2270]

@@RyanG0899 nighthawk is a parody of Batman. Marvel has openly acknowledged that. And if a good show is written well, IP doesn’t matter

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@DavidTSmith-jn5bs and get Brandon routh to play him.

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

@@jadenbryant9283 If he'll dye his hair blonde...

[@clements1991]

In the UK 'The Penguin' is being shown on broadcast TV.

[@mattjenner6225]

I've been thinking about what you said about Batman appearing in live action on TV. There's one instance you missed out. The Birds of Prey series showed Batman in flashbacks pretty full on. So doesn't that break the TV rules you mentioned?

[@stevandjuric1479]

It doesn't break anything because Disney doesn't own the rights

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

If WB doesn't own the rights to the Adam West show, how were they able to make those two animated movies based off it that came out recently?

[@purelogarithm]

As stated animated and live actions are different things - they still own the character. It’s also a movie.

[@jasonmullinder]

The 60's show is not the IP for all television, James Gunn said it's a a stupid rumour. Live action and animation are not separate licenses, all the animated Batman shows none of them belong to Disney

[@jasonmullinder]

Final episode of Gotham had Batman in costume

[@SapphireKnight675]

that's the weirdest rumor I ever heard considering the amounts of Batman Animated Shows and Movies along with his Association with Cartoon Network, I think it likely had more to do with the Bat Embargo than anything else EDIT: because if they truly did have those rights, they would be using them in anyway just to prevent WB from using or had some kind of negotiation like they did with Oswald

[@theraymunator]

Well, at least that means there is a possibility of a TV adaptation of Batman and Spider-Man

[@tomleonard830]

Bruce Wayne was featured in Titans and the Crisis on Infinite Earths Arrowverse crossover. As well as Gotham, obviously. Does this mean that Bruce Wayne and Batman TV rights are seperate?

[@bigwhopper6501]

Kinda, they're not aloud to show batman in the suit clearly with bat logo showing.

[@burnout3722]

It seems that Disney owns the right to the 66' show only but not Batman on television overall.

[@lordofninjas1]

Interesting video. I'd be curious to see if something does come out about this to solidify what exactly is going on with it. Also, didn't really notice it until you pointed it out in the video, but yeah, it's strange that they've always sort of danced around any live-action Batman. Whatever the case, this just moves us one step closer to a potential live-action Marvel vs DC project.

[@MisterWiza]

Apparently WB couldnt use Catwoman in The Penguin either

[@MidnightsEdgeAfterDark]

This has been debunked several times over. WB worked it out years ago, and released the show on blu-ray and did the animated sequels. Not to mention WHY in the world would a 60 year old contract that they did nothing with still be active??? It's a silly rumor that keeps going around that means nothing. It was Fox TV that ended up with the rights at one point so even IF Disney has the original show that's all they have the rights to, nothing else.

[@MIDICastleTheme]

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but this doesn’t add up. Warner Bros. made an animated movie featuring Batman and Robin from Adam West’s TV show and even used Adam West’s Batman image in The Flash, as you mentioned. So how could they not own the rights to the TV show when they clearly own the characters, title, and image rights? Warner Bros. Home Entertainment also released a DVD of the show with the modern DC logo. On top of that, they produced the Titans TV show, which includes both Robin and Bruce Wayne. There’s also Batman: The Animated Series from 1992 and this year’s Amazon animated series. Batman is just too big for a regular TV show these days; they’re keeping him for the big screen. With about 10 years left before Batman enters the public domain, Warner Bros. is being careful not to overuse him, aiming to maximize profits from ticket sales while they still have exclusive control.

[@armanimartinez8105]

He’s farming and click baiting for views and he’s a comic guy who focuses on MARVEL

[@g.a.2997]

The quagmire of who knows what has always been a nightmare for me. It's the reason I can't get a Blu-ray or dvd complete collection of tales from the crypt, goosebumps or the haunting hour.

[@Fox531CD]

Oh, is it legal rights that kept The Haunting Hour from getting released? I was wondering. Of course, I was also wondering why only half the series ever made it on Prime, and I'm not even sure the first half is still there.

[@g.a.2997]

@Fox531CD I think it's just the Hub network went out of business and now the rights are in limbo. Amazon has whatever episodes are on the DVD series but that is only ~40, there are 75 episodes.

[@stopsicle_animation]

giggity

[@vanishingllama7342]

😮....WE LIVE IN THE ODDEST TIMELINE????!!!!!!!!!

[@UrBoiCyrus]

Exactly! With the rumors of the Spider-Man 4 movie I’m believing it more and more

[@grimluker]

Smallville may have not been able to have Batman but they did reference him in s10! Chloe mentions she met a "billionaire with high tech toys" Also i cant imagine the legal issues with showing Batmans suit in the Gotham finale

[@Nightwing1933]

I think there is truth to the dilute the brand bit, it's most likely why most of the A list heroes never showed up on the CW.

[@SickVoid]

Love how many comments there are saying things that are clearly adressed in the video.

[@cavespidergamingyt]

Well now I see how Deadpool got away with the Batman reference in Deadpool & Wolverine

[@alwaysawesome216]

He also mentioned Batman in the 2nd movie

[@SleepySkullhead]

This might be why I saw Marvel credited for an image from the animated trailer of Shadow the Hedgehog as Batman. I was very confused when I saw that, figured it may have been an error.

[@KainFuery]

So there is a chance of getting Dark Claw!

[@DeclanMBrennan]

True art never dies. The rights just subdivide, allowing legions of lawyers to afford their own comfortable Bombas socks.

[@medicatedgoblins6352]

James Gunn said this isn’t true

[@TheFunnyGuy9000]

Thank you

[@martymcfly1312]

he mentioned that in the video

[@TheFunnyGuy9000]

@@martymcfly1312 Even though Comic Drake disagreed with James Gunn and said "thats fishy". There's nothing fishy about Gunn debunking that rumor

[@t_r_a_y_e9858]

Right because studio executives are always honest people

[@medicatedgoblins6352]

@@t_r_a_y_e9858 knows more than you dawg quit pretending

[@bigrobotnewstoday1436]

Batman was in the opening of Birds of Pray for a few seconds fighting the joker.

[@Hokusha]

If this was true the penguin wouldn't have come out.

[@gunnaryoung]

2:06 my favorite part was when Tim said "it's Burton time" and then started Burting all over the place.

[@Starwarsdude8221991]

I mean have you seen his work it’s all Burton

[@JohnPizzapasta]

This is now the second video in a row that I've seen someone make this type of comment under

[@gunnaryoung]

@@Starwarsdude8221991 I wouldn't want it any other way!

[@AzraelThanatos]

One of the things that is also an issue with things in this is that WB has their "Bat Embargo" policy that originated about Batman and the Bat-family during the Justice League/Justice League: Unlimited where WB/DC were heavily restricting anything connected to them due to having other shows and/or movies at the same time. The same kind of thing happened with Aquaman for a while with regard to Smallville, where there was a pilot for a similar show in the planning about Arthur there

[@shwetaketutyagi3083]

Fairly certain that they'd be an expiry date on the contract with abc. I mean even in the 1960s they wouldnt give up tv rights like that in perpetuity.

[@armanimartinez8105]

It’s crazy how people can miss spread information and not be challenged or called out…. Marvel fans really are a new breed. It’s funny that this video exists and proof exist of Disney bidding for “The caped crusader” Crazy if they had the TV rights They wouldn’t have made any bids on the show and if they are willing to pay for the exclusivity to stream it on Hulu or Disney+ by the logic of this video… we should already have a show premiered by them… but wait we don’t :0

[@wyattjaron8112]

This feels like an old film theory episode

[@kcthesledgestoryteller]

It’s about 6 months ago that the light bulb lit up in my head - Disney now owns a piece of Batman!

[@High-LordHarza]

Stuff like this is why I love your content. Also, I like that you included the Here 2 Hit logo on the background, love spotting new additions!

[@wdcain1]

What's the deal with the original villains from the Adam West show? Egghead has appeared in the comics but no one else. Tom King tried to bring back King Tut but DC wouldn't let him.

[@magnum9588]

King Tut exists, but he's drastically different from the show one

[@CamusHyuga]

I dont know if this is true for every example you could think of but, as far as I know, both DC and Marvel, usually has some sort of agreement when licensing their IP to TV, animation and videogames, where any newly created character belongs to them (DC/Marvel) but this probably gets filtered through other deals, like creating a new character that becomes popular in a Spider-man videogame becomes a Marvel comics property so they can appear in the comics, but their movie rights are still Sony's. This is me just theorizing through.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Both Egghead and Tut appeared in The LEGO Batman Movie.

[@Deoxys911]

Given what we know about the so-called "Bat-Embargo" that was in place during the run of The Batman on The WB/CW, I suspect that the issue isn't a rights issue with an outside party so much as ridiculously tight restrictions on how Batman and The Joker are used on TV shows imposed by WB/DC executives on their own projects. It may even be as simple/stupid as "When Batman is in live action movies, he can't be on live action TV shows so consumers don't get confused and we risk potentially tarnishing the reputation of the films, leading to less revenue from our flagship theatrical releases."

[@PalestraMetafora]

15:45 "WB doesn't want to dillute the brand" WB proceeds to shove 3 different versions of Batman & Joker simultaneously on the movies

[@MADMANMIKE14]

Burt Ward appeared in part of the Arrowverse Crisis mini series walking a German shepherd shouting "Holy crimson skies of death!"

[@KI.1.0]

So Disney owns batman '66 rights, sony owns spider man movie rights, got it

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

No, Disney does not have any TV rights for the 'Batman' property. This video is a *massive* load of bull!

[@Legion849]

Disney does not own any TV rights. The video links no sources

[@UwU-235]

Nope, they own the broadcasting rights to the 66 show but not the show itself

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@@UwU-235 No, they don't.

[@UwU-235]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla yes, they do. Fox owns the broadcasting rights to batman 66. Disney owns fox. Disney doesn’t own 66, just the right to broadcast it

[@BlackRoostar-cf2yv]

This is how videos should be done. Strait to the point, buckle up and hold on, no click bait. 😊

[@44excalibur]

Actually, that's not true. Disney doesn't own Batman. Warner Bros. was considering doing a young Bruce Wayne show on The WB network back in the late 1990s that eventually became Smallville. The Bruce Wayne TV show was scrapped due to Darren Aronofsky's planned Batman: Year One movie, which was later cancelled by Warner Bros. The creators of Smallville had hoped to revive the Bruce Wayne project to run as a companion to Smallville, but WB declined, wanting instead to reserve Bruce Wayne for the Christopher Nolan movies. Gotham actually did feature Bruce Wayne as a child and as a teenager, and it was produced by Warner Bros. Television, so it's not true at all that Disney owns Batman. It's just that Warner Bros. is paranoid about reserving Batman for their film division, fearing that if Bruce Wayne/Batman is on television it would affect the box office performance of their Batman films. Disney didn't purchase ABC until 1996, hence the reason why Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman aired on ABC in the early 1990s, which could never happen today.

[@purelogarithm]

That was mentioned in the video

[@henrygreen2096]

I will GENUINELY be buying these socks. As soon as you said no seem at the end I was hooked but then you mentioned the philanthropy portion as well.

[@brosephthejoe9433]

That's my I.P. to sit on and do nothing with. - CEO from Smiling Friends. Also, wasn't Clock King was originally a Green Arrow villain?

[@Superlad9494]

Yes, William Tockman is one of Green Arrow's villains. Temple Fugate is one of Bruce's. The reason why Temple Fugate is Bruce's? It's a punny name...almost all Bruce's villains have punny names because they're Jokers. Ollie's rogues gallery is generally this. Malcom Merlyn Brick Clock King Rainbow Archer Different Scooby-Doo type villains that you could find matching his Robinhood getup. Sportsmaster Huntress (Paula Ngyuen-Crock) Cheshire is questionably his rival, but also his daughter-in-law so there's some fun at family gatherings. I would also sort of count Tigress and Icicle Jr, but Tigress and Icicle Jr. are more of a Zatanna villain, even if in some cases Tigress 3 is the Barbara Gordon of the Arrow family with Smoak in the Bette Kane role.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

The name Temple Fugate, for those who are wondering, is a pun on the Latin phrase, "tempus fugit," which means, "time flies."

[@rowandunning6877]

I like how they say that joker being in tv shows dilutes the brand when really the joker _not_ being in tv shows _actually_ dilutes the brand

[@kubzeez]

“I’m batman… erm that sounded better in my head 😅”

[@lightyearpig12]

That reminds me, Disney also owns Dragon Ball Evolution which means they possibly own the live action film rights to Dragon Ball. And probably for the best.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

You know Disney to make a movie to keep the right to the Dragon Ball the movie

[@Dashiell777]

Do they still own dragon ball z I thought they got sold off Or maybe I'm thinking of Power Rangers.

[@mpsorrentino]

Depends don't forget with Dragon Ball you're dealing with an IP owned by a Japanese company whose copyright laws are very different, plus Akira Toriyama, now his estate, also has rights because again copyright is very different in Japan. So while Disney may own the rights to produce and distribute a live-action Dragon Ball movie they might not be able to do so without permission from Shueisha and Toriyama's estate.

[@markanderson7236]

15:47 I still don't recall seeing that scene as a kid, or any Batman references other than the nighttime building fight, referenceing Wayne's Enterprise.

[@BatFan0539]

who here in 2025 and just watched superman legacy

[@ianbarkham5080]

When they were auditioning narrators the producers had to explain the tone they were after and Dozier gave the auditioners an example of what they wanted. Eventually, one of the applicants just went" why don't you do it". This gave Dozier membership of SAG, and they hadd the best health package in the entertainment industry, so he started going for VO roles after the series closed

[@Suhayl_Khatib]

That’s wild!

[@a15yearold]

16:08 correction: there's literally a penguin solo show, the Riddler from Gotham is actually called the Riddler, add an example you literally just said robin was in the 1966 show but also in titans,

[@marblethunder4323]

I've got it! Have Batman be a former baseball player turned vigilante! XD

[@LandonMcAfee]

Huh. Suddenly, Batman’s cameo in the live-action Rescue Rangers movie makes sense.

[@nathanielvaughn6728]

That was a movie. Disney probably still had to pay movie cameo rights for that one.

[@JohnPannozzi]

The Batman cameo (and the E.T. cameo for that matter) almost certainly counted as just an unofficial parody.

[@nathanielvaughn6728]

It's a big studio movie. They still had to pay for those cameos.

[@cks.design]

I always wondered why in the Peacemaker series Batman was the only one in the DCU Justice League that didn’t make that cameo. All of this research could be why!

[@oryanstar1010]

Disney does not own DC comics otherwise they would put that in the park

[@ramoncruz6646]

That's not the allegation