The Batman 20th Anniversary Retrospective

[@The_Phantasm]

I absolutely love the story of how Kevin Michael Richardson got the role of Joker. Apparently while he was driving to his audition he was stuck in a traffic jam and was very late and when he arrived he was so angry and was sure he was never going to get the role that he just used his anger and frustration and just yelled at the mic. Turns out they absolutely loved his manic voice for the role and history was made. Kevin did such an incredible job and to think that before he was cast he was really disappointed that they just didn't go with Mark Hamill again because he thought he was just incredible. Kevin is definitely a worthy successor.

[@EChacon]

Kevin also revealed that his voice of the Joker is based on Martin Short’s Jiminy Glick whose voice can go way up high or bring it down low when he needs to.

[@ianmurphy3840]

Agree, his Joker performance is great. I love how he transition from being totally enjoyment to sarcastically smug. And that laugh could rival Mark Hamill's. It's both manic and jolly at the same time.

[@theshenpartei]

Heck he is one my top three jokers

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Funny enough, Mark Hamil loves Kevin's Joker!! Both a really good friends and know how to share a few laughs❤😂

[@deppo436]

Amen to that lol. He's on par with if not maybe even better than Mark Hamill in my eyes. His Joker is easily the most memorable parts of this show.

[@CJ-442]

Honestly, one of the things I liked most about this show was how well the “Bruce Wayne persona” was portrayed. In almost every iteration of the character, the public is supposed to perceive Bruce Wayne as a “billionaire playboy”, and yet even when Batman is “playing the part” of Bruce Wayne, he’s still overly serious, almost completely monogamous (or even tries to avoid romance entirely), and sometimes straight-up socially awkward. It’s a serious wonder as to how people weren’t able to tell that Bruce Wayne and Batman weren’t the same person given how similarly they act. Whereas “The Batman”’s Bruce knew how to play the part. He was constantly seen with beautiful young women, attending parties, going to clubs, sitting court side at sporting events, just hanging out at his mansion while his butler cooked him nachos, and generally doing anything that you’d expect a “billionaire playboy” do be doing. He also knew how to act. His tone was almost always irreverently cheery or even cocky. And his laid back demeanor and even the way he dressed is exactly how you’d expect a twenty-something year-old with access to billions of dollars to behave. Anytime he had to go off to fight crime, people thought that he was being called away on business, likely because he spent too much time “playing” when he should have been running his company. This act worked so well that he almost lost a contract to help rebuild a children’s hospital because the city council saw him as nothing more than a “playboy billionaire”.

[@sevendeadlysquids404]

Totally agree- maybe not one of my favorite batmans that I've seen but one of my favorite Bruce Wayne's. The transition between the voices felt very natural.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

In short, he's a neat antidote to the notorious cynic of the DCAU.

[@ibrahimihsan2090]

Yeah, that episode of him trying to prove to the mayor as Bruce Wayne that he is a capable philanthropist was pretty good. But honestly, while he plays the part well, he is an active businessman as Bruce Wayne in this show.

[@CJ-442]

@@ibrahimihsan2090 Yeah, I know he’s actually a pretty good businessman in this show. I was just saying that most people easily come to the assumption that he wasn’t given the persona he plays into in the show. When Bruce has to bail on a date because the “Batwave” is going off and he uses the excuse that “I have to handle some paperwork”, it’s easy for people to roll their eyes in annoyance and think: “Well, he is a ‘spoiled rich kid,’ so he was probably out partying all week while the rest of us were at home or doing our jobs. Now, all his procrastination has caught up with him.”

[@ultron_sigma]

I like this show because it first introduced me to batman. The seasons started off strong until when they brought in justice league characters is when it kinda went downhill.

[@ethanemerson4862]

D.A.V.E. Needs more love. He was one of my favorite characters in The Batman. I liked his gimmick of “I will do the most stereotypical villain thing, but turn up to 11. Instead of robbing a bank, I will rob EVERY bank in Gotham…AT ONCE!” I also liked his flaw of not having an identity of call his own, being a composition of multiple villains’ memories, leaving him lost when he found that out, leading to his downfall.

[@srstriker6420]

I thought that he was inspired by HARDAC

[@krono5el]

always loved the design and obvi a throwback to the og btas show. thought he was awesome back then.

[@Tesseract.2012]

Always found it ironic Strange never learned Batman idenity despite creating DAVE. Would’ve been better if DAVE’s actions resulted in Strange learning it.

[@The_Phantasm]

I wonder how you're gonna feel when Brave and the Bold turns 20 years old in 4 years.

[@mandalorianhunter1]

That's a terrifying thought

[@tayloredwards4968]

That show was darker than I remembered it being as a kid

[@amienabled6665]

I'd feel old what do you mean it turns 20 in 4 years, 2008 wasn't that long ago right?....

[@JoseHernandez-xv2bt]

What!!?? Dude I still remember when that show first aired

[@CapnAlces]

Stop, I'm barely holding on... I'll die...

[@vSide0]

Honestly, my favorite part is the joker he is so unique and were probably never going to see a version like this again plus Kevin Michael Richardson voices him one of my favorite voice actors.

[@SerumLake]

He made a great Joker!

[@朱天顥-w1j]

​@@SerumLakeBut I guess other DC fans won't have time to celebrate tomorrow because they are too busy watching the 🇺🇸 presidential debate and mourning the victims of, you know, the horrific incident that shocked the world.

[@GrievousReborn]

He's my favorite Joker voice after Mark Hamill then it is John DiMaggio

[@theshenpartei]

@@SerumLakehe is one my op three one and three are mark hamill and John DiMaggio

[@michaelandreipalon359]

​@@朱天顥-w1jCan't be helped. The world needs heroic attention, even if it means doing the unthinkable akin to good old Ozymandias from Watchmen.

[@jacktoma21]

I will never understand/ not be annoyed by the concept/practice of the Bat Embargo. It’s incredibly insulting to the audience that we apparently can’t understand multiple versions of a character existing simultaneously in different mediums. Thankfully this seems to have not be as much of an issue today, but it’s not completely gone. The My Adventures with Superman team were not allowed to use Lex Luthor and had to essentially sneak him in to season 1 so that fan interest would compel WB to let them use him officially for season 2

[@SerumLake]

I always found it baffling, but then I remembered all the people getting upset about Caped Crusader’s changed characters, thinking they had replaced the comic book versions 🙄

[@zacharybartolo5111]

That's dumb. It's one thing when there's not enough time for us to get over the old, but there hasn't been a new animated Superman show in years before MAwS. Plenty of time had passed since Superman the Animated series. Hell, I'm still waiting for us to get a Wonder Woman Animated Series!

[@JaelinBezel]

I mean, I remember speculating as a kid that Robin in Teen Titans was the same version of Robin from BTAS just in a different art style, not helped by that one throw away line where Static wonders where Robin is and Batman mentions him being “with the Titans” without any further elaboration

[@theshenpartei]

@@JaelinBezelI heard a variant of that theory in which robin from teen titans was from the Batman.

[@dante_0962]

@@SerumLakeThat has nothing to do with the bat embargo.

[@tylerbertram7065]

The Batman (2004) is so underrated. I especially love that this Batman isn't too much different from The Animated Series Batman, both versions do a good job at representing Batman's heart and humanity.

[@throughrockmetal6935]

This show has my favourite Catwoman design. The classic black outfit with really nice pops of red around her head and hands, the bigger ears like she had in The Long Halloween, and the yellow goggles that are like cat eyes. I just think it brings everything together so well, and it's the best looking out of all her incarnations in my opinion.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

And I can see why people prefer her over her incongruous DCAU self. Her karma Houdini moments are something to enjoy.

[@cd_monty3010]

I loved the show as a kid. No idea there was a bunch of drama about the inclusive characters. They were always my my favorite along with the joker. Such an underrated joker, I love his physicality/agility.

[@Jaxvidstar]

This is the first I heard of any problems regarding of diverse characters that were in the batman series. When watching it on TV, I found no problems with them.

[@milkiassamuel780]

This was my first introduction to Batman as a kid and was what got me into Batman growing up, even before I ever watched Batman The Animated Series or Batman: Brave and the Bold in my teen years. This show was my first introduction to Batman as a kid, and honestly, it's my favourite Batman show, and its hard to believe the show is already 20 years old I absolutely LOVE the animation, art style and redesigns of the characters, especially Joker, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Mr Freeze, Firefly, Catwoman, Riddler, Killer Croc, Clayface, Man-Bat, etc... all of them had such cool, sleek and creative designs that truly made this show stand out as its own thing and that's one of the many reasons I love it so much.

[@krono5el]

amazing version to grow up on, honestly i grew up on the legendary classic stuff but The Batman nailed Batsy's fighting style beyond perfection with amazing animation quality and choreo no other show could match.

[@Coolman227_]

5:55 say what you will, but I actually like D.A.V.E., even if he is a textbook villain, that’s his whole point and Jeff Bennet played the part to perfection

[@Able406]

I always thought he was a homage to HARDAC from BTAS as well

[@gara412]

@@Able406he actually is a Homage to HARDAC and they share the same VA

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

What is it with Jeff Bennett playing robotic characters?

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

​@@patrikbengtsson3883probably the same as why _Doctor Who_ keeps casting Gabriel Woolf as Satan Incarnate characters, honestly. Because it works.

[@srstriker6420]

@@Able406so did I

[@originalname4573]

Healthiest Batman ever put on screen

[@SerumLake]

Smiley Batman!

[@somenimrod326]

What about brave and the bold batman? He seemed to have a healthy social life.

[@keithharrissuwignjo2460]

​@@somenimrod326I think op meant healthiest Bruce Wayne, BATB Batman was rarely seen as Bruce Wayne wasnt he?

[@somenimrod326]

@@keithharrissuwignjo2460 Oh yeah! I didn't think of that. Good point.

[@CJ-442]

@@keithharrissuwignjo2460 - I’m pretty sure BATB “Bruce” had less than a minute of screen time. If he appeared at all.

[@Jebbtube]

This was one of my favorite Batman series. I'm glad that it's getting the recognition it always deserved.

[@Paolo-ec2si]

Hugo Strange was PERFECT! At first he looks like an ally who put a good word on Ethan Bennet to let him go out of Arkham, then he goes into Joker's mind to search clue about a disappeared detective yin only to show more interest in the Joker's past, then again he cures and makes Wesker go mad again ut of curiosity for the criminal mind, then he finally shows his true colors creating something dangerous as Dave, almost making Bruce fill the city with fear gas and betraying earth and offering it to an alien race. Phew

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Talk about a very huge far cry from his DCAU counterpart.

[@ashesGeek]

​@michaelandreipalon359 his DCAU version was so shallow and poor to represent the former Batman's archenemy so it'd be for the better to just forget him. 2004 Strange was great all the way through and it's amazing to have him as the final villian of the show.

[@LinkiePup]

I actually think you should look into Dave. He’s a robot who knows all, but thinks they’re a living thing. The Batman was one of my favorite shows as a kid. It also gave us the only good version of the batman who laughs.

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

Also how he does the most stereotypical villan stuff, but dialed up to 100, like robbing EVERY BANK in Gotham at once.

[@Chadius]

Francis Grey (the guy who can rewind time by a few seconds) is one of my favorite Batman stories, ever. They show him repeatedly losing to Batman, but from Batman's persepcetive this nobody is kicking his butt and knows his every move. It's a solid story from start to finish, it explains exactly as much as it needs to, and it has a moment of redemption. On the flip side, The Batman vs Dracula is just awesome because Dracula basically negates Batman's "prep time" because he's that strong. It's a fun movie from start to finish because they were less restricted.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

As a fan of that second Clock King ep for B: TAS, Groundhog Day the movie, Steins;Gate, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Edge of Tomorrow, and good old video game save scumming, this ep sure grew on me. Quite a neat "don't judge a movie by its otherwise outlandish title", that, alongside the Scooby-Doo crossover film for Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

[@claytopolis]

One reason I liked this show was how it took a lot of the familiar characters and did them a bit differently. Joker was more sideshow freak instead of ringmaster and can actually put up a fight, Killer croc was seemingly an actual alligator man with a Cajun accent, Bane barely looked human, and while harley quinn was more or less the same she did have an actual non-abusive relationship with joker. Purists are always going to be butthurt about changes to characters like that. But these changes dont erase the previous versions and provide a fresh take on an old idea.

[@keithharrissuwignjo2460]

This show had the best Mr Freeze design

[@MrJHM007]

One thing I have read online about The Batman series, and that could be used in a future video, is that their Clayface was not based on Clayface from previous stories, he was based on Two-Face. Think about it: a friend of Bruce Wayne, who becomes a villain in a disfiguring fashion, and has to be taken down by Batman. He even has the "Going Straight"-storyline.

[@keithharrissuwignjo2460]

I'm pretty sure Ethan was tbeir answer to Harvey then after he served his purpose they got regular Clayface

[@Tesseract.2012]

It’s fitting that Ethan Bennet, Hugo Strange and Dracula had Dent, Crane and Ra’s al Ghul’s roles.

[@hunterfogleman7443]

Which is why I didn’t take a liking to him that much. I think if the character was brought back, he should just stay a cop. The whole tragic villain arc never resonated with me like it did with Two-Face.

[@NESFlint]

This logic of "not trying to compete with B:tas" is actually why I appreciate The Batman's take on Mr Freeze. Making him a less sympathetic villain opened him up to more stories. Yeah it's not better than the old BTAS Mr Freeze but his more selfish motivations meant he was more versataille as an antagonist across multiple episodes- at least in my opinion. Essentially serving the needs of this show and its 'regime to follow.'

[@Compucles]

Less sympathetic is one thing, but they completely removed everything that made him interesting, save maybe giving him a diamond fetish. There are good reasons why Mr. Freeze was an unpopular villain in the comics before BTAS reinvented him.

[@GamerSlyRatchet1]

That’s how I saw Professor Pyg in Beware the Batman. His gimmick in the comics is creepy and memorable but also one-note. You can only do the Dollotron thing so many times before it gets stale. Making him an animal-obsessed mad scientist can lead to more stories.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Agreed. I'll stay more fond of the Mr. Freeze than his uncharacteristic callous and hypocritical DCAU self... "Cold Comfort" is just a mistake.

[@KNadoli]

I know it's considered an acquire taste, but i love the mid 00s style character design. I guess it's because of thr shared art direction with Jackie Chan Adventures, that sells the comparatively lighter tone fairly well. The angular faces and the backgrounds really bring home how digital was in some ways bringing something new to the medium, evdn if the BTAS painted aesthetic can't quite be beaten. My favorite artistic point is how Batman looks in this show is when he's standing, you know the one where it looks like he's floating without legs off the ground with his cape. It looks AWESOME in this show especially

[@EChacon]

@@KNadoli Apparently The character designer for _The Batman_ Jeff Matsuda worked as a character designer for _Jackie Chan Adventures_

[@Paolo-ec2si]

It was so good to see the villains (manly Joker and Penguin) being able to put on a fight instead of always hiding behind gadgets. And can we talk about Bruce? Finally a sane Batman who doesn't have anti heroic qualities like the btas one and the other versions and is a true idealized philanthropist/hero. I really loved the first two seasons relationship with the police force, chief Rojas really remembered me if the corrupt commissioner Gillian Loeb of the golden age and how he and the police hunted Batman before Gordon came to power.

[@ashesGeek]

The thing I like the most about this Bruce that he genuinely cares for Dick and Barbara as individuals instead of overtraining them like some sort of dogs and making Dick grow tired to the point of quitting the group.

[@Paolo-ec2si]

@@ashesGeek agree! He doesn't weaponize his partners in crime fighting and only forces them to come when there is serious need of more people at best. Such a good Batman! I don't care if people say that is because the show was "kiddified" I think Jeff mastsuda and the rest of the crew truly understood what Batman is supposed to be like in general.

[@ashesGeek]

@@Paolo-ec2si Besides, if the Batman should always treat Dick and others like shit then what makes Deathstroke so much more evil and wrong in comparison? They're both abusers and I doubt Dick would refer Bruce as "father" after years of ignorance and coldness.

[@Paolo-ec2si]

@@ashesGeek 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@PhantomHarley]

The Batman was a victim of bad timing. Looking back, even being a kid, I regret being so harsh on it. The reputation fandoms have for being allergic to change has seriously harmed our ability to see fresh ideas.

[@Compucles]

I'll give you that the Riddler design is overly creepy, but I think they advanced his character further from what he was in BTAS and especially TNBA with how badly they struggled to use him back then. For Mr. Freeze, I completely agree. It's like they reversed him back to his C-tier origins in the comics save for giving him a power boost.

[@sonicguyver7445]

My favorite moment has to be when Martian Manhunter brought Batman to the Watchtower for the first time. The rest of the League show themselves and rather than being impressed, Batman just hits a switch on his belt and every monitor changes to his insignia. Then explains he has been aware of the Watchtowers construction for months and had been remotely accessing its systems to layer in hid own override programs. The "wait and see" angle along with the fact he completely turned the tables on them felt like the Batman I had been waiting for.

[@djartyom1243]

what I love about Ethan in the show is he's a effectively the two face of the show a long time friend of Bruce who gets turned into a villain though there is more of a focus on him trying to reedem himself and have control over his new powers. also as a kid the joker puddy was freaky good horror I think for young kids. I do really hope we see Ethan make his way to the comics as new angle to present clayface and have more opportunity to explore his arch and morales. also yeah this was my childhood batman and I feel old realising that.

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

He is loosely based on Crispus Allen, who would later appear on Gotham as the partner of Renee Montoya.

[@MichaelBurmy]

I think it was a nice touch how the pilot aired 20 years ago today...and Alfred sets the cake & candles out to celebrate Bruce's third anniversary of becoming Batman. So that means that, in that continuity, the Dark Knight began his crusade on the evening of 9/11/01...touching all bases there.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Speaking of, I wonder if there's a timeline for this and Teen Titans? At least we can be sure the DCAU occurred at present in the 1990s to early 2000s, all the way to Batman Beyond's 2039-2042 and finally 2057.

[@jrr2480]

I like that this show introduced some more obscure Batman 🦇 villains, like Clue Master.

[@misterzygarde6431]

I actually grew up watching reruns of this show on Boomerang As much as it was stupid to do the Bat-Embargo, at the very least the crews of both shows were able to make do with the restrictions. As for its villains, I do think it was rather neat that they decided to modernize Mr. Freeze's pre-BTAS characterization and I love Kevin Michael Richardson as the Joker. Clayface here was also cool too especially when they had Basil Carlo introduced in the episode that had Ethan redeem himself which I think was smart. Also I'd love to see an Arkham game set in this show's universe. Would be a fun way to continue the Arkham series without being tied to the Arkham universe.

[@javierveliz3053]

I think i'm one of the few people that loved Manson Riddler, some people say him fighting and having this sympathetic story of parental abuse and betrayal was inncesary, i loved how it kinda reflected of how the riddler sometimes behave like kid having tantrum over losing a game, instead this time seems more like a child trying to deal with this trauma using what he knows puzzles

[@michaelandreipalon359]

You should see The Batman Strikes tie-in comics, where had a liking for an Arkham guard, and tried his best on helping her and stuff. Alas...

[@Compucles]

Oh, I really liked Riddler's character. I just didn't like his design. Although, it might still be better than the patterned onsie pajamas he wears in The New Batman Adventures.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@Compucles And that bald head of his.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@Compucles And better Manson hair than a bald head.

[@keithharrissuwignjo2460]

Lmao, I liked emo Riddler

[@theshenpartei]

Kevin Michael richardson’s Joker is probably my top 3 joker voices plus one and three are John DiMaggio and mark hamill of course. this series gave birth to one my second favorite animated Batman movies aka Batman vs Dracula first being mask of the phantasm.

[@GrievousReborn]

Hes in my top 5. 1. Mark Hamill 2. Kevin Michael Richardson 3. John DiMaggio 4. Jeff Bennett 5. Troy Baker Troy Baker's Joker voices good but the reason why he's number five is because he is trying to sound like Mark Hamill's Joker

[@theshenpartei]

@@GrievousRebornyeah he should of done his own thing with joker heck Joaquin phoenix did his own thing to separate his version form heath ledger less said about Jared Leto’s joker the better. Plus tom Kenny as Mr cobblepot makes the series even better since at that point in his career he was known for playing a mutant sponge from bikini atoll. If you want know he and Nolan north are my personal favorite voices of penguin.

[@theshenpartei]

@@GrievousRebornheck even Freddy Krueger himself played Eddie nigma in the show which I found pretty cool.

[@JimbobG.A.D]

This was my first Batman show

[@milosbatmanvideos]

I love this show! So much nostalgia! And to think it's 20 years old now

[@NoirRaven]

Where did the time go? 👵

[@Notarobot1006]

3:05: KILLER MOTH SPOTTED WOOOO LET'S GO PEAK ANIMATION KILLER MOTH! Edit: Okay now that I've called down a little from the delight of seeing Killer Moth, I need to advertise him a little better. This show's version of Killer Moth is great because it goes with the 'loser C lister' angle but makes it part of his /personality/ rather than just having him be weaker or dumber. The Team Penguin episode illustrates that even when he mutates into a horrific acid-spitting bug monster, it doesn't internally change him in any way. He's a schmuck to the core and it's extremely charming.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

I wonder if he even became the same Killer Moth in possible secret sequel Teen Titans, with offscreen mutation back into a humanoid form, reconnecting with Kitten, and so on.

[@Notarobot1006]

@@michaelandreipalon359 I've decided to believe that he does because that sounds cool.

[@The_Phantasm]

I really loved The Batman. While it didn't have the fame that Batman TAS had, some characters and plotlines I thought were handled significantly better than in BTAS. Characters like Catwoman, Hugo Strange, Penguin, Batgirl, Killer Croc and surprisingly Firefly I thought were handled in a vastly superior way than in the DCAU. Also the Riddler voiced by Robert Englund was a standout. It also had one of the most unique depictions of Clayface ever.

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

Ethan Bennett is essentially Crispus Allen with Harvey Dent's connection to Bruce Wayne and the morphic abilities of Matt Hagen.

[@The_Phantasm]

@@patrikbengtsson3883 Harvey Dent has no connection to Bruce Wayne in the comics. That was just in BTAS.

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

@@The_Phantasm Did I say comic?

[@The_Phantasm]

@@patrikbengtsson3883 So what if he was an amalgam of other characters? That's a good thing. The BTAS Clayface was just the comic book Basil Karlo and Preston Payne Clayface and just had the name of the Matt Hagen Clayface.

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

@@The_Phantasm His power set was that of Hagen

[@Mr.TwoFaceGuy]

The best thing about this show is the originality.

[@chriscraig4738]

This was and still is my favorite Batman interpretation in all media I think

[@PristineMess0906]

I remember I watched this show as a kid when I was OBSESSED with learning the entire history of all of Batmans villains, and that this show changing a bunch of stuff up made me quite excited bc I had seen so much of the same alr from these characters

[@Terrabyte13]

The Batman: Divide and Conquer on the leapster still has a special place in my heart.

[@kaylaturnis9486]

The Batman's animation is in the same style as Jackie Chan Adventures, a show that I loved growing up as a child which told about the animated adventures of Jackie Chan, his niece, Jade, Uncle, an old man who owns an antique shop but is skilled in magic arts, and Taru, a huge sumo wrestler who used to be a bad guy but turned good. One more thing. Flick!

[@Paolo-ec2si]

I personally love these design more than the dcau ones; they all looked too similar each other while in the Batman they all look w little bit more different, also the shorter ears and pointy chin honestly makes Batman more intimidating than the batman with massive jaw and long ears in justice league.

[@amandasain3769]

My dad bought B:TAS on DVD boxsets and would watch them with my brother and me when we were little. Then The Batman started airing and we would all watch that together. So I grew up watching multiple versions of Batman cartoons and appreciating them for what they do well, and I'm glad to see that slowly more and more people are talking about The Batman in a positive light.

[@francisweller839]

One slight correction: Ellen Yin Was an original creation of Frank Miller as the police commissioner to replace Gordon. However, the version in the show is vastly different from the original take on the character.

[@EChacon]

And apparently Ellen Yin was quietly written out of the show when James Gordon comes in during the third season.

[@SerumLake]

That character was named Ellen Yindel - very clearly an inspiration for Ellen Yin, but distinct enough to be a different character.

[@Compucles]

In the episode that takes place in the future (and the far future), Yin is namedropped as the Commissioner.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

I think the biggest thing that hurts the show is there are a lot of characters in here that looked absolutely awesome but didn't get to do too much to stand out. I can easily playing this on BTS for being so phenomenal that it would plauge the minds of us older fans were watching this new show. For example, not a lot of us like goth riddler, freeze, or even Firefly. My biggest complaint was Harley Quinn only having one real talking episode, but then have fewer and fewer roles as the show went on.

[@ThomasWeaver1992]

Best Catwoman design and one of the best Catwomans ever.

[@The_Phantasm]

@@ThomasWeaver1992 I really love her design and I definitely think it's one of the best adaptations of the character as well. I still prefer the Darwyn Cooke design from the comics but this was also great and certainly better than BTAS.

[@mrredeyes7021]

With it being my birthday and the anniversary I’ll call this my birthday gift since I loved this show as a kid

[@GothamKnight84661]

Happy Birthday!

[@Seth35Baller]

Hey man I love the channel and the content you put out I don’t always agree with some of your takes at first but as you explain why you feel that it start to make a lot more sense so thank you for taking the time to make these

[@amazonstorm]

I just found this channel thanks to KZbin recommendations and I'm impressed by how you get so much done in such a short time. I'll definitely be sticking around for more excellent content like this.

[@SerumLake]

Welcome aboard!

[@jessicmess6650]

this was the batman show i watched as a kid and this is by far my favorite joker. his design, his voice, everything about him is perfect to me

[@raptormaster666]

I will gladly say I enjoyed this growing up.Batfamily were great, Commissioner Gordon, Yin and Ethan made for a compelling arc with Gotham PD, but the villains are what sells it, and some of them sell it really well. I like how a lot of them have minions so you can see more of their lives beyond being punched out. Ventriloquist with his trio, Joker with Punch and Judy, etc. I also love the variety of characters. DAVE was chilling to a young kid, Ragdoll was a mischievious scamp, but the Joker was by far and away my favourite, and while The Batman was never BTAS, it was great in it's own right.

[@daniyelmclovin7751]

Ethan Bennett is my favourite Clayface. His connection to Joker and Bruce, his design it was amazing

[@dazzlethestar151]

I haven't fully watched this show (I'm currently working through it), but I think it's a really good show. Good takes on the characters of Batman and interesting original ones, a pretty cool artstyle and that iconic theme! Happy 20th anniversary The Batman!

[@ZoneHeart-00]

The Batman was my all-time FAVORITE Batman cartoon when I was a kid, so when I saw the notification for this video, I couldn't wait for it to finally air. I especially loved this show's Riddler. I don't necessarily mind the fact that he's a "goth Riddler", and in fact I actually really like it. He keeps it simple. His suit is simple, I love the long hair look for his design, I LOVE the voice work from his actor, and his story as the Riddler is absolutely AMAZING to me!!! The Batman's Riddler was and always will be my Riddler. And they used him very effectively to a better degree than BTAS did. The "riddles" were usually literally puzzles, or his crimes would include giving his victims riddles while they were gagged and couldn't answer them. He took great pride and pleasure in his work, humiliating anyone who wronged him. He even found a way to genuinely almost get the Dark Knight with his lie detector machine. It was glorious! My only complaints are 1. I feel that toys and other merch weren't advertised often, or they were advertised on a different channel than the one that was airing the show. I NEVER saw a single advertisement for anything from The Batman. I would've loved to get my hands on the Bat-Wave. 2. The show was too short in my personal opinion. I wanted more seasons! But what can I do about that, ya know? 3. I personally wasn't a huge fan of Ethan Bennett becoming Clayface when he was such a great character. He practically had everything going for him, but then the writers killed him by making him become Clayface. Let Joker kidnap someone else and turn them into clay, but not Ethan! 4. To bank off of my love for Riddler, I have to say I wish the show would've used him more. He was so freaking cool in my eyes!

[@WebSurfer009]

For me, I felt like this version of Bruce was in his younger days and so when Joker changed his look, when the opening changed, when in the far future Bruce was closer to the standard grumpy sort of self. It just felt like a natural progression, at least when I was watching the series. Now in terms of Bennet and Yin...Bennet was the token good cop character, out to support Batman and Yin was a skeptic to contrast that. Both roles which have already been well established with other well-known characters, you know like how Jason Todd was too similar to Dick Grayson and how many consider him far superior as Red Hood because he then has an actual identity beyond 'the second robin'. I liked Bennet and Yin, and while it has been years since I have seen the series, yes having something like Bennet becoming the first Clayface in that series is welcomed because again, it gives him more of an identity. Having some sort of different dynamic is important, like imagine if Bennet was a former super spy? That gives something the audience to latch onto. It also why if a villain is too similar to an established member of Batman's rogue's gallery they are generally less popular or at least perceived so, because the audience and or fans alike ask, why not just include the estalished character instead?

[@samdubiner4109]

This is the Batman show that I grew up watching and I loved it, but once I discovered BTAS I started watching this less and less. Now that I have seen both a million time I appreciate/love them for what they both offer and the differing interpretations of the same amazing character that I grew up loving. I would love to see more The Batman videos if you could find the time. Love your videos. Please keep up the amazing work!!!

[@SerumLake]

Well that’s one vote for more The Batman videos 🫡

[@MrTao-iy2nf]

@@SerumLake i vote second. This was my childhood. I grew up in the 2000's missed btas but got the batman i feel it is the middle child of batman animation whos sin it commited was not being btas. It needs a day in the limelight

[@MrTao-iy2nf]

Wow Thank you for liking it serum lake

[@adamgill9730]

The theme of the first series is by far the best thing from the show

[@Remi-h5t]

5:52 that one person who loves 2004 riddler is crying right now (It’s me)

[@takenname8053]

I grew up with this Batman! My only complaint is that Bane shows up like once in the show, then never again even though he's always in the openings! I never knew there were complaints about diversity in this show... Funny how history repeats itself with the new caped crusader "conservancy", which is a version of Batman I also liked!

[@jonryder7269]

The thing is that while yes they arnt as complex The Batmans designs for the rouges gallery, imo, feels really refreshing after countless ''realistic'' takes and ''btas esque'' takes on these characters. While yes freeze dont have the btas moral complexity he does have a striking and powerful lookin design that makes for good action scenes. And i feel you downplay how sad Bennets take on Clayface is as he is also serving a harvey dent type role. I also love cayun killer croc and their design for harley quinn is *chefs kiss The action as shallow as it might sound is still really fun and i will say this show has one of the more interesting takes on Bruce Wayne as he mostly feels rather mentally sound. I will finish this one giving the wb executive a small bit of cred in not wanting to confuse kids cause when i was a kid i always wondered why the teen titans wherent made a part of the justice league or why supes and co never showed up to save the kids. But i might have been a silly small bean Great vid still, looking forward to the next one :>

[@lucasgreen9821]

The batman with a huge cape lol love the video good analysis

[@kevinhansen8211]

I recently rewatched this show on Blu Ray and found it extremely good. Yes, it was different, but that doesn't make it bad. I like that the Penguin could stand toe to toe with Batman in a fight, and, unlike BTAS, he had some similarity to Danny Devito's Penguin but was still his own character. The inclusion of Hugo Strange was a highlight for me, the character was not used to its full extent in BTAS, and it was one final tribute for the late great Frank Gorshin, who made the Riddler a household name in the 1960s. Gorshin's voice gave Strange a real sense of calculating menace.

[@kingethanhq9001]

everything from this show was my childhood happy anniversary to the batman

[@TheGreatVoicemancer]

As someone whos doing analysis of the batmans villains (inspired by you actually) it makes me really happy to see you acknowledge this shows existence.

[@SerumLake]

That's nice of you to say, and I hope it brings you satisfaction to talk about this show!

[@TheGreatVoicemancer]

@@SerumLake it really does! I grew up with the show, and it gives me a unique look, on batmans mythos. I do think it would be awesome for you to do video on D.A.V.E., as even though he appears in only one episode and one comic, he's such a unique villain with a lot of personality too him.

[@thetickcartoon1453]

I remember watching the first two seasons as a teen sometime in the prior decade, and I really liked what I had seen! And the show gave us Kevin Michael Richardson as The Joker, which is just such, *SUCH* a treat! Love that man's work.

[@stevenmattrell3448]

Honestly I would like to see you cover topics from The Batman. It was the Batman show that I watched when I was a child and I would like to hear your thoughts on some of the ideas it presented.

[@beatlesfansam]

I hadn't watched any of this show until a few years ago. It definitely has a different vibe than BTAS, and while it's not as good I thought that it was good. I'd like to see you cover "The Batman vs. Dracula" at some point.

[@SerumLake]

Oh man, I was hoping no one would bring that film up!

[@beatlesfansam]

​@@SerumLakeOops! 😄

[@The_Phantasm]

​@@SerumLakeWhy? I think it's so much fun. And the scene of vampire Joker drinking and bathing in blood was one of the darkest scenes in DC animation.

[@SerumLake]

@@The_Phantasm we have different opinions. I thought that film was tripe.

[@Paolo-ec2si]

​@@SerumLakewhy?

[@WeebGuru6]

The Batman joker fire fly and freeze design are my favorite and the writing for penguin is the best

[@shadowdash5839]

Season 1/2 opening is a banger, but the same can’t be said for the season 3/4/5 opening in my opinion.

[@ineedit1772]

My baby boi is 20 years old now 😢

[@katmore9]

I loved this retrospective of yours! During its initial run, I was one of those who were openly skeptical and critical about The Batman. When I re-visited the entire series this past summer, it was much better than I expected. The action scenes were solid, well choreographed, and fluidly animated. I grew to like the Penguin as a skilled fighter and this version of the Riddler was a bit similar in M.O. to the recent one in the The Batman film. As for the increased diversity of a couple of supporting characters, that didn't bother me in the least. Bennett's Clayface origin story was rather tragic. Batman's world has always been ultra-white, so I'm glad the creators/producers decided to change that. Overall, it was a good series with a few standout episodes for me (1st Riddler one, Clayface origin, the Solomon Grundy one, the Superman 2-parter, and the Dr. Strange episodes). Glad I went back and gave it another chance. 🙂

[@Compucles]

Most people include his first name when discussing Hugo Strange, as calling him Dr. Strange gets him confused with a Marvel hero.

[@katmore9]

@@Compucles Oh snap! You're right!!! 😅😅😅😅

[@TristanRubio]

This is the Batman I grew up with

[@SecondBestArtMuseum]

God, I LOVED The Batman's take on the Joker. Hot Take, I prefer the performance from Kevin Richardson over Mark Hamill. I just LOVE that deep baritone voice suddenly breaking into an ear piercing cackle as he jumps and leaps around Batman. I feel like aside from being Batman's equal in terms of planning and scheming, he also needs to be his physical equal, and I haven't seen another Joker really go head to head with Batman the same way that this one did.

[@drow_Lilith9940]

my fav batman cartoon with my clayface

[@bigbofatofu1713]

I find it cool that this riddler is voiced by robert englund! He would also voice another batman villain scarecrow in injustice 2.

[@krono5el]

This show gets top marks for the incredible quality rarely seen in a weekly show, bunch of legends.

[@WeebGuru6]

Yes this is the only Batman series that can rival the original series

[@Paolo-ec2si]

Agreed 💯💯💯👍🏻

[@michaelandreipalon359]

To quote the late James Earl Jones from Doctor Strangelove: "Hey, what happened to [Batman: The Brave and the Bold]?"

[@Paolo-ec2si]

@@michaelandreipalon359 was cute but honestly not of my liking.

[@legoben98productions]

I grew up with this show and always loved it, till my life changed and I couldn’t find time to watch it or get at 5 in the morning to watch new episodes on kids WB/cw I love the original theme so much but I like to think of the change in theme as a symbolic gesture (kinda like his character model changing) of Bruce as a character in how he was growing as a person in “I’m the shadows” to batdad. I love how they portray Bruce, especially when he’s out of the batsuit that he donates and runs charities in nearly every episode I appreciate the Mr freeze portrayal as how he was before btas reinvented him while giving us a look before he became Mr freeze as he was stealing for a reason (possibly for Nora or financial) and got the accident because he ran to hide from Batman I would love to see more videos about this show since I think it’s underrated

[@nono9543]

I didn't really appreciate this series when it came out but honestly it's aged pretty well. I do like how it maintains some complexity of its characters and while I didn't like some of their takes on certain villain's personalities like Mr. Freeze, I overall I understood that TAS was a lightning in the bottle that wasn't gonna be replicated and perhaps shouldn't have. They attempted to be different and I think they succeeded. The fact that this Joker is a capable fighter that can go toe to toe with Batman is conveyed here and I like that they just went crazy with him. I like the added importance they gave to Huge Strange due to Crane's absence (although I still miss Scarecrow) and this is probably one of the best Poison Ivy's there are and the fact that she has an added rivalry with Barbara really works with what this show was trying to do.

[@emeraldphoenix5868]

The Bat Embargo was so Annoying back when The Batman 2004 was on the Air. I wish that The Batman 2004 continued in another Movie,There's so many Interesting Concepts that they haven't introduced yet and not to mention an OST Release from Thomas Chase Jones.

[@thewritingcow]

Funfact, this was the Batman that introduced me to the character, the world, and just comics in general. I consider it to be one of my favorites (next to Batman Beyond) and I'm a staunch defender. In fact, getting out into other Batman media where the Joker was always in the suit and very different from Big Hair Straightjacket actually always felt weird to me. His being like that always made more sense to me than any other version, but maybe I'm biased. Either way I'm really glad more people are open to watching it and seeing the good in the show because there's really a lot to love in how it's different. (AND I DEMAND JUSTICE FOR YIN WHERE'S MY GIRL DC??)

[@ajerjavec4723]

I do believe that some villains in the Batman are slightly better than DCAU one of them is Maxii Zeus in the DCU. He’s pretty close to his comic version a guy who just thinks he’s Zeus considering that btas people who have mental disorders, a little more respect and show the struggles they might go through. It just feels insensitive to do a straight up adaptation of the character. The Batman just made him a foiled to to bruise by making him a tech billionaire who basically use his technology to force his rule on the city. He even states that one of his demand is to build a temple to himself on a side of a building destroyed, which gives him a god complex much more interesting should I don’t go into the details but it’s a lot more interesting

[@gara412]

I think we need a video About D.A.V.E The criminals mastermind is getting some attention recently his design is utterly perfection gives me a slight Transformers Vibe I wished he was used in the show a little more other than Being Used again in the comic spinoff as a punching bag for batgirl

[@derelictgasstation]

I liked this show, it was different and fun and that's all that really matters when making an entertaining cartoon

[@mayday2237]

I'm glad that even aside from the show's reception itself, the movie has been a major Halloween mainstay. I DO think you should take a look at that one too

[@noi4780]

It was cool to do a deep dives on the villains, especially the ones that didn’t appear and Batman the animated series

[@rabronin]

I remember randomly watching an episode on TV and what stuck out to me was the action. The new animation style allowed for more dynamic scenes and the creators really took advantage of it.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Y'know, character essays on the villains from _The Batman_ who *didn't* appear in the DCAU would be interesting. There's not a lot of them, and most of them don't have a ton of material to go off of (an unfortunate side effect of Joker and Penguin hogging the spotlight villain-wise), but I feel like a few of them might be worth an examination.

[@SpiritsRiseR2]

ethan bennett is such a great character, I really hope at some point he makes it into the comics

[@mooneyes8995]

Dracula in this show man, chef's kiss. It sounds goofy until you watch it.

[@A1ml33y]

I ❤this Show I remember getting into it's takes on Batman & company I really like Jeff Matsudas Art style This was my jam same with Teen Titans around the same time . This felt like a Ultimate Universe version of Batman to me in a way I ❤Goth Nygma , Ellen Tin , Ethan as Bruce BFF , Ninja Penguin & the lighter Tone . As a teen I got into this one for how weird & different it was . Felt fresh & new to me

[@ashumon23]

The Batman's villain design (minus the Riddler, for the most part) are some of my favourite designs. Namely Croc and Penguin.

[@scooda]

“The Baatmaaann… 🎸” 🥶

[@Autistic_Changeling]

Yin is my favorite character from the show. She was my favorite DC detective for a long time, until Floriana Lima's Maggie Sawyer usurped her. I was very unhappy when she stopped showing up.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

0:02: Understandable. Writing it has to need adding 2004 though, due to the 2022 film around. 0:20: Could be something else. They might be a Marvel trying their darndest to be as good as the DC cartoons. Suffice to say, Spectacular Spider-Man failed but only because it became unfinished, while Earth's Mightiest Heroes barely made it because annoyances like the Surtur arc were left unresolved. 0:53: We needed something different from the average DCAU iteration, but not too outlandish as his Batman Returns iteration. 0:57: He will wear the suit, don't worry. 1:00: Didn't mind the ears. The cape's overlong, but even then, that wasn't a deal breaker. 1:11: That scene felt like something from Ultraviolet. There's also non-DCAU alums like Greg Weisman (Gargoyles and the aforementioned Spectacular Spider-Man) and Christopher Yost (the again aforementioned The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes) occasionally doing eps for the show. They HAD to utilize such unique designs. Thankfully, people like me are quite accustomed to anime-esque artstyles then and now. 2:41: Therefore, it had to not be exactly like B: TAS or any of the DCAU shows. Otherwise, it would be as generic as those Star Trek shows post-DS9. Credit where it's due, the 2000s executives weren't of the David Zaslav kind of the 2010s and ongoing 2020s. Better to have a Bat-Embargo than to cancel Summer Camp Island and Infinity Train over temporary tax breaks. (And you should see how Marvel treated its animated works at the time.) 3:38: Ah, so the fans are more to blame for Static Shock not reaching the awesome highs of the other DCAU stuff. The toyetic suits and the Batwave are things that I really like. The DCAU suffers by not having the former much, to the point that the flying, super strength, radiation proof, stealth mode Batman Beyond Batsuit is a huge boon for the DCAU Batmen. 4:38: Lesser knowns like Terry McGinnis and KGBeast are free rein, however, plus the occasional mentions of, say, the Joker. 5:04: Hugo Strange, Dracula (pronounced Ra's wrong there), and Bennett's Clayface nicely substituted those overused fellers, mind you. 5:12: We got quite a monklike Spellbinder in return. 5:17: And in return, Batman shouldn't fully appear in Teen Titans, which also feels beneficial so to not overshadow the title team. Overall, Levitz did better for DC animation than what George Lucas and Dave Filoni are doing with Star Wars since the Prequels, and at least he's not like the cancel-happy Marvel execs. For some reasons, I prefer this show's Mr. Freeze. The DCAU iteration has gotten way more unsympathetic over the years for his hypocrisy and shallow-mindedness bordering on forgetting his wife Nora. At least this show's Freeze is marvellously open about his increasingly potent megalomania. Meantime, I really sympathized with Rumor. His spotlight ep sure made Batman look quite naive for his no-killing policy. Kriff Chief Rojas, by the way. Gotta miss Mayor Grange too. Not being way too emotionally complex can be helpful. Besides, the DCAU Clayface sure lost his sympathy points over time (no pity for him in Justice League's "Secret Society"), while Static Shock didn't enamor me with their eps about racism (Teen Titans' "Troq" is better), guns (Gargoyles' "Deadly Force"), and dyslexia. I can say these: The Batman 2004 shall stand the tests of time unlike Superfriends/old He-Man and She-ra/maybe those Earth-92131 Marvel cartoons, all while Caped Crusader better do its best in equalling it and The Brave and the Bold, which is another show that needs exploring by the channel someday. For the end question, as a fan of Groundhog Day the movie, the visual novel/anime adaptation Steins;Gate, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Edge of Tomorrow, and that second Clock King ep for B: TAS, S4E9 - "Seconds" is something to behold. Not that the Epilogue-esque that is E7 - "Artifacts" is a slog either.

[@patrikbengtsson3883]

Rumor was essentially Hush reimagined as a mashup of Lock-Up and Ventrix from BTAS.

[@PlayerWillWin]

I watched this show when I was a kid/teenager but I didn't grow up with BTAS, so this was my first Batman tv show and I like it, yeah it isn't perfect, has issues here and there but I still remember this show fondly, and I hope other people feel the same way I do to.

[@Chiscribbs]

Nice review! While I haven't given it a full watch yet - though it's definitely high on my list - I really enjoy what I've seen of this show so far. I appreciate the different takes on the characters and the story, they walk a nice line between being too similar to BTAS and being so far removed that it may as well not be a Batman show. (The latter being my main issue with the most recent animated series, if I'm honest.) It keeps the spirit of the characters without simply copying what past iterations had done with them - Harley Quinn being a talk show host but still a licensed psychiatrist is a great example of this. But one of the things I like most about it, based on what I've seen, is how the side characters are treated. Robin and Batgirl are not just Batman's sidekicks or comic relief, they are fully fleshed out characters with their own stories and motivations. The Batman's Dick Grayson is one of my favorite versions of the character - he's quick-witted, a bit bratty in the way that 9-yr-old boys tend to be, impulsive and childish, but also pretty smart and sensible. His relationship with Bruce (as well as Batgirl's, Bennet's, and Yin's) isn't just there to contrast the protag's moodiness or provide occasional conflict, it's a catalyst for genuine character development and growth. And it's honestly pretty wholesome seeing them act like a new father-and-son duo. I also appreciate that we were able to see these characters' backstories and watch them grow gradually throughout the series. Not just the heroes, but some of the villains as well, like Poison Ivy. And imo, this Clayface's creation hits even harder than the BTAS one, for the simple reason that we already knew and had grown to like the character before he became a "villain." All-in-all, while it definitely has some misses and it isn't anywhere near as iconic as its predecessor, I think this show is great. And I'm glad to see it getting some well-deserved redemption now that streaming is a thing.

[@cinemaarts8795]

Since the series couldn't use Ra's Al Ghul, it would've been cool if Dracula was used in his place, maybe have a design resembling Vlad the Impaler but still a vampire.

[@EChacon]

They also couldn’t use Scarecrow likely due to him and Ra’s being used in Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, yet oddly enough Two Face wasn’t included in _The Batman_

[@PepsiMan-xx4sv]

I think they did use Dracula but in like a movie spinoff

[@Compucles]

@@EChacon Two-Face was in the same boat, since he was in "The Dark Knight." Thank goodness they made an exception for the Joker.

[@Bertiboy]

@@EChacon I’ve heard that apparently Harvey Dent was in an early draft of the Batman Begins script so that might be why DC didn’t allow them, because they weren’t sure if he was gonna be in the movie or not. Still a weird decision but I suppose Ethan Bennett filled in the role well enough that Harvey wasn’t entirely necessary

[@EChacon]

@@Compucles Yet that film was released in 2008 the same year _The Batman_ ended so it does feel perplexing the show couldn’t use him since he didn’t appear in _Batman Begins_

[@curtisleblanc5897]

My favourite moments from the show? Hard to say. I think quite a few would probably belong to Joker, Penguin, or Alfred. And one of the funniest parts in my personal opinion was when Cluemaster said "You'll all be dunked in acid." Just the way he said it makes me giggle like a goofball.

[@DFuxa]

I wouldn't mind hearing more of your thoughts on the Batman. Im actually a fan of Ethan, Yin, and Chief Roland as prospective characters that could be further explored; whether with the likes of Comissioner Gordon or Detective Bullock, or alongside Renee Montoya, or whatnot.

[@CapnAlces]

Happy birthday, The Batman! Great video, and it was awesome seeing you and Sasha collab. I know I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this show - it doesn't have to be a deep five like you've done with BTAS and are doing now with CC. It can be just one or two big thoughts that you feel strongly about, sort of like your occasional Superman videos or the one about The Fear. Just a thought. Don't feel pressured to wring your brain like a towel for every last drop of thought. I'm glad you brought up Ethan and Yin. I wasn't a big fan of the show when it was new either, but when people talk about making new characters I always think of how unfairly they were treated. People complain either way, and creators have to learn to ignore a lot of it (not all but a lot). I think it's an excellent point, and reminder that pleasing audiences is hard because it's just millions of different opinions.