Batman: The Animated Series
Summary
Batman : The Animated Seriesis one of the most lovingly - call back pieces of Batman media ever , but the cartoon did n’t always make pure gumption from a ordered standpoint . Starringthe legendary Kevin Conroy as Batman , Batman : The Animated Serieswas the mystify heart and soul of the DCAU , presenting a striking interpretation of Batman that straddle the stock between lighthearted kid ’s amusement and heady adult storytelling . As great as the show was , it had a few confutative aspects .
Most of the element ofBatman : The Animated Seriesthat do n’t make mother wit are the result of the show ’s seek to be class - friendly , but also spirited and dark , the two sometimes mixing together poorly and leading to logical pitfall with no explanation . The bold volume ofBatman : The Animated Seriesepisodesalso check that the series occasionally struggled to add up up with occasional narratives , often ensue in story that give plot of land muddle in Batman ’s world . Whatever the caseful , the honored revive series did n’t always cross every t and sprinkle every i.
The Bat - Family does protect Gotham City using fear and superstitious notion , but one twister villain used that scheme to take control of the Heron .
10Batman And Batgirl’s Eventual Romance
Bruce Timm’s obsession with this disturbing pairing occasionally shone through
As a co - creator ofBatman : The Animated Series , Bruce Timm deserve high praise for his study in popularizing Batman even further . However , Timm repeatedly demonstrates a fixation on an left wild-eyed pairing in his Batman write up , consist ofBruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon . Even though the two are typically meet as having more of a father and daughter dynamic , a few episodes ofBatman : The Animated Serieshinted at this uncomfortable romance that would eventually certify in DCAU canon .
In the tie - in comics , it ’s revealed that not only do Batman and Batgirl get together , but Batman accidentally become her pregnant , casting their formerly wholesome human relationship in the series in a decidedly gross light . In the animated movie set in the same continuity , Batman : mystery story of the Batwoman , Batman even act like a saccade towards Barbara , unceremoniously ghosting her and ending their curtly - lived fling . Batman in the end grooming his former sidekick into a one - night stand is by far the worst story constituent of the serial , and one that makes footling signified .
9Gotham City’s Technology Progresses Way Too Far In 20 Years
Batman Beyond stretches suspension of disbelief to its breaking point
One of the coolheaded aspect ofBatman : The Animated Seriesis how the show effortlessly transition intoBatman Beyond . The follow - up sketch takes place decades into the futurity , asterisk an older Bruce Wayne who mentors the next Batman , a unseasoned delinquent student named Terry . As Batman , Terry struggle to live up to his newfangled mantle while keeping tabs on all variety of futurist crook in the neo - noir cyberpunk world of New Gotham City .
As interesting as the assumption is , the idea that Gotham ’s engineering could promote so far in such a short amount of time is quite laughable . In just 30 to 35 curt years , Gotham move from being slightly behind the 90s in terms of technological advancement , with a decidedly retro gothic aesthetic , to a glimmering futuristic city with technology directly out ofThe Jetsons . It ’s quite baffling that the public of the DCAU could advance so far in so niggling clip , makingBatman Beyond ’s premise hard to corrupt .
8Batman Has No Defense Against Knockout Gas
The Dark Knight never seems to learn to defend himself against this trope
At the end of the mean solar day , Batman : The Animated Serieswas a cartoon marketed towards Kid , mean that however dark it commence , it always had to censor itself in some room . While the censoring ofBatman : The Animated Seriesforced the showrunners to get creative with their function of action , they would sometimes hang back onto reliable trope a little too often . By far the most prominent was how often Batman would get knocked out due to some kind of incapacitating accelerator pedal .
Batman falls to knockout gasolene a multitudinous figure of times in the show , even get to get saved by veritable children at one stop when he ’s taken by surprise by The Penguin ’s shot artillery hidden in his umbrella . After the first few times this happen , one would recall the ever - prepared Batman would bug out taking some kind of re - breather or lower face mask into the theater with him . But such a gimmick winds up being one of the manygadgets Batman never uses in the animated series .
7Batman Dooms Clayface For Seemingly No Reason
Batman occasionally forgets his “no-kill” rule
One thingBatman : The Animated Seriesdeserves praise for is its primal understanding of Batman ’s ethics . Batman is n’t just a fearsome military unit to be reckoned with to drive criminals into hiding – He ’s also unforced to help oneself those who demand it , even villains , and never get hold of the life story of his enemies . However , in the episodeMudslide , Batman proves to be especially callous to one of his most tragic recurring villains , going against everything he ’s demonstrated about his values previously .
In this installing , the uncrystallized vicious shapeshifter Clayface finds his organic structure rapidly disintegrating . fortunately , Clayface is able to find a scientist who will be capable to not only forestall his physical structure from deteriorate , but cure his condition completely , set aside him to live as his former human ego easy once more . Just as the treatment is about to wind up , Batman shows up and heartlessly stop the physical process , not only forbid Clayface from incur a curative , but let him to dissolve aside into the rain .
6Villains Asking For Less Money Than Their Schemes Would’ve Cost
Elaborate schemes like those of Farmer Brown make little monetary sense
One of the cheesier elements ofBatman : The Animated Seriesis the elaborate and adolescent schemes of thevillains Batman line up himself up against . Many times , Batman ’s villain in the show will hold Gotham City for ransom , require some outrageous sum of money to adjudge off on aerate whatever their Judgment Day gimmick of choice is . In many instances , however , the amount of money demanded does n’t seem like it would make up for the cost of building , leave the villains at a net negative profit .
Perhaps the most glaring example of this is the one - off villain Farmer Brown , who stars as the adversary ofone ofBatman : The alive Series’worst episodes , Critters . After construct a monolithic indoor facility that breeds flagitious genetically - modified farm brute , Farmer Brown demands 50 million dollars from Gotham , lest he sick his mutated creations on the city . This amount seems like it would just plow the cost of institution for Farmer Brown ’s animals .
5Batman’s Ability To Take Punishment Is Inconsistent
Batman is exactly as tough as the plot needs him to be
Batman ’s ability to take penalisation is one of the most discrepant elements of the DCAU as a whole . InBatman : The Animaed Series , The Dark Knight is sometimes capable to shrug off life - threatening injury with slight concern , eat punches from harden criminals like they ’re nothing . That being said , the game will once in a while ram Batman to be much weaker to excuse the threat of villains who should really have no occupation cast off down with the Caped Crusader .
Batman ’s discrepant attainment and durability in the show is suitable of questioning
One of the most blatant episodes in which this is the typeface isBaby - Doll , which introduces its titulary one - off villain , a former fry TV star cursed with a rare disease that forbid her from physically age . Here , Batman bring the wind knocked out of him by simple tennis orchis , and actually staggers backwards whensomeone with the strength of a 7 - year - erstwhile wallops him with a real lucullan wench . Every superhero has their off days , but Batman ’s discrepant skills and durability in the show is worthy of questioning .
Custom Image by Alex Valentino
4Batman Takes The Bait On Obvious Traps
Batman isn’t always as tactical as he should be
Even if Batman ’s fight skills are n’t always up to equality , the premiere Batman series should at least accurately convey his brilliant tactical mind . However , Batman : The Animated Seriessees Batman make quite a few blunders that seem incongruous to his skills as a investigator and tactician , moderately diluting the powerfulness of his sharp creative thinker . One of the worst fault Batman systematically make is his willingness to take the air into obvious traps .
The episodeMoon of the Wolfhas Batman survive toe - to - toe with a fearful lycanthrope , but the circumstances the canine baddie expend to lure him into a confrontation are bafflingly obvious . The loup-garou jock Anthony Romulus incur Batman toappear at his house alone by challenging him to find a check for Polemonium van-bruntiae in - mortal . Somehow , this act upon , calling into question Batman ’s purportedly virtuoso intellect in theDCAU animated continuity .
3The Batmobile Has A Regular Mechanic
Batman may as well take his famous car to a dealership
Like any interpretation of Batman deserving his ear , Batman : The Animated Seriesgives Batman a sensational adaptation of the Batmobile to help him track down criminals on the road . In most Batman universes , it ’s the brilliant engineer and business administrator Lucius Fox who helps Batman uphold his more time - take gadgetry , including vehicles like the Batmobile . InBatman : The Animated Series , Lucius Fox is only ever shown to operate Wayne Enterprises , having no hand in the preservation of the Batmobile .
The episodeThe Mechanicreveals that the Batmobile is kept running by a simple civilian mechanic with no special tie to Bruce Wayne , somehow trust by Batman to qualify his darling car with no oversight . As if that were n’t unsound enough , this mechanic is under no exceptional protection or surveillance by Batman , making him a quality target for Batman ’s many villains . Sure enough , this is exactly what chance in the sequence , with thepoor naughty - pinch worker ’s life being put on the line thanks to his association with Batman .
2Robin Was Far Too Young
The Boy Wonder of the animated series but an emphasis on “boy”
Robin ’s coming into court inBatman : The Animated Seriesis quite precipitous , simply manifesting alongside Batman go up a building in one sequence with no build - up beforehand . Later , Robin ’s existent descent narrative does get re - evidence , but it ’s here that a crucial and alarming contingent about thisversion of Robinis get wind . InRobin ’s tally , it ’s disclose that Dick Grayson was only 9 years honest-to-goodness when Bruce Wayne embrace him . It is n’t long before he lead off fighting offense as Robin .
When Batman dismisses Robin , going off on a solo mission without him , he tells him he is n’t able to explain his absence . Robin retorts that such an excuse may have worked " in sixth grade",implying that Dick Grayson has been Robin for far longer than primitively thought . start his hero career in 6th grade would ’ve put Robin at 10 or 11 age honest-to-god when he began live out as the Boy Wonder , alarmingly young for any version of Batman to justify .
1Bumbling Kids Can Overpower The Penguin
Oswald Cobblepot quickly became a joke in the series
If there ’s one famous Batman villain that becomes a laugh far too frequently in various Batman picture show and TV shows , it ’s The Penguin . Oswald Cobblepot may have startedBatman : The Animated Seriesas a actual scourge , but as the show went on , the avian villain became more and more of a laughingstock . His lowest miserable might be in the abyssal episodeI’ve got Batman in my Basement , which pushes the incompetency of him and his crew to unbelievable levels .
The Penguin is paradoxically overpowered by tamper minor
Here , a simple duo of normal , nerdy Thomas Kyd become sweep in a Batman plot when they watch over one of The Penguin ’s birds to a secret meeting , where they find him slip a invaluable Fabergé egg . When Batman gets knocked out , the Thomas Kyd are somehow able to evade and even defeat The Penguin and his goons through sheer fortuity , making Oswald Cobblepot out to be an absolute laugh fund . Low on the totem pole though he may be , The Penguin is paradoxically overpowered by tamper kids inBatman : The Animated Series .
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
