Summary

• The Batman offered a fresh and stylized take on the Caped Crusader, with original designs for iconic villains like Bane and a more emotional portrayal of Batman himself.
• Despite straying from the DC Animated Universe timeline, The Batman featured team-ups with evergreen allies like Batgirl and Nightwing, as well as guest appearances from of the Justice League.
• The show's finest episodes, including "Traction," "The Batman/Superman Story," and "The Big Chill," continue to age well and showcase the series' ability to craft original storylines with depth and emotional resonance.

Following the footsteps of Bruce Timm’s iconic Batman: The Animated Series, The Batman premiered in 2004, with its 65 episodes offering a highly stylized and original take on the Caped Crusader’s nocturnal adventures. Throughout its five-season run, this DC Universe’s greatest villains. Unlike Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of Batman as an already-established hero in the 1990s-era cartoon, Rino Romano’s take on the protagonist revealed Batman’s more emotional and vulnerable side, with the initial seasons focusing on his early years of crime-fighting and vigilantism in Gotham.

While distinct from the DC animated shows, but with the DCEU movies and Robert Pattinson’s Batman exploring more nuanced shades of the Dark Knight, its finest episodes only age better with time.

10 Traction Offered One Of Bane’s Most Terrifying Iterations

The Batman Season 1, Episode 3

One of the earliest episodes of The Batman found him going against three crime mobs of Gotham City and their genetically engineered accomplice, Bane. True to the depiction of Bane in timeless comic storylines like Knightfall, the South American mercenary significantly overpowers Batman as the episode humanizes Gotham’s protector as someone who can feel pain and weakness. The adrenaline-fueled duels between the two play out impressively, with Bane getting a distinct visual makeover. Initially appearing in a black stealth costume, Bane appears frightening with a towering physique and blood-red skin whenever his body is enhanced with the Venom toxin.

9 The Batman/Superman Story Reinterpreted A Memorable Team-Up

The Batman Season 5, Episodes 1-2

In his only appearance in The Batman, Superman doesn’t just forces with the Gotham vigilante but even beats him to a pulp under Lex Luthor’s mind control. A mega-event that unfurls in two episodes, “The Batman/Superman Story” has Luthor teaming up with Batman’s rogues gallery to launch Lex Corp in Gotham and lead a robotic army to trigger a military coup. A lot happens in the episode as compared to the show’s more grounded storylines, but the sheer camaraderie of the titular team-up and the high stakes make it one of the most thrilling chapters of The Batman.

8 The Butler Did It Put The Spotlight On Alfred

The Batman Season 2, Episode 10

Before Pennyworth delved into the younger years of Batman’s loyal butler, The Batman’s “The Butler Did It” acted as one of the few exceptions to make Alfred Pennyworth its main focus. The episode features a conspiracy wherein Alfred and many other butlers become hypnotized to orchestrate a grand robbery, one in which Bruce Wayne gets involved. The over-the-top premise revealed the series’ ability to craft original storylines distinct from the comics with enough heartwarming drama to highlight the close bond that Batman shares with a man who is not just his butler but also his guardian and mentor.

7 The Big Chill Revealed Batman’s Failings And Set The Stage For Mister Freeze

The Batman Season 1, Episode 6

While Mister Freeze became a sympathetic figure in Batman: The Animated Series, The Batman took the focus away from his deceased wife and instead depicted him as an ordinary robber who becomes a cryogenic villain after a botched diamond heist. “The Big Chill” is still a particularly tragic episode, for it reveals Batman’s own imperfections and his unintentional tendency to create his city’s supervillains. Reminiscent of the Joker’s melancholic origins in The Killing Joke, Victor Fries becomes Mister Freeze because Batman’s pursuit drives him to a cryonic freezer. Voice acting supremo Clancy Brown’s powerful portrayal of Freeze adds more emotional depth to the episode.

6 The Rubber Face Of Comedy Explored A New Clayface Origin

The Batman Season 1, Episodes 12-13

Instead of Jim Gordon, The Batman introduced detectives Ethan Bennett and Ellen Yin as the Caped Crusader’s badge-wearing allies. While the duo appears throughout the series, “The Rubber Face of Comedy” turns Bennett into the shapeshifting villain Clayface, a result of the immense psychological torture he faces at the hands of Joker and his lackeys Punch and Judy. Much like what Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy fleshed out later, this two-parter showcased the immense pressure Batman faces to save his closest friends. The episode becomes all the more memorable as it explores Bruce Wayne’s frustration to reveal his superhero identity.

While Mark Hamill from Batman: The Animated Series didn't return to play Joker, he voiced the villain Tony Zucco in The Batman.

5 A Matter Of Family Was A Warm Welcome For Robin

The Batman Season 4, Episode 1

Dick Grayson’s journey from an orphaned gymnast to the costumed superhero Robin is a tale that has been told many a time before. And still, “A Matter of Family” is a delightful retelling of Robin’s origin, with Batman finding a part of himself in the orphan. As he avenges the murder of Grayson’s parents, The Batman’s season 4 premiere shows genuine emotional growth for the titular hero. He reveals a softer side after spending the last three seasons brooding in mystery. Contrasting Batman’s muted personality with the chattery demeanor of the “Boy Wonder” set a new tone for the series.

4 The Laughing Bat Imagined Joker Becoming The Dark Knight

The Batman Season 2, Episode 4

This early season 2 adventure follows Joker becoming Batman to punish all sorts of criminals in the city; this includes even those behind trivial offenses like jaywalking and cutting through queues. The real Batman is rendered helpless as exposure to a toxin turns him into a manic Joker. The switch of identities between these mortal enemies makes “The Laughing Bat” darkly funny and absurdly thrilling, with even the Penguin thrown into the mix. As the mob boss devises a bank heist, it’s up to the new Batman to save the day. The episode bears further testimony to the show’s originality.

3 Strange New World Was Effective As A Zombie Thriller

The Batman Season 4, Episode 6

Hugo Strange’s medical genius can lead to some truly gargantuan challenges for Batman. A case in point is Strange triggering a zombie epidemic in Gotham with Batman and Robin left to save the infected populace. With the action unfurling in real time and some chilling zombified versions of Gordon and Batgirl, this episode is quite a nail-biter. Influences from zombie genre classics like Night of the Living Dead are obvious and reveal the potential for The Batman to double as a full-fledged horror. Truly frightening in moments, this episode challenged the conventions of children’s television, much like Bruce Timm’s cult series.

2 Strange Minds Depicted Batman Being Traumatized By Joker’s Psyche

The Batman Season 2, Episode 12

Whenever Hugo Strange makes an appearance in The Batman, matters grow really grim. “Strange Minds” stands out as an intense psychological thriller with Batman using one of Strange’s devices to enter Joker’s mind. But delving into the deepest, darkest corners of his arch-nemesis’ psyche can be traumatizing even for the World’s Greatest Detective. Surreal sequences like Batman hallucinating infinite Jokers aptly capture his innermost fears in the mental labyrinth. Romano evokes the hero’s helplessness with a particularly moving performance, while Kevin Michael Richardson’s overzealous energy makes him one of the finest (if not overlooked) actors who have played the Joker.

The Batman can currently be streamed on Netflix and Max.

1 Artifacts Looked Into Batman’s Future With Fear And Hope

The Batman Season 4, Episode 7

“Artifacts” is The Batman’s most unique episode, taking place thousands of years into the future. Imagining a dystopia where a new version of Mister Freeze wreaks havoc, the citizens of Gotham rediscover the myth of Batman to offer them hope in such dark times. In this sense, the season 4 episode subverts the notion of Batman dwelling in the shadows by turning him into a beacon of hope, much like Superman. The legacy of an adult Batgirl and Nightwing is also touched upon, with “Artifacts” acting as an unexpected standalone episode.

Key Release Dates

• The Batman Part II

  Release Date:

  2026-10-02