The-dark-knight-

Overview
The original series was partially inspired by Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman film, and initially took as its theme a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the film. (Later episodes of the series used a new theme written in a similar style by Shirley Walker.) Another strong influence was the acclaimed Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1940s. The series premiered in 1992, a few months after the successful release of the second Batman movie, Batman Returns. The art style of the original animated series was also partially a reaction against the realism seen in cartoons like The Real Ghostbusters, the second series in some ways was a further extension of that rejection of realism.

Timm and Radomski designed the series by emulating the Tim Burton films' "otherworldy timelessness", incorporating "old-time" features such as black-and-white title cards, police blimps, and a "vintage" color scheme, partially inspired by the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons of the 1940s, as well as film noir. In their constant quest to make the show darker, the producers pushed the boundaries of action cartoons: it was the first such cartoon in years to depict firearms being fired, as well as Batman actually hitting and punching the bad guys; in addition, many of the series' backgrounds were painted on black paper. The distinctive visual combination of film noir imagery and Art Deco designs with a very dark color scheme was called "Dark Deco" by the producers. First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which according to Timm "got a lot of people off our backs."

The series was the first of the modern "DC Animated Continuity/Universe" sometimes known as the "Diniverse" named after producer and writer Paul Dini (in some respects, an unfair label, as Dini is not the constant between all of the series of the DCAU; Bruce Timm is the constant, more accurately it is often referred to as the Timmverse). It was entirely separate from the previous continuity of Warner Bros. DC Comics adaptation cartoons, namely The Superfriends.

The Emmy Award-winning series quickly received wide acclaim for its distinctive animation and mature writing, and it instantly became a hit. Fans of a wide age range praised the show's sophisticated, cinematic tone and psychological stories. Voice-actor Kevin Conroy, for example, used two distinct voices to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman, as Michael Keaton had done in the films. This series also featured a supporting cast that included major actors performing the voices of the various classic villains, most notably Mark Hamill, who defined a whole new career for himself in animation with his cheerfully deranged portrayal of the Joker. As in Burton's movie, Joker has the alias of mobster Jack Napier, which is not always true of the comics. The voice recording sessions were recorded with the actors together in a studio, like a radio play (in the majority of animated films, the principal voice actors record separately and never meet). This adds to the authenticity of the performance.

Mr. Freeze, who was most famously redesigned for the series.Key to the series' artistic success is that it managed to redefine classic characters, paying homage to their previous portrayals while giving them new dramatic force. Villains such as Two-Face and the Mad Hatter, as well as heroes like Robin (who does not appear in the Burton/Joel Schumacher series until Batman Forever and is here portrayed as a college-age student), are proof of this. Also, the series gave new life to nearly forgotten characters like the Clock King. The best example of dramatic change is Mr. Freeze; Batman: TAS turned him from a clichéd mad scientist with a gimmick for cold, to a tragic figure whose frigid exterior hides a doomed love and a cold vindictive fury. Part of the tragedy is mimicked later in the plot of the live movie Batman and Robin, although much of the drama was lost with the resurrection of the mad scientist image. The most famous of the series' innovations is the Joker's hapless assistant, Harley Quinn, who became so popular that DC later added her to the mainstream Batman comics.

This series became a cornerstone of the Warner Brothers' animation department, which became one of the top producers of television animation and sparked a large franchise of similar TV adaptations of DC Comics characters.

Characters

The Gray Ghost from the episode of a similar name, "Beware the Gray Ghost". Adam West provided the voice for a washed-up superhero serial actor who finds himself needed once more.New villains like Red Claw and the Sewer King were invented for the series, but to little acclaim. From the episode "Tyger, Tyger" another character named Tygrus is created, which story was probably inspired by the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau and William Blake's Poem The Tyger. Far more successful was the introduction of Harley Quinn, the Joker's sidekick, and to a lesser extent, Officer/Detective Renee Montoya and the sociopathic vigilante Lock-Up, all of whom became characters in the comics. A new character called Baby Doll was also well received. In addition, Mr. Freeze was revised to emulate the series' tragic story. Clayface was reinvented, revised to be much more similar to the 1960s shape-changing version of the character. Poison Ivy's regular appearances on the show helped lead to more frequent appearances in the comics. In two episodes, Batman faces Kyodai Ken (whose name means "Giant Fist" in Japanese), a ninja whose abilities match his own. The Phantasm and general storyline for the movie Mask Of The Phantasm were modified from the Mike Barr-penned story "Batman: Year Two," which ran in Detective Comics #575-578 in the late 1980s; the villain in the comics was named The Reaper. Some characters like Count Vertigo and the Clock King were modified in costume and personality.

Batman

From the DC Animated Universe media
Aliases Bruce Wayne
"Matches" Malone
Nickname The Bat
The Dark Knight
Occupation Superhero/vigilante
Playboy
Title Wayne Industries CEO
Family Thomas Wayne (father, deceased)
Martha Wayne (mother, deceased)
Children Terry McGinnis
Relatives Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins
Alliances Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Batman II, Justice League, James Gordon,
Powers
None;
peak human physical condition,
genius-level intellect,
master detective,
martial arts master,
access to high tech equipment.
Appearences
Appeared in Batman: The Animated Series
The New Batman Adventures
Superman: The Animated Series
Batman Beyond
Static Shock
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
Current status –
Episode count Number of episodes the chatacter appeared
First appearence On Leather Wings
Last appearence Destroyer
Character list Characters appearing in Justice League Unlimited
Created by
Bob Kane
Although the version of Batman who appears in this show (and by extension the other series / comic books in the DC Animated Universe) is based on and similar to the character as he appears in the mainstream DC comic book universe (including the same origin and background), the character possessed a different personal history and continuity to his comic book counterpart. As in the comic book series, however, Batman is the superhero identity adopted by millionaire industrialist and playboy Bruce Wayne, who became Batman following the brutal murder of his parents when he was just a child. In this series (and the other series in the Animated Universe), Batman / Bruce Wayne was voiced by Kevin Conroy.

Origins
As revealed in "Nothing to Fear", "Dreams in Darkness" and Justice League Unlimited episode "For the Man Who Has Everything," Batman's origin began as an 8 year old when his parents were killed by a thief called Joe Chill in the Crime Alley after going to the movie theatre. As in comics, Joe Chill's gun, the first time he fell on the Bat-Cave, the bats and his parents’ deaths were pivotal points in his life. In "Appointment in the Crime Alley" it was revealed that Leslie Thompkins, a close friend of Thomas Wayne, took care of Bruce as a kid with Alfred Pennyworth, the Waynes' butler. Bruce Wayne is the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. His father was a well respected Gotham doctor, and his mother a homemaker, but they owned the biggest fortune in Gotham City. After the incident, Bruce Wayne swears revenge and thanks to his fortune, he was able to train himself to perfection in several martial art and crime fighting disciplines.

In the episode "Zatanna", while using the alias John Smith, Zatara trained Bruce Wayne how to be an escape artist and several other magic tricks. The episode "Night of the Ninja" introduces Yoru-Sensei who was Bruce Wayne's martial arts teacher in Japan. In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Dead Reckoning" we are introduced to The Master, a man who helped train Batman in Kung-Fu.

Most of Batman's early years is narrated in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, the first animated movie, it features parts of Batman’s life when he was beginning his career as a vigilante and, mainly, when he had to choose between fulfilling his vows of revenge and having a normal life with the perfect woman. The story focused on a very deep relationship he had with Andrea Beaumont, a beautiful young woman that managed to get Bruce's attention at this point. It was due to destiny that Andrea's father's involvement with the leaders of the Gotham mob, took her out of his life. Out of grief for not only his parents, but also of the loss of what could have been a normal life, he stayed on the path which brought him to becoming Batman.

This story was partially based on the comics story arc Batman: Year Two, but with significant differences. Andrea Beaumont and her father, Carl, are based in Rachel and Judson Caspian and the Phantasm is based in the Reaper, but their motifs and secrets had a twist.

Batman Beyond
After Batman was last seen in Justice League Unlimited's last episode Epilogue (Justice League Unlimited), at some point he had a traumatic final confrontation with the Joker. Several days after Robin Tim Drake disappeares, Batman and Batgirl find out the Joker and his assistant Harley Quinn to be the responsible parties. The insane criminal had tortured and brainwashed Batman's youngest sidekick, discovering Batman's true identity in the process. The Joker had shaped the boy wonder into a mindless sidekick for himself. During the confrontation, Robin manages to break through his mental reprogramming long enough to fatally shoot the Joker. At the end of the conflict, with the Joker dead and Harley Quinn missing and presumed dead as well, Robin is traumatized for life. Leslie Thompkins facilitated his recovery, but he never forgets and reconciles with Bruce.

Even after creating a new suit that provided him the ability to fly, strength, digital communication and invisibility, Batman reaches a point when it was physically impossible to keep fighting crime. When Batman goes to rescue the daughter of Veronica Vreeland, his close socialite friend, he gets a cardiac attack while fighting, forcing him to resort to threatening a thug with a gun to solve the situation, breaking a lifelong rule. It is then that Bruce realizes he was no longer able to carry on as Batman.

Before that point, his focus on crime-fighting was so strong that, he stops paying attention to Wayne Enterprises. The sinister figure of Derek Powers had established himself as the new CEO and renamed the company Wayne/Power Enterprises, while Lucius Fox quit, beginning his own company. Bruce lost most of his control and contacts in his own company. At the beginning of Batman Beyond, Warren McGinnis, an employee of the company, acquires some incriminating evidence about his bosses. Knowing that he was a honest person, Powers sends his assistant Mr. Fixx, to get rid of McGinnis. After an argument with him, his son Terry storms out of the house, only to return and find that Mr. Fixx had killed Warren, though he made it look like an act of senseless brutality by the Jokerz, a local gang that commits small crimes inspired by the now legendary Joker. Terry gets in a fight with the Jokerz that ended right in front of Wayne manor. A very old Bruce Wayne helps Terry defeat the punks. Then, the exhausted Bruce fells asleep and Terry starts wandering the manor and he discovers the Bat-cave by accident. After Bruce throws him out of the mansion, Terry sneaks back in to steal the Batsuit, to track down his father's killer. After what had happened to Tim Drake years ago, Bruce is at first unwilling to take on another kid sidekick, but later reconsidered and begins training Terry as the next Batman.

After this Bruce's life is reinvigorated with the mission of training a new Batman to keep his legacy, as well as the task of keeping Powers under control, who eventually loses control over Wayne Industries. Time later, an un-aged Talia, shows up offering Bruce the longevity benefits of the Lazarus Pit and he accepts it, gaining his youth again. But the situation turns into tragedy when Bruce and Terry discovers Talia is actually her father, Ra's Al Ghul, who finally unable to benefit enough from the pits, took his own daughter's body to transfer his mind and gain her youth, and his next step was to rejuvenate Bruce to repeat the operation with his body. Ghul is defeated and the Lazarus effect eventually wears of Bruce, probably gaining him more longevity, though.

Return of the Joker
Time after, a new branch of Jokerz starts operating under the direction of someone claiming to be the original Joker. Barbara Gordon revealed to Terry the brainwash incident with Tim Drake and the Joker. After some investigations Bruce and Terry learn that the Joker was Tim, Robin II, but only physically. The Joker not only brainwashed Drake, but he also used the same special technology they would later learn Waller used to clone Bruce, to put his mind into the sidekick's brain, achieving the ultimate joke on Batman. Batman II fights him until he freed Drake once again and defeated the Joker.

In a Justice League two-part episode, "The Once and the Future Thing," after stealing in the Watchtower, villainous time traveler Chronos takes control of Joker/Drake's band and eliminates much of the League, including Big Barda and Superman, leaving Bruce Wayne in charge. Along with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, Batman followed the villain to defeat him, and gets to know his own future.

Epilogue
Years later, when Bruce is so old that he depended on Terry's care, Terry finds out he shares Bruce Wayne's DNA. At first, believing that Bruce had known he was his biological father all along, and had somehow conspired to mold Terry in his image, an angry Terry somehow uncovered Amanda Waller's part in his creation. The aged Waller confesses her role in collecting genetic material from an unwitting Bruce Wayne and orchestrating Terry's birth. Although her plans to create an heir to Batman's legacy had been abandoned, in an extreme twist of fate, Terry had ended up choosing that path on his own. After getting the whole story, Terry decides to remain with the mantle of the bat, but still hang on to the other things in life he wanted as well, proposing marriage to his longtime girlfriend Dana, starting a family thus continuing the Legacy of Batman and Bruce Wayne long after Bruce Wayne's death. However, speculation has run rampant on the details of Bruce's death and his acknowledgment of his relation to Terry.

Supporting characters
(in order of appearance)

Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne's butler and Batman's assistant. Alfred was voiced by Clive Revill and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
James Gordon: Police commissioner of Gotham City and a staunch ally of Batman. Voiced by Bob Hastings.
Harvey Bullock: A detective on the Gotham police department, Bullock is distrustful and resentful towards Batman. Voiced by Robert Costanzo.
Summer Gleeson: A cheerful TV news reporter who often found herself in the middle of the action. Voiced by Mari Devon.
Hamilton Hill: The mayor of Gotham City. Voiced by Lloyd Bochner.
Renee Montoya: A police officer (later detective) of supported Batman on several occasion. Usually voiced by Ingrid Oliu, but sometimes voiced by Liane Schirmer.
Robin (I): Dick Grayson was a child gymnast in a circus orphaned when his parents were murdered by a local crime boss, and who was adopted and trained by Bruce Wayne. In later series, he became Nightwing, leading to the introduction of a second Robin. Voiced by Loren Lester.
Batgirl: Daughter of Commissioner Gordon, Barbara initially adopted the identity of Batgirl to help her father. Voiced by both Melissa Gilbert and Mary Kay Bergman, and then by Tara Strong in The New Batman Adventures.
Gray Ghost: Actor Simon Trent, who, having portrayed the 'Gray Ghost' (a childhood idol of Bruce Wayne) on a popular television series, was now forgotten until a series of copy-cat crimes prompted by an episode of his old show prompt Batman to seek out his help. Was portrayed by Adam West who played Batman in the 1960s.
Leslie Thompkins: Bruce/Batman's doctor and personal friend. Voiced by Diana Muldaur.
Zatanna: Daughter of the great magician Zatara who followed in her father's footsteps and also became a stage magician. She had a crush on Bruce Wayne, when he worked under the alias of John Smith, in her youth. Voiced by Julie Brown.
Jonah Hex: A bounty hunter who lived in the 1800's and was seen in one flashback episode. Voiced by William McKinney.
Robin (II): The animated version of Tim Drake was based on both his comic version and Jason Todd, the second Robin in DC Comics continuity. The son of a small-time criminal killed by Two-Face, Drake was brought under Bruce Wayne's wing and trained to become the new Robin when Dick Grayson became Nightwing. Voiced by Mathew Valencia.
Etrigan, the demon: Jason Blood was a man in King Arthur's court who had the demon Etrigan bound to his body by Merlin, making him immortal. Jason, already a capable sorceror, transforms into the Demon to fight evil. Voiced by Billy Zane.
The Creeper: A news reporter in The New Batman Adventures who was turned into a wacky superhero, the Creeper, after an accident involving the Joker. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
Superman: The star of Superman: The Animated Series who is the last survivor of the planet Krypton, based in the city of Metropolis. Voiced by Tim Daly.
Lois Lane: A tough and cynical news reporter from Superman: The Animated Series who dated Bruce Wayne once. Bruce once noted that she seemed to like Superman and Bruce Wayne, but not Clark Kent or Batman. Voiced by Dana Delaney.
Supergirl: Superman's crime-fighting partner from Superman: The Animated Series who worked with Batgirl in a crossover episode of The New Batman Adventures. Voiced by Nicholle Tom.

Villains
Although a full outline of the (many) villains to appear on the show is not feasible, brief outlines of the most significant or frequently recurring appear below.

Man-Bat: Scientist Kirk Langstrom, a Zoologist at the Gotham City Zoo, tested bat mutigene experiments on himself and turned into a monstrous human-bat hybrid. Later, his wife is accidentally exposed to the "Man-Bat serum" and unknowlingly takes her husband's place as the new Man-Bat. Both are eventually cured of the serum's side effect and do not become Man-Bat again.
Scarecrow: An insane criminal who uses fear toxins to seek vengeance on the Gotham University, commit crimes and experiment over people. Scarecrow had two different masks in the first series. The original was more Scarecrow-like, but it was presumably burned in a fire on the show. Later, a more witch-like mask was used by the Scarecrow, for the remainder of the series. Voiced by Henry Polic II in the first series, and by Jeffrey Combs in The New Batman Adventures.
Joker: By far Batman's most recognizable and well-known villain, Batman's arch-nemesis was memorably portrayed as a ruthless, sociopathic clown with a curiously whimsical streak. Voiced by Mark Hamill, and frequently praised by fans as the interpretation of the character closest to the original as portrayed in the comic books. He has the record for appearing, out of all the villains, the most times on the show. It has been revealed that Joker has a begrudging respect for Batman; in the episode The Man Who Killed Batman, he is shown “grieving” over his nemesis's apparent demise, saying, “it was the Batman who made me the happy soul I am today.”
Poison Ivy: Pamela Isley, a botanist terrorist with power over plants and toxins. Voiced by Diane Pershing.
Catwoman: Selina Kyle, a high-society cat-burglar. A great deal of romantic tension existed between her and Batman; much as in the comics, she is not the pure villain portrayed in the 1960s TV series. Voiced by Adrienne Barbeau.
Two-Face: Formerly Harvey Dent, the Gotham District Attorney and became Two-Face after an accident, a split personality criminal that relies on the flip of a coin to make decisions. Some mistakenly believe that as in the first Tim Burton movie, where Billy Dee Williams plays Dent, Harvey Dent is drawn as an African-American. The character is drawn with darker skin, but this is because the character was intended to be of Italian/Sicilian descent. Voiced by Richard Moll.
Rupert Thorne: A ruthless gangster and mob-boss who dominated Gotham City's criminal underworld. Voiced by John Vernon.
Candace: Rupert Thorne's beautiful secretary who appears in a few episodes. Voiced by Diane Michelle.
The Penguin: A man bearing resemblance to a penguin, that commits crimes reflecting his perceived elegance. Later, he becomes owner of a popular lounge, having apparently decided to no longer commit crimes himself (and risk a fight with Batman). Initially designed to mirror Danny De Vito's portrayal of the character. Voiced by Paul Williams.
Mr. Freeze: A criminal scientist forced to live in a cryogenic suit following a tragic accident which cost his wife's life, or so he thought. Voiced by Michael Ansara.
The Mad Hatter- A technological expert who is obsessed with Alice in Wonderland and started dressing like the Mad Hatter after being rejected by a girl he loved. He used his mind control technology to commit crimes and was voiced by the late Roddy McDowell.
Harley Quinn: An Arkham psychiatrist that became the Joker's henchwoman and sidekick. She later becomes best friends with Poison Ivy and occasionally works with her as well as the Joker. Was introduced in the animated series, and proved so popular she was added to the mainstream comic line-up. Voiced by Arleen Sorkin.
The Riddler: Uses puzzles, riddles and tricks in his various crimes, designed to outwit and trap both the police and Batman. Voiced by John Glover.
Clayface: A vain actor who was turned into a massive, shape-shifting creature after being overdosed with a special face cream created by Roland Daggett's industry. Voiced by Ron Perlman.
Roland Daggett: A criminal businessman who is always scheming for more money and power. His face cream led to the creation of Clayface.Voiced by Edward Asner.
Killer Croc: A man with a rare condition that has given him powerful, reptilian skin. He is also quite strong and was a former wrestler. Played by Aron Kincaid in the original series and Brooks Gardner in The New Batman Adventures.
Dr. Milo: A mad scientist with a vendetta against Batman. Voiced by Treat Williams.
Kyodai-Ken: A ninja who has hated Bruce Wayne ever since they trained together under the wise Yoru-Sensei in Japan, and he eventually discovered Batman's secret identity. Voiced by Robert Ito.
Talia al Ghul: Ra's Al Ghul's daughter; at times romantically linked with Batman.
Ra's Al Ghul: In the comics, Batman once called The Joker a "minor annoyance" compared to this old mastermind set out to destroy humanity.
The Ventriloquist
Bane: A muscular criminal who is portrayed here much differently than in the comics, where he is a mastermind who succeeds in identifying Batman's secred identity and then breaks Bruce Wayne's back.
Lock-Up (comics)
Baby Doll
Sidney "Sid the Squid" Debris: A low-level stumblebum who garnered respect as, “The Man Who Nearly Offed The Bat.”

Batman's equipment featured in the series

Batman's tools such as the utility belt, grappling hook, and Batmobile were redesigned for the series; they have been previously redesigned numerous times over the course of Batman's comic book series as well as for various movie and TV incarnations of Batman. The grapple-launcher, notably, was introduced in the 1989 Tim Burton Batman movie, and became an important aspect of the animated character. The Batmobile and Batplane/Bat-Wing are similar to the ones used in the 1989 movie.

Episodes

Certain episodes have become legendary in some fan circles. The most universally hailed episode is the Emmy-award winning "Heart of Ice", which is best-known for reinventing the character of Mr. Freeze, changing him from a comedic cold-themed villain to a serious, tragic character with a sympathetic backstory. "Robin's Reckoning" won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Half Hour or Less Program beating out cartoon powerhouse The Simpsons and is seen as one of the most mature and iconic Robin origin stories. Other episodes to achieve high recognition are "Joker's Favor", which marks the first appearance of fan favorite Harley Quinn; "Two-Face", for its dark, serious, and respectful reinvention of a character that had been somewhat regarded by producers as too gruesome for television; "Mad as a Hatter", in which The Mad Hatter is portrayed as a more human and emotionally fragile member of Batman's rogues gallery, instead of a gimmicked weirdo; " House and Garden", showing a sad human side to Poison Ivy; the two-parter, "Shadow of the Bat", which introduced Barbara Gordon as Batgirl; "Harley and Ivy", the debut of the fan-favorite duo; and "Beware the Gray Ghost", well known for its casting of Adam West as a has-been actor, who became typecast as a superhero part he played in his youth. The fan favorite episodes "Almost Got 'Im" , "Perchance To Dream" and "POV" are also well known for their unique storytelling approach and plot twists at the end.

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