It was a boon for cartoons based on DC Comics characters, ultimately contributing to the creation of the DC Animated Universe. The superhero shows on the network were not to be taken lightly. The Batman deserves its own serving of love, even though it is fondly remembered.
In rewatching The Batman, it becomes clear how abnormal it was at the time, and still is, as a Batman show and in the general superhero space. The title character of the show is only a few years into being a vigilante, which is something that immediately stands out. Rino Romano voiced Spider-Man on Spider-Man Unlimited a few years ago, and it makes sense that he would take a different approach to Bruce Wayne. The first season of the show shows him building new tech just for fun or not paying attention during an opera concert. It's a perfect time for actual villains to enter the picture because he's a Batman that's comfortable in his position.
The rogues are an important part of any Batman story, and there is a surprising amount of range in this show instead of relying on heavy hitters. The show commits to this choice, and it keeps the action exciting, as it first seems for almost all of them to be solid melee fighters. There are some fun fights on the show, from a three-way brawl between Batman, Catwoman, and Ragdoll in a clocktower to a late game episode where Batman and Robin are fighting.
Much of the fun of the villains is due to their designs. There is a distinct style to everyone that still has some charm today, and Jeff Matsuda was the show's art director. The kind of looks that DC stories are able to do now are the kind of looks that are not possible unless they are explicitlyAUs. Regardless of how they look and fight, their voice actors mostly do a great job in making each villain feel like they belong in this specific version of Batman.
The highlight of the bunch are the two villains, the Penguin and the Joker. Tom Kenny is a nice guy, but he's having a lot of fun with Penguin, a sleazebag who repulses everyone he meets. Kevin Michael Richardson's deep voice and booming laugh give the show's Clown Prince a more playful but still deadly edge. The show knows how to make the villain menacing in some pretty inventive ways, since his crimes are sinister while still being goofy.
You would think that this was a darker take on the Dark Knight for kids, as bat screeches and guitar strums from The Edge give the show a noir-ish vibe. During the first two seasons, the original intro can be a misdirect, and an episode can be goofier than you think. The first two seasons were strong, but the introduction of Danielle Judovitz as Batgirl in season three helped the show find a better idea of its tone. The new energetic opening of the show feels like it would fit better in the episodes after three seasons.
The Batman manages to find a strong balance between playful and tough most of the time. When it hits its balance, you get fun episodes such as one early in the second season where Batman is in danger of laughing himself to death after being hit with a new dose of Joker Venom, and the villain is dressed as Batman, attacking civilians for minor crimes. Romano's recreation of the joke is frightening. The finale to the first season is a high point, as it ends with the terrifying sight of Bennett's face sliding off his skin. Bennett tries to ask for help, but is attacked and avoided by anyone who catches sight of him, as part two of The Clayface of Tragedy opens. Bennett disappears for good stretches of time throughout the show, which neuters the impact of his and Bruce's relationship. He gets something of a conclusion to his story, unlike Ellen Yin. Before she became Competent Woman, she was set up to be a long term ally of Batman, and she will be gone after the second season.
It is surprising how The Batman barely avoided the modern day superhero boom because of how popular Batman is. The second season of Batman began in theaters a few episodes into it, and would end in March 2008, a few months before The Dark Knight was released. Christopher Nolan's more grounded take on the superhero would help chart the character's path going forward. Rocksteady's beloved Arkham games drew upon the Nolan for much of its tone and style, and so does the ridiculous show of the same name. The Dark Knight Rises made the new Beware the Batman series more serious, and it was marketed as such.
Brave and Lego Batman were counterarguments to Nolan's trilogy, showing the Caped Crusader as a light-hearted adventurer or goofy father and poking fun at the more adult take on the character. Nolan helped popularize the hero in Batman, and even Batman's appearances in Teen TITANS Go poke fun at that. The Batman work that has followed Nolan's trilogy since 2005 hovers over Batman and anyone in his circle like a long shadow, for better and worse.
The world has seen its Caped Crusader, and in a lot of ways it is all the better for it. It feels like a relic of a bygone age, but it was a good age where superhero shows ran off of vibes and experimentation. WB's other beloved cape series Spectacular Spider-Man and X-Men: Evolution were free to do their own thing without being caught up in corporate nonsense, nostalgia of dubious merit, or cultural pissing. At the end of the day, it's just a show that started and ended with Batman. To The Batman's credit, it was right that you want to see him be cool. He's pretty cool.
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