Batman Caped Crusader gives us a reboot of the character set in the early days of the Dark Knight’s career, and it delivers a more pulpy, noir version of Batman: The Animated Series.
What Is It?
This animated series goes back to the days of a younger Bruce Wayne as he begins his fight against crime in Gotham City. The Batman is a new figure in this city overrun by criminals, but he quickly makes himself the scourge of those who would run afoul of the law while also developing some allies—particularly Commissioner Gordon—amongst the police force.
Starring: Hamish Linklater, Jason Watkins, Eric Morgan Stuart, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Gary Anthony Williams
Created By: Bruce Timm
Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:
1992’s Batman: The Animated Series set a high bar for animated television, drawing heavily from the look and feel of Tim Burton’s Batman films while also building on the legacy of the Caped Crusader and running through his extensive rogue’s gallery of villains. Bruce Timm was the co-creator of that series, and now he’s back with a new animated entry that very much hearkens back to the classic show he created over thirty years ago. But Batman: Caped Crusader is not a continuation of his classic series, nor is it a prequel—even though it could plausibly exist prior to the events of Batman: TAS.
The new series takes place in a non-descript 1940s to 1960s era and delivers some noir appeal while also working in the art deco look of Gotham City that was part of TAS. But while you might think that’s the perfect setting for a prequel, Batman: Caped Crusader instead redefines much of Gotham City. The colorful villains like the Penguin, Two-Face, and the Joker are not established as the show begins, though they do start making appearances throughout the first ten episodes (one appears at the very end). And these are different versions of the characters we know from TAS—for example, the Penguin is a woman. Even Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara are different, as they are African-American.
So Batman: Caped Crusader basically gives Bruce Timm a new palette to reinvent the Dark Knight and his world and re-explore familiar territory with a revised cast and some pulp mystery sensibilities. And I must say, based on the ten-episode first season, I’m rather enjoying it so far. I was a huge fan of Batman: TAS when it first came out, and I was initially disappointed that the new show wasn’t directly connected to that one. But as I worked my way through the first season, I came to terms with the changes and decided they are for the better. While this does create yet another Batman universe not connected to any others, it offers plenty of possibilities, and the creative team has done a good job so far.
Caped Crusader is also less cartoonish than TAS and is obviously directed at a more mature audience. Not that it doesn’t still have general appeal, but it is more character and story-focused, with less emphasis on over-the-top villains and big fights between Batman and his foes. In fact, the villains are rather toned down in this version, though I can see where that may change as the show progresses.
So far, the episodes have been mostly stand-alone, but there are also some ongoing arcs developing the characters, including one focusing specifically on Harvey Dent as he turns into Two-Face. The Joker is only teased in the very last episode, and my guess is that he’ll be the focus of another story arc in the second season. And I’ll definitely be there when this one returns, because I did enjoy the first season—though it took a few episodes for me to warm up to all the changes. I believe Batman: TAS fans should enjoy the show as long as they can make peace with the fact that this is a reboot. And new viewers should certainly appreciate the opportunity for an inspired and atmospheric revisit to the early days of the Dark Knight Detective.
What’s Next?
This show received an order for two ten-episode seasons in advance, so we have at least one more season to look forward to. It didn’t make it into the Nielsen streaming rankings when it premiered in August 2024, but word is that the global viewership has been strong, so it could stick around for a few years. It may not succeed in matching the episode count of Batman: TAS (85 episodes in the first season, plus more from the spin-offs), but forty or fifty episodes of this one should be satisfactory.
Where Can You Watch It?
You might expect to find this series on Max, but it’s actually on Prime Video. It was originally set to run on Max and Cartoon Network, but after the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, they jettisoned a lot of animated content from Max. The show was shopped around, and Amazon decided to take a flyer on it.
Are you watching Batman: Caped Crusader and do you consider it a good addition to the Dark Knight’s legacy? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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