To many Batman fans, one of the most definitive interpretations of the character can be found in Batman: The Animated Series. Originally released in 1992, the series was spearheaded by Bruce Timm and had a major impact on the Batman franchise influencing many Batman stories in film and comics alike.

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Few interpretations of the caped crusaders war on crime have had as significant an impact on the dark knight as Batman: The Animated Series. So here today, we're going to delve into all that BTAS shaped much of modern Batman. So without further ado, here are 10 Ways Batman: The Animated Series Changed Batman Forever.

10 Developing Mister Freeze

Prior to Batman: The Animated Series, Mister Freeze was little more than a C-list Batman villain with a cool ice gun. His motivations ranged from weak to nonexistent, and he effectively served as a walking ice-pun dispenser. However, the episode "Heart of Ice" completely rewrote the character, turing him into a tragic, vengeance-driven villain who is quite possibly the most empathetic of all of Batman's foes.

Trying to find a cure for his ill wife, a former employer causes an accident that results in Freeze being able to survive in frigid temperatures. This revision of Mister Freeze had such a major impact on the character that was adapted as the character's origin in everything from the comics to 1997's Batman and Robin.

9 Complicating Two-Face

As a former ally of Bruce Wayne, district attorney Harvey Dent had long been considered one of the more empathetic of those in Batman's rogue's gallery. While the commonly accepted depiction of the character was one who was a paragon of morality who turned to crime after being disfigured, BTAS took Harvey's character another step forward into the realm of complexity.

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In the episode "Two Face," it is established that prior to his disfigurement, Harvey struggles with his mental health, primarily the means in which he handles thoughts and feelings of aggression. The character seeks psychiatric help, but the disfigurement he suffers is enough to push Harvey over the edge. This approach to the character is one that has been used on numerous occasions since BTAS.

8 Mark Hamill's Joker

While many often debate which incarnation of the Joker is the strongest, the conversation cannot be held without bringing up Mark Hamill's performance in Batman: The Animated Series.

Bringing energy, unpredictability, and deliveries that come off as both hilarious and terrifying, Hamill's work as the clown prince of crime is one of the most faithful and entertaining portrayals that we've ever seen. It's no surprise that in instances such as with the Arkham video game trilogy, Mark Hamill is the guy to call when casting a voice for the Joker.

7 Kevin Conroy’s Batman

A similar case to Hamill's work as the Joker, Kevin Conroy's performance as Bruce Wayne is one of the most memorable that we've ever seen from the character. Conroy brings different flair to the table between his stern and intimidating "Batman Voice" and his cheerful and light "Bruce Wayne Voice," keeping each distinct, without going over the top in the fashion of Christian Bale's Batman.

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Like Hamill, Conroy has become the measuring stick of what qualifies as a good voice for the dark knight, and has become the default choice of many when casting Batman for a video game or animated film.

6 A Return to Timelessness

Series developer, Bruce Timm has gone on record stating that one of the primary influences of the series was the 1940's Superman cartoons created by Max Fleisher. Drawing much from the overall aesthetic of the show, BTAS employed an art direction that does not date itself, feeling timeless.

This is further accentuated by the choice to utilize combinations of noir influence fashion and technology, while juxtaposing it with technologies that while advanced in theory, still featured black and white screens.

5 Dark Deco

A development of the series that extends farther outwards from the Batman series in regards to its greater impact, is the Dark Deco art style.

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Created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, the Dark Deco style employed the practice of illustrating backgrounds on black paper, and leaving the darkest sections of a given background unpainted to keep it the darkest possible background. This style influenced various works to come after it ranging from other batman projects to the 2012 fighting game, Skullgirls.

4 Fleshing Out Gotham

gotham city

Gotham City had experienced many depictions throughout the comics to come before Batman The Animated Series, but there was often a strong level of variance at play. The series did not just innovate on the characters of the Batman franchise, but Gotham City itself.

Integrating a great deal of the aforementioned noir-influenced architecture, the series introduced many aspects of the city that have since become staples of its design, such as the inclusion of the GCPD police blimps.

3 Tonal Balance

The Batman franchise has always had a polarizing tone. Many of the comics of the golden and silver age and 1966 series with Adam West would feature a lighter tone that oozed campiness, while depictions such as Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns utilized a tone that was the darkest and most mature the franchise had seen at the time.

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Batman: The Animated Series was able to seemingly strike the perfect tonal balance with the series that has been maintained through many of the character's depictions following the series. The series is able to tell mature and tonally mature stories befitting of the dark knight, while still maintaining a sense of mystery and adventure that one would hope to find in a superhero series.

2 Re-Defining Batman

Across his many appearances, the core of the character of Batman had shifted on numerous occasions. While many writers before and after the series have taken numerous liberties when writing the character of Bruce Wayne, Batman: The Animated Series solidified the framework of what is commonly accepted as "modern Batman."

This comes down to the motivations and approaches taken by this incarnation of the bat. He's not presented as a character who is enacting vengeance on the criminals he's fighting like a bloodthirsty madman. As seen with his approach in fighting countless characters such as Mister Freeze, Clayface, Manbat, and Baby Doll, Bruce is actively seeking to get these villains the help they need and save them from themselves.

1 The Introduction of Harley Quinn

By and large one of the greatest impacts that Batman: The Animated Series had on the Batman franchise was the introduction of Harley Quinn. By far one of the most popular comic characters in the modern era, Harley Quinn has the uncommon distinction of being created in an animated adaptation of a comic book property rather than the comics themselves.

Created by Paul Dini with the intent of shaking up the formula by giving the Joker a hench-woman rather than generic henchman, Harley quickly became a staple of the series. It did not take long for Harley to jump from the series into the pages of the comic. Today, the character of Harley Quinn has starred in 2016's, Suicide Squad and is slated to star in the upcoming Birds of  of Prey.

NEXT: The 5 Best Batman Animated Films (& 5 That Were A Letdown)