No comic book superhero has had as rich of an animated history as Batman, who rode the success of the 1966 live-action TV show into an almost-ongoing series of cartoons. That includes solo adventures, team-ups, like Super Friends, and spinoffs, like Harley Quinn -- spanning nearly 50 years.
There have been nine animated series to date centered around Batman, not including team series and cameos. Together, they chart the Caped Crusader's development and presentation, from straight-arrow children’s hero to a complex, and surprisingly adult, figure. Here are the best Batman animated series, in order from worst to best.
9. Batman Unlimited (2015-2016)
Batman: Unlimited was a series of shorts and direct-to-video movies developed around a line of action figures of the same name released in 2015. And it felt exactly like that -- a promotional tie-in for toys. Episodes featured a future Gotham City in the style of Blade Runner, providing justification for mecha soldiers, dinosaurs and robot animals that could be sold with Batman’s name on the packaging. The combination of components fails to stand out, and the ultimately mercenary nature of the series left it quite forgettable; an echo of the far superior Batman Beyond with none of that earlier series’ creativity.
8. Beware the Batman (2013)
Rumors have swirled around this CGI series since it premiered in 2013, originally filling the spot left by Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It was canceled after only three months, with Cartoon Network citing financial failure.
Beware the Batman detailed the early adventures of Bruce Wayne under the cowl, but like Batman Unlimited, it failed to leave a lasting impression. The cartoon arrived in the wake of Marvel’s The Avengers, with an edict from Warner Bros. to go “dark and edgy” in response to its rival’s more jovial tone. That same directive informed Man of Steel and Zack Snyder’s subsequent big-screen efforts. Beware the Batman was a victim of that thinking, succeeding the infinitely more imaginative Brave and the Bold simply by being more pessimistic.
7. The Adventures of Batman (1968-1969)
The Adventures of Batman marked the first official Batman animated series, packaged with a similar Superman cartoon before being rebranded as Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder. It was simplistic, and designed with young viewers in mind. But it helped to spawn the Super Friends franchise, and made fans out of an entire generation of kids. Olan Soule voiced the Caped Crusader, with Casey Kasem playing Robin; the pair continued to do so on one show or another well into the 1980s.
6. The New Adventures of Batman (1977-1978)
Adam West returned to the role that made him famous for one unfortunate season, and starred alongside Burt Ward, who reprised his role as Robin. That proved the saving grace for The New Adventures of Batman, as the pair brought much of their old chemistry with them. Unfortunately, the show saddled them with Bat-Mite, an irritating gremlin who quickly soured the audience on the concept in the same way Scrappy-Doo did on the Scooby-Doo shows. Afterward, Batman remained largely a part of team shows like Super Friends for well over a decade.
5. The Batman (2004-2008)
By 2004, the Dark Knight of the DC Animated Universe introduced in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series had been relegated to a member of Justice League. The last solo Batman show ended three years prior. So, the producers of The Batman had the daunting assignment to redefine the Caped Crusader in the face of what many considered his definitive embodiment.
Considering the monumental task before them, they did quite well, with imaginative new versions of the classic character, and a younger Batman who felt different enough from Kevin Conroy’s iconic portrayal to stand on his own. It conveyed the darkness and weird menace of Batman’s world in a way that was still family-friendly. The first season even featured a terrific opening theme from The Edge, although, sadly, that didn't last. The Batman couldn’t top The Animated Series, so it followed its own path, and was all the better for it.
4. Batman Beyond (1999-2001)
If any Batman series in the DC Animated Universe were going to fail, it was this one. Batman Beyond presented a future cyberpunk Gotham, and Kevin Conroy’s aging Bruce Wayne in dire need of a protégé to take up the mantle. Voiced by Will Friedle, Terry McGinnis adopted the guise of the Batman, and with Wayne as his reluctant guide, he created a strong new chapter in the Dark Knight's saga. The blend of dystopian sci-fi and a varied new rogues gallery proved effective, and McGinnis soon distinguished himself as his own character, rather than a clone of Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson.
3. Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold caused a great deal of controversy among Bat-fans upon its release. Some were upset by its deliberately camp tone and overt appeal to kids. However, even more so than The Batman, it found its own voice in what its critics decried: echoing the more outlandish 1950s Batman adventures by Dick Sprang.
Each episode of The Brave and the Bold paired Batman with another hero, giving exposure to DC lesser-known figures as well as instant fan favorites like John DiMaggio’s Aquaman. Diedrich Bader, who voiced Batman throughout the series, returned to the role in the very different Harley Quinn -- a sign of how strong his depiction was.
2. The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999)
Technically, The New Batman Adventures belongs with Batman: The Animated Series, because it served as a continuation of that universe. The characters were redesigned, Dick Grayson became Nightwing, a new Robin arrived, and Batman himself became more grim. But it was still the same first-rate storytelling as its predecessor while exploring new boundaries, and ultimately leading to Justice League.
Indeed, many of its stories took place with that in mind, including guest appearances from Superman and Brainiac. The New Batman Adventures also contained surprising developments among the rogues gallery, including Harley Quinn’s origin in “Mad Love,” and the rare reformation of a villain in the oddly touching “Double Talk.”
1. Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
When it comes to animated series, there’s the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series, and then there’s everything else. It was proposed in the wake of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, but quickly stood out with a singular vision of its own.The series was heavily informed by Batman’s roots in 1940s noir, including several episodes based on era classics like Angels With Dirty Faces. Batman: The Animated Series could handle both light and dark episodes, as well as a breathtakingly fleshed-out rogues gallery.
On top of it all was a singular cast of vocal talents, led by Kevin Conroy as the Caped Crusader and Mark Hamill as the Joker. With one or two other contenders, Batman: The Animated Series ranks as not only one of the best animated superhero stories made, but as the best superhero show of any sort. And none of it has aged a day, making it a perennial favorite among Batman cartoons.