Debates about which cinematic adaptation of Batman is the best are common, particularly in fandom spaces. But it's often the live-action interpretations of Batman being compared. Michael Keaton or Christian Bale? Adam West or George Clooney? It's as much an issue of personal preference as it is one about which interpretation is the objective best, given how different the tones of each Batman's performances and films are. However, these discussions overlook the best version of Batman: the one voiced by Kevin Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995).

The most important thing about TAS' Batman — and indeed the entire show — is that it achieves balance in a way no other Batman show or film has. The more recent live-action adaptations were very concerned with the darkness of Batman and Gotham; the Christopher Nolan films, in particular, were gritty and more realistic, featuring a growling, angry Batman fighting dramatic, dark villains. The 1960s Batman was pure brightly-colored nonsense, full of goofy sound effects and silly dialogue. Batman: The Animated Series, however, managed to show both the darkness and the ridiculousness inherent to Bruce Wayne's story.

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When creating Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski were influenced by the Tim Burton Batman films and the 1940s Superman cartoons, and they included a lot of film noir-esque elements in the design and music. The show also incorporated mature themes of violence and intimacy while staying appropriate enough for a young audience. The show, and Batman as a character, are portrayed in a darker, more complex way that garnered Batman: The Animated Series praise, respect and awards.

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There's also a lot of absurdity in the show, but it's perfectly contrasted with the more serious themes. Season 1, Episode 2, "Christmas With the Joker," features the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) kidnapping people and holding them hostage on live television, but when Batman and Robin (voiced by Loren Lester) enter the Joker's hideout — the abandoned Laffco toy factory — they're accosted by robotic nutcrackers and flying planes while songs from The Nutcracker Suite play. The Joker fights with pies to the face, but he also threatens to dump his hostages in a vat of molten plastic. And Batman takes it all in stride; it may be ridiculous, but it's just part of his job.

Batman: The Animated Series also handles the civilian Bruce Wayne well. He's sort of an eccentric weirdo, but he's clearly charming. He's also more outwardly intelligent than he is in a lot of adaptations, actually participating in Wayne Enterprises instead of sitting back and acting like a goofy playboy. He still gets attention from women, but his cavalier treatment of them isn't part of his image, which makes him more likable.

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Another important element of The Animated Series' Batman is that he actually gets to utilize his detective skills. Batman originated in the pulpy, mystery-driven Detective Comics, and is even known as the World's Greatest Detective, but many adaptations have let this element of his character fall to the wayside and focused on his double life, expensive technology and action-focused crime-solving. Bruce Wayne, in TAS, studied not only science and martial arts, but also forensics, criminology and interrogation, which he incorporates when solving and fighting crime. He doesn't just rely on someone like Alfred to fill him in on important details (though Alfred [voiced Efrem Zimbalist Jr.] is present and crucial to the story).

Ultimately, Batman: The Animated Series managed to do what a lot of Batman adaptations haven't — present a Batman/Bruce Wayne who's intelligent and personable, but still capable of being a menacing superhero. He's shaped by the darkness in his past and present, but he still has compassion for the world. It's something future Batman adaptations could learn from.

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