Batman: The Animated Series is typically considered to be the best adaptation of the Batman mythology. Debuting in 1992, the gothic series would go on to receive critical acclaim for in its ability to tell dark and measured Batman stories that appeal to both adults and children. Further, the series also had an impact on the wider comics universe, introducing Harley Quinn and giving Mr. Freeze a tragic backstory.
While BTAS quite rightly receives countless plaudits, another series exists that has been overlooked somewhat. The Batman (2004-2008), may be one of the most underrated Batman shows to date. The cartoon followed a young Batman as he became accustomed to fighting crime on the grim streets of Gotham, featuring new twists on classic villains in the process.
10 BTAS: Gothic Style
One of the best elements of BTAS was its unique, dark gothic style. The atmosphere of BTAS can be instantly felt from the iconic intro credits, with the silhouettes combined with the moody, gothic skyline perfectly capturing the feel of the series.
Additionally, the gothic design leads to a feeling of timelessness that makes the series age far less than other animated series. The show combines modernity with Art Deco, leading to a unique world that’s out of time.
9 The Batman: Clayface
One of the strongest elements behind The Batman’s success was its villains and no villain captured audiences more than Ethan Bennett’s Clayface. Bennett was a police officer who had a close friendship with Bruce Wayne before an accident would ultimately turn him into the villainous Clayface.
The internal strife within Clayface is fantastic to see, as well as how the friendship between Wayne and Bennett impacted the future storylines, making episodes featuring Clayface so personal.
8 BTAS: Batmobile
In a similar vein to the gothic style of the whole series, the Batmobile is one of the best Batmobile designs of all time. Playing into Burton’s Batmobile design, the vehicle from BTAS is a stylized, magnificent beast that screams Batman to anyone watching.
While the design of the Batmobile from the Batman isn’t bad by any stretch, there is something so iconic about this design that it would take something monumental for it to be topped.
7 The Batman: Wider Universe
While it is true that BTAS eventually led to the DC Animated Universe and the Justice League TV series, purely discussing the original run of BTAS, there weren’t many connections to a wider universe, bar one notable episode that featured Zatanna.
On the other hand, the Batman featured appearances from several members of the Justice League, such as Superman, Flash, and Green Arrow. This helped make the world feel far larger.
6 BTAS: Theme
One of the best, and perhaps, overlooked elements behind the success of Batman: The Animated Series was the theme and soundtrack. While the intro theme will always stick in people’s mind (and rightly so), the series is wonderfully sounded by the incredibly Shirley Walker soundtrack.
Inspired by the Tim Burton movie soundtrack, this unique sound helped to make the series feel even more atmospheric and helped immerse viewers in this wonderful world even more.
5 The Batman: Lone Batman
One of the most unique elements from the Batman was how it focussed on the adventures of Batman before he had sidekicks (for some time at least). This helped introduce a new dimension to the Batman character.
Producers often want Batman to have sidekicks for shows like this as their primary audience is children, but focussing solely on the adventures of Batman helped allow for a natural progression of the character towards a wider Bat-family later.
4 BTAS: Villains
Without a doubt, one of the strongest elements of BTAS was how the show handled the iconic rogues gallery of the Dark Knight. Characters such as Joker are well known but others, such as Two-Face, were given personal and tragic storylines that were mature in their exploration.
Additionally, the series also introduced Harley Quinn to the world and introduced a new, tragic backstory for Mr. Freeze that would eventually become the commonly accepted origin story.
3 The Batman: Young Batman
The decision to focus on the exploits of a young Batman was a stroke of genius by the creators of the Batman. While BTAS touched on this to some extent, it wasn’t done to the degree that the Batman did it.
This focus on a young Batman, a la Batman: Year One, helped show the Batman character in a new light. This was a Batman who was inexperienced and made mistakes, which was certainly great viewing for fans of Batman.
2 BTAS: Voice Acting
Naturally, one of the most important elements behind any animated series is the voice actors. In the case of Batman: The Animated Series, the voice acting is some of the strongest in any superhero adaptation.
Mark Hamill’s Joker and Kevin Conroy’s Batman are considered by many to be the definitive versions of their respective characters, and Arleen Sorkin breathed life into the Harley Quinn character with her portrayal.
1 The Batman: Fight Scenes
While BTAS has a reputation for being one of the best Batman adaptations of all time, one area in which the series falls down, especially today, is its fight scenes. The fights in the show are clearly hindered by the animation of the day.
However, the Batman isn’t hindered in this way and is able to show exhilarating and compelling action with fantastic choreography for its audience.