Batman: Hush is one of the most popular Batman storylines of the past two decades. For once, Batman finds himself in the position of the hunted, rather than being the one who hunts criminals. A mysterious new mastermind known as Hush is tracking Batman's every move and pitting the Dark Knight's friends and enemies against him.
The acclaimed series featured appearances from a host of popular characters, an intriguing mix of action and adventure, and a core mystery at the center regarding the identity of Hush. In 2019, the comic series was adapted into an animated feature by DC. Here are 10 ways in which the animated film resembles and differs from the comics.
Spoilers will be included for both the comic storyline and its movie adaptation.
10 Same: General Storyline
The animated film hews pretty closely to the main story beats of the comics it is based on. Batman finds himself targeted by all his old enemies, now fitted with special new abilities and resources. Directing them is a mysterious figure known as Hush, who appears to know more about the man behind the bat cowl than any other villain.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Doctor Thomas Elliot comes back into his life, along with hints of a larger conspiracy that may or may not have Elliot right at its center. Batman must team up with Catwoman to resolve the mystery and save the day.
9 Different: Drawing Style
The comics won special praise for Jim Lee's distinct drawing style, fashioning a Batman who is built like a tank but still feels agile enough to partake in his usual acrobatics. The rest of the cast is similarly realized in a sketchy, fine line style of illustration that made the series one of the best-looking comics on the market.
The animated film, however, redesigns the characters to bring them in line with the style of the rest of the DCAU, of which the movie is a part. Batman, in particular, is slimmer and lighter in build than in the comics version of the story.
8 Same: BatCat Romance
Batman and Catwoman explore their turbulent relationship in both the comics and the movie. It starts out with Batman suspecting Catwoman of being in league with Hush.
After she proves that is not the case, the two team up in order to battle the rest of Gotham's rogue's gallery and bring down Hush. The Bat and the Cat indulge in more of their famous 'will-they-or-won't-they' dynamic until deciding at the end that neither is ready for a serious commitment.
7 Different: Key Characters
Many of the main characters from the Hush comic storyline were swapped out for others. Jason Todd was a major part of the comics but was excluded from the movie. Ra's Al Ghul and Talia had their roles given to other characters. Killer Croc was replaced by Bane, Huntress was replaced by Batgirl, and Damian Wayne takes Tim Drake's place as Robin.
Lex Luthor makes a cameo as Batman's point of contact at Lexcorp in place of Talia since both her and her father are dead in the current DCAU.
6 Same: Batman V Superman
Possibly the most famous arc from the Hush comics was the battle between Superman and Batman, providing a series of panels of the two heroes slugging it out after Superman gets mind-controlled by Poison Ivy.
Those panels are now brought up in every online discussion about who would win a fight between the two. Naturally, the iconic fight is recreated in the movie, and has a more natural flow, with less forced motivations than the live-action tussle seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
5 Different: Identity Of Hush
The central mystery of the storyline revolves around the identity of Hush. In the comics, Hush turned out to be Tommy, Bruce's childhood friend who had a grudge against him. The movie did away with this ending by making Hush another identity of the Riddler instead.
According to rumors, the Riddler was initially supposed to be the main villain of the comic series as well, with Tommy being only a red herring until the writers decided to make Tommy the big bad. Does that technically make the adaptation's ending the true resolution instead of what happens in the comics?
4 Same: Joker's Near-death
Another major moment from the comics that the movie kept was Batman believing the Joker murdered Tommy. This makes the Dark Knight finally snap, and he pummels the clowned maniac brutally.
Batman comes close to ending Joker's life until he is reminded that his moral code against killing is more important than the brief satisfaction of taking the Joker's life.
3 Different: Keeping To DCAU Continuity
The Hush movie takes place in the current DCAU continuity and changes certain plot points so it could be a better fit. At one point, Batman refers to the time he and Lex worked together to stop Cyborg Superman, an incident that occurred during the Reign of the Supermen film.
Damian Wayne being Bruce and Talia's son and the current Robin is also a part of the DCAU continuity. The costume Harley Quinn wears has also been changed to resemble the one she had on during Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.
2 Same: Childhood Connection
A major emotional aspect of the comics, as well as the animated film, is the emphasis on how Bruce's childhood connects to his present life. In both mediums, this connection is personified by Thomas Elliot, whom Bruce trusts implicitly.
Audiences catch several glimpses of the friendship between the two when they were both kids, and how each affected and helped the other grow.
1 Different: Death of Tommy
In both the comics and the movie, Batman brutally attacks the Joker due to believing the clown had shot Tommy. In the comics, it is revealed that Tommy had faked his death in order to play mind games with Batman.
In the movie, Tommy's death is real, except that he had been shot by Edward Nygma, aka the Riddler, with the Joker being unfairly framed in both cases, a rare departure from tradition for the cackling psychopath.