Though it uses the same title, the recently announced The Brave and The Bold movie project has little in common with the classic animated TV series of the same name. The former delves into Bruce Wayne's status as a father and Damian Wayne's emergence as the new Robin. The latter is an affectionate throwback to the brighter, more colorful Caped Crusader of the 1950s, complete with wild gadgets and rotating guest stars.

Though not quite on opposite ends of the Batman spectrum, they're sufficiently different to avoid much overlap beyond the name. One aspect of the animated series may have a place in the new movie, however. It utilizes a blue cape and cowl for its Batman, reflective of the comics era which inspired it. Batman's movie costumes have largely been dominated by resolute black and gray. A blue outfit, or a variation thereof, would help the new Brave and the Bold make its visual mark.

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Batman's Costume Evolved from Black to Blue

Batman jumping and punching in front of a blue and yellow banner in DC Comics

The Bat suit was always meant to help Bruce Wayne stay hidden in the dark, and early comics used blue highlights to give his black cape nuance. His costume evolved into a comparatively brighter blue color slowly over time, and came to dominate his look from the 1950s well into the 1980s. The Adam West Batman TV show put him in a darker navy blue cape and cowl, though animated series of time -- such as the vaunted SuperFriends Saturday morning cartoon -- usually depicted him in the brighter blue.

The real change came with Tim Burton's 1989 movie Batman, which put Bruce Wayne in a suit of black body armor. The comics soon followed suit, as did subsequent movies such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy and Matt Reeves' The Batman. Black looks good on the movie screen, and the immense success of Burton's film makes it an easy pattern to follow. Contemporary animated efforts like Batman: The Animated Series similarly tapped down on the blue in the Bat Suit: using it to highlight the black rather than replace it.

The Brave and The Bold animated series broke out of that. Diedrich Bader's Batman echoes the comics character from the 1950s and 1960s, with a brighter outlook and a more presentable demeanor. The Brave and the Bold originally aired in the midst of Nolan's films and the likes of the Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, which all embrace relatively grim incarnations of the character. The blue costume helps The Brave and the Bold stand apart from them in visual terms as well as emphasizing its comparatively upbeat tone.

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The Brave and The Bold Movie Could Adopt The Blue Costume

Damian Wayne is a far cry from Bader's take on Batman, and yet the new Brave and the Bold movie has to consider a comparatively optimistic approach to The Caped Crusader. With sequels on the way for both The Batman and Joker, another dark and brooding Batman would simply be crowding the field. With options like making Dick Grayson Batman to Damian's Robin -- a move that the comics used -- a brighter blue costume makes more sense.

Batman is easily DC's most adapted hero, and The Brave and the Bold has plenty of competition when it comes to different versions out there. Like the animated Brave and the Bold a bluer suit would help the new movie distinguish itself in visible terms. It could help keep its Batman more closely tied to the DC Universe reboot currently underway. With no live-action competition on this front since the West series, it might be just what the franchise's new direction needs. The animated series has become a classic in its own right, and while the new movie will probably follow its own vision, the uniform is one place where emulation is not only warranted but necessary.