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Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures ran from 1992 to 1999 for a combined total of 109 episodes. Throughout those eight years of television, fans experienced all the ups, downs, triumphs, and tragedies. This version of Batman was unique and reminiscent of the Batman that had been established in the decades of comic books prior.
Bruce Wayne of the DC Animated Universe is not unlike his comic book counterparts. His pursuit of justice, his rogue’s gallery, the companions he keeps, and even the adventures he has are mostly adaptations of what came before. But the DCAU and Batman: TAS specifically are known for their portrayal of Batman and Bruce Wayne, familiar in concept yet surprisingly original and engrossing in execution.
10 Values Tradition And Never Misses An Appointment In Crime Alley
Bruce Wayne famously made a vow to avenge his parents, but made some other notable promises over the years. The most famous, aside from the one made to his parents, is his appointment in Crime Alley.
Every year, Batman returns to the alley where his parents were murdered and leaves behind to roses in their memory. He references this with Leslie Thompkins in the episode Appointment In Crime Alley. Fans also received a small detail in Perchance To Dream, where Bruce reveals he stops by the same clock tower every night he patrols the city.
9 Wants To Continue The Well-Respected Wayne Legacy
Bruce Wayne may spend his nights fighting the criminals of Gotham’s underworld, but during the day he runs Wayne Enterprises with Lucius Fox. Though much of the Wayne Enterprises day-to-day is absent from most episodes, Bruce makes constant efforts to ensure his company is successful and the employees are happy.
The legacy of the Wayne family name is important to Batman. This is most evident in Nothing To Fear, the first appearance of Scarecrow. After exposed to fear toxin, Bruce receives constant visions of his father disappointed in him. Batman would eventually overcome the fear toxin and reassure himself that what he’s doing, both in and out of the cowl, would make his father proud.
8 Studied Magic And Escape With Zatara And Zatanna
Batman: TAS depicts Bruce’s years of training on several occasions. A young Bruce studies martial arts in Night Of The Ninja – but combat training is something most adaptations of Batman show. In Zatanna, fans watch young Bruce Wayne studying magic, and how to become an escape artist, under the famous magician Zatara.
Zatanna is also notable for introducing Zatanna, the first DC superhero other than Batman to make an appearance in the DCAU. It’s also implied that Zatanna and Bruce shared feelings for each other, something that was never explored further due to Bruce leaving and continuing his studies elsewhere.
7 He’s A Close Friend Of Harvey Dent’s
Many of Batman’s villains were gifted updated or revamped origins through The Animated Series thanks to the incredible work of writers like Paul Dini and Alan Burnett. Harvey Dent was one of the few villains to appear in episodes before his villainous origin took place, allowing him more time and development alongside Bruce and other supporting characters.
Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne are close friends after Batman saved Harvey’s life when he’s poisoned by Poison Ivy. This friendship would continue even after Harvey’s transformation into Two-Face. Harvey’s duality is wonderfully explored in Second Chance where both Bruce Wayne and Batman offer their support in Harvey’s potential recovery.
6 His Childhood Idol Was The Gray Ghost
While most depictions of the Wayne murders show the family exiting a theatre showing of Zorro, Batman: TAS introduced a brand new character that would eventually join the main DC Comics continuity: The Gray Ghost. The Gray Ghost was the star of adventure serials Bruce Wayne watched as a child.
In Beware The Gray Ghost, Batman would eventually meet his idol in the flesh, working with him to solve a crime. The Gray Ghost not only served as in-universe inspiration for a young Bruce Wayne, but was a memorable addition to the DCAU for being voiced by Batman legend himself, Adam West.
5 He Doesn’t Want His Sidekicks To End Up Like Him
Despite Bruce’s frequent acquiring of crimefighting companions, he’s always been cognizant and cautious of their motivations and pursuits. Robin’s Reckoning retells Robin’s origins and gives weight to his modern day pursuit of his parents’ killer.
This two-parter strengthens the bond between Bruce and Dick. Bruce adopts him and welcomes him into the world of Batman to specifically help Dick and ensure he wouldn’t grow up with a looming vow. Batman Beyond would later depict an older Bruce Wayne, perhaps bitter and slightly resentful towards his former allies for being able to leave their capes and cowls behind.
4 Cares For Others Despite His Tough Exterior
Batman may be tough on his enemies and expect excellence from his allies, but Bruce Wayne has proven he truly cares for people and will always go out of his way to ensure their success. The New Batman Adventures episode Old Wounds focuses on the fallout between Batman and Robin, followed by Dick’s subsequent quitting.
Batman and Robin chase a criminal to his home, where Batman proceeds to beat him up in front of his wife and son. Robin leaves the situation in frustration. Years later, as Nightwing, Dick learns that Bruce later offered that same criminal a job at Wayne Enterprises, helping to turn the criminal’s life around.
3 Was Willing To Give Up Batman For Andrea Beaumont
Bruce Wayne made a vow to avenge his parents and ensure nothing similar would happen to anyone else. Throughout the DCAU, fans caught glimpses of Bruce’s training. But, the DCAU tie-in film Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm offered fans a look at Bruce’s first attempt at crimefighting.
Bruce falls for a woman named Andrea Beaumont. With her support, he decides to give up his vigilante pursuits to be with her. When she’s forced to leave Gotham, Bruce returns to his vow and becomes Batman. Bruce Wayne came so close to giving up Batman, which is heartbreaking – he doesn’t want to but feels he must.
2 Bruce Wayne Is The Real Disguise
Kevin Conroy is known to many fans as the quintessential Batman voice. He’s certainly earned that title after multiple decades voicing Batman across all forms of media. Conroy distinctly differentiated Batman’s voice from Bruce’s. This shift in character attracted the attention of Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano when casting for the series.
Conroy would speak lower with more gravel as Batman and intentionally higher as Bruce Wayne. The way he played the character, Bruce Wayne was the disguise, the mask that Batman put on for the world, and Batman was his true self. This portrayal bled into Batman’s very definition and essence throughout Batman: TAS and stands out to this day as one of the greatest performances of the character.
1 Bruce Wayne Is Incomplete Without Batman
In Perchance To Dream, Bruce awakens in another world. In this new reality, he and Batman are separate people. As Bruce slowly discovers this world is a facade created by the Mad Hatter, he’s faced with a choice to remain there, free from the burden of Batman, or return to the real world.
Perchance To Dream is one of the most iconic for delving into Batman’s psyche. Bruce Wayne cannot live without Batman. Whether that’s necessarily a good thing is debatable. His entire life is consumed by Batman that to give it up would leave him incomplete.
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