How many versions of Batman does the world need? Just as producer James Gunn has been making headlines with his streamlined reboot of DC's movie and TV superhero universe, DC's most popular character continues to exist in multiple onscreen incarnations. While director Matt Reeves works on a sequel to his 2022 live-action film The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and Gunn prepares to introduce his own take on Batman in the upcoming film The Brave and the Bold, a new animated Batman series debuts this week on Amazon Prime Video.
Although it's positioned as a thematic successor to the influential 1990s show Batman: The Animated Series (with that show's co-creator Bruce Timm serving as creator and showrunner), Batman: Caped Crusader exists in its own unique world. For a generation of Batman fans, The Animated Series was the defining depiction of the billionaire vigilante, and Caped Crusader seems tailor-made for adults who grew up on The Animated Series and want something similar, but with a grittier, more hardened sensibility.
The result is a sometimes awkward combination of the goofier aspects of the Batman mythos with the darker tone recognizable from films like The Batman. Reeves and producing partner J.J. Abrams are also executive producers on Caped Crusader, but Timm's visual style and storytelling approach dominates, with short, largely standalone episodes and an art deco design sense that recalls both The Animated Series and Tim Burton's live-action feature films.
Caped Crusader is set in a stylized version of Gotham City that combines elements from various past eras, with cars and fashion that look like they come from the 1930s and TV broadcasts that resemble the 1950s. There's a modern sensibility to the characterization and storytelling, though, including a diverse cast that cleverly reinvents some familiar Batman characters.
Voiced by Hamish Linklater, Batman himself is a bit colder and more cynical than other animated incarnations, without the larger support system that he often relies on. There's no Robin or other sidekicks here, and while Barbara Gordon (Krystal Joy Brown) is a central character, she's a public defender rather than Batgirl. She's still the daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart), though, and along with police detective Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla), she often takes over as the co-lead character, while Batman broods in the background and punches bad guys.
The adult-oriented focus of Caped Crusader is most clearly evident in the violence, although it barely rises to PG-13 levels and is nothing compared to what's depicted in most live-action superhero movies. There's also some mild swearing, but otherwise Caped Crusader isn't much darker or more intense than The Animated Series, which often told haunting and tragic stories within its kid-appropriate parameters. It's not "adult" in the sense of Max's raunchy animated comedy Harley Quinn, but closer to recent series like My Adventures With Superman and X-Men '97, which aim to combine the nostalgic affection for animated superhero adventures with a more mature perspective.
With veteran comic book writers including Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Marc Bernardin on staff, Caped Crusader at best feels like a solid Batman comic book relaunch, with lightly serialized elements alongside its individual villain battles. The adversaries are a mix of high-profile Batman enemies like the Penguin and Catwoman as well as more obscure characters like Nocturna and the Gentleman Ghost. The season's best episode is a Rucka-penned story about Clayface (Dan Donohue), which incorporates a loving tribute to classic Hollywood movies into its plot about murder and revenge.
Clayface and a female cabaret singer version of the Penguin (voiced by Minnie Driver) represent fun new takes on classic villains, but other efforts to redefine veteran characters are less successful. The new Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung) sports a hideous costume, and mobster Rupert Thorne (Cedric Yarbrough), who serves as an overarching season villain, is underwhelming. Ultimately Caped Crusader isn't a radical new take on one of pop culture's most-adapted figures, but it's a well-crafted variation on a beloved superhero series, which should please existing fans and draw in some curious new viewers.
Batman: Caped Crusader
