Batman: Caped Crusader - Untitled Review Show 

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Harley Quinn is actually tied to the scarecrow in this series. It's a bit of a throwaway line but Harley says she studied under professor Crane.

I will defend the dot assassin as you called him, because the show did a straightforward adaption of Onomatopoeia- and no one dared to do that before

A Bat . . Checkbook?

I don't think Bruce Wayne as a kid decided to be Batman. He was saying that he was going to get revenge and Alfred was going to help him, but he didn't know *how* they were going to get that revenge. The actual creation of Batman would of course be years later. We saw the death of his innocence alongside his parents. That's what I got out of the scene at least.

The magic of Paul Dini is what this show is missing in my mind

7:17 That's faithful to the comics. If you read a classic Batman origin in the comics, it usually starts with the death of the wayne then, the next panel is kid Bruce Wayne, in his bed, making his vow to fight against crime. It wasn't just Bruce parents who died that night, it was also his innocence. As Batman said in JLU episode "Child Play": I haven't been a kid since I was 8 years old.

5:37 We already have a sexy Catman. His name is Principal Skinner.

The "dot assassin" is actually from the comics. He's named Onomatopoeia, and his main gimmick is only saying words that describe sounds (bang, drip, snap, etc.) He's portrayed very accurately to how he's played in the comics, which I love to see, I was thrilled to see him finally appearing on screen.

To me, there are two stories happening across every episode of this show. First and most obvious is the downfall of Harvey Dent, but the other story that maybe won't be picked up on as much is Batman's struggle with his singular focus on the mission. He doesn't care about his reputation with the cops, he only calls Alfred by his last name, and he really seems to consider breaking his no gun rule in the finale. After his parents died, Bruce shut out his humanity, and the show gradually shows him rediscovering that humanity to the point that there doesn't seem to be a difference to him between saving innocent kids trapped in a burning building and saving Natalia Knight even after everything she did

I believe Bruce Timm pitched Caped Crusader as a mix of classic gangster, early noir Batman, and Universal Monster movie horror. So it's really leaning into the era where Batman originated from... and I'm cool with that. It would also explain why this universe's Clayface looks like the Shadow.

This show just proves that Paul Dini is the better Batman writer.

The "dot assassin" is Onomatopoeia, a Green Arrow/Batman Villain who works as an assassin and has a tic where all he ever says while working is either his name (when introducing himself) or the Onomatopoeia of what he's doing (when he breaks an arrow, he says "Snap.", for example). They weren't introducing a new character, they were introducing an old one, and they played him exactly how the comics played him (which, considering how goofy his gimmick is generally seen to be, has to be respected). Also, they didn't really change Clayface. That's the original Basil Karlo Clayface, an actor who became a serial killer because he was overshadowed for a role. The only thing they really changed is that he uses a chemical to alter his face, which was animated Matt Hagen's schtick, not Karlo's. Karlo didn't become the mutated mound of mud most people recognize until much further in the comics, when he assembled the Mud Pack and worked to steal the powers of other Clayfaces for himself. While the show wasn't exactly a masterpiece, you do have to respect that they were willing to work with older ideas and more obscure characters, instead of just throwing in all the more popular rogues and calling it a day.

Clayface in this is actually pretty much just a straight adaptation of his original version from the 40s comics. The only main difference is Basil Karlo didn’t have shape shifting powers but was just a serial killer in a mask

I love how no matter how much Alfred's appearance changes with each interaction, his personality never changes

Catman is an actual Batman villain 😅

Nothing so awkward and infuriating as a period piece "updated for modern audiences."

On your point on the Penguin, I agree about the outfit in all honesty. I feel like that cocktail dress kind of outfit she wore (4:05) was better than the suit and top hat. Think about it, her dress fits tight around her curvature so they could have made it where her walk somewhat resemble how a penguin walks. Combine that with her nose, maybe color the dress in some black and whites, it would make sense why people would call Oswalda a "Penguin" and THAT could have been a more interesting, fitting, and original design. Feels like a missed opportunity imo.

Yah ... When you make Dent an asshole with both personalities ... he is basically One Face.

They turned Harley Quinn into Hugo Strange.

I really didnt like how they show harley quinn, like the reason she is crazy in other media she was basically groomed by the joker and when she quits him, she's still affected by him in ways, but in this version she just dresses up as a jester and kidnap some douchebag rich guys untill they give their money away, also that episode just felt like someone was trying to show his "personal hobbies" to everyone, also i think harley quinn is overused too much as well

I was hoping the Untitled Review Show would be for Borderlands. 6% on RT? Really?

I honestly think Harley is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy too over used as well. She has been pushed hard as someone separate from the Joker for a while.

What is up with the Alfred disrespect in both this and the last movie? He is literally the one person Bruce can confide in and yet Bruce treats him like he hasn't been there for him.

Bruce Timm had Paul Dini and Alan Burnett to hold him up.

One thing I hoped would happen to the penguin when I first watched it was how they would reveal the son would become the og penguin. This for me would make a dynamic of a mother penguin vs og penguin that might appear more in the future.

17:45 - They don't do anything with it because the character's creator, Kevin Smith, didn't do anything with it. Onomatopoeia is a one-note gimmick villain with no substance because that's how Kevin Smith wrote him from the get-go.

the masked killer is onomatopoeia and he works better in comic form

Harley Quinn is basically Dr. Hugo Strange character

So Doug is fine with a Bat checkbook but not a bat credit card? 😕

One of my biggest criticisms is that they made Harvey Bullock into an unrepentant thug instead of an jerky cop with a good sense of justice like in Batman: TAS and other versions. It's the same problem that the MCU's J. Jonah Jameson has. Instead of being a grouchy but lovable man, they turned him into an immoral incriminator who wants to destroy Spiderman/Peter Parker's life out of spite. I don't mind this version of the Penguin being a woman. However, I have to agree some criticism from everyone. The name Oswalda sounds dumb. Although Minnie Driver did a good job voicing the Penguin, I prefer someone who sounds like the late great Pat Carroll, since she kinda looks like Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Sassy and charisma is what was missing from her. I don't know why they brought Matt Reeves and especially J. J. Abrams into this project. Those guys are controversial figures.

Most robins were in the show: the orphans names were Kerry, Richie, Jason, and Stephanie. No Tim though.

7:30 I don't know how you found this funny. The way he appeared in Alfred's room saying "I'm going to make them all pay and you're going to help me" had serial killer vibes all over it.

One crazy thing is the photographer Eel O'Brien is the alias of Plastic Man. Edit- Also Nocturna is a character Timm has wanted to use forever. It is interesting they foreshadowed Carrie Kelly Robin, slingshot and all

You know, the Penguin being a woman with two sons was so unnecessary. They basically already had that character made in Batman Beyond, the episode 'The Eggbaby'. Someone new named 'Ma Mayhem' and her two sons are stealing jewels and such. Could've easily just taken her and put her in a main series. Why change up a pretty firmly established character.

Bruce Timm was onlyone person who worked on the animated series. You had Paul Dini who was only ever able to write some of the best episodes of the series and Kevin Altieri who changed the trajectory if Harvey Dent's character from what Timm had originally planned

Nah, if they're not gonna use Joker, they shouldn't use Harley either. Harley has never worked and will never work without Joker.

It's a reverse on Two Face. Once he gets deformed he rages, but when he calms down the scarred side of him is shown to the camera. The deformity is used to remind him that he has a good person inside of him, and that trying to be that good person is what caused him to be attacked

The changes just don't work for me. The atmosphere and backgrounds do look really good.

This show has a bit of an identity crisis. Yes it’s different but sometimes it’s almost like it’s different just for the sake of having it be different. The 40s feel is great and awesome it’s the most unique part of the show and the darker elements are super cool but it just feels a little too much like they couldn’t commit to that 40s environment and instead it’s window dressing for what ultimately is a 2024 Batman show. They needed to lean more into storytelling that worked in a 40s setting. Is this a dark adult Batman show or is it a lighter 40s Batman detective show. It’s almost like they couldn’t quite decide which; this causes the tone and setting to feel a bit off

The way i see harvey dent is that in the beginning his good and evil mixed together and after the acid they become separated two distinct halves. He goes from calmly murdering people to a man overwhelmed by guilt. Harvey did feel in the middle morality wise to me, he did all those awful things in order to become mayor where he would be able to do the most amount of good.

It blows my mind that, when asked why the villains were so weird in this, Bruce Timm OF ALL PEOPLE said it was because "Batman doesn't have that many good villains"

I hate to say it, as good as writer as Bruce Timm is, he's proven multiple times he can't do an animated Batman very well without Paul Dini. From my understanding and watching of the DCAU, either Timm's ability to write Batman has deteriorated or Dini always had greater control over the character.

I like what they did with Harvey actually- so many adaptations try and sneak in a sly reference to the Two-Face name before he gets disfigured, this one actually is two-faced from the start- and we get the opposite change from the 90's series, instead of Harvey being a great guy who is revealed to have severe psychological issues at the last minute before it turns him to a villain full time, This harvey is a jerk that does want to change things, and when he wants to do better, he feels the need to make a deal with Thorne to have ANY chance of becoming Mayor and changing things. At the same time as we got closer and closer to his maiming, we get more and more moments of him being genuinely nice, culminating in him refusing to do Thorne's bidding, Knowing it would probably cost him the election, but he was happy to do the right thing, then he is maimed, has breakdown that Bruce's pressure forces into a overt direction. He does get more of the split personality then most two faces as well- more then the 90's one got in most episodes, if you pay attention he does waffle about the things he is doing and does go on about "how could I do such a horrible thing" with the nice twist that the camera focus shows its his DISFIGURED side that is the remorseful one. Pay attention to when he has Thorne and his kid at gunpoint, and what he says, when each side of his face is hidden vs revealed by the shot composition. There are things they could have done differently, and while I appreciate how willing they are to kill off characters, that does mean we won't get further exploration of that approach.

""A lot of us have a huge love for Batman: The Animated Series." Unfortunately, no one making this abomination did.

All Hollywood needs to do, is to stop rewarding idiots who fail to the top and make them the head of everything.

The Spiderman Noir show is meant to be on Amazon rather than Disney+ which doesn't make sense

I'll stick with the OG animated series.

So, from my understanding on what they wanted to do with two face was this. Throughout the season we see him actively conflicted between winning his election and wanting to do it ethically without the mob. All the while he was rejecting help from friends and colleagues. Then when he finally got burned and we see both sides, the cinematography has his more human side be the one talking about revenge and murder. Meanwhile the burned half seems to be the more regretful, kinder side. I could be reading too much into it but I think they wanted to paint the “Human” Harvey Dent as an asshole and when only after he burns his face does that part of him actually regret what he does and did. Similar to a Frankenstein monster or hunchback where the ugly part of him is actually the good one.

In regards to Harvey Dent, I had the same complaint when they made him an unpleasant character in Beware The Batman as well. Everyone who knows him knows that he's slimy and self absorbed, and you wonder why Bruce Wayne spends more than ten seconds around him. In BTAS and The Batman (w/ Christian Bale), you really do feel like he's not just a good man, but a good friend as well and not only has the city lost something, but Bruce Wayne has lost one of the people he really thought he could trust.

This just felt mediocre. All the voice actors seem to be trying to hard to do impressions of the btas voice actors. At that point why not just bring some of them back. Also batman seems to take a backseat in a lot of the episodes. Maybe this would be better if were more than ten episodes but these seem pretty standard and generic. Also why is batman such a dick to alfred.

I'm excited to watch this one for myself, especially the design, the old 40's design is my favorite Batman look ever

Which Robin are you talking about? There were 4 in the carnival episode, and a name-drop hinting at a fifth one the next episode. **SPOILERS BELOW** The four orphans were: Dickie = Dick Greyson; Robin 1 Jase = Jason Todd; Robin 2 Carrie = Carrie Kelley; Robin in The Dark Knight Returns Stephie = Stephanie Brown; The blonde girl Robin a.k.a. Spoiler Name drop was: Maggie Cain; Cassandra Cain's aunt(?).

The biggest sin of this series is not that it’s bad. It’s worse than bad. It’s BORING

Just sick to death of everything being a take. "If it ain't broke don't fix it" is what I've been screaming at DC for decades now it seems. Like, why are they constantly trying to subvert expectations instead of just trying to meet them?

I think changes like altering a character’s race or gender are often made for the wrong reasons these days. For example, changing Penguin into a woman didn’t add much to the story and lacked significance. Similarly, making Jim and Barbara black could be interesting if it explored how their race affects their experiences with the law in ways that their counterparts wouldn’t have. However, without that exploration, the change feels superficial. Regarding the Harley Quinn situation, I don’t understand why she dresses the way she does if the Joker isn’t involved. Why does she act more upbeat out of costume but take on a serious tone when in costume? It would make more sense for her to be more down-to-earth out of costume and more serious when she’s in costume.

I really don’t like how Batman treated Alfred in this show. It was really bothering me considering that he’s the one who raised him, treating Bruce like his own son.

Well now I wanna hear his thoughts on my adventures with superman

Bruce deciding to be Batman in college fits with the character; in one of my favorite comics, we see him in class when the teacher is asking a question, and it comes down to “what is right vs what is the law,” and realizing he would have to compromise his ideals and what he’s even doing this for is what informs Bruce that he cannot just be a cop or a police detective or lawyer or what have you. That he HAS to be something that is not strictly beholden to the Law

If you are going to make a female penguin, make it a penguin obsessed woman. She talks about the son she gave up, how ugly he was. She was grieving and went back home. Her house, his room was penguin themed. Her mind breaks. She unaware that he is still alive uses her money and power to take over Gotham. Batman, aware there are two penguins running around realizes their connection. One raised by birds and able to control birds. The other, a grieving mother with a horrible coping mechanism. Through this, you can combine the Batman returns movie with "The Batman" animated series. That was the one with the Kabuki twins. You can even add in a bit of flavor by having the Kabuki twins play a greater part as well.

5:47 Catman is a character in DC comics. He is also gay

Harley Quinn also made Harvey Dent an asshole. Do cartoonists have it in for him?

Cat woman's maid, best character

Honestly I feel like DC just cannot beat marvel or consistently make good quality stuff anymore 😢😢

Agree 100%. Dini’s writing skill is missed. Changes were for change sake and distracted from story rather than add to it.

Batman Arkham Origins will forever remain my favorite iteration of a Batman's first years.

I think instead of another Batman series they should’ve focused on another, older hero who’s firmly planted in the 1930s/40s who’s a dark and mysterious crime fighter though more violent than Bats who actually kills his villains. If they had made a series like this centered around “The Shadow” and reintroduced him to a new generation would’ve been so cool. Though I dk how many people would’ve tuned in considering Shads hasn’t been in the public eye in decades.

Honestly my thoughts on main characters getting gender/race/whatever swaps can be summed up with a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles quote. “Have a point!”

17:31 with Onomatopoeia as a character, I thought they were going to have him actually mimic sounds. Because that would be supernatural and eerie. Where Batman is fighting in this chaotic event and he cannot trust his senses because the hitman is mimicking sounds. Maybe he does a sound of a gunshot to bait Batman into moving away, or he distracts him by having a cry for help, maybe he is looking for Gordon and Onomatopoeia talks like Gordon to trick Batman. I think the potential for a hitman who controls sound is super good and they could have gone super creative with it.

I guess you didn't understand the reason Harvey is like this. He is a good guy who wants to clean up crime, but he lies even to himself that accepting money from criminals and taking dirty deals is OK as long as you do it for a good goal. He cleans up his act in the end when he throws the case Thorne wanted him to do. And he does have a split personality - you didn't notice that sometimes, his scarred side takes over and it is his GOOD side in this version?

The guy with the dot on his head is named Onomonopia and him speaking with sound effects is kinda what he does in the comics (since they are onomonopias)

You fail to get the point of the Penguin too. That whole thing about him being ugly and yet accepted? NO. That was never the deal of Penguin, that was only the deal of Burton's Dany deVito Penguin. The comic and older cartoon versions were simply crime lords with a gimmick. And being a fat bald dude with a beak nose and a waddling limp helps also to make the Penguin look comical and easily underestimated, when he is truly a ruthless evil bastard. This female one does the same, but by being a respected lounge singer who mixes with the top of the elite, while at the same time being an unlikely crime lord nobody suspected.

I'd give the show a 7/10. I liked the plots and the characters, although I haven't seen BTAS so I can't say how it compares. My only complaints (besides using 3D models for cars...I hate that) is that the show doesn't really care about its setting and that it tries *really* hard to have a balanced cast. Like you can't say that this is set in the 40's and have 2 women going on a date in public. You can't have the racially balanced cast during the 40's and not make light of that. Normally I prefer it when shows don't point out racial differences...but again, this is not set in the modern day. This is set in a time of segregation and discrimination, but they make no mention of it. And I'm not asking for much. But something as simple as Commissioner Gordon being looked down upon by the mayor would be appreciated. This doesn't affect the show all THAT much, but as Nostalgia Critic said, the Penguin should not be a woman. You can't just change everybody's race and expect no differences in the way their characters are portrayed.

The Animated Series set the bar at an impossibly high standard. Heath Ledger did the same with his portrayal as The Joker.

I don't like it I mostly hate it because of changes almost every single one of the changes were meh at best and complete garbage at worst and before any one say "you only hate it because it's different from your precious BTAS", I freakin love the batman 2004 and I adore the animated series and I even vibe with the brave and the bold depending on my mood, these 3 shows are 3 different beasts because the changes at least made sense or in some parts (clay face in the batman 2004 for example) were spectacular they just dropped ball specially with two face, at least the ending was kinda ok I guess... oh and art style is really cool... that's it I really wanted this show to be good and now I am not even sad , just disappointed

I agree with a lot of what Doug is saying, I do find it odd that he says the Joker is overdone(IMO he is) but not Harley. I know a lot of Batman fans are at least starting to feel Harley being shoehorned into too many things. I personally don't feel so yet, but I can see where they are coming from.

No need to gender swap Batman villains, he has such a strong female rogues gallery already. Could also do serious what Harley Quinn show did as a kinda joke: Mr. Freeze dies & wife takes his place as a rogue.

Have to disagree. You shouldn't gender or race swap characters, especially for no good reason.

This is a better adult animated Bruce Timm Batman project than "Batman and Harley Quinn."

Personally I wish Harley Quinn and Joker didn’t appear in this show ( mainly because I think they’re overused in my opinion) and instead replaced with lesser known villains. First Harley could be replaced by Great White Shark who could be a wall street type going after the elite after the market crash (mainly to tie in more to the time period and still get the rich man bad story). Secondly I think it would be more interesting if it wasn’t joker being teased but the horrifying Mr. Bloom ( a really cool new villain who is perfect for the mature Batman show).

It wasn't lazy but, didn't hit (fully) the mark. It's an in between feeling.

I feel like the biggest thing hurting this show (which I am interested enough to see a second season) is one the length and amount of episodes. Like it needed either more 30 minute episodes or longer hour long episodes for 10 episodes

Penguin should have been a prominent Mother Teresa/Mother Angelica level Nun. Then it's the whole mystery of who is the Penguin?

The fact Bruce is a dick to Alfred most of the show also put me off.

I don't think The Joker is overexposed, I think it feels that way because there have been some great portrayals of him and it doesn't feel like we need more. Hamill, Ledger, and Nicholson will always be thought of when thinking of the character. I think Harley is overexposed, but no one ever says it though.

I haven't seen anyone mention the quick King Tut "cameo" in the Harley Quin episode. What a great way to reinvent a cheesy '60s Batman TV show villain.

I still can't get behind a Harley Quinn not attached to The Joker. Her character is one of manic obsession. She turns her entire persona into Joker's girl, and even if you never saw the two of them together, you'd know where her allegiance lies. Without Mr. J, she's nothing, at least that's what she believes, and to move on from him is to move on from Harley. Harleen Quinzel clearly has issues, and I have no objection to reworking her character to be detached from the Joker. It becomes an exploration into whether Joker broke her or if she was already on the trajectory long before they met. This villain should be Manic Quinn. She's exposing people to their secret desires, so she should be costuming up as part of that. Instead of a harlequin costume, she wears a faceless morph suit, dons fetish costumes, and tortures her victims with their fantasies. The flat persona would work here, too, as the mannequin aesthetic shouldn't be too emotive. She wants to have no sympathy for these people, so she won't expose herself. I'm actually quite interested to see this interpretation, as they mirror one another. Harley becomes what Manic seeks to destroy. An extra layer of tragedy to the original character. You could even have Harley break through in certain moments and expose Manic, who's secretly getting off on this roleplay, while acting disgusted by the whole ordeal. Instead of giving in to her darker side, she buries it under others' darkness, and hides from her true self. C'mon, this does cook, and allows us to distinguish Harleen both attached to and separate from the Joker. Oh, to have competent writers on such a task. Harley is one of my favourite DC characters, and I want to see her handled correctly. Manic could be an equally compelling character, whether in a separate universe to Harley or as a follow-up to her.

Why Gordons are black??

I watched all the way to the Harley episode and my main reaction was constantly; why did they do it this way? Or this doesn’t really make much sense… You can feel a love for the characters and the source material, like the part I loved about the Harley Quinn episode was the Return of the Joker movie nod. It constantly felt like they wanted to take the character in a different direction without taking into account everything that goes with it. Like they actually make Clayface a great and highly praised actor that’s just old and ugly, literally at the full opposite extreme of prior representations were he’s either talentless or good-looking but turning gray. But when the catalyst comes it makes no sense… Specially on the angles from the lady’s reaction… They tried playing it like phantom of the opera, but hastily and ignoring what drove the phantom to crime in the first place… Heck they even play it up as if the girl actually admires and cares for Clayface before the transformation… I almost wish that a lot of these episodes could get extended into a two-parter just to get better character development… Everything just feels really rushed. Also I’m still annoyed that they just straight up turned Harley into Hugo Strange…

Sounds like they really should have gone a Futurama "Mom" -type character.

A couple years ago I saw Batman 1989 for the first time and I was like "Dude Billy Dee Williams was going to play Harvey". I really would have liked to seen him play Two Face. I wonder how he would have done.

inb4 everyone stops the video to say it was Onomatopoeia

This series makes me realize that Paul Dini deserved more credit than he got

I for one found it to be pretty interesting! I especially love that the series takes place in the 1940's. I was totally shocked when I saw Harley kiss Renee, But it Also makes me wonder if the people of this 1940's era are open minded. Because you know even back in the 40's the LGBTQ+ community was frowned on and or not accepted by society. I'm also wondering if Harley and Renee will have a canon relationship in season 2, Because they might go with the whole route of Renee making Harley change her ways like Harley would have to choose what's more important to her, a relationship or a life of crime.

The best part was when Batman respected the criminals pronouns. I really appreciated that.

Bruce treat alfred like a piece of dog poop, penguin is freaky woman, every second person is black… or woman on usually men’s work… at usa 40-xx…little girl saves bats…joker didn’t make harley, she is strong black lesbian🤣very serious plot in one episode and ghosts in the second… worst batman adaptation so far

I appreciated that Doug gave a fair and nuanced review. So many commentators in this space are losing their marbles over how “woke” the show is. The show is bad because it’s woke is as deep as the commentary gets on most other channels. The show is mediocre at best, but not because it’s woke. The writing is flat. Most of the characters (especially the villains) are uninteresting and The creative changes are distracting at best and character breaking at worst.

The Penguin episode could of been Ma Parker from the 66 show and change very little. New name for the Cruise boat but that's it

The Fact that they use Male Pronouns in the German Dub of the Penguin, has me believe that it's just MtF Oswald. It's really uncanny how much they look like Jim Sterling though. In the German Dub, they had the Guy who dubbed Christian Bales Dark Knight Batman. The same Voice Actor from the Arkham Games so it's seamless. Cassie from the Natalie Episode is not THE Cassie. ALL the 4 Orphans are named after Robins. And they wouldn't all be the same Age.

Was Bruce Timm pretending to be Two Face and flipped a coin on whether to race or gender swap each character? That's actually how meaningless those changes are. Has there ever been a woman who wore a monocle?