How The Fear Saved Batman The Animated Series | Super Friends | Ft. Ted Kendrick 

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Oh yeah, sure, mom and dad, I'll go to school and become a psychiatrist! Now look at me! I'm a scarecrow, and I'm running away from a guy dressed as a Bat! I should have specialized in dance like I WANTED to!

Yeah, about that. NO, Filmation was NOT cheap. The main reason why the animation was recycled was because Lou Schimer, the head honcho of Filmation; wanted to make sure that all the people who worked for him were properly paid and that all the animation was done in America. Not to mention that much of their animation was ROTOSCOPED, mainly because a lot of the people working at Filmation were ex-Disney employees. Heck, the ONLY series where they had to do stuff overseas was their collaboration with TMS on their Zorro cartoon. There’s other stuff I could mention, like the Bravestarr episode The Price or the He-Man episode The Price of Power, but I’ll only bring them up if somebody else asks.

Alan Burnett is probably one of the unsung heroes of 'BTAS'. Normally, Bruce Timm, or Paul Dini get alot of the credit, but Alan doesn't get nearly as much credit. His work on 'The Fear' help plant the seeds for what 'BTAS', and other action cartoons would eventually become by the early 90's.

"Written by a name that will be familiar to fans of Batman: The Animated Series." Is it Alan Burnett? "Alan Burnett." Yesssss. I had never heard of The Fear, and I will no doubt be scouring the internet for it. Incredible. I've even seen a few frames from the episode and never knew what it was. And how cool is it to see a member of Watchtower Database in the vid? Glad you could finally work together!

If I'm not mistaken, this episode might have also introduced the idea of Alfred being the Wayne Family butler before Frank Miller did.

I still think of Conroy as the best Batman, but respect to Mr. West for his dedication and talent. Burnett is actually something of a prolific writer, when I started looking I found he’d written a lot of serious business episodes in Hanabarbara, He-Man and Disney Afternoon. Burnett - a writer whose response to “for kids” is “Kids can handle a lot”.

While "The Fear" was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the SF era, I'd also give kudos to the time travel short 'The Krypton Syndrome' in which Superman does Flashpoint - absent time itself being a prick to him. There was another short where the Twins faced down two members of the LoD - and only lost because they were out of their weight class, not because of comical bungling. The show could exceed its limits, if rarely. Oddly enough, the first ever reference in an adaptation to the Wayne Murders was in the 1966 show, but it was so oblique, unless you knew already, you would never guess this was his reason for becoming Batman.

adam west is such a cool guy. i wouldve loved to meet him in person.

I remember a "Comic Scene" magazine published during the early nineties , about the time of the start of "Batman:The Animated", where Alan Burnett said he wrote a story for "Superfriends" about the death of Bruce Wayne's parents when he was a child- and how he tried so hard to fight against the censors to put all the bits in; he said it was near-impossible to effectively dramatize that story for animation, then, because the censors forbid guns and any depiction of violence. He also mentioned with that "Comic Scene" magazine, that his motivation was to write a Batman show pilot with that Superfriends episode and the use of both the ScareCrow (to show Batman as afraid and anxious about his parents deaths, even years later) and the appearance and sound of lightning flashes (to conceal the appearance and sound of a gun and gun shots). I remember that that Burnett seemed like a guy who was really attracted to the idea of dramatizing the Batman character, and as a producer and main writer of "Batman Animated" ("Two Face" Parts one and two some of the best of the show), he was really a very important component of the show's success . Though there was constantly the affinity of Bruce Time to the show, because of the unique art and character design, but the writing was done no less, perhaps was even put togeather even better

Lou Scheimer, one of the heads of Filmation, was the voice of Clayface (and Bat-Mite) in TNAB. He provided voices for almost every Filmation series but was seldom credited and when he was it was usually under the pseudonym of "Erik Gundan".

"The Superpowers Team:Galactic Guardians" was a valiant effort to bring Bronze Age sensibilities to a Kid's Cartoon.

I do remember this episode as a kid, and I've always remembered it because it was so different from the average Saturday morning of the time.

This episode completely changed my life. Back then I only knew Batman from cartoons and the Adam West TV show. I knew there were comics, but I had only seen a few as they were not very common where I lived, and they all were basically just random adventures. This was the first time I not only encountered a darker take on the character, but also how I learned about his origin story. It blew my mind as a kid and instantly cemented Batman as my favorite character over Superman (sorry, Supes), starting an obsession that only grew with the release of Tim Burton's film and the Animated Series. Yeah, by the standards of today the episode is quite tame, but from the perspective of a young child back then, someone around the age where Bruce lost his parents, this was a game changer.

There is also an episode of The Death of Superman. 8 years before it happened in the comics.

I always looked at The Fear episode from the Super Powers series as the one that quietly helped set the stage and laid down the foundations for the show that we would now come to know as BTAS. It was the first time ever that Batman was looked at as a serious dark figure and the first time that the death of his parents was officially addressed in animation which had been largely ignored. Without a doubt, the standout episode of the Super Powers show.

Filmation deserves a lot more recognition and credit.

This walked so BTAS could run

2:44 Batgirl was in the last season of the Adam West show, in fact the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl was created specifically for that show. I don’t know if you meant to imply that she was added in the cartoon along with Bat-Mite, but just to make it clear.

The lame thing about TNAB's Clay Face is he gets beaten because the time limit on his powers run out in the middle of the ocean, and he can't swim, so Batman has to save him. Which if you know the lore, should jump out at you rightaway, because Clay Face certainly knows how to swim, the whole reason he got his powers was by discovering a radioactive pool in an underwater cavern, because before he was a criminal, he was a *Deep Sea Diver.*

This might be me being a very dumb kid, but this episode was my first realization that “oh yeah! Bruce took YEARS of learning and training to become Batman!”

I'm glad you covered "The Fear". I had been unaware of its existence until last year, and when I finally watched it I was pleasantly surprised, given the state of animated shows at the time. Also, it was good to see a guest appearance from Ted (Watchtower Database is another of my favorite DCAU channels).

"The Fear" was ourstanding. Sadly, by that very point, since Batman was struggling, close to being cancelled because he was still thought of as a lighthearted character.

I remember watching this episode, and I am glad that Adam West voiced Batman for that show.

TNAB also gave us Sweet Tooth. A portly, candy themed villain voiced by Paul Lynde. Unremarkable and forgotten, except by the writers of The Brave and the Bold; he got a cameo in a big, mass 'loser villain' fight scene in that series.

My guess for the voice of filmation's clayface is either a uncredited frank welker or a uncredited lou scheimer, he not only ran filmation, directed produced and wrote episodes of shows but he would do voice over for some characters because its probably cheaper

I remember seeing this as a kid. It was my first exposure to Batman’s tragic past. Always love The Scarecrow.

Off topic but this scene of Batman here at 10:17 is _very cool._ I love when his cape is fully draped over him like that. 10:20 is also well drawn and animated.

You know, this actually does make a lot of sense. There's a very distinct sense in the first season of the show that it's being run by people who have different ideas about what the show should be. I mean, I don't mind episodes like Be A Clown, or even Penguin's first episode (I won't put it on any top 20 lists, but I really think people oversell it as the worst episode of the series by kind of a lot, considering "The Prophecy,"), but some of the episodes in the first season definitely feel like they were written with an older mindset to what should be in a cartoon, that someone else then tried to darken to fit what they were going for in their own vision. And then Heart of Ice won all the awards and it was clear what the correct direction to go was.

This just proves that without a shadow of a doubt that Alan Burnett is one of the greatest minds in the world of animation. If it was not for his supervision , Batman TAS would not have become the iconic show fans love today. I know 80s cartoons are often looked down upon but honestly, I think those cartoons were vital to the evolution of animation. They laid the foundations for more mature cartoons of the 90s and 2000s. For example if the 80s TF cartoon did not exist, we would have have gotten Beast wars and TF Animated. And if it wasn't for the Super friends cartoons, we may not have gotten the DCAU.

Yo I watched this episode as a kid, and when I fully watched btas fully later as an adult, I mistakenly thought that "the fear" had actually been part of btas. I kept waiting for it to pop up, lmao.

Wow, I remember watching this episode in 1985 when I was 13 years old. It felt so different that the other episodes. More serious. I have not seen it in decades but I still remember it so well.

Yet another great video, sir! (And I don't just say that because I have a cameo at 9:49 and I get a shoutout at 10:57, too. Thanks for that.) And yes, "The Fear" is an underrated episode and an interesting footnote in the origin of BTAS. Another bit of possible trivia for "The Fear": I haven't confirmed this with Alan Burnett, but I have a feeling that he and/or the animators might've been looking at the Scarecrow two-parter by Doug Moench and Gene Colan in Batman #373 and Detective Comics #540 when they were making this episode. In that story, the Scarecrow uses skull devices that radiate out fear signals to people, just as he does in "The Fear." As far as I know, that's the only time the comics Scarecrow did that. And the issues carry July 1984 cover dates, which would've been about the right timeframe for them to be working on this episode.

This is my favorite episode of Super Friends. A rare long runner where the final season is the best one.

Can we appreictae how adam west sells the fear and seriousness in this episode

Ted seems like a very smart guy - would love to see him brought back on!

10:44 Wow! Besides the powerful Arthur Edeson cinematography in this sequence, look at that rare close-up where Bruce's nose is visible underneath the cowl. 10:33 7:18 Ess-puh-tuh-guh-guh had a _really_ good design for Batman! (And Bruce.) Certainly for the era. Something about the shadow patterns on the cowl, and subtle colour choices. Somehow loads more luscious than TNAB. The Scarecrow gets the same loving treatment in this episode, but very few of the other characters do. 2:22 TNAB had possibly the strongest design we ever got for the Joker on TV. Pity about that voice. (And about the other character designs!)

I normally don’t care of collab videos- I really liked this one a lot

Thank you, Alan 👍

I personally wouldn't call it obscure; tons of fans hail it as one of the greatest superhero cartoons of all-time. Also, I think it is worth noting that The Fear took place in The Super Powers show, not the Super Friends exactly, which was more serious in tone in general, including in its depiction of Batman, who was not a campy hero but in essence, a likeness of his Bronze Age personality. One of his greatest moments was where he busted Darkseid's disguise as Steve Trevor, declaring "Let her go Steve...or should I say...Darkseid!" His visual depiction was different as well, much closer to the Neal Adams/Giordano/Garcia Lopez Batman than he was in the Super Friends series. Great video! And thank you Alan! BTW--as far as Batman being psychologically scarred, I disagree, that was all over his Bronze Age portrayal and it was a source of tension between him and Dick Grayson at points, such as during the original Croc storyline and one of the reasons Grayson quit being Robin; Batman's level of obsession (he remarks Adrian Chase, "And I thought Batman was obsessed," in remark to his over the top methods). It was also central part of arguably the greatest Batman story of all, To Kill a Legend and a major part of Batman: The Untold Legend.

I watched this episode when it first aired and was impressed that they were so daring, especially considering by the standards of broadcast network TV in those days.

I always wondered, what exactly was the decision behind having Bat-Mite have green skin and look more like an alien? I always thought it looked kind of disturbing.

I remember watching that episode when I was a kid, was weirdly one of my favourite.

the Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians Basically walked so that the DCAU could run, Considering this episode exposed kids to the origin of Batman something that would only really known Kids who had been reading the comics

The Fear is a good prime example of how Galactic Guardians was a way of having the Superfriends concept grow up, but that shouldn't discount the rest of the show either. There were some basic changes like the new version of the Hall of Justice and removal of the narrator, as well as most episodes taking up the entire run time, but admid some silly eps like Penguin getting Superman's powers, you did have episodes that delt with concerns about your place via the first episode of this "season" via Cyborg (voiced by Ernie Hudson), and you had another death related one with the final episode "The Death of Superman" where Firestorm deals with the grief that he may have caused. Though the whole sorta subplot of the season with Darkseid wanting Wonder Woman as his bride while relatable from a personal standpoint is a weird twist to everything.

I watched this episode when it came out, and still recall it to this day, as the episode where the heroes assumed their civilian identities, and the serious nature of the episode, compared to others.

Excuse me?? But Bravestsr is anything but lost to the sands of time, there is still a (small) group of fans who remember it fondly still to this day.

Jaboody Dubs made me aware of this specific episode lol.

I loved Super Friends in all it's incarnations. I have all the DVDs. It's very interesting to watch the evolution of the series over a decade. Basically it started out as Scooby Doo, thankfully it grew up.

I remember watching this Super Friends episode on Cartoon Network a long time ago. I was already a BTAS fan by then, so Super Friends wasn't quite as impressive to me in comparison of course, but it was still fun to watch. Sure was amazing that Adam West got the opportunity to play a dramatic Batman too, even if only as a voice actor. His voice is honestly just as synonymous with Batman for me as Kevin Conroy's was (RIP to both of them).

No joke, that episode(The Fear) was stuck on me the most of all the Super Friends episodes that one is the most memorable back in the day. Who knew how much of an impact it had later on

The art behind the animation style is so reminiscent of Neal Adams, the man who put hair on Batman's chest, and my favorite comic artist.

I'll have to check this episode out. When I think of 80's cartoons taking the first steps to the more refined stories of the 90's and 2000's cartoons, I think of the 80's Spider-Man, which had some continuity with the Dr. Doom episodes and also dealt with Uncle Ben's death in a different episode with some legit effort. So it's interesting to see how the shift in storytelling isn't as hard stop at it seems and there's a bit of a transitional phase between them.

Interesting video. I’ve been watching your Friday character description as I watch BTAS to understand it better and I’m learning a lot about the series. Also thanks for NOT doing an April Fools Joke.

Great video! I remember an old interview with either Timm or Burnett who listed all of the network restrictions on Superfriends. They could never throw a punch ( even if it missed). They could only destroy robots if they where completely non human in form. The fact this episode got made is a miracle and a work of art

Awesome video. I was a kid when this episode first aired, I remember how intense it was to me back then as a 7 y/o!!!!

Filmation co-owner Lou Scheimer was the voice of Clayface and Bat-Mite. To save money Lou Scheimer often did as many voices as he could. For instance, in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Scheimer voiced Orko, Trap Jaw, Tri-Clops and King Randor among others

Reading the comments, I thought I'd add something nobody else brought up, which I think confuses a lot of people. THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN (1968) was by Filmation, with Olan Soule & Casey Kasem & Batman & Robin THE SUPER FRIENDS (1973) was by Hanna-Barbera, also with Olan Soule & Casey Kasem THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BATMAN (1977) was by Filmation, with Adam West & Burt Ward SUPER POWERS: GALACTIC GUARDIANS (1985) was by Hanna-Barbera, with Adam West & Casey Kasem (I think) (The last 2 seasons, Adam West took over voicing Batman, while Olan Soule switched over to voicing Firestorm.) So, both Olan Soule AND Adam West did Batman's voice for BOTH Filmation AND Hanna-Barbera! Soule has a cameo as a newscaster in an Adam West episode of BATMAN (1966).

All i gotta say is Thank You Tim Burton and Alan Burnett!

This is great I would love more of this

Me when SerumLake uploads more Batman videos: 💃🪩🕺

Great video! I usually like hearing just you talking but Ted is awesome.

3:46 - You're telling me, those villains look like paper thin!

Now if only they could do something good with other elements of the Super Friends. Please, no more demonic Wonder Dog mauling and eating Marvin, and no more using the Wonder Twins just to make fun of them.

amazing how they included entire scene of waynes murder without not even showing a gun

I watched the Filmation cartoons in 1966 (Superman and Superboy), 1967 (Aquaman, Justice League of America, etc.-- reruns of Superman, GRR) and 1968 (Batman, reruns of Superman-- grr). Then I saw the 1st episode of THE SUPER FRIENDS. It was SO bad on every possible level, I never watched it again... until they changed the name to SUPER POWERS: GALACTIC GUARDIANS. I was shocked. It wasn't like "This is great!", but "Hey-- this ISN'T TERRIBLE." I taped that year, and reruns of the previous year's episodes run that same season. Even the previous year wasn't terrible, but there was a NOTICEABLE improvement of quality across the board on that last season. It was another case of, "THIS IS NO TIME to cancel the show!!!" (But they did.) But, yeah, "The Fear" did stand out, and I knew it was the first time Batman's origin had ever been gone into in depth on film. His origin WAS actually alluded to on the Adam West show-- 3 times! Once, each season. Really. In the very 1st episode, the first scene with Bruce Wayne, he's talking about why he set up The Wayne Foundation, to help victims of violent crime, and BRIEFLY mentions his parents having been murdered by "dastardly criminals". In Season 2, "The Impractical Joker", Wayne is trying to con the Joker into believing he's embezzled Wayne Foundation money, to trick the Joker into revealing his counterfeiting scheme. Later, Joker, feeling he's got power over Wayne, tries to coerce him into KILLING Batman! But Wayne says, ever since his parents' murder, violence of any kind is anathema to him. In season 3, "The Great Train Robbery", Batman is about to have a showdown with cowboy villain Shame. In Gordon's office, Batman says, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I'm going to make the streets safe for little children to play on." It's one of the FUNNIEST episodes in the series (writer Stanley Ralph Ross did stuff that was actually FUNNY, not merely "stupid" as some other writers). But right there, in a line that sounds corny and ridiculous, it hit me, Batman is talking about HIMSELF, and how his life was turned around when he was a LITTLLE KID. It snuck by me for years, but I got such a kick when I realized what Ross was doing. I often wish they'd done a 4th season, with the look and tone of the show toned seriously down, all taking place at night, less silly... but still managing to be FUNNY as hell in spots. I know it can be done.

I don’t think calling this episode obscure is the correct statement. Whenever I’ve seen people talk about Superfriends, this is one of the more popular episodes that gets talked about. Mainly because of its more serious tone and the fact that it’s the very first time that The Deaths of The Waynes was ever adapted into another medium.

I agree that BTAS is the superior show (how is it not?) but I do have a good amount of respect for the super-friends and Batman adventures cartoons. This could be why I don't always like it when other people make fun of those shows and criticize them for their limitations. Without these shows, BTAS wouldn't be here. Sure, they were limited in what the writers and animators were allowed to do, but they still kept people (mostly kids) interested enough in the characters that they were able to remain popular and would eventually shift over to the DCAU that we all know and love.

OMG Hi Ted love WDb. I'd like to see this episode now. I love AB and he wrote my favorite Suicide Squad film, "Hell to Pay." I hope they put Super Friends back on Max. I'd love to check it out.

As a kid, dating myself here, I had most of the action figures shown and the Batmobile and Superman’s vehicle.

SUPER FRIENDS WAS MY FAVORITE

This is why The Scarecrow should be Batman's arch nemesis more. Funny how The Fear is now one of the most iconic episodes.

Did BTAS lift their Bruce Wayne character design directly from from TNAB? I can’t find him looking like that anywhere else.

Got into New Adventures of Batman when Mcfarlane released Figures based on it. Definitely Scooby Doo vibes!😂

This is lovely

meant to type "bruce timm"

interestingly, when I first saw this show on cartoon network, this episode was the first time I ever learned of Batman's origin story. Sure I had seen the Tim Burton films years before but the opening for the first film never stuck to me for some reason.

Batman one weakness Alleyways. That and small bullets

it would have been funny if you did a video of a completely out of the blue thing, like Scooby-Doo Meets Batman or Lego Batman: The Videogame

The 60s TV show was actually reflective of what the comics were like at the time.

Scarecrow fans, make some noise!

The one with the pink riddler?? We don’t talk about the pink one!

3:43 - If the "Infinite Crisis" were expanded to the _entire_ multiverse (I'd call it the "Crossover Crisis"), than BTAS Clayface (based on the "Fox Kids" models for the characters) could end up banished to the reality of "Gumby Adventures".

So if it wasn't for Filmation who had Alan, Batman TAS wouldn't been the show everyone knows and loves.

Have you thought about reviewing Under the Red Hood it's up there with Mask of the Phantasm and Return of the Joker as the best Batman movies of all time.

I like light hearted Batman tbh

Hey, Ted's here!

This show was goated

wtf this straight up feels like a TAS episode

ironically, batman never seems to really overcome his trauma for the duration of the DCAU, as opposed to here (afaik)

...and now we've had Harley Quinn, in her own animated series, go inside the mind of young Bruce and repeatedly see the gory events of the Waynes' demise...

RIP Adam West!!!

The Fear was my favorite episode.

This was actually the first time I was introduced to Batman’s origin as a kid. The 2nd time I would see this origin would be Batman 89. After seeing the movie was when I started reading Batman comics. I think of BTAS more of a re-interpretation of Batman and his rogues that defined those characters for generations, even though every animated series since has failed to capture that magic. Though after years of hating, I’ve actually come to like Brave and the Bold, at least half the series anyway. 😆 I liked what they tried to do with Baware but the CGI world just felt so empty. I have and always will hate The Batman (the series, the movie was fine 😜). At this point Spidey has had more “good” animated series than Batman and I really hated the last(current?) show.

It's really interesting that this batman has PTSD. Sure it's an easy to fight version but between the panic attack and the tears it's pretty clear.

Ironically this is one of your episodes that doesn't feel like you're grasping at straws at any moment (not saying that is bad necessarily, it does make discussion a bit more fun) and the anchor to all of it is the involvement of Alan Burnett. The moment he is credited anybody familiar with him should expect something interesting. Very cool episode!

13:48 Man you really hate the episode "Batman in my basement"

0:59: In a somewhat groanworthy parallel, there's the name of Dave Filoni in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In my opinion, at least... he's a good writer, but he's better off shackled from making his own worldbuilding. 2:01: Not to be confused with The New Batman Adventures. 2:14: Is that Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers? If so, that show is still quite good, all things considered. 2:31: That does not look like the Catwomen and Riddlers we know and love. 4:50: Am no animator/storyboarder, but I can sympathize. Take a look at how lots of Western animation nowadays just seem to be apathetic on military and conspiratorial thriller plotlines, plus serious crossover sagas not unlike in Justice League+Unlimited. Sorry, Disney Television Animation, but you're squandering your chances on the latter while wasting the former oh so badly in eyebrow-raising climactic episodes in, say, Amphibia and Gravity Falls. 7:18: Can agree, it's an appropriate moniker for them, even if there's not much politicking they're doing. Really says something that we associate the Crime Alley moment more to Tim Burton's Batman 1989 and not this special episode. You know, speaking of Wonder Woman doing a fine support role in this special ep, I wonder if the upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader is gonna do the same with occasional appearances by Green Arrow, The Flash, and maybe even Spawn? Would be nice if that show took notes from the likes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series in terms of having other supers interfering in Gotham's affairs. 10:18: Oh, sure, he's not allowed to punch folks, and yet a psycho-device is free game? 13:13: Didn't mind the latter (face it, it shows of more of the Joker's danger levels more), while I'm still on the camp that the former, which isn't that bad either, deserved a sequel story that makes things more morose. 13:51: A more fitting joke would be "A B: TAS video praising Famous Pictures' Superman?!". In conclusion: it didn't destroy the "animation age ghetto" trope, but it helped ensure some of the "denizens" escaped it and ensured a golden age or two followed outside of it. Addendum: Am surprised the ep was done in the '80s. A first glance would make one think it's from the 60s to the early 70s. Oh, and thank you, Alan!

I would love to see you start a series where you basically compare later shows use of one shot villains, and if the same villain was also a one shot on Batman, animated series and compare them I normally don’t like doing that but I figure if they’re basically one shots it’s easier I can think of the animated series of the Batman two villains, the first one is about the man who killed Robin’s parents the one thing that the Batman has over DCAU version until the moment where the deed is done we get to spend time with Robin’s parents heck they even made Rob Dad, the circus manager, so Tony has more legit reason for a villain to go after them, and they get away. We’ve shown the death bye having the parents see Robin, and then they fall basically looking up at their son, and the second villain Maxi, Zeus. DCAu version just a shipping guy who went crazy the Batman basically a villainess version of Batman, he ran for mayor lost, and in something that’s much harsher today. Did not accept this and basically tried to take over the town of a flying airship.

Oh golly