User:T-man, the Wise Scarecrow/sandbox
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| Batman | ||||||||||
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 Batman as he appears in the Justice League television series. |
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Batman is the name of a fictional DC Comics superhero who appears in the various animated series of the DC Animated Universe. Like the original comic book version, the animated Batman is the superhero identity adopted by millionaire industrialist and playboy Bruce Wayne to fight crime and protect the innocent in Gotham City. He has appeared on the shows Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Batman Beyond. He has also guest appeared on Superman: The Animated Series, The Zeta Project, and Static Shock.
While the animated version of the character is based on the comic book version, many significant differences in personal history and operation exist between the two, and each version have had different adventures. The animated version of Batman is also significant in that unlike the comic book version his personal future is known and documented, most comprehensively through the animated series Batman Beyond.
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[edit] Origins
As revealed in Nothing to Fear, Dreams in Darkness and For the Man Who Has Everything, Batman's origin began as an 8 year old when his parents were killed by a thief called Joe Chill in the Crime Alley after going to the movie theatre. As in comics, Joe Chill's gun, the first time he fell on the Bat-Cave, the bats and his parents’ deaths were pivotal points in his life. In Appointment in the Crime Alley it was revealed that Leslie Thompkins, a close friend of Thomas Wayne, took care of Bruce as a kid with Alfred Pennyworth, the Waynes' butler.
Bruce Wayne was the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. His father was a well respected Gotham doctor, and his mother a homemaker, but they owned the biggest fortune in Gotham City. After the incident, Bruce Wayne swore revenge and thanks to his fortune, he was able to train himself to perfection in several martial art and crime fighting disciplines. In the episode "Zatanna" it is revealed that while using the alias John Smith, Zatara trained Bruce Wayne how to be an escape artist and several other magic tricks. The episode "Night of the Ninja" introduces Yoru-Sensei who was Bruce Wayne's martial arts teacher in Japan. In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Dead Reckoning" we are introduced to The Master, a man who helped train Batman in Kung-Fu.
[edit] First Years
Most of this period was narrated in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, the first animated movie, a direct result of the success of Batman: The Animated Series on Fox Network. Warner Bros. originally approved a straight to video film project that was reformatted for theaters at last minute.
Alan Burnett wanted to tell a story different from the usual for the movie. He ”wanted to make a gret love story with Bruce because we haven’t done that in the series yet, (…) a story that gave him something to think about”. As a result, it featured parts of Batman’s life when he was beginning his career as a vigilante and, mainly, when he had to choose between fulfilling his vows of revenge and having a normal life with the perfect woman. The story focused on a very deep relationship he had with Andrea Beaumont, a beautiful young woman that managed to get Bruce's attention at this point.
It was due to destiny that Andrea's father's involvement with the leaders of the Gotham mob, took her out of his life. Out of grief for not only his parents, but also of the loss of what could have been a normal life, he stayed on the path which brought him to becoming Batman.
This story was partially based on the comics story arc Batman: Year Two, but with significant differences. Andrea Beaumont and her father, Carl, are based in Rachel and Judson Caspian and the Phanthom is based in the Reaper, but their motifs and secrets had a twist.
[edit] The Animated Series
During this period Batman met most of his enemies and major allies. It is implied that he met the Joker and the Penguin before the series began. The villains in the series that also appeared in Tim Burton's films had some common similarities, but most of the series' characters are adaptations as they've been seen in the original source material.
It can also be inferred that Batman took care of Dick Grayson before On Leather Wings, since Grayson seems much younger in the flashbacks of Robin's Reckoning than in his first appearance in the series. Robin didn't appear in most episodes of the series, as Alfred often said he was in College.
[edit] The Adventures of Batman and Robin
By 1994 the Fox Network, assuming children would like the seires more if a child appears on it, relaunch of the series in 1994 as The Adventures of Batman & Robin, and forced producers to make Robin more active. During these seasons, Batman gained more strong connections with Gotham City's Police force, as well as the approval of Harvey Dent's successor as District Attorney, Janet Van Dorn.
Notable characters introduced included Lock Ip, Baby Doll and the hype villain of the Knightfall saga who broke Batman's back in comics, Bane. In the series, Bane was hired muscle for mob boss Rupert Thorne, but he had an agenda of his own with the syndicate's assistant, Candice. They planned to defeat once and for all Batman and then take the power of Gotham city underworld from their boss. Bane proved to be physically superior to Batman and also set a successful trap in which Batman fell, and when, after the most violent fight of the whole series, Bane was about to brake his spine just as his comic counterpart did, batman unplugged his Venom feeding tube, causing him a stroke. In the animated version Batman never proved to be superior to Bane, although Bane never defeated Batman and he ended up spending his final days in a near vegetative status due to the effects of the venom drugs.
[edit] The New Adventures
More episodes of the animated series were ordered for the Kids WB. Debuting in 1997, the new episodes (packaged together with the Superman animated series) introduced redesigned and simplified characters models. In Batman's case, his chest emblem and belt were redesigned to reflect his appearance in the works of Frank Miller.
This period introduced a new Robin, Tim Drake, to a series, a kid whose father, a small-time crook, was killed by Two-face. After the orphan showed some talent helping Batman defeat the villain, Batman decided to take care of him. After some training the kid became the new Robin. Dick Grayson also returned as Nightwing and held a strained relationship with his former mentor.
During this period most of his enemies returned with more powers and skills. The Penguin became already a kingpin of Gotham city black market and weapon trading, without Batman being abble to prove his involvement.
In Metropolis, following Batman's example but with a different open approach to people, Superman started operating and became his city's proud justice defender. While stopping a Joker big scheme to get Metropolis control, Batman met Superman. At first it was an antagonist relationship, Batman beat Superman thanks to some kryptonite he had, Superman discovered Batman's identity but he put a tracker devise on his cape and find out he was Clark Kent. They both became friends after defeating the Joker. While this happened Bruce had a romance with Clark's love interest, Lois Lane.
[edit] The Justice League
On Secret Origins, due to a White-Martian invasion on Earth, Batman and Superman once again decided to join forces. During the adventure they got help from the last green Martian, Martian Manhunter alive after rescuing him. Later, known superheroes, the Flash and Green Lantern, and mysterious Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman, joined forces with them and expelled the evil aliens. The seven decided to form a team against all future thread and became the Justice League.
Batman put a huge amount of Wayne Enterprises' money to built an orbiting satellite they all used as their official base, but he stated that he is only a part time member and always kept that status. He was never a team player just as Superman; he felt he didn't need the League. However, when it came to field strategy planning Batman was always the leader and he was always needed. He was the member with the answer to every problem. As he demonstrated times like when he saved Aquaman's life by putting his body in a salt water tank (The Enemy Below), when he disabled Grodd's bomb (The Brave and the Bold), bought Ultra-Humanite and made him betray the Injustice Gang (Injustice for All), or created a time traveling devise to stop Vandal Savage.
Sparks of love interest Between Batman and Wonder Woman started growing since he disabled Grodd's bomb. Later, in a party at the Royal Palace of Kasnia, Bruce Wayne courted her as Princess Diana of Paradise Island
During the Thannagarian occupation of earth in the 3-part finale of the second season, Starcrossed, the League had to keep a low profile in order to pass under their radar, Batman decided to give away his identity and reveal Flash and Superman's as well in order to keep in communication. When they faced a close encounter with Thannagarian troops, Batman and Wonder Woman shared a kiss in order to hide. At the end of this conflict, the League had to sacrifice the Watch Tower to destroy the Thannagarian base, and Hawkgirl decided to betray her own people to save the earth. All these events led to major changes for the League.
[edit] Batman Adventures
While on the Justice League, Batman had to face new situations with his old foes back in Gotham City. By the time Warner released a straight to DVD animated movie titled The Mystery of the Batwoman, the Penguin had became the mayor boss of the organized crime forming an alliance with syndicated Rupert Thorne and Ducaine. Three girls, with issues with each boss, fought and sabotaged them under the single identity of Batwoman. They turned to Bane for help, but Batman, Robin and the Batwomen defeated the Mafiosi trio. Around that time Bruce already had some romantic sparks with Barbara Gordon.
Later DC published a Batman Adventures, an 18-issue long comic title. The comic covered the adventures the animated Batman had around that time in Gotham. During the story arc, a new criminal organization known as the False Face Society, lead by Black Mask and a mysterious figure known as Red Hood. One of the main issues he had to deal with was the Penguin gaining an enormous amount of power by becoming the elected Mayor of Gotham City. To trick into renouncing, Batman got aid from another longtime foe, the Riddler who apparently was truly trying to reform (for the second time), who got shot after discovering the Penguin got aid from the Clock King to gain the elections by cheating.
[edit] Justice League Unlimited
In this relauch of the Justice League series, the team was expanded to over 50 members, including Steel, Supergirl, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, The Creeper, Etrigan and Metamorpho along with new faces like the Atom, Black Canary, Red Tornado and the Question. The six original members, along with Aquaman, king of Atlantis, shared a higher rank taking decisions on the directive board. This new League was based on an even bigger Watch Tower satellite, equipped with a powerful nuclear laser ready to shoot any new threat like the Thannagarian invasion was.
After some hints of the romance between Batman and Wonder Woman, the last time their relationship was explored was when the witch Circe turned her into a pig, right after they were talking about the nature of their friendship. Batman recruited Zatanna, his old girlfriend, to help Diana and during the process they explored the same topic a little deeper. Circe agreed to turn Wonder Woman back into a human if Batman shared something he was hiding for a long time: singing talent.
In one adventure the new Secret Society killed all the monks that were helping Deadman find his way to redemption. They were known friends of Batman, so Deadman took Supeman's body to ask his help. The Society's leader, Grodd, wanted a mystical object for his personal objectives, and the League decided to go with Deadman to stop them. After the League stopped their plan, Devil Ray, the cold blooded mercenary assassin responsible for most of the monks massacre, decided to shoot Wonder Woman. Deadman notice that quickly, took Batman's body and killed the villain with a gun. Batman didn't stopped feeling guilty for that murder.
In the series finale episode, Destroyer, the Justice League and the Secret Society fought the Apokolips troops while Batman, Superman and Luthor went after a resurrected Darksaid. During the battle, the dark lord used his Omega beams to try to destroy Batman, who successfully escaped them achieving something no other human has. With the aid of Metron, Luthor saved the situation by offering Darkseid something he always wanted, the [[Anti-life Equation]. They both disappeared as Darkseid touched it. After that Batman demonstrated to have "started getting softer" by granting the remaining members of the Secret Society (a Grodd's faction were apparently killed back in space) a 5 minutes advantage before sending the entire Justice League after them.
[edit] Batman Beyond
After Batman was last seen in Justice League Unlimited, at some point he had a traumatic final confrontation with the Joker. Nightwing left the city to find his own way and Robin Tim Drake disappeared. After several days trying to find him, Batman and Batgirl found the Joker and his assistant Harley Quinn to be the responsible parties. The insane criminal had tortured and brainwashed Batman's youngest sidekick, discovering Batman's true identity in the process. The Joker had shaped the boy wonder into a mindless sidekick for himself. Robin managed to break through his mental reprogramming long enough to fatally shoot the Joker. At the end of the conflict, with the Joker dead and Harley Quinn missing and presumed dead as well, Robin was traumatized for life. Leslie Tomkins facilitated his recovery, but he never forgot and never reconciled with Bruce.
Even after creating a new suit that provided him the ability to fly, strength, digital communication and invisibility, Batman reached a point when it was physically impossible to keep fighting crime. When Batman went to rescue the daughter of Veronica Vreeland, his close socialite friend, he got a cardiac attack while fighting, forcing him to resort to threatening a thug with a gun to solve the situation, breaking a lifelong rule. It was then that Bruce realized he was no longer able to carry on as Batman.
Before that point, his focus on crime-fighting was so strong that, he stopped paying attention to Wayne Enterprises. The sinister figure of Derek Powers had established himself as the new CEO and renamed the company Wayne/Power Enterprises, while Lucius Fox quit, beginning his own company. Bruce lost most of his control and contacts in his own company.
Warren McGinnis happened to be one of Wayne/Powers Enterprises employees. At the beginning of Batman Beyond, he acquired some incriminating evidence about his company. Knowing that he was a honest person, Derek Powers sent his assistant Mr. Fixx, to get rid of him.
His son Terry was a rebellious teenager who didn't get along with the elder McGinnis, now divorced from his wife. After an argument with his father, Terry stormed out of the house, only to return and find that Mr. Fixx had killed Warren, though he made it look like an act of senseless brutality by the Jokerz, a local gang that committed small crimes inspired by the now legendary Joker. An angry and grief-stricken Terry got in a fight with the Jokerz that ended right in front of Wayne manor. A very old Bruce Wayne witnessed the confrontation and, still very skilled, helped Terry defeat the punks, but needed help into his mansion afterwards. The exhausted Bruce fell asleep and Terry started wandering the manor and he discovered the Bat-cave by accident. After finding Terry in the Batcave, an angry Bruce threw him out of the mansion, but Terry later snuck back in to steal the Batsuit, which he used to track down his father's killer. After what had happened to Tim Drake years ago, Bruce was at first unwilling to take on another kid sidekick, but later reconsidered and began training Terry as the next Batman.
After this Bruce's life was reinvigorated with the mission of training a new Batman to keep his legacy, as well as the task of keeping Powers under control, who actually started worrying about Bruce getting in his way and tried to get rid of him. Powers had a secret he managed to keep for some time. After his first confrontation with Batman II, he got contaminated with radioactive material that turned him into an energy mutant. When this got to the public knowledge he became a wanted criminal and later died, his son became Wayne/Powers C. E. O.
Time later, an un-aged Talia, daughter of Batman's long time enemy Ra's Al Ghul, showed up offering Bruce the longevity benefits of the Lazarus Pit and he accept it, gaining his youth again. But the situation turned into tragedy when Bruce and Terry discovered Talia was actually Ra's Al Ghul, who finally unable to benefit enough from the pits, took his own daughter's body to transfer his mind and gain her youth, and his next step was rejuvenate Bruce to repeat the operation with his body. Ghul was defeated and the Lazarus effect eventually wore of Bruce. It probably gave him more longevity, though.
[edit] The Return of the Joker
After mediocre management from Paxton Powers, Bruce Wayne once again gained full C. E. O. control over Wayne Enterprises and renamed it. It was around this time that a new branch of Jokerz, included the twin granddaughters of Harley Quinn, who turned out to be alive and retired, started operating under the direction of somebody that claimed to be the original Joker. Barbara Gordon revealed to Terry the brainwash incident with Tim Drake and the Joker. After some investigations Bruce and Terry learned that the Joker was Tim, Robin II, but only physically. The Joker not only brainwashed Drake, but he also used the same special technology they would later learn Waller used to clone Bruce, to put his mind into the sidekick's brain, achieving the ultimate joke on Batman. It was the Joker living in Tim's body. This Joker also had full knowledge of Batman's identity and Robin II's combat knowledge. After Batman II stopped him, he though he could comfortably leave the scene and "see Batman II around", but Terry kept fighting him until he freed Drake once again and defeated the Joker.
[edit] The Once and Future Thing
In a Justice League two-part episode, The Once and the Future Thing, villainous time traveler Chronos took control of Joker/Drake's band and gave them cybernetic powers, which allowed them to eliminate much of the League, including Big Barda and Superman, leaving Bruce Wayne in charge. With the aid of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Batman from the Justice League Unlimited era, the League managed to stop Chronos even before he started his operation, and put the future back on its proper course. Only John Stewart Green Lantern and Batman retained memories of the adventure.
[edit] Epilogue
Years later, when Bruce was so old that he depended on Terry's care, Terry found out he shared Bruce Wayne's DNA. At first believing that Bruce had known he was his biological father all along and had somehow conspired to mold Terry in his image, an angry Terry somehow uncovered Amanda Waller's part in his creation. The aged Waller confessed her role in collecting genetic material from an unwitting Bruce Wayne and orchestrating Terry's birth. Although her plans to create an heir to Batman's legacy had been abandoned, in an extreme twist of fate, Terry had ended up choosing that path on his own. After getting the whole story, Terry decided to remain with the mantle of the bat, but still hang on to the other things in life he wanted as well, proposing marriage to his longtime girlfriend Dana, starting a family thus continuing the Legacy of Batman and Bruce Wayne long after Bruce Wayne's death. However, speculation has run rampant on the details of Bruce's death and his acknowledgment of his relation to Terry.
