DC Animated Universe/Characters/Batman the Animated Series

A list of DCAU characters who first prominently featured in Batman the Animated Series.

Batman (Bruce Wayne)
"Voiced by: Kevin Conroy"

Arguably the least-changed character from his comics counterpart, the DCAU Batman has generally the same origin: his parents were shot dead after the three of them went to see a movie, and he decides to avenge them by becoming the vigilante Batman, complete with Batmobile and a handy utility belt.

This version of Batman, in particular, is notable for being an amalgam of the Golden Age, Silver Age and Dark Age versions of the characters. He's dark and brooding, but also an excellent Parental Substitute and even gets a few witty one-liners (as well as being caught in the occasional Death Trap).

As a member of the Justice League, Batman usually serves as Mission Control more than anything, due to his lack of superpowers, and is not as openly active as his Justice League allies, preferring to work alone and from the shadows. Nonetheless, he has a vested interest in the group's activities, as it is Bruce Wayne's finances that paid for their Watchtower headquarters and Javelin ship. And as the Series Finale of JLU showed, he can still kick ass if need be.

See here for tropes applying to him in Batman Beyond.

"The Joker: There's nothing mere about that mortal."
 * Ace Pilot: He has a seemingly endless supply of Batwings. Notably, he does get shot down by other pilots on occasion, but typically that's because he's outnumbered more than anything else.
 * Anti Hero: Type II
 * In a subversion of his role in most other mediums, Batman is probably the least anti-heroic member of the Justice League aside from the Flash. Justice Lord Batman was the only member of the the parallel League to see how corrupt his world had become, and normal Batman called Superman out on his ethically questionable handling of Doomsday.
 * Batman can also dip into Type III Anti-Heroism on occasion such as when he interrogated a thug in front of his wife and young son.
 * Badass: Come on, it's BATMAN!
 * Badass Baritone
 * Badass Boast: "I am vengeance...I am the night...I! AM! BATMAN!"
 * Badass Normal

"Diana: No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time."
 * Underestimating Badassery: Lex Luthor at the beginning sees Batman as just a nuisance who is of no concern to him compared to Superman. This is until Batman breaks into his penthouse and knocks out Mercy, absolutely scaring the crap out of Luthor, something Superman had NEVER been able to do. At that point, he gives Batman the same level of priority as Superman.
 * Bruce Wayne Held Hostage: Several times.
 * Building Swing: A frequent method of entry when he's not using Stealth Hi Bye.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Unlike most other incarnations of the Bruce Wayne character which are mostly portrayed as laid-back playboys living off their trust fund, the DCAU's Bruce takes a more active role in the day to day operation of Wayne Enterprises (until he loses the company in a hostile takeover). He still likes to cultivate an image as a slightly dimwitted millionaire though.
 * Celibate Hero: Well, not really, but it always works out that way in the end. It doesn't help that his Love Interests were composed of villains, plant-people, villains' daughters, and.
 * Combat Pragmatist: He's not above beating you with a chair.
 * He'll also happily steel weapons from enemy combatants -- so long as they aren't guns -- and even offer them to Superman.
 * Cool Car: The Batmobile.
 * Cool Garage: The Batcave
 * Cool Plane: The Batwing.
 * Crazy Prepared: ...it's Batman.
 * Creepy Good: His first encounter with Superman in Superman the Animated Series World's Finest pretty much solidifies his status as this.
 * Doesn't Like Guns: Which is why he flips out when.
 * The Dreaded
 * Escape Artist
 * Eureka Moment
 * Evil Laugh: His laugh in "Mad Love" is so creepy even Harley is creeped out.
 * Fiction 500
 * Friend to All Children: Part of his Jerk With a Heart of Gold personality, best demonstrated in "Injustice For All" (he gently coaxes some children to go with him out of a burning building) and "Epilogue".
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Genre Savvy
 * Good Is Not Nice
 * Grappling Hook Gun: One of the gadgets that gets frequent use throughout the DCAU.
 * Guile Hero
 * Heroic Sacrifice: In "Starcrossed," he attempts to manually pilot the Watchtower into the Thanagarian's hyperspace-bypass weapon. Fortunately, Superman saves him in the nick of time.
 * Jerkass / Jerkass Facade / Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * The Lancer: When he becomes a part of the Justice League later on.
 * Master of Disguise
 * Mission Control: It allows him to stay out of the spotlight in Justice League.
 * My Greatest Failure: Both Dick and Tim. Dick because Bruce allowed their relationship to fall apart and Tim because of what the Joker did to him.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: His Thou Shalt Not Kill attitude had its heavy price in Return of the Joker.
 * Offscreen Teleportation
 * Orphans Ordeal: "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old."
 * Parental Abandonment: HIS PARENTS ARE DEEAAAAAAAD!!!!
 * Precision Guided Boomerang
 * Roof Hopping: His main mode of travel.
 * Secret Identity
 * Secret Identity Identity: in Batman Beyond, he realizes that the voice in his head is not his own because it calls him "Bruce".
 * The Smart Guy: Along with J'onn in the League.
 * Stealth Hi Bye: Master of it, to Gordon's repeated annoyance.
 * The Stoic: It's part of his portfolio, after all.
 * Not So Stoic: Anyone who gets to know him very well will attest to this, of course. In this series, provides quite possibly the ultimate example of this.
 * The Team Normal: The only member of the League who doesn't have any super-powers (not counting Green Lantern being a normal man without his ring).
 * Troubled but Cute


 * Temporary Blindness: In the episode "Blind As A Bat."
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Wonder Woman. Sorry, shippers.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Superman and Flash.
 * Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys: From his money, that's where.

Robin I/Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
"Voiced by: Loren Lester"

Much like his comic counterpart, Dick was a member of The Flying Graysons, a family of circus acrobats. His parents were killed by a mobster named Tony Zucco (not Zuko). After being taken in by Bruce Wayne, he eventually finds out his secret and takes up the role of Robin. Eventually, he grows up and strikes out on his own, taking a new name: Nightwing.


 * Badass Normal
 * Badass Biker
 * Beware the Nice Ones: "Robin's Reckoning" and "Old Wounds" are very good examples.
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Tim
 * Broken Pedestal: Unlike the comic Dick and Bruce never truly reconcile after their falling out.
 * The Cameo: Averts being a Brother Chuck due to infrequent name-drops in Batman Beyond, but his only post-TNBA appearances are two brief glimpses in Justice League.
 * Commuting On a Bus: Done intentionally. Dick spends most of the week at school, letting Batman establish himself both with and without a partner. He only appears in two episodes of the first season.
 * Cool Bike
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu: In "Old Wounds,".
 * Mr. Fanservice
 * Nice Guy: Dick can sometimes be more level-headed than the Dark Knight, and rarely slips into the sick obsession Bruce has.
 * Parental Abandonment: Although he's a little better at dealing with it than Bruce. Not only was he older than Bruce when it happened, but when you work without a net like his parents did the risk is something you always live with.
 * Sidekick - Interestingly, he fills the same function as a Kid Sidekick without actually being one: he's college-age throughout most of B:TAS and graduates prior to The New Batman Adventures
 * Sidekick Graduations Stick
 * Took a Level In Badass: Well, a few more levels.
 * What the Hell Hero: He delivers these to Bruce on a couple of occasions, twice in "Old Wounds" on his growing obsession and keeping Batgirl's identity a secret from him and again (offscreen) when he finds out Bruce and Barbara have been seeing each other.
 * You Fight Like a Cow

Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
"Voiced by: Melissa Gilbert in Batman the Animated Series, Mary Kay Bergman in Sub-Zero, Tara Strong in The New Batman Adventures, Stockard Channing on Batman Beyond seasons 1 and 2, Angie Harmon in Return of the Joker and BB Season 3'''"

The daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon, Barbara first takes up the Bat cowl in an attempt to impersonate Batman, giving the impression of his support at a rally for her father. When she gets involved in a drive-by shooting that hits the rally, she is partially unmasked by Robin when he rips the back of her cowl, freeing her hair and leaving the city wondering "Who is Batgirl?"

Barbara operates independently in her appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, but is officially inducted into the Bat-Family by The New Batman Adventures.

In Batman Beyond, a much older Barbara has put aside the cowl and picked up the badge, taking her father's place as Police Commissioner of Gotham City. As fate would have it, the long-retired Bruce Wayne has just taken on a protege as the new Batman. See here for tropes applying to her in that show.


 * Action Girl
 * Badass Damsel - The SubZero movie. The highlight of it all is when Belson unlocks the chain binding her, she immediately starts swinging it at him.
 * Distaff Counterpart
 * Hot Librarian
 * The Other Darrin: Oh, boy...does this apply to her. She was originally voiced by Melissa Gilbert, then replaced by Mary Kay Bergman for the Sub-Zero DTV and she was replaced by Tara Strong for the revamp. However, despite popular opinion, Strong replacing Bergman is not due to Author Existence Failure as both Sub Zero and the revamp happened in 1997, two years before Bergman's death in '99. Then getting to Batman Beyond, the older Barbara was voiced by Stockard Channing for Seasons 1 and 2, then replaced with Angie Harmon for Return of the Joker and Season 3.
 * Timeshifted Actor: Barbara on Batman Beyond.

Robin II (Tim Drake)
"Voiced by: Matthew Valencia, Dean Stockwell [older]"

This Tim Drake is a combination of both the comic version and Jason Todd, the Robin before him. The son of a two-bit crook who betrayed and was murdered by Two-Face, Robin falls into Batman's world while fleeing Two-Face's thugs who are chasing him over something left by his father. Like Grayson, Tim finds out Batman's identity, steals the Robin costume, and ultimately helps bring Two-Face down.


 * Composite Character: He has Tim Drake's name and intellect with Jason Todd's backstory and attitude. Not to mention.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Fan Nickname: Timmy Todd, due to being a composite of Tim Drake and Jason Todd.
 * Kid Sidekick
 * Legacy Character: steals one of Dick's old costumes.
 * Parental Abandonment: His father runs off to save his own skin, and ends up dead.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: His pet name for Two-Face is Puke-Face.
 * Parental Abandonment: His father runs off to save his own skin, and ends up dead.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: His pet name for Two-Face is Puke-Face.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: His pet name for Two-Face is Puke-Face.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: His pet name for Two-Face is Puke-Face.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: His pet name for Two-Face is Puke-Face.

'''Alfred Pennyworth
"Voiced by: Efrem Zimbalist Jr."


 * Battle Butler: On occasion.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * The Other Darrin: Clive Revill voiced Alfred in his first three appearances before leaving and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. replaced him.
 * Retired Badass: Former SAS soldier/high-ranking intelligence agent, who can not only defend himself against thugs, but also hold out against truth serum.
 * Servile Snarker

Detective Harvey Bullock
"Voiced By: Robert Costanzo"


 * Cowboy Cop
 * Oral Fixation Fixation
 * Jerkass
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold

Officer Renee Montoya
"Voiced By: Ingrid Oliu, Liane Schrimer"


 * Ascended Extra: In the comics, she becomes one of the central characters of both Gotham Central and Fifty Two. And, of course, in Fifty Two she becomes The Question...
 * Badass Spaniard
 * Canon Immigrant

Commissioner James Gordon
"Voiced By: Bob Hastings"


 * Badass Moustache
 * Badass Normal
 * The Commissioner Gordon: Acts as the chief liason between the official authorities and Batman.
 * Cool Old Guy: For the most part.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure

Jonah Hex
"Voiced By: William McKinney in Batman the Animated Series, Adam Baldwin in Justice League"


 * Anti Hero: Type III.
 * Badass Grandpa: In the "Showdown" episode of Batman: The Animated Series, he looked to be in his 60's; it didn't diminish his badassery one bit.
 * Badass Normal
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Seen It All
 * The Gunslinger

Baby Doll (Mary Louise Dahl)
"Voiced By: Alison Laplaca, Laraine Newman"


 * Adult Child: Inverted and straight.
 * Catch Phrase: "I didn't mean to."
 * Civilian Villain: Tragic version. She really had reformed. Everyone accepted her living a normal life but then that one person was Tempting Fate pushing Berserk Button despite protests to stop.
 * Classically Trained Extra: It backfires.
 * Happy Fun Ball: Used by her occasionally.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: With Croc.
 * I Am Not Spock: An in-universe example, of course.
 * Love Makes You Evil: Luckily it is merely a temporary case of the Genre Blind variety.
 * Older Than They Look
 * Secret Identity Identity: Tries to be this, but its just pretend.
 * Tsundere
 * Villainous Breakdown: One of the most heartbreaking you'll ever see.

The Joker
"Voiced By: Mark Hamill"


 * Arch Enemy
 * Axe Crazy
 * Bad Boss: In case you ever forget how much of an asshole he is, just look at the way he abuses Harley sometimes.
 * The Dragon: To Luthor on occasion.
 * The Dreaded
 * Eviler Than Thou: To Lex Luthor. In World's Finest, Luthor thought he held his strings the entire time and when the Joker failed to kill Superman (though he came closer than almost anyone previously), tries to betray and kill him. This turned out to be an incredibly BAD idea.
 * For the Evulz: When he isn't selling his services.
 * Giggling Villain
 * The Hyena: C'mon. It's The Joker.
 * Joker Immunity
 * Kick the Dog: Harley and especially.
 * Laughing Mad: C'mon. It's The Joker.
 * Luke I Am Your Father: Averted. Word of God stated that Joker is not related to the Dee-Dee twins, although Harley Quinn was.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Monster Clown
 * Not So Harmless Villain: As both Lex Luthor and Superman found out.
 * Psycho for Hire: When he's not freelancing.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Andrea Beaumont, in the comic book sequel to Batman Mask of the Phantasm hesitated for a second from putting him at the core of the explosion consuming the fairgrounds due to the Joker's transformation turning him into a "grinning lunatic with no sense of right or wrong."
 * Slasher Smile

Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)
"Voiced By: Arleen Sorkin"


 * Blue Eyes
 * Canon Immigrant: Started out as a DCAU character, then became part of the main DC universe.
 * Cute and Psycho
 * Genki Girl
 * Les Yay: Strongly hinted at with Poison Ivy.
 * Luke I Am Your Grandmother: Due in part to one of the character designers not bearing to kill Harley Quinn off, she
 * Mad Love: I smell a Trope Namer...
 * Perky Female Minion
 * Punny Name: Harley Quinn. Even when not highlighting this out, her name sounds like "Harlequin".
 * The Dog Bites Back: Sometimes Mistah J will push her too far, which leads to...
 * Yandere: Fear her when she goes into this mode. Even the Joker is scared of her when she goes into this mode.
 * Villainous Harlequin: Probably the most classic example ever. She even provides the current page picture !

Two-Face (Harvey Dent)
"Voiced By: Richard Moll"


 * Enemy Within
 * Fallen Hero
 * My Greatest Failure: For Batman
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Against Thorne.
 * Split Personality Takeover
 * Two Faced

Ra's al Ghul
"Voiced By: David Warner"


 * Affably Evil
 * Big Bad: Sort of. He's not the overriding threat of the series, but his schemes tend most often to be arc-based, and Batman regards him as his most powerful and dangerous enemy.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Even Evil Has Standards: He's disgusted by the the cruelty Arkady Duvall shows towards underlings.
 * Friendly Enemy: One-sided. He genuinely seems to like Bruce and wants him as his heir. Batman disagrees, and as a result Ra's will use deadly force on him if neccessary.
 * The respect seems to be somewhat mutual, as evidenced in the Jonah Hex episode. It turns out the old man Ra's "kidnapped" is his son. Batman allows them to leave without a fight.
 * Immortality
 * We Can Rule Together
 * Well Intentioned Extremist
 * Worthy Opponent

Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries)
"Voiced By: Michael Ansara"

"Mr. Freeze: I'm beyond emotions. They've been frozen dead in me."
 * Anti Villain
 * An Ice Person
 * Bad Boss: He values Nora's life more than anyone else's, even his own henchmen.
 * Creepy Monotone
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Gets another one in Batman Beyond. Poor guy just can't catch a break.
 * Determinator:"Nora was the only good thing in my life and they took her from me. I don't care what I have to do to get her back!"
 * Fate Worse Than Death: His entire origin was based on this.
 * Freeze Ray
 * Powered Armor
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 * RedGogglesTakeWarning
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Any temperatures over freezing; he can't survive them without his suit.
 * A Worldwide Punomenon: He makes some cold-related puns in his debut episode; they are much better than anything from Batman and Robin.

Dr. Gregory Belson
"Voiced By: George Dszundza"


 * Icy Blue Eyes: Contrasting Mr. Freeze's red goggles.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. He'd never murder an innocent girl...unless you pay him enough.
 * Dirty Coward
 * Dr. Jerk
 * The Dragon: Not a true example,but close enough.
 * Fat Bastard
 * Kidnapped Scientist: Although unlike most examples,he isn't afraid to go along with whatever his captor says.
 * Would Hurt a Child: As long as Victor gives him his fair share, he has no qualms about what he does to Barbara.
 * Only in It For The Money
 * Jerkass

Clayface (Matt Hagen)
"Voiced By: Ron Perlman"


 * Anti Villain
 * Composite Character: His character is essentially a combination of the first three versions from the comics.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His motive in his first appearance, seeking revenge against the men responsible for his transformation.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Jerkass
 * Jerkass Woobie
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Large Ham: He's an actor, so this shouldn't come as a surprise.
 * Psychopathic Manchild
 * What Measure Is a Non Human:

Mojo (Lloyd Ventrix)
"Voiced By: Michael Gross"

"Who cares if it is? With this suit, I can take back my daughter whenever I want! Her mother won't stop me, and neither will you!"
 * Badass Abnormal: Compared to other villains, who are much more cunning and resourceful, he's pretty much a thug with an invisibility suit. That doesn't stop him from giving Batman a pretty bad beating.
 * Determinator: What more can you say about a guy who's willing to pose as his daughter's imaginary friend while stealing gifts for her, just so he can earn her trust?
 * Deadly Upgrade: It's revealed that the plastic he uses for his suit is toxic.
 * Invisibility
 * Invisible Jerkass
 * Not So Imaginary Friend
 * Jerkass
 * Jerkass Woobie: Despite his nature, he REALLY just wants to be with his little girl again.
 * Villainous Breakdown: When Batman tries to warn him about the suit(and right before he gets defeated), Lloyd replies:

Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
"Voiced By: Adrienne Barbeau"


 * Anti Villain
 * Classy Cat Burglar
 * Dating Catwoman
 * Enemy Mine
 * Foe Yay
 * Lovable Rogue

Arkady Duvall
"Voiced By: Malcolm McDowell"


 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Beard of Evil: Well, friendly muttonchops of evil, anyway.
 * Blue Blood
 * Dirty Coward
 * Fate Worse Than Death
 * Its All About Me
 * Laser Guided Karma:
 * Royal Brat: He's not royalty, but he definately has the 'tude.
 * Smug Snake
 * Royal Brat: He's not royalty, but he definately has the 'tude.
 * Smug Snake