DC Animated Universe/Characters/Batman: The Animated Series: Difference between revisions

 

== Batman (Bruce Wayne) ==

 

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.

As a member of the [[Justice League (animation)|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.

 

 

* [[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]]: [[Knight in Sour Armor|Type II]]

** In a subversion of his role in most other mediums, Batman is probably the least anti-heroic member of the [[Justice League (animation)|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 [[What the Hell, Hero?|called Superman out]] on his ethically questionable handling of Doomsday.

* [[Badass]]: Come on, it's BATMAN!

** [[Badass Baritone]]

** [[Badass Boast]]: "I am vengeance...I am the night...I! AM! BATMAN!"

** [[Badass Normal]]

** [[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.

* [[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]]

* [[The Lancer]]: When he becomes a part of the Justice League later on.

* [[Master of Disguise]]

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Along with J'onn in the League.

* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: Master of it, to Gordon's repeated annoyance.

** [[Not So Stoic]]: Anyone who gets to know him very well will attest to this, of course. In this series, {{spoiler|Amanda Waller's flashback in "Epilogue"}} provides [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|quite possibly]] [[Tear Jerker|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. [[Batman Beyond|Sorry, shippers]].

 

=== Robin I/Nightwing (Dick Grayson) ===

 

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 ([[Grease|not]] [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|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]]

* [[Big Brother Mentor]]: To Tim

* [[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]]

* [[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]]

* [[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) ===

 

 

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?"

 

 

 

* [[Action Girl]]

 

=== Robin II (Tim Drake) ===

 

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.

* {{spoiler|[[Grand Theft Me]]: ''[[Return of the Joker]]''}}

* [[Kid Sidekick]]

* {{spoiler|[[Mind Rape]]: ''Return of the Joker''}}

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: His father runs off to save his own skin, and ends up dead.

* {{spoiler|[[The Woobie]]: ''ROTJ'' makes it official, but he had elements of it in his debut.}}

 

 

* [[Battle Butler]]: On occasion.

== Other Allies ==

=== Detective Harvey Bullock ===

 

* [[Cowboy Cop]]

 

=== Officer Renee Montoya ===

 

* [[Badass Spaniard]]

* [[Canon Immigrant]]

 

=== Commissioner James Gordon ===

 

* [[Badass Moustache]]

 

=== Jonah Hex ===

 

* [[Anti-Hero]]: [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type III]].

== Antagonists ==

=== Baby Doll (Mary Louise Dahl) ===

 

* [[Adult Child]]: Inverted and straight.

* [[Secret Identity Identity]]: Tries to be this, but its just pretend.

* [[Tsundere]]

 

=== The Joker ===

 

* [[Arch Enemy]]

* [[Axe Crazy]]

* [[The Dragon]]: To Luthor on occasion.

* [[The Dreaded]]

 

=== Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel) ===

* [[Blue Eyes]]

* [[Canon Immigrant]]: Started out as a DCAU character, then became part of the main DC universe.

 

=== Two-Face (Harvey Dent) ===

 

* [[Enemy Within]]

 

=== Ra's al Ghul ===

 

* [[Affably Evil]]

 

=== Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) ===

 

* [[Anti-Villain]]

* [[An Ice Person]]

* [[Creepy Monotone]]

* [[Despair Event Horizon]]: {{spoiler|Losing his wife. ''Both'' times.}}

** Gets another one in ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. Poor guy just can't catch a break.

* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: His entire origin was based on this.

* [[Freeze Ray]]

* [[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 (film)|Batman and Robin]]''.

 

=== Dr. Gregory Belson ===

 

* [[Dirty Coward]]

* [[Dr. Jerk]]

* [[Fat Bastard]]

* [[Only in It For the Money]]

* [[Jerkass]]

 

=== Clayface (Matt Hagen) ===

 

* [[Anti-Villain]]

* [[Composite Character]]: His character is essentially a combination of the first three versions from the comics.

* [[Eyes of Gold]]

* Jerkass

** [[Jerkass Woobie]]

* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]

 

=== Mojo (Lloyd Ventrix) ===

* [[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?

* Invisibility

** [[Invisible Jerkass]]

* [[Not-So-Imaginary Friend]]

* [[Jerkass]]

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: When Batman tries to warn him about the suit(and right before he gets defeated), Lloyd replies:

 

=== Catwoman (Selina Kyle) ===

 

* [[Anti-Villain]]

 

=== Arkady Duvall ===

 

* [[Aristocrats Are Evil]]

* [[Smug Snake]]