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{{quote| ''"[[I Am the Noun|I am vengeance. I am the night]]. [[Punctuated for Emphasis|I... am...]] '''[[Batman]]!'''"''}}
''Batman: The Animated Series'' (or ''BTAS''), which debuted in 1992 on the [[
It drew heavily from [[Frank Miller]]'s 1986 graphic novel ''[[The Dark Knight Returns (Comic Book)|The Dark Knight Returns]]'' and the [[Batman (
''BTAS'' 's brief venture into primetime showed off its well-known edgier themes, pushing the limits of what had been acceptable in Western animation (notably, sparse application of [[The Hit Flash]], and overt use of realistic -- if [[Rare Guns|unlikely]] -- guns, rather than [[Family-Friendly Firearms|dubious stand-ins]]).
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The new designs in the second series, ''The New Batman Adventures'', notably restored the Penguin to the comics version, made Poison Ivy more plant-like, and made Scarecrow [[Nightmare Fuel|scary]]; other new designs, like The Joker, Catwoman, The Mad Hatter, and The Riddler, were less effective. (Joker's design was changed again in ''[[Justice League]]'', to one closer to his look in the first seasons of this show.) Since [[The WB]]'s broadcast standards were more relaxed than FOX's, the producers were allowed to use more action and violence than before. The status quo of this show was close to the comics of its time, as Batman was partnered with a younger Robin named Tim Drake (although Tim's origin in the show was taken from a different source) and Dick Grayson was the grown-up hero Nightwing due to a falling out occurring during the interim between the two series (which was explained in a flashback episode).
Three movies based on the series were produced: ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' (which had a limited theatrical run), ''[[Batman and Mister Freeze Sub Zero]]'' (a pseudo-tie-in to the live action movie ''[[Batman and Robin (
The series also had an official tie-in comic, ''[[The Batman Adventures]]'', which also received critical and financial success (most notably, the Eisner-Award-winning ''Mad Love'', which detailed Harley Quinn's [[Start of Darkness|origin]] and was later adapted as an episode of the TV series).
While it's not officially part of the [[DCAU]], the 2009 video game ''[[Batman:
This show now has a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Best Episode Crowner].
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* [[Action Series]]
* [[Actor Allusion]]:
** William Sanderson's character is a guy who [[Blade Runner
** Sela Ward played Page Monroe, the eponymous "Calendar Girl" in one episode -- a former model who turned to a life of crime after being passed over in favor of younger faces and tried to exact revenge on the ones who ended her career.
** In the ''Gotham Knights'' episode "Mad Love," The Joker quips "[[Star Wars|May the floss be with you!]]"
* [[Adam Westing]]: The star of the [[Batman (TV series)|'60s series]] appears as a washed-up actor who played "The Gray Ghost," a [[Show Within a Show|fictional superhero]] whom Bruce Wayne idolized as a child. The dramatic variant of the usual Adam-West-as-himself gag works, and this rendition is a more sincere experience for West and fans ("So it wasn't all for nothing."). Also doubles as [[Remake Cameo]] and [[Actor Allusion]].
* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: The episodic nature replicated the feel of the comics, and the various characters were streamlined into their most efficient archetype.
* [[Adult Fear]]:
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* [[Animation Bump]]: The episodes that are done by [[TMS Entertainment]] and [[Spectrum]].
* [[Anti-Villain]]:
** Mr Freeze. His re-imagining from a one-note gimmick villain was so acclaimed that his new, tragic backstory was [[Canon Immigrant|incorporated]] into the DCU canon -- as well as a [[Batman and Robin (
** Catwoman, who just wants to protect the animals most of all. The first season showed her genuinely reforming, but by the second season she had fallen back into more criminal habits. A comment by Bruce in ''[[
** Poison Ivy. Even Batman recognizes that all she wants is a quiet and peaceful life, the problems only arise because she wants them on ''her'' terms.
** Clayface, at least in his first few appearances. Most of his crimes revolve around him regaining his humanity and living a normal life.
* [[Art Evolution]]: The "revamp" to ''The New Batman Adventures'' saw a more streamlined design applied to the character models in order to match ''[[Superman:
* [[And I Must Scream]]: Grant Walker pays a [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|heavy price for seeking immortality.]]
* [[Artificial Intelligence]]: The "Heart of Steel" and "His Silicon Soul" arc deals with intelligent computers, and also ponders questions of morality and life for mechanical beings.
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* [[Auction]]
* [[Auction of Evil]]: Twice. In "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne" (for Batman's secret identity) and "Harlequinade" (for an atomic bomb).
* [[Author Appeal]]: The Harley/Ivy [[Ho Yay|Les Yay]]. Even [[
* [[Awesomeness By Analysis]]: The Clock King (who's a middle-aged civil servant) is able to go hand to hand with Batman simply from having studied Batman's tendencies in a fight. This is also one of Batman's own methods; he does this often when caught by surprise, allowing him to defeat his enemy or, should the situation become too great (it happens, but rarely), retreat to fight another day.
* [[Badass Back]]: Just try to sneak attack Batman from behind. I DARE you.
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{{quote| '''Thug''': Gee, boss, you're scaring me. You're talking kinda crazy.<br />
'''Riddler''': [[Sanity Slippage|DON'T YOU]] ''[[Sanity Slippage|EVER]]'' [[Sanity Slippage|CALL ME THAT!]] }}
* [[Best Served Cold]]: "This is how I'll always remember you: surrounded by winter, forever young, forever beautiful... [[Talking to
* [[Between My Legs]]: Harley in "Mad Love," and Miriam in "Baby Doll."
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Robin is ''always'' good cop to Batman's bad cop, and generally does his best to keep Batman from going too far into the darkness. "Robin's Reckoning" showed that he can be just as brutal and frighting as Bruce when properly provoked.
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* [[Canon Immigrant]]: Had several.
** Harley Quinn is the most popular of the immigrants and has starred in her own comic series and guest-starred in several currently-ongoing series, serving as the Joker's henchwoman and as a villain (and sometimes hero) in her own right. The partnership/friendship/[[Ho Yay|something more]] relationship between her and Poison Ivy has likewise been adapted into the comics, and as of December, 2009 the two are co-starring (Along with Catwoman) in ''[[Gotham City Sirens]]''.
** Detective Renee Montoya is an interesting conundrum; though created for the show, because it took so long to produce the episodes she actually appeared in the ''comics'' first. She guest-starred in numerous Bat-Family titles until the launch of ''[[
** Lock-Up and Roxy Rocket are more minor immigrants. Lock-Up has a similar origin and motive, but appears infrequently, and Roxy Rocket has only had one or two appearances since her first adventure.
** The Sewer King turned up dead in one panel of ''[[Fifty Two|52]]'' when they needed some [[C
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: Joker has three [[Mooks]] based off the [[Three Stooges]]. Similarly, Baby Doll's henchmen to [[Gilligan's Island
* [[Captive Date]]: In "Mad as a Hatter", Jarvis Tetch tries to win his co-worker Alice's heart after her recent breakup. She is charmed by Jarvis but mistakes his romantic overtures as attempts to cheer her up and she later reconciles with her boyfriend. Jarvis then uses his [[Mind Control]] technology on her and takes her on a "date" at a Wonderland-themed amusement park.
* [[Cardboard Prison]]: [[Lampshaded]] in Lock-Up. Arkham is described as having a revolving door.
* [[Cast
** Kevin Conroy voices The Mad Hatter, Clayface, and Robin in different episodes.
* [[Catapult Nightmare]]: multiple episodes, but notably in both parts of the two-partner "Two-Face"
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* [[Chronic Villainy]]:
** The Riddler [[Cut Lex Luthor a Check|sells his persona for a fortune]] and decides to abandon crime altogether in order to avoid risking his newfound wealth and freedom. However, because he has such a compulsion, he reasons that the only way he can do so is to kill Batman. Naturally, he fails, gets found out and arrested.
** Harley Quinn went through extensive therapy and treatment for her [[Mad Love|obsession with the Joker]] and was certified legally sane by the staff of Arkham Asylum. However, on her first day out out, a series of comical misunderstandings resulted in her taking a hostage and being pursued by Bullock, the hostage's father (a general in a tank!) and a vengeful gangster, winding up right back in Arkham by the end of the day. In this case it seems that everybody involved (including Batman himself) was rooting for Harley's successful recovery and the end of the episode implied that she would make it there eventually, but that storyline was never followed up (''[[Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]]'' shows that she eventually did reform and have a normal life, but only ''after'' Joker was dead).
** The Penguin decided to abandon crime one day when he was released from Stonegate, deciding that he never wanted to return to jail again, but when he learned that the woman he began to fall in love with was only spending time with him to mock his uncultured ways he relapsed into villainy. However, unlike the other villains, he does manage to stay out of jail in ''The New Batman Adventures.'' He didn't really reform and uses his nightclub as a front for shady deals, but he does a much better job of ensuring his legal safety. Batman is well-aware that Penguin hasn't changed, but keeps him around because he is just as often a [[The Rat|good source of information]] about other, more dangerous criminals.
* [[City Noir]]: Achieved by doing the art for the series on black paper.
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* [[Comic Book Fantasy Casting]]: Randa Duane's appearance was based upon that of [[Marilyn Monroe]].
* [[The Commissioner Gordon]]: The original appears in his traditional role.
* [[Common Knowledge]]: "Girl's Night Out," the episode of the [[DCAU]] featuring Batgirl and Supergirl squaring off against Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Livewire is commonly thought to be a ''[[Superman: The Animated Series
* [[Composite Character]]:
** Clayface is a combo of the first three people to assume the name. He is an actor like the original Basil Karlo version, has the name and powers of Matt Hagen and was disfigured like Preston Payne.
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** In "Almost Got 'Im", Two-Face is very aggrieved with Poison Ivy, who claims "we used to date"; in "Trial" she makes a reference to trying to kill Harvey Dent. Both are references to "Pretty Poison", Ivy's debut episode.
** In "House & Garden," as Poison Ivy flees at the end of the episode she looks over a photo album of her time in Gotham. Included in this album is a picture of Bruce Wayne & Harvey Dent (A reproduction of their groundbreaking at Stonegate Penitentiary in "Pretty Poison") and a picture of Ivy and Harley Quinn (A reproduction of their team-up in "Harley & Ivy").
** In "Joker's Millions," the actor impersonating the Joker gives himself away when Bruce Wayne references the last time they met, stumping him on the specific events and when they happened. Namely, that the Joker threw Bruce off a rooftop only last month. This happened when they both guest-starred in the three-part ''[[Superman: The Animated Series
** In "Harley's Holiday," Boxey points out that the last time Harley Quinn showed up at his door she not only destroyed his club, but brought Batman down on him as well. This occurred in "Harlequinade," where Harley was helping Batman find the Joker.
** When the Clock King reappears in "Time Out of Joint," Batman deduces that he is moving very fast and that they are not up against another invisible man. They last faced an invisible foe in "See No Evil," where a man had stolen an invisibility suit and used it to commit robberies and kidnap his daughter from his ex-wife.
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** Roland Daggett's attempts to control Matt Hagen with his highly addictive facelift-in-a-jar concoction eventually turned the man into Clayface.
* [[Creepy Monotone]]: Both Batman and Mr. Freeze put this to good use.
* [[Crossover]]: "Girl's Night Out" featured guest appearances by Supergirl and Livewire from ''[[Superman: The Animated Series
* [[Crusading Widower]]: Mr. Freeze.
* [[Crush Blush]]: Bruce Wayne meeting Selina Kyle
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** In "Riddler's Reform," Riddler has sold the license to his persona to a toy developer for a completely legal fortune. However, Batman is convinced that he will continue to commit riddle-crimes, even though it will jeopardize his freedom and financial well-being. When Robin wonders why he would take such a risk, Batman explains that for him it is not about the money, it is an obsession. As it turns out, Batman's right; Riddler is uneasy with his new life, and eventually decides to try to kill Batman once and for all just to remove the temptation to backslide.
** Discussed by the creators during the DVD commentary of "Critters." The episode ''does'' explain why Farmer Brown cannot make money with his actual discoveries (Court orders and lawsuits shut him down), but he has obviously found ''some'' way of getting rich given the technology and equipment he employs. The weapons and tools he uses during the episode must have cost ''millions'' and the producers themselves did not understand why Farmer Brown would be demanding payment from the city, since he obviously already ''has'' cash. Revenge makes perfect sense, but extortion does not and they offered no explanation.
* [[Damn, It Feels Good to Be
* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: "Batgirl Returns" features this exchange with Roland Daggett:
{{quote| Batgirl: So what are you going to do, leave us hanging over one of these vats with acid burning through the rope?<br />
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* [[Dating Catwoman]]: Obviously.
* [[Dead Line News]]: A non-lethal example, involving the Joker and laughing gas.
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Sometimes Batman and Robin took turns in this role (With Robin sometimes giving [[Spider
** Weirdly enough, the ''Bat-Plane'' gets one in: in "the Forgotten", when Alfred has the plane's autopilot computer take him to the secret labor camp where Batman is being held prisoner, the plane locates Batman but is unable to find a safe place to land. Alfred demands that the "tin can" land them at once, to which the Bat-Plane replies(!) "your funeral."
** Both Robins. Tim Drake had a particularly fun moment:
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* [[Death Trap]]
* [[Deliberately Monochrome|Deliberately Sepia Tone]]: There are several instances within the series, i.e. "Pretty Poison", "It's Never Too Late", that use a distinct sepia tone to indicate a [[Flash Back]] sequence.
* [[Depending
** Opening: Kazuhide Tomonaga; In house.
** ''Two-Face Part 1'': Kenji Hachizaki; In house.
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* [[Domestic Abuse]]: The Joker and Harley have what is, beneath the make-up, a classic abusive relationship filled with emotional trauma and physical violence.
* [[Do Not Call Me Paul]]: After his transformation, Harvey Dent is very clear that he is now Two-Face, even to his fiance.
* [[Donut Mess
* [[The Dragon]]:
** Candace, Rupert Thorne's associate, is his right-hand in almost all criminal activities.
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** In "Mad Love," ''Batman'' manages to churn one out -- [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1bmM7Ihv0Y it creeps out Harley Quinn], at any rate, and given that she works for the Joker...
* [[Exact Words]]:
** In "Harley and Ivy," Ivy loudly proclaims that "[[No Man of Woman Born|no man can take us prisoner]]." Enter, stage right: [[Gotham Central
** In "Blind as a Bat", the Penguin has stolen a highly advanced stealth helicopter and is threatening Gotham for ransom. After Batman approaches him with a plan, Mayor Hill goes on television to announce that the Penguin has won, and if he returns the helicopter to the agreed drop-site, "you'll get everything that's coming to you."
** In "Joker's Favor", Joker uses this to mess with the poor bastard he has been stalking for two years. He said he would send Charlie home, not send him home ALIVE.
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** In "Two-Face," stray machine-gun fire during the show-down between Two-Face and mob boss Rupert Thorne severs the rope of a chandelier and it falls on Thorne. Sadly, it is quite a small chandelier and he survives.
** In "Halequinade," Harley swings atop a chandelier with a significant suspension cord, severs it, and sends it crashing onto baddies with an accuracy worthy of the Batman himself. Naturally, this was also a non-lethal chandelier crash.
* [[The Family for
* [[Family-Friendly Firearms]]: Averted in most cases. Some supervillains, like Mr. Freeze, would carry more fantastic weaponry, but many of Batman's foes used normal firearms.
* [[Family-Unfriendly Violence]]: The makers have stated that since they could not show a character getting killed, they took revenge by demolishing The Ventriloquist's puppet, Scarface, in ever-more-gruesome ways, ultimately having him be {{spoiler|ground up in a ventilation fan.}}
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* [[Fashion Show]]
* [[Fat Bastard]]
** Detective Harvey Bullock, who is rude, filthy, [[Donut Mess
** One-Shot villain Boss Biggis in "The Forgotten." Morbidly obese (The voice-actor acually ate while recording his lines to give the proper feel for the character) and running an actual slave labor camp, where he has his men kidnap homeless men of the street to work in his mines.
* [[Femme Fatale]]: The only female villain that does ''not'' fall into this in some way is Baby Doll, on account of her bearing the physical form of a five-year-old.
* [[Fiction 500]]
* [[Film Noir]]: To date, possibly the best example in Western animation. Or animation period, really.
* [[First Time in
* [[Flash Back]]
* [[Fluffy Tamer]]:
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* [[Foreshadowing]]: In "Two-Face" Pt. 1, during Harvey Dent's hypnotherapy session there is a brief lightning flash; during the flash a split-second shot of the left side of Dent's face is hideously scarred.
* [[Freak Lab Accident]]: The Joker, Two-Face, and Mr. Freeze all feature this in their origin.
* [[Freeze
* [[Freeze Ray]]: Mr. Freeze.
* [[Friend to Psychos]]: Most of [[The Joker]]'s [[Mooks|minions]] (save for Harley Quinn) don't seem to share his psychosis, but help him pull off his crime sprees anyway.
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* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: A villainous example in Harley Quinn.
* [[Giving Them the Strip]]: In "Christmas With the Joker", Batman attempts to grab the fleeing joker, only to end up holding the Joker's cardigan, complete with a false set of arms.
* [[A Glitch in
* [[Go Mad From the Revelation]]: Inverted when Batman survives the Riddler's death-trap, but will not tell him how he did it. The episode ends with Riddler ranting and raving as he tries to figure out how it was done.
* [[Go Out with a Smile|Go Out With a Joke]]: As Harley Quinn falls to her death, clinging to the straw of a giant neon soda bottle, she remarks that at least she is going out on a joke.
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* [[Hollywood Homely]]: [[Invoked]]; the prevalence of the trope drives the plot of one episode. Page Monroe is a former supermodel-turned-villain who was fired when she was viewed as "too old." However, once unmasked, both Batgirl and Batman comment that she is still startlingly attractive, but [[Minor Injury Overreaction|she considers herself ugly, which Batman states is because she can only see her minor "imperfections."]] This is also a case of [[Actor Allusion]] as Page Monroe was voiced by Sela Ward, who was famous for having been dumped as a model in favor of younger women.
* [[Homage]]:
** In "Mudslide," Clayface reveals the first name of his accomplice when he shouts... [[A Streetcar Named Desire
** Fictional example, Batman based the layout of the Batcave on his superhero idol "[[Show Within a Show|The Gray Ghost]]."
** "Legends of the Dark Knight." Four kids share their views of the Bat. One boy says he is a metahuman with wings. Another says he is [[Batman (TV series)|a cheery guy who calls Robin "chum."]] The girl retells an iconic scene from [[The Dark Knight Returns (Comic Book)|The Dark Knight Returns]]: with [[Superman: The Animated Series
** In "Perchance to Dream", Gordon says to Batman "Any idea what it [the mind-control helmet] is?" and Batman deadpans back the final line of ''[[The Maltese Falcon]]'':
{{quote| '''Batman''': Yes. The stuff that dreams are made of.}}
** In "Almost Got 'Im", Poison Ivy's hat and coat (and the general atmosphere of the underworld club they're in) is a shoutout to Ilsa's in ''[[Casablanca]]''. Especially the way shadows fall across her face, with that hat.
** "It's Never Too Late" has a homage to the gangster film ''[[Angels
** "Heart of Steel" has a boatload -- [[
** ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro
* [[Homemade Sweater From Hell]]: The Joker wears a rather subdued example for his [[Do Not Adjust Your Set|"Christmas special."]]
* [[Human Popsicle]]: Nora Fries, wife of Mr. Freeze, was placed into cryogenic stasis in order to save her life from her terminal disease.
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* [[I'm Your Worst Nightmare]]
* [[Incredibly Obvious Bug]]: Batman's standard tracking device, seen in multiple episodes, beeps ''and'' flashes. And it's shaped like a bat.
* [[Informed Ability]]: Apparently, Lock-Up is such a horrific guard that he has driven even the already-insane inmates of Arkham insane, paralyzing the Scarecrow, "The God of Fear," with fear. When his offenses against the patients are actually given, however, it is debatable as to whether they are extreme or standard asylum fare, apart from his mental abuse of the Ventriloquist, possibly because the show [[Never Say "Die"|could not portray anything worse.]]
* [[Ink Suit Actor]]:
** Harley Quinn, the Joker's lovable henchwoman, was based on her voice-actress, Arleen Sorkin. The producers are apparently amazed that she still talks to them.
** Although this version of the Penguin was based on Danny Devito's appearence in ''[[
* [[Instrumental Theme Tune]]: Initially an adaptation of [[Danny Elfman]]'s theme from the [[Tim Burton]] movies; Shirley Walker's own theme was eventually promoted to main title status. The series eventually had a soundtrack album released featuring its scores (though sadly Walker had passed away a few years before).
* [[Insult Friendly Fire]]
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* [[Intimidating Revenue Service]]: The Joker, like all other sapient beings, fears the I.R.S. above and beyond even Batman.
* [[Ironic Echo]]:
** From the episode "Baby Doll." Baby's catch-phrase on the show (after causing some mayhem) was "I didn't mean to!" a la [[The Simpsons (
** In the episode "Mad As a Hatter," Tetch asks Alice if she remembers the Mock Turtle's song, reciting "Would you, won't you, would you, won't you... won't you join the dance?" before dancing with her in the park. Later, {{spoiler|as she is hugging her fiancé Billy, while the Hatter lies trapped in the [[It Makes Sense in Context|claws of a Jabberwock]], he moans softly, "Would not... would not, could not... oh, could not join the dance" as the camera pans out to a statue of a crying Mock Turtle.}}
** In "Two-Face, Part 2", Grace tries to talk Harvey out of his persona.
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{{quote| '''Grace:''' Harvey! What are you doing!?<br />
'''Two-Face:''' Taking control of my life. }}
* [[Is That What He Told You?]]: When Batman attempts to get through to Harley about the [[Mad Love|problems with her relationship with the Joker]], Harley does her best to defend herself and her love, pointing out all the trust he placed in her when he told her his true history. Oh really? Batman heard that same "true story" years ago, and several different versions of it. [[Subverted Innocence|("Like any comedian, he uses whatever material will work.")]]
* [[The Jailer]]: Lock-Up.
* [[Jerkass]]: A lot of the villains, but special mention goes to arrogant richboy Warren, AKA Fox of the Terrible Trio. At least the other villains had reason for being so messed up and turning to crime. Warren, on the other hand, went to committing crimes and stealing despite the fact he's already got such a cushy lifestyle and a more than sizable inheritance. Why? Because he was ''bored''.
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* [[Kangaroo Court]]: In "The Trial", the villains of Gotham take over Arkham Asylum, where they kidnap Batman to face an obviously one-sided trial (with several villains as the jury, Two-Face as the prosecutor, and JOKER as the judge). Also, Batman's defense attorney is Janet Van Dorn, who was also kidnapped for this and happens to be anti-Batman. {{spoiler|They actually DO win the trial, but since they're dealing with psychopathic villains, said villains were going to kill them off anyway}}.
* [[Karma Houdini|Karma Enigma]]: The Riddler gets away scot-free at the end of "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" The producers have stated that they let the Riddler escape as a testament to his intellect.
* [["Kick Me" Prank]]: In "The Man Who Killed Batman", the criminals hold a funeral for Batman, who is believed dead. The Joker attaches a "Kick Me" sign to Batman's empty cape and cowl before it is to be sealed in a coffin.
* [[Kick the Dog]]: Mr. Freeze, trying to hit Batman, accidentally freezes one of his henchmen's legs. He then blames the accident on said henchman and leaves him for dead while the poor guy begs them to help him. It happens the same way to one of his ice maidens in "Cold Comfort."
* [[Knight Templar]]: Ra's al-Ghul lies between this and [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]].
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* [[McNinja]]: Red Claw, and Batman himself.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: But then, all Batman media have meaningful villain names, even for the original ones (Harley Quinn, anyone?).
* [[Mecha
* [[Meta Casting]]: See [[Adam Westing]].
** There's also William Sanderson playing a near-[[Expy]] of [[Blade Runner
* [[Mickey Mousing]]: Happens a lot during action or otherwise non-dialogue scenes.
* [[Mind Control]]: ''See'' [[Brainwashed]].
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* [[Moral Myopia]]: In ''Mad Love'' when Harley is reading a newspaper with the front page article titled "Joker Still At Large. Body Count Rises" she is more concerned for the Joker than for the victims.
* [[Most Common Card Game]]
* [[The Movie]]: There were several DTV films, but general consensus agrees that the theatrical film "[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]" is the best. "[[Batman and Mister Freeze Sub Zero]]" is seen as what ''[[Batman and Robin (
* [[Mr. Alt Disney]]: Grant Walker. A pioneer on animatronics and amusement parks owner, his design of an underwater utopia with no crime is loosely based on the original concept for Epcot Center. He also wants to be frozen like Mr. Freeze, a clear gag on the urban legend that Walt Disney is in cryogenic storage.
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Nightwing is, shall we say, quite a ''handsome'' fellow.
* [[Multicolored Hair]]: Two-Face.
* [[Multilayer Facade]]: In one episode, a villain is hired to obtain Batman's cape and cowl. When he ultimately succeeds, Batman reveals a second mask underneath the cowl to protect his identity.
* [[Murder
* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: Tygrus' solution to Batman and Catwoman's relationship in "Tyger, Tyger".
* [[Musicalis Interruptus]]: In "Joker's Favor", The ''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''-esque [[Leitmotif]] used for everyman Charlie Collins suddenly stops dead as he realizes, [[Oh Crap|with a look of horror upon his face,]] that two of Joker's underlings have managed to track him down to Ohio after living for two years in some form of peace and quiet under a new name.
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** In "Nothing to Fear", the Scarcrow's fear gas comes out of the air vents in the same manner as Joker's sleep gas in Tim Burton's ''Batman'' film.
** In "Legends of the Dark Knight", one of the kids thought Batman was a giant bat monster. Which in Post-[[Zero Hour]] continuity, many people believed Batman to be some kind of metahuman.
** In multiple episodes, the Joker's alias from before his transformation is given as "Jack Napier," which was his real name in the [[Batman (
* [[Never Found the Body]]: Joker pulled this off often during the series.
* [[Never Say "Die"]]: Averted, mostly. There is still the odd instance, like the Riddler threatening to "destroy" someone by stabbing him through the chest with a [[BFS|ten-foot sword]]. [[Word of God]] is that the Joker's Jokerizing gas was created because they initially were not allowed to kill people. It is arguably ''worse''.
* [[New Years Resolution]]
* [[Ninja]]: Kyodai Ken.
* [[No Man of Woman Born]]: "No man can take us prisoner!" It is a good thing [[Gotham Central
* [[Non-Idle Rich]]: Guess who?
* [[Non Standard Character Design]]: Before her redesign Baby Doll looked suspiciously like a ''[[
* [[No One Could Survive That]]: They [[Never Found the Body]], but the criminals from "The Man Who Killed Batman" believe that not even he could have escaped the massive explosion that left only his cape and cowl behind.
* [[No OSHA Compliance]]: In "The Forgotten", the chain-gang Bruce gets shanghaied into has workers in a mine without lights, helmets, or any sort of safety equipment. [[Justified Trope|The mine is being operated illegally and the operators do noy care if their employees live or die]], since they are grabbing them off the street.
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* [[Not His Sled]]: In "Bane," Bane lifts the worn and tired Batman overhead and breaks his back over his knee! No, wait, that was [[Knightfall]].
* [[Not My Driver]]
* [[The Not-Secret]]: [[Playing
* [[Not So Stoic]]: The writers will occasionally allow Batman's grim facade to break, with great effect. Notable examples:
** "Two-Face, Part 1": Upon seeing the effects of the chemical explosion on his childhood friend (and one of few ''real'' friends "Bruce Wayne" has) Harvey Dent, Batman's anguish is palpable.
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== P-T ==
* [[Pac-Man Fever]]: The Riddler's "wildly popular" video game creation has graphics and gameplay at [[Intellivision]] levels around the time the [[Super Nintendo]] was hitting its stride, though it fits considering the 1930s aesthetic and deliberate [[Anachronism Stew]] of the series. It uses sound effects from the original [[Super Mario Bros.]], distorted a little bit to make them sound different.
* [[Panty Shot]]:
** The DCAU-only villainess Baby Doll herself shows this in the Episode "Baby Doll".
** [[Superman: The Animated Series
* [[Papa Wolf]]: Batman's '''one''' principle is to never take a life. But if you ''dare'' to enslave innocent children to steal for you like The Sewer King did, you better damn well pray that he ''does'' hold onto it...
* [[The Paragon Always Rebels]]: Kyodai Ken.
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* [[Power Born of Madness]]: Harvey Dent appears to have this; in the episodes in which he finally snaps, when he transitions to "Big Bad Harv," he is strong enough to lift Rupert Thorne (an obese crime boss) clean off the ground and hurl him into three other thugs. He does something very similar in the very next episode as Two-Face with yet another thug. Considering this interpretation of Two-Face seems mostly based on being consumed by rage, maybe it is more [[Incredibly Lame Pun|"Power Born of Being Really Mad."]]
* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Quite a few of the society ladies in the background wear fur wraps.
* [[Product Placement]]: the Warner Bros. logo on the miniature skyscraper near the end of Mask of the Phantasm. Numerous episodes have either the Joker or one of his henchman can be seen reading ''[[
* [[Punch-Punch-Punch Uh-Oh]]: Batman vs. Rhino ([[Spider
** "The Last Laugh" involves Joker's use of a [[Mecha Mook]] to drive a garbage barge oozing laughing gas across the city, which inevitably leads to this.
* [[Punctuated for Emphasis]]: When Batman is infected with Scarecrow's fear toxins and hallucinates a monstrous ghost telling him how much his father is disappointed in him.
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** Prior to the Animated Series, Mister Freeze was a thug in a powered suit with an ice gun and actually was ''dead'' in the comics when the show first aired. The show gave Freeze a tragic past which DC promptly incorporated into the comics with the result of completely revitalizing the character.
** The original Clock King was simply a clock-themed crook. A new version was introduced in 2008 based off of the Temple Fugate version, sharing his name, manner of dress, and [[Awesomeness By Analysis]].
** The 2009 ''[[Batgirl 2009 (Comic Book)|Batgirl 2009]]'' series reveals that "The Gray Ghost" is now [[Show Within a Show|an old TV show within the DCU proper]], and [[Stalker
* [[Retired Badass]]: "The Lion and the Unicorn" reveals that Alfred spent time as a British government operative many years ago and, even though his primary duties were behind a desk, he amassed quite a few skills.
* [[Retro Universe]]: It is shown in "Cold Comfort" that that episode is set in August of 1997 and the technology is effectively that of the [[The Nineties|1990s]], but the industrial design is the Art Deco of the 1930s and 40s and people still wear [[Nice Hat|hats]]. A particularly glaring example was seen in "Fear of Victory," whose plot hinges on a college football game. The athletes are shown playing without facemasks and wearing leather helmets, out of fashion since at least the 1950's. Televisions were typically black and white (though color ones existed). One episode showed that ''Bruce Wayne'' owns a black and white TV. Yeah, the billionaire with the massive, high-res computers in his basement.
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* [[Shout-Out]]:
** In "Off Balance", Batman asks Talia whose side she is on. "That would be telling" she replies. Almost every episode of ''[[The Prisoner]]'' started with that dialogue.
** The fourth child in "Legend's of the Dark Knight" is an [[Ambiguously Gay|effeminate]] boy named [[Batman and Robin (
** In "Nothing to Fear" the security guard in the beginning is reading a comic book called [[
** In "Fear of Victory," the football player Brian and what is revealed of his life seems to be a reference to the book and film ''Brian's Song''.
** In the episode "Mad Love," the Joker gives a one-liner of "May the floss be with you!" as he tosses a grenade at Batman while exiting a dentist's office. Standard Joker pun, right? But, the voice actor also played [[Actor Allusion|Luke Skywalker]].
** In "You Scratch My Back," a list of ships includes ''[[World War II|Andrea Doria]]'', ''[[Gilligan's Island
** Two-Face's suit is a rather obvious reference to the famous "Scarface" poster.
** In the episode "The Laughing Fish" Joker pulls a wrench out of a box with the words "[[Home Improvement
** Annie, a homeless girl in the episode "Growing Pains", looks very similar to Natalie Portman's character Mathilda from the movie "[[The Professional]]."
** In the Creeper's debut, not only does he look similar to and act just like [[
{{quote| Creeper: [[Animaniacs
** Anyone who has seen ''[[Laputa: Castle in
** [[Transformers Generation 1|Cybertron]] Industries.
** Poison Ivy's license plate in "Harley & Ivy" is "[[Citizen Kane
** Karl Rossum, the owner of Cybertron Industries and one of the pioneers in A.I. research and robotics, is named for Capek's play ''[[
** A shot where Batman (seen only in shadow) takes apart Poison Ivy's plant monster with an axe perfectly mirrors Mickey's destruction of the broom in [[Fantasia
** The second episode of "Robin's Reckoning" has a shout out to [[
** The "Baby Doll" episode features a pair of mooks who were obviously [[Gilligan's Island
** In "Over The Edge", when Gordon is hanging off the roof, the shots are mimicking [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Vertigo]]''.
** The poster for the magician The Great Prosciutto in "Be a Clown" is a cartoonified portrait of [[Alan Moore]].
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* [[Spot of Tea]]: Alfred, as the most British of gentlemen, frequently offers an ''actual'' 'spot of tea.'
* [[Stage Magician]]: [[Zatanna]] guest stars in the episode "Zatanna," where it is reveled that Bruce studied with her and her father, Giovanni "John" Zatara, in order to hone his abilities to escape locks and traps. Unlike her comic character, and her later appearances in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', Zatanna does not seem to have any actual mystical abilities, instead she performs traditional sleight-of-hand as part of her act.
* [[Stalker
* [[Start of Darkness]]: Almost all of the villains' are shown. Mister Freeze and Harley Quinn's both established the canon.
* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: Despite being the [[Trope Codifier]], this is sometimes averted.
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* [[Take a Third Option]]: In "Almost Got 'Im," Harley Quinn captures Catwoman and ties her to a conveyor belt heading for a massive meatgrinder. Batman arrives and catches Harley, who then taunts that he can either bring her in or rescue Catwoman, but not both. Batman then... nonchalantly reaches over to the circuit breaker and shuts off the power to the grinder, to which Harley responds, "Good call—Help!"
* [[Taken for Granite]]
* [[Take That]]: In addition to its [[Shout-Out|Shout Outs]] to the [[Silver Age]] comics and [[Frank Miller]]'s ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]'', the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight" is renowned for its blatant [[Take That]] against the [[Batman and Robin (
* [[Talkative Loon]]: ''[[The Creeper]]''.
* [[Talking to
** Batman, as in most incarnations, speaks to his parents about his motivations, feelings, successes and failures as Batman.
** Mr. Freeze speaks to his wife, Nora Fries, who had a terminal disease and was placed in [[Human Popsicle|cryogenic stasis]] to preserve her life.
* [[Talk to
{{quote| '''Condiment King:''' "What's this? Ah, the Big Bad Bat Guy. I knew you'd ''ketchup'' to me sooner or later. How I've ''relished'' this meeting. You, the Dynamic Dark Knight, versus me, the Conceptual ''Condiment King''! Come Batman, [[Bring It|let's see if you can cut the mustard.]]"<br />
'''Batman:''' (''Batman delivers a single punch to CK's stomach'') "'''''Quiet!'''''" }}
* [[Tap
* [[Team Rocket Wins]]
* [[Terrified of Germs]]: One of Daggett's henchmen is nicknamed "Germs" and is scared of infection. While being chased through a hospital by Batman he accidentally traps himself in a viral pathology lab, where Batman makes him give up by threatening him with a beaker of crimson fever (which later turns out to have just been seawater).
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* [[Wasn't That Fun?]]: In the episode "The Man Who Killed Batman," while Batman is presumed dead, the Joker holds a "funeral" for him, which ends with Joker tossing the man whom everyone believes killed Batman into the coffin and lowering the coffin into an acid pit while [[Refuge in Audacity|Harley Quinn plays "Amazing Grace" on kazoo]]. After the coffin disappears into the acid, Joker waits a beat and asks, "Well, that was fun, who's up for Chinese?"
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]:
** An ex-security guard for Arkham becomes Lock-up. He...well [[Exactly What It Says
** After Harvey Dent is transformed into Two-Face he leads an extra-legal war on Rupert Thorne's criminal organization, robbing his operations throughout Gotham, but his ultimate plan is to expose Thorne's activities and get him arrested by the police.
** The Judge in "Judgement Day", who is determined to punish the criminals and corrupt of Gotham City.
** Ra's al Ghul is the quintessential example, carried over from the comics where his terrorist activities are motivated by his coincern for the environment and the world..
* [["What Do They Fear?" Episode]]: Every Scarecrow appearance went like this, but it was taken to its peak in "Over The Edge," in which {{spoiler|Batgirl hallucinates her own death and her father turning against Batman, whom he blames for it}}. Add in the much scarier redesign of the Scarecrow for the last season and it is pure Nightmare Fuel.
* [[What Happened to
* [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]: Ruthlessly exploited. On the commentary for "Heart of Steel, Part 2" the producers explained that the censors and Bureau of Standards and Practices would not object when they harmed or destroyed robots, so not only did they use them as foes to be destroyed, but made their destruction as violent as possible. It is discussed in "His Silicon Soul": When a robotic Batman (mistakenly) believes that he has killed the real Batman, he becomes so horrified that he commits suicide. Batman later reflects on this, and wonders if the robot could have had a soul.
* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer]]: Parodied with Harley in "Girl's Night Out", it being a running gag that she tries to get things open by using an oversize mallet for it to do practically nothing.
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* [[Wild Card]]: Catwoman actually fought at Batman's side a little ''more'' often than she fought against him.
* [[Would Hit a Girl]]: Batman is smart enough to not recognize genders in a fight. This is especially true if his identity is at stake. In "Almost Got 'Im" during Poison Ivy's tale, Batman punches Ivy off when she tried to take his mask off.
* [[Yiddish
* [[You Answered Your Own Question]]: Zatanna: "What do you care about some leggy dame in nylons? Or did I just answer my own question?"
* [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]: Stated word for word in ''Feat of Clay Part I''.
* [[Zeppelins
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