This week the release of Batman: Caped Crusader hits Prime Video after surviving cost-cutting moves by Warner Brothers. Indeed it had involvement from some big names with experience in Batman and beyond, Matt Reeves, Bruce Timm, and JJ Abrams. A new take with some old charm, Batman: Caped Crusader has a much less experienced Batman, voiced by Hamish Linklater. Many changes in characters, relationships, and plotline keep this series different from past iterations while the artwork evokes memories of Batman: The Animated Series.
Batman: Caped Crusader nails the classic animation aspect
The appreciation of more classic animation is immediately noticed, where you’d think this show came out in the ’90s or early 2000s, in a good way. Along with the older style, the period setting is another boon to take advantage of the art, solidifying and elevating the noir aesthetic. Aside from a couple of CG cars and fires, the entire show is wonderful to look at from start to finish. While it’s nothing flashy, the simplicity of the hand-drawn character models and outfits is effectively highlighted in this take on Batman.
The new look for Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Diedrich Bader) is welcome, keeping half his face grotesque in an uncomplicated manner. Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung) returns to her roots with a jester-inspired outfit sporting a Mardi Gras color theme. Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Christina Ricci) arrives with a classic purple ensemble that gives her an old-school seductive look. Basil Karlo/Clayface (Dan Donohue) also harkens back to his original design of being an actor who faces some tragedies that lead to his disfigurement. All these designs fall well in line with dating this series heavily with a 40s noir impression that suits the darkness of the stories told.
Darker, moodier themes play out with fewer limitations for this DC animated series
While Batman: The Animated Series has always been regarded as a hallmark of storytelling, animation, and characterization, it still had to play nice for Saturday morning viewers. Batman: Caped Crusader is not beholden to those restrictions, so right off the bat, a couple of the characters and fates are much bleaker compared to the former Batman series. The ending to one of the henchmen in the first episode was rather shocking, taking the gloves off early into the season.
The motivations and decisions of some of these villains are a lot more varied, along with their goals for Gotham City. Gotham is in a state of disarray, the GCPD is wildly corrupt, which enables the mafia to utilize them to get ahead of the law. Also, the lack of partisanship between the different branches of government allowed Harvey Dent to distort his “tough on crime” campaign while he helped the rich and famous avert the law. Since there’s no relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart), some criminals have been successfully operating right under their noses.
What truly shined was Harleen Quinzel’s episode, seeing her come to her own by reinventing her origin story decades after being introduced in Batman: The Animated Series. Focusing on her operating independently was among the strongest parts of the entire season, and it made her a much more compelling character. Instead of being attached to the Joker, she has been running solo and contrasts her cheery psychologist with a creepy costumed Harley Quinn. There’s even an earlier introduction as Bruce’s psychologist, as well as helping the GCPD profile the new “Bat-Man” vigilante by featuring her intellectual prowess.
Hamish Linklater as Batman/Bruce Wayne is respectable
It’s impossible not to think of Kevin Conroy’s booming voice whenever an animated Batman is mentioned, which they had in mind to use before he sadly passed away. Hamish Linklater might not have been my first pick, but ultimately, he delivered as both. Linklater’s Batman was actually quite impressive, even if it took an episode to get used to it. His Bruce Wayne is smooth and fitting for where the character is in his career. Charming, youthful, and inexperienced voice deliveries are well-balanced for the young Wayne who only recently donned his cape.
An amateur Batman has only been recently explored in Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022, so to see Reeves as an executive producer instilled more confidence in this take. This Batman lacks his extensive rogues list and faces familiar villains with a couple of new ones too. Seeing him learning on the job and without the backing of Gordon helped focus the tension of being both Bruce and Batman.
What is Batman without the help of Alfred Pennyworth (Jason Watkins)? Not nearly as effective as evident by Batman’s missteps during the season. In this series, the relationship is much more uneasy, as Bruce is quite rough with Alfred throughout the show. Even as Batman, he remains short with Alfred, which is uncharacteristic and a less than welcome addition to The Dark Knight. By the end, Linklater had grown on me, and I’m excited to see what he pulls out in a second season with a more fleshed-out Gotham City.
Batman: Caped Crusader season 2 on Prime Video will be welcome
Luckily, it’s already happening, since there was a 20-episode order for Batman: Caped Crusader. Also, knowing they’re working on it is a relief, since it took about 3 years from initial announcement to full release. Linklater already confirmed to IGN back in June that he’s started on season two, ahead of the debut of the first season in August. Hopefully, this equates to a shorter turnaround on production for Batman: Caped Crusader and not another multi-year wait for new episodes.
Since so many characters and relationships are established in the first season, a second season has a lot of potential for Batman’s arcs. Even beyond Batman himself, Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) and Barbara Gordon (Krystal Joy Brown) could both be further developed better than the minimum we got with them. As usual, the door was left open for many of the villains to return as a thorn in Batman’s side, and most if not all would be welcomed back. There seem to be no plans to add other DC superheroes to this universe, which is fantastic as Gotham City has so much left to explore.
All things considered, Batman: Caped Crusader is a new take set in a semi-familiar aesthetic to animations before it. While not exactly the most gripping tale of The Dark Knight, different approaches to characters and villain introductions keep it interesting enough to follow through to the end. Casting for the roles was fantastic, with no direct standouts, but still great overall. Due to the strong noir influences, the changes flow well from that design decision, even if the season moves a little bit slowly.
Batman: Caped Crusader premieres all 10 episodes on August 1st on Prime Video. Are you excited about another noir-influenced animated Batman series? Did you watch Batman: The Animated Series to see Harley Quinn’s first appearance? Let us know if you’ll be watching Caped Crusader on social media @mycosmiccircus or join the Discord Server, where we have spoiler chats to discuss this series and so much more!
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