Editor’s be aware: The under incorporates spoilers for the Batman: Caped Crusader finale.
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Batman: Caped Crusader
reimagines Batman’s mythos with new twists and a ’40s setting. - The delivery of Two-Face is depicted in a tragic storyline involving Harvey Dent.
- The collection options DC Universe cameos and ends with the primary look of the Joker.
Batman: Caped Crusader is a collection appearing on two fronts: It is a non secular successor to Batman: The Animated Series, even together with Bruce Timm alongside its assortment of government producers. It is also the newest critically-acclaimed animated superhero collection, following within the footsteps of X-Men ’97, My Adventures With Superman and Invincible. However Caped Crusader additionally takes a couple of liberties with the Batman mythos. First, it is set totally within the ’40s, making this the primary Batman interval piece. Secondly, it places new spins on Batman’s foes, particularly the Penguin and Harley Quinn. The majority of Season 1 primarily focuses on Batman (Hamish Linklater) trying to dismantle organized crime in Gotham, notably Rupert Thorne’s (Cedric Yarborough) legal empire.
However the Darkish Knight runs into a couple of obstacles alongside the way in which. Not solely does he must deal with criminals like Clayface (Dan Donohue) and Catwoman (Christina Ricci), however the truth that Thorne’s empire is way bigger than he thought. Thorne would not simply have his fingers in most of Gotham’s legal enterprises; he is additionally shopping for off law enforcement officials and civil servants. Ultimately, this struggle results in the delivery of a brand new villain and hints on the look of one other.
Certainly one of Batman’s Most Tragic Foes Is Born in ‘Caped Crusader’ – and Suffers an Even Extra Tragic Ending
A subplot operating all through Batman: Caped Crusader is Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader) operating for the workplace of mayor, utilizing his standing as a prosecutor to ruthlessly shut court docket instances. Batman followers know that Dent finally turns into the scarred criminal Two-Face, however Caped Crusader takes its time with organising his transformation. It additionally hints that Dent might not be the ethical paragon he is often offered as in different Batman tales. Within the episode “Night time Trip,” Thorne presents Dent a hefty donation when a mysterious ghost threatens to upend his marketing campaign. Dent finally takes the donation two episodes later in “Nocturne”, however refuses to drop legal fees towards considered one of Thorne’s associates. Certainly one of Thorne’s thugs finally ends up throwing a vial of acid at Dent’s face, scarring him and remodeling him into Two-Face.
After a homicide spree towards Thorne’s forces and a confrontation with Batman, Dent goes to Arkham Asylum and tells Barbara Gordon (Krystal Pleasure Brown) that he is keen to testify towards Thorne in court docket. Barbara’s father Jim (Eric Morgan Stuart) and Detective Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) work with Batman to guard Dent, resulting in a shootout on the Gotham docks. Dent winds up throwing himself in entrance of a bullet for Barbara, dying from his wounds. However though Thorne technically will get off scot-free, he is visited by Batman throughout a wet evening, hinting that the Darkish Knight will proceed to hunt him.
Different Characters From the DC Universe Present Up in ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’
Batman: Caped Crusader may be firmly set in Gotham, however the creators have slipped in different characters from the DC Universe into Season 1. In “Kiss of the Catwoman,” a photographer named Eel O’Brien is proven taking footage at a museum exhibit and is later satisfied by Batman to get footage of Catwoman’s robberies. O’Brien turns into the elastic wisecracking superhero Plastic Man in DC Comics canon, even becoming a member of the Justice League on Batman’s suggestion. “Night time Trip” has Batman going to the vodou shaman known as Papa Midnite for assist with battling ghosts; Midnite has typically come into battle with John Constantine. The most important Easter egg issues the episode “Night time of the Hunters”, and a bunch of reporters; one fan on Twitter seen that Lois Lane is among them, sporting her designs from the 1941-1942 Superman cartoons. A redheaded photographer is noticed together with her, who could also be Caped Crusader‘s tackle Jimmy Olsen.
These cameos might stem from the truth that Bruce Timm was initially contemplating a brand new Justice League animated collection. Speaking to TheWrap, Timm says that he and producer James Tucker had thrown out the thought of a brand new Justice League collection, and that Caped Crusader was initially meant to be a continuation of Batman: The Animated Collection earlier than evolving into its last type:
“That was extra of an open-ended idea that we may incorporate your complete DC canon in it, as a substitute of doing simply one other Joker story, or simply one other Harley story or no matter.”
‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ Ends With the First Look of the Joker
Batman: Caped Crusader‘s Season 1 finale ends with a slightly terrifying scene: a bunch of corpses piled in a warehouse, as a person injects them with a wierd liquid earlier than declaring that his method is “excellent”. The corpses have their faces mounted in a horrifying smile, confirming that the thriller man is the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime will typically make his option to Batman-related tales, and this ending hints that the 2 will lastly meet in Season 2. It additionally marks an attention-grabbing dynamic, provided that Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung) has already appeared as an antagonist for the Darkish Knight and has no ties to the Joker. Ought to she present up in Season 2, Caped Crusader may put a singular twist on their relationship.
Season 1 of Batman: Caped Crusader is out there to stream on Prime Video within the U.S.
