Review: ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ takes the Dark Knight back to his roots, but it won’t be to every Bat-fan’s tastes

Batman: Caped Crusader is trying to be both a reinvention of the Dark Knight and the spiritual successor to the beloved Batman: The Animated Series. Those are big shoes to fill, but executive producer Bruce Timm has created another noir classic.

While Batman has always been DC’s most successful character, the widespread knowledge of the Dark Knight mythos is a product of the 1990s. Even if Tim Burton’s movies have much to do with the status of Batman as a pop culture icon, Batman: TAS introduced new generations to the DC universe by offering an stories that were faithful to the comic books and broke new ground for the character. It’s no wonder Batman: TAS eventually led to the Justice League series and kickstarted DC’s prolific animated label.

Right off the bat (pun intended), Batman: Caped Crusader is a dark dream come true. The show brings Timm back to rebuild Gotham without the constraints of a family-friendly TV show. Plus, he’s sharing the executive producer hat with Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams. The first is the maker of 2022’s The Batman, one of the best Dark Knight stories ever to reach the silver screen. The second is one of Hollywood’s most beloved producers, with a finger in classics such as Lost and the new Star Trek movies. 

Finally, Caped Crusader’s head writer is none other than Ed Brubaker, a legend who created the Winter Soldier persona and flipped the Captain America comic books upside down.  As such, it’s not exactly a surprise that Batman: Caped Crusader is so good. Still, the new animated series might not be for everyone’s taste.

In his inception, Batman was not fistfighting meta-humans and his adventures revolved around solving mysteries that puzzled Gotham’s police forces. Over the decades, Batman’s rogue gallery has drastically expanded by adding supervillains of all kinds. In addition, some of the Dark Knight’s classic nemesis, like Poison Ivy, were retconned, going from street-level criminals to world-threatening forces. At the same time, real-world technological advancements led to bat gadgets that got closer to science fiction. 

That’s not exactly a bad progression for the character mythos, as there’s a fair share of fans who prefer the action-focused Dark Knight we’ve seen the most in recent decades. Nevertheless, the box office success of Reeves’ The Batman proves there’s room for spotlighting Batman’s detective side.

Batman: Caped Crusader strips the Dark Knight (voiced by Hamish Linklater) from its fancy gadgets and overpowered foes. Instead, it offers a 1940s-inspired version of Gotham in which Batman’s wit is the main weapon against the city’s rising corruption and criminality. With no marvelous gadgets or supercomputers, Batman is forced to do actual investigative work. Plus, without focusing on superpowered adversaries, Caped Crusader allows Batman to showcase his hand-to-hand prowess instead of hiding behind tools. It’s a homage to both TAS and the original Detective Comics, where Batman’s intelligence and willpower allowed him to be considered an equal by gods, aliens, and monsters.

Following TAS’ trend, Caped Crusader dares shake up Batman’s mythos. For instance, TAS gave Mr. Freeze his tragic backstory, which quickly became canon across the DC universe. Furthermore, TAS created Harley Quinn from scratch, introducing a character that would become so famous she would get her own (marvelous!) TV show. This version of Harley Quinn adds even more layers to her complex representation, with Caped Crusader offering the most exciting version of the villain to date. Just as Timm’s TAS framed known characters through new lenses, Caped Crusader accepts the task of challenging fans’ knowledge of the Dark Knight canon and embracing its Elseworld nature.

The show gives other major Batman villains a new coat of paint, exploring their fractured psyche in unexpected ways. Plus, instead of only sticking to big names, some episodes of Caped Crusader are dedicated to fairly obscure comic book characters. This is an inspired decision because DC has thousands of characters, but adaptations tend to reuse the same ones ad nauseam. Yet, it’s easy to see how some fans might be displeased that their favorite household villain isn’t present in the show’s first season.

It’s also worth noting that Caped Crusader is yet another origin story for the Dark Knight, focusing on his first months as a vigilante. So, as much as the new show is filled with fresh ideas, there’s only so much one can do to avoid threading a recognizable path while remaining faithful to the original work.

Caped Crusader also dedicates a lot of screen time to side characters like Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Eric Morgan Stuart), Barbara Gordon (voiced by Krystal Joy Brow), and Detective Montoya (voiced by Michelle C. Bonilla). On that note, Montoya is another TAS creation that gets revamped and expanded in the new show, along with Harley Quinn. The focus on these characters allows Caped Crusader to paint a clearer picture of Gotham City’s dire situation and explore the necessity of a vengeful vigilante such as Batman.

The show’s creative team understands Batman’s appeal, underlining how he is Gotham’s last line of defense. However, Caped Crusader doesn’t make the mistake of reducing Batman to the role of hero. He is a vigilante with a complicated relationship with authority, and his methods can be highly controversial. If Batman has endured so long, it is because he has flaws and contradictions that make him more interesting. The ambiguity of the character is put front and center in Caped Crusader, as the side characters expose the limits of the judicial system and the dangers of thinking the ends justify the means.

It’s no wonder Caped Crusader has been announced as a grittier version of TAS, as the new show doesn’t hold its punches when it comes to analyzing the moral intricacies of Gotham City. Nevertheless, the show remains faithful to TAS’ aesthetics, refraining from showing blood and guts. That’s a curious choice, given the more mature-oriented ethos of Caped Crusader. Even so, it’s also a mindblowing example of how you can build a sophisticated and unnerving narrative without the need for gore or explicit violence.

Regarding aesthetics, Caped Crusader’s animation technique might be the show’s most controversial aspect. Using hand-drawn animation techniques, each frame of the show is built of static and texturized backgrounds where full-color objects and characters move around. Caped Crusader is an impressive work of art for those who enjoy the unique feeling of analog animation, especially since the retro images fit like a cape and cowl in its 1940s version of Gotham City. 

At the same time, by reusing TAS’ framework, Caped Crusader is confined to more rigid movements and slow-paced combats. That doesn’t detract from the show’s investigative intentions and even helps to keep the focus on character growth and mind games. Yet, in the three decades since TAS’ original release, audiences got used to fast-paced, explosive superhero media. As such, it will be interesting to see if Caped Crusader will get the attention it deserves.

Despite personal taste, Caped Crusader is undoubtedly an artistic achievement. Prime Video was smart to snatch the show after it got abandoned by HBO Max, as Amazon’s streaming platform will add another critical hit to its enviable superhero catalog.

Batman: Caped Crusader

"Batman: Caped Crusader" strips away modern superhero trappings to present a compelling, detective-focused Dark Knight series. Set in a beautifully animated 1940s Gotham, the series deftly balances noir aesthetics with character depth.

Pros

• Stays true to Batman's roots while offering new interpretations
• Provides complex character and fresh takes on familiar faces
• Explores Batman's complicated relationship with justice and authority
• Dedicates screen time to side characters, enriching Gotham's world-building
• Offers a beautiful hand-drawn noir-inspired 1940s Gotham setting

Cons

• The deliberate pacing may not appeal to fans expecting more action-oriented content
• Despite its plethora of fresh ideas, this is still another Batman origin story

Early access to the full season was provided by Prime Video for review.