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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Following the release of Merry Little Batman on Prime Video last December, the streaming platform returns with new material featuring the Dark Knight. Titled Batman: Caped Crusader, the series was originally slated to drop on the HBO Max streaming platform. That is until the project was canceled and then taken over by Amazon MGM Studios. It is important to note that the series is unrelated to the holiday superhero film, which also has an animated series heading to Prime Video, titled Bat-Family. I watched Caped Crusader‘s premiere season twice over and am delighted to report that this is quite the heavy hitter.
Batman: Caped Crusader is created by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited).
Series co-executive producer Jase Ricci (Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Merry Little Batman, Bat-Family), Timm, and executive producer Ed Brubaker write the stories for the series. Ricci, Greg Rucka, producers Adamma (Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul, Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Adanne Ebo (Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul, Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith), consulting producer Halley Gross, and Marc Bernardin write the season’s teleplays.
Christina Sotta, Matt Peters, and Christopher Berkeley are the directors for the episodes.
In this review, I will discuss Batman: Caped Crusader. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
NOTE: Spoiler language was sent to the writer and editor of this piece beforehand by public relations representatives. The following does not touch upon explicit details regarding narrative and character development.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Batman: Caped Crusader Logline
According to Amazon MGM Studios/ Prime Video Press, here is the logline for Batman: Caped Crusader.
Batman: Caped Crusader is a hard-boiled animated series, that follows the fearsome vigilante in his first year. Forged in the fire of tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. Night after night, against overwhelming odds, he wages his relentless one-man war on crime.
Discussion
Batman: Caped Crusader makes wise creative decisions in terms of crafting worthwhile narratives around main characters, supporting roles, and guest antagonists. With a full ten episodes, this first season wastes no time in transforming not just Bruce Wayne/ Batman (voiced by Hamish Linklater) as a human being but others as well. Despite being set up for a specific watch model, the screenwriters’ room does not force some huge storyline on viewers. Rather, the large arc happens behind the scenes while focusing on more individual, episodic narratives. Imagine the formulaic plots suited for the Scooby-Doo franchise with a graver tone due to Gotham as the location setting.
The first few episodes are more of a build-up to the world that fans of Batman are used to. They help recontextualize viewers with power politics and how the court of law is meant to keep Gotham in balance. Different character developments connect from one to another across the season’s episodes. In turn, this establishes a pattern that navigates each character’s decision to impact others’ future course of action. The double entendres or meanings—primarily through lines of dialogue—can define a character’s background or even foreshadow what becomes of them later in the season.
Not to mention, the sound design and German music composer Frederik Wiedmann’s scores are worth watching the series. I love the jazz and classy tunes that play in the background of the episodes. From the pilot’s opening scene to the finale’s epilogue, the execution of both story and action is reminiscent of what made The Animated Series so memorable.
Artwork Awesome Enough For Arkham
The animation team deserves all the praise for bringing these Scooby-Doo-esque stories to life. At a micro level, prop designers Art Lee and Ronnie Senteno create objects that look nice. I like the detail of Harvey Dent’s (voiced by Diedrich Bader) coin, goons’ Tommy guns, the broken arm of a marble statue, and Batman’s Batarang.
Character design lead James Tucker et al animate some of the most vivid figures reminiscent of The Animated Series, notably in the antagonists. Basil Karlo (voiced by Dan Donohue), Catwoman (voiced by Christina Ricci), Harley Quinn (voiced by Jamie Chung), and Onomatopoeia (voiced by Reid Scott) have the most stunning costumes. Karlo’s bright eyes and disfiguration reflect John Carpenter’s The Thing or, staying on the topic of Scooby-Doo, Captain Cutler’s Ghost. Quinn’s jester costume is more menacing than what fans are used to in The Animated Series.
Caped Crusader cannot be a Batman title without some magnificent storyboard artwork and background designs. The action sequences are thrilling to watch, e.g., Batman sword-fences a man in a trenchcoat, collects ectoplasm, and fights goons on the docks of Gotham. One character’s perception of the city as a world on fire is a neat mixture of character designs, background designs, and color. This makes the imagery as wicked on screen as it is on paper. The perforations of the rear car window via gunshots require meticulous attention, and I think that is to be appreciated. At this point in Batman history, the car chases and the rooftop chases are pretty much mandatory for the thrills. What more could we ask for?
Laudable Episodic Screenwriting
The former half of Season 1 is perfect, although the episodes vary in world-building, pacing, themes, or character study. The metonymous opening scene of “Kiss of the Catwoman” alone is enough to call the entire episode a perfect narrative. As a whole, the episode examines the meaning behind a celebrity punch or slap and explains why people should never go as far as to label one a criminal. For a character study, the psychology of Wayne’s trauma as an orphan contributes to his pathos. Many comic book fans scrutinize the “Martha” aspect of Batman v Superman, yet this episode provides a wider spotlight on that correlation between pain and power.
Again, I must commend the screenwriters for their clever, witty, and brilliant work. Few may figure out what a clowder means, but now I know! A transitional period in the season feels like filler in one or two episodes. My least favorite episode gets expository during one scene, with a visually incohesive act structure. Conversely, in that same episode, someone analogizes Gotham to a beating heart, so I give it a pass for trying to go the poetic route. Here, Wayne also taps into his spiritual side, questioning whether ghosts are real. Although he ultimately chooses not to explore this any further, I cannot help but believe it insinuates that the phantasms of his late parents may haunt him.
The season picks the pace back up in its last few episodes. Here, everything transpiring behind the scenes pays off in a way that fans of Batman mythos will find uncanny. It’s nice to see corrupt cops Harvey Bullock (voiced by John DiMaggio) and Arnold Flass (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) make reckless choices and then get what’s coming to them.
Political Themes
Note: Narratives surrounding Batman and Gotham can never be apolitical. The claim to suggest otherwise requires serious discourse. It is important to note that, while this is a family show, Caped Crusader dips into mature subject matter such as classism, crime, psychology, belief systems, and more.
Like the large focus of executive producer Matt Reeves’s (Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes) The Batman, Timm and his co-writers weigh in on crucial concepts through the world of Gotham. For one, the citizens experience a rise in inflation and unemployment, leading many to resort to crime. Poverty is a heavy issue in the Western world, and the disparity between the impoverished and the affluent can be felt. The show guides fans to The Narrows and the suburbs, juxtaposing different areas and the people who live there.
Basil Karlo’s circumstances regarding landing movie roles are relatable. This is especially the case today, with job security and professional matters such as SAG-AFTRA unions. The episode dedicated to this character, “And Be A Villain”, is not to be overlooked and possesses merits that desire much care. Like the acting workplace, many characters wear a façade, including Bruce Wayne, who presents his public image as a cliché.
The women’s roles in the series should not be overlooked, too. A failure to recognize their power can go so far as to discredit original comic book characters such as Carla Viti—sister of Carmine Falcone—in, say, The Long Halloween. Many women in the series are painted as leaders, including Harley Quinn, who does not depend on a clown to be at her side. In the ongoing discourse over what the general audience accepts, the women are a major highlight of the series.
The Dark Mind of the Dark Knight
Furthermore, in the discourse of Batman and his rogues gallery, it is incredibly vital to highlight the psychological elements of the storytelling. In recent years, it has often been disputed that Bruce Wayne’s role in his city is to dress up and physically harm the mentally unstable. As a critic, it would be remiss to ignore how this field of science applies to intellectual property such as this. For a character, the titular protagonist’s reserved nature is a mask that is seldom taken off. The screenwriters offer fans an uncommon scenario: What if Bruce Wayne legitimately attends therapy sessions?
Now, I am not implying that the character takes the Tony Soprano route in this series. Therapy is no laughing matter, and that is coming from the fact that he has a few run-ins with Quinzel. Similarly, what humanizes the “antagonist(s)” of each episode is that they aren’t treated as villains. Essentially, these are people who need help. Take Firebug (voiced by Tom Kenny), for example, who is not right in the head. While I cannot explicate what he does or what occurs to him, it is easy for civilians to mindlessly point out the heroes and villains.
What adds that layer of Gothicism to Caped Crusader‘s Gotham is its ability to conceal secrets and depict the macabre through tragedy. More so, the show taps into madness and obsession through its characters. Dent is one character who plays by the book. Like Barbara Gordon (voiced by Krystal Joy Brown), however, handling matters within the parameters of the law may not be enough. These sorts of conditions can be what urge people towards their breaking point. To reiterate, the series examines protagonists and antagonists, two sides of the same coin that can represent either humanity or monstrosity.
The Creators of Batman and Supporting Characters
Batman is created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
Arnold Flass is created by David Mazzucchelli and Frank Miller.
Lucius Fox is created by John Calnan and Len Wein.
Dr. Harleen “Harley Quinn” Quinzel is created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. The character first appeared in the early-to-mid-1990s Batman: The Animated Series. Firebug is created by Wein.
Papa Midnite aka Linton Midnite is created by Jamie Delano and John Ridgway.
Rupert Thorne is created by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers.
Onomatopoeia is created by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester.
Killer Croc, also known as Waylon Jones, is created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton.
Dr. Leslie Thompkins is created by Dick Giordano and Dennis O’Neil.
The Crew Behind Batman: Caped Crusader
Sarah Noonan (Danny Phantom, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman: The Long Halloween, Young Justice, Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake, Merry Little Batman, My Adventures with Superman) and Agnes Kim (Batman: The Long Halloween, Young Justice, Harley Quinn, My Adventures with Superman) serve as the voice casting directors.
Gene Vassilaros serves as the voice director of the series.
Frederik Wiedmann scores the music of the series.
Marc Stone is the editor of the series, with Noah Rieke as the assistant editor.
In post-production, Harrison T. Barth, Michele Beeson, and Gabriel Gianola—the team behind Batman: The Long Halloween, Harley Quinn, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, My Adventures with Superman, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!—serve as the assistant editors. Michael G. Buck is the post-production assistant editor for the pilot and Episodes 104 onward.
Animation Team
Series executive producer James Tucker serves as the lead character designer.
Derek Charm, Kat Hudson, Kano Kimanyen, and Timm are the character designers of the series. Art Lee and Ronnie Senteno serve as the prop designers.
Elliott Byrne, Robert Harand, and Aletta Wenas are the background designers for all episodes of the series. Brandon Hahn is a background designer for the second episode onwards.
Jeff Palm is a background designer for the third and sixth episodes onwards. Robert Haverland is a background designer for the fifth episode onwards.
William Meaney and John Paik are background designers for the seventh episode onwards.
Richie Chavez is a background designer for the pilot, “In Treacherous Waters”.
Christian Lignan is a background designer for the second and third episodes, “And Be A Villain” and “Kiss of the Catwoman”, respectively. Maimuna Venzant is a background designer for the third episode.
Storyboards
Aluir Amancio is a storyboard artist for the pilot, second, fifth, and eighth episodes.
Carl Peterson and Mickey Quinn are storyboard artists for the pilot, fourth, seventh, and finale episodes. Rozlynn “Roz” Waltz is a storyboard artist for the second, fifth, eighth, and finale episodes.
Sophia Magallanes Morales is a storyboard artist for the third, sixth, and ninth episodes. Emily Hu (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Young Justice, Pantheon) is a storyboard artist for the fourth, seventh, and finale episodes. Milo Neuman is a storyboard artist for the fourth and final two episodes. DJ Zutkovic is a storyboard artist for the second, fifth, and eighth episodes.
Sebastian Montes is a storyboard artist for the third and sixth episodes. Byron Penaranda is a storyboard artist for the sixth and ninth episodes.
Matthew Bordenave (Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Justice League Dark, The Death of Superman, Batman: The Long Halloween, Young Justice, Orion and the Dark, X-Men ’97) and Kathy Liu are storyboard artists for the pilot.
Mike Borkowski, Stephanie Ressler, and Sung Shin (Ben 10: Omniverse, Batman: Hush, Invincible, Batman: The Long Halloween, Young Justice, Pantheon) are storyboard artists for the third episode. Kathryn Marusik is a storyboard artist for the fourth episode.
Vinton Heuck and Stephanie Gonzaga (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) are storyboard artists for the seventh episode.
Storyboard Revisions
Evan Munoz is the storyboard revisionist for the pilot, fourth, seventh, and finale episodes.
Ressler is the storyboard revisionist for the second, fifth, and eighth episodes. Irineo Maramba is the storyboard revisionist for the third, sixth, and ninth episodes.
The Voice Cast of Batman: Caped Crusader
Hamish Linklater (Tim Story’s Fantastic Four, FX’s Fargo and Legion, Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass, Manhunt) voices Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman.
Jason Watkins voices Alfred Pennyworth, Wayne’s butler and father figure. Watkins also voices Prison Guard 1 and a carnival barker.
Krystal Joy Brown voices Barbara Gordon.
Eric Morgan Stuart voices Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) Commissioner James Gordon. Stuart also voices Prison Guard 2.
Michelle C. Bonilla (Love Death & Robots) voices Renee Montoya, a police detective at the GCPD.
Diedrich Bader voices Harvey Dent, known in the DC Comics as Two-Face.
John DiMaggio (The Animatrix, Kim Possible, Chowder, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Ben 10 franchise, Adventure Time) voices Harvey Bullock, a corrupt cop. DiMaggio also voices characters Jerry, Wilford Lee, film director Lou Valentine, Morrison, a baby patient, a mugger named Benny, and Manny.
Gary Anthony Williams (The Boondocks, Star Wars Resistance, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Invincible) voices Arnold Flass, Bullock’s corrupt cop partner. Williams also voices Iggy, The Penguin’s right-hand man, Hendryx, Redding, an elf patient named Mr. Smith, an orderly, and an old man.
Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Big Hero 6, Fox’s Gotham and The Gifted, Lovecraft Country, Star Wars: Visions Volume 1, Dexter: New Blood) voices Harleen Quinzel/ Harley Quinn.
Cedric Yarbrough voices Rupert Thorne. In small appearances, Yarbrough also voices a judge, Linton Midnite, and a circus character named Waylon.
Supporting Voices
Lacey Chabert (Family Guy, Mean Girls) voices Yvonne Frances, an actress in Gotham.
Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty) voices Eel O’Brian and Firebug. Kenny also voices a condominium doorman and a man named Joplin.
Bumper Robinson (Teenage Euthanasia, Merry Little Batman, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League) voices Lucius Fox. Robinson also voices Reporter 2, Goon 2, and Monster 1.
James Arnold Taylor voices GCPD Detective Marcus Driver and a client or two of Barbara’s.
Donna Lynne Champlin voices Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a medical doctor and a family friend of the Wayne family. Haley Joel Osment (Forrest Gump, The Sixth Sense, Tusk, The Boys) voices Anton Knight, Nocturna’s older brother.
Minnie Driver voices a mob boss associated with The Penguin. Paul Scheer voices Aaron and Ronald “Ronnie” Cobblepot, sons of The Penguin.
Dan Donohue voices Basil Karlo.
Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Cursed, the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer, The Matrix Resurrections, Netflix’s Wednesday, Yellowjackets) voices Selina Kyle/ Catwoman.
Toby Stephens voices The Gentleman Ghost and Russell Craddock.
Reid Scott (Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, My Adventures with Superman, Merry Little Batman) voices the supervillain, Onomatopoeia.
Roger Craig Smith (the Sonic the Hedgehog and Batman: Arkham games, Merry Little Batman) voices GCPD Officer Corrigan, Jones, Floyd Lawton (credited as “hitman”), and Henchman 2.
McKenna Grace (Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, Malignant) voices Natalia Knight, also known as Nocturna.
Josh Keaton (Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Marvel Studios’ What If…?, Invincible, X-Men ’97) voices Rupert Thorne’s son, Matthew.
Vincent Piazza voices Thorne’s associate, Tony Zito.
Minor Voices
William Salyers (Moral Orel, Regular Show, J.G. Quintel’s Close Enough, Teenage Euthanasia) voices mayoral candidate Jessop and Emil Potter, an associate of Zito.
Yuri Lowenthal voices movie star Darryl Manning, a stand-in actor, and GCPD Detective Cohen.
Jackie Hoffman (Shiva Baby, The Marvel Mrs. Maisel, Glass Onion) voices Selina Kyle’s maid Greta and a Gotham Museum director.
Corey Burton (the Star Wars franchise, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League) voices Jack Ryder and a person on a police radio.
David Kaye voices Quinzel’s butler William Hastings, a clown patient, and Orderly 2.
David Krumholtz (Sausage Party, Sausage Party: Foodtopia) voices Fletcher Demming. Jim Pirri voices Emerson Collins and a schoolboy patient.
Peter Jessop voices a man named Muller and Henchman 1.
Noshir Dalal voices a backup mobster and a guard.
Civilians
Alex Wyndham voices Edmund Haynes.
Jeff Bennett (Adventure Time, Merry Little Batman, X-Men ’97) voices characters Bill, Clarence, makeup artist Jack Ellman, a security guard, a detective, a police officer, and a reporter in the first three episodes.
Jason Marsden voices Gormon and Reporter 1. Gaille Heidemann voices Wilma, an old librarian.
Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty, Invincible) voices a guard riding a donation truck, as well as a secretary, Reporter 3, and Zito’s girlfriend Maggie Cain.
Grey DeLisle (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Invincible) voices a partygoer, a scared woman, a newscaster, a radio announcer/operator, Julie Madison, and a bearded lady.
Kimberly Brooks voices Ramona, a secretary, GCPD Detective Romy Chandler, and a waitress.
Sungwon Cho (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Sausage Party: Foodtopia) voices a carnival audience member named Morris and a man in court named Matt Milligan.
Voice Performances and Character Developments
Out of all the protagonists, Barbara Gordon and Renee Montoya (voiced by Michelle C. Bonilla) are the greatest. They each want to change the city for the better with stronger optimism than Commissioner Gordon. Barbara’s dedication to upholding the law is naïve, yet her faith in others’ humanity truly counts most. Another character describes Montoya as “honest, intelligent, and incorruptible”. Her dedication to the job as a police detective is respectable, especially considering the alternative. Honestly, she is the best iteration of the figure since Rosie Perez’s version from Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey. Batman’s trust in both women keeps the city intact, and a disconnect from either can mean dropping deeper into a downward spiral. Moreover, Barbara and Montoya’s dynamic is almost like that of sisters in that the detective looks up to Barbara’s father as if he is her own.
The Antagonists
Basil Karlo, Harley Quinn, and Anton Knight (voiced by Haley Joel Osment) hold some of the season’s best deliveries or voice performances. Out of the three, Quinn has the most screen time, and her encounter with Batman is as threatening as Hell. I never expected Chung’s voice to send chills down my spine, but one line does the job for me. It’s compelling, enthralling, spicy, and you will never anticipate when it happens. Quinzel’s personality uncannily mirrors Cory Michael Smith’s Edward Nygma in Fox’s Gotham. There needs to be more of her on the show.
In Gotham, I expected Nicholas A’Gosto’s Harvey Dent to eventually transform into Two-Face… Instead, that never happened. In Caped Crusader, Dent is in his own head about holding political power. This version of Dent is a blend of Tommy Lee Jones’s from Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Aaron Eckhart’s from Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Dent is portrayed as a cocky defense attorney, although he still means business. The proper designers incorporate the infamous coin into the character’s personality.
However, the funny part is the coin isn’t utilized the way fans might expect. It’s easy to shrug that off as integral to the character. Dent is so well-written that one would never stop and think about what his coin symbolizes—not in terms of choices but of humanity. With just a tad more development than Quinn, Bader has more to do as Dent. He delivers an almost gut-wrenching monologue, excellently written on the writers’ part.
Final Thoughts on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1
When it comes down to it, Batman: Caped Crusader is this huge project for DC Studios. The big question is: Why isn’t it the next big thing? With all the business excuses tied to Warner Bros. Discovery and Warner Bros. Animation, whose ultimate idea was it to cancel this as a project? While it may be nowhere as phenomenal as Batman: The Animated Series, its first season alone proves otherwise. At least, it is getting there. Mind you, the Detective Comics company has many live-action and animation projects related to Batman in development. There is that to take into consideration.
If anything, the series prompts modern audiences to look to what inspired it in the first place. This includes television programs, Batman (1960s) and Batman: The Animated Series. It’s difficult to compartmentalize what makes Caped Crusader so exceptional. Regardless, once you pick this up, you might not be able to put it down. The next season is expected to have a larger roster, and one can tell by the various Easter Eggs, allusions, and brief appearances. Until then, viewers can admire the grounded approach to comic book mythos.
4.5/5 stars
All ten episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 stream via Prime Video starting this Thursday, August 1st!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
