Batman is easily DC’s most prolific character. Superman might be the character that built DC Comics, but there is no denying in the 21st century, Batman is their most profitable hero. He has been the star of multiple feature films, both live-action and animated, and in less than a decade, there have been four live-action television series made about Batman supporting characters without Batman: Gotham, Pennyworth, Batwoman, and Gotham Knights.
Update June 1, 2023: This article has been updated with more Batman animated series as well as information on the upcoming series, Batman: Caped Crusader.
The character has thrived in animation. He has led multiple series and has guest starred on many more, including Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Young Justice. A new animated series, Batman: Caped Crusader, is currently in development at AppleTV+, and it is set to be a spiritual companion piece to the iconic 1990's animated series. Here is a look back at the best-animated series to feature the Caped Crusader.
10 Beware the Batman (2013)
Beware the Batman was a short-lived animated series premiering shortly after the more youthful and imaginative Batman: The Brave and the Bold ended. The series went for a more James Bond-style spy thriller without any of the fun of an actual Bond series. It followed a young Bruce Wayne just starting as Batman supported by Alfred, whose MI6 background is given prominence and introduced lesser-known characters such as Katana.
However, the series ended after just one season. The series was victim to a number of issues, including delays where guns were taken out of Alfred Pennyworth's arsenal following the 2012 Aurora shooting during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The series was also meant to sell a line of toys that just did not sell well with kids. Yet it does offer a unique take on Batman.
9 Batwheels (2022-Present)
Batwheels is very much Warner Bros. trying to take some toy shares from rival Disney's Cars brand, and given Batman has a wide array of gadgets, it makes for the perfect brand. Batwheels follows a group of Bat vehicles that are brought to life by the Bat-Computer to form their own unique crime-fighting unit under the already established Bat-Family (with Ethan Hawke voicing Batman).
The series is aimed at a much younger crowd, but it is a fun reinvention of the Batman mythology and puts a spotlight on some of his most fun toys. It is a good first exposure to Batman for preschool kids and something the parents can enjoy as well.
8 The Adventures of Batman (1968-1969)
This is the first solo Batman animated series developed was The Adventures of Batman. This project was initially The Batman/Superman Hour before being retooled into an individual series following Batman and Robin. This series was meant to cash in on the success of the 1966 Adam West Batman series. For many young fans, this was their first exposure to Batman.
7 The New Adventures of Batman (1977-1978)
While the title would imply it is connected to The Adventures of Batman, The New Adventures of Batman was more connected to the 1966 Batman series, including bringing back Adam West and Burt Ward to voice Batman and Robin, respectively. The series was lighthearted and featured Batgirl and Bat-Mite, the fifth-dimensional imp that James Gunn has hinted at being a fan of.
The most notable element of The New Adventures of Batman was it was produced by Filmation, whose main competitor was producing Challenge of the Superfriends at the time, meaning both had separate Batman cartoons on at the same time. Villains used in one could not be used in another, hence why The New Adventures of Batman did not use Riddler or Scarecrow while Challenge of the Superfriends could not use The Joker.
6 The Batman (2004-2008)
The Batman was the first new animated take on the Caped Crusader in over ten years, as Kevin Conroy's Batman had continued on after Batman: The Animated Series in Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. Being the first new Batman was always going to be daunting, and The Batman decided to feature a younger take on Batman with a more action/anime style influence as opposed to the noir detective angle.
While considered to be a divisive take on the character at the time of the release, a present-day perspective has been kind to the legacy of this show. It may have put extra emphasis on the gadgets to sell a line of toys, yet this was the first new Batman in a long time and was released a year before Batman Begins, which helped make this the first Batman for an entire group of kids.
5 Batman Beyond (1999-2001)
A futuristic, cyberpunk take on Batman, Batman Beyond follows a retired Bruce Wayne and his new protégée, Terry McGinnis, who has taken on the mantle of Batman. While technically a follow-up to Batman: The Animated Series, this series stands on its own enough that watching The Animated Series isn’t required. However, it also contains several fun callbacks to The Animated Series that make the viewing experience that much more rewarding.
McGinnis does a good job differentiating himself from both Bruce and his many protegees to make a distinctively new Batman. This, coupled with an enjoyable new gallery of cyberpunk criminals, makes this a solid series with a well-received spin-off movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Its legacy still lives on, and fans are still waiting to see the property adapted into live-action.
4 Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011)
Unapologetically zany, Batman: The Brave and the Bold initially surprised audiences with its lighthearted take and appeal to younger audiences. Each episode paired Batman with a different hero, ranging from Plastic Man to Booster Gold. This provided audiences with a unique opportunity to see the titular character interact with the greater DC Universe in a sole-protagonist-based television series.
The series was also host to vast amounts of genre-bending adventures ranging from time-travel pastiches to musical numbers. The series drew heavily from Silver Age comics with great aplomb to carve out its niche in the landscape of Batman animated projects. Released the same year as The Dark Knight, Batman: The Brave and the Bold might seem like an odd pairing for the Christoper Nolan film but in the end showed just how versatile Batman could be, serious and lighthearted.
3 The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999)
While this show is technically a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, it also serves as a soft reboot of the series and the titular character. The show takes place a few years after the ending of The Animated Series and reintroduces Dick Grayson as Nightwing while also introducing a new Robin. The series is very much about the community of Gotham City, often finding fun pairings for the various heroes and villains.
The series brings a more stylized Gotham with bright red skies. This series is also where the redesigned character models were introduced, which were made to match Superman: The Animated Series and carried over into Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. While it retains much of the spectacular storytelling and character development of the original, it is hard to top the one that started it all.
2 Harley Quinn (2019-Present)
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While Batman is not the star of Harley Quinn, he is a prominent role, and most of the major characters are from his rogue gallery and supporting characters. Not only is Harley Quinn the titular star, but it also features major roles for Poison Ivy, Joker, Clayface, Bane, Commissioner Gordon, Catwoman, and Barbra Gordon, just to name a few. Harley Quinn is a raunchy R-rated comedy that explores the Batman story from the angle of the villains, and it manages to be both a laugh-out-loud riot also has genuinely sweet character moments.
It features an interesting exploration for both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and since the series is told from one of his biggest villains' points of view, that means Batman can play the part of antagonist at times. It also features Diedrich Bader voicing Batman, reprising his role from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, making this even more connected to the wider legacy of Batman.
1 Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
For many, Batman: The Animated Series was the definitive animated take on the classic character. For others, it is considered to be the outright definitive adaptation of Batman across all mediums of entertainment. Premiering shortly after Tim Burton’s live-action movies, Batman: The Animated Series differentiated itself by diving into a noir aesthetic of the characters and Gotham City.
The 1990s animated series achieved the difficult balance of making an animated Batman series that both kids and adults could enjoy. It was fun and never boring, but it also was not afraid to be dark and had a level of emotional maturity to it that many cartoons at the time did not. Its legacy continues as it introduced fan-favorite Harley Quinn and set the template for the Arkham video game series. Actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill's voices redefined Batman and Joker, respectively. They were so iconic they continued to voice the character in media not connected to The Animated Series. Conroy sadly passed away in 2022, but it is hard to argue that any actor has left a bigger mark on Batman than him. Even though he is gone, there is no doubt that thanks to this series, he is the voice fans still hear when they read a Batman comic.