The best Batman series so far

With the new Batman series Batman: Caped Crusader coming soon to Prime Video—and Batman being my favourite hero of all time—I felt like rewatching the 1992 animated series. I must say, it’s far better and darker than I remember it being as a child.

Episodes like It’s Never Too Late, which centres around a drug dealer with an addicted son; Robin’s Reckoning, where Robin finally comes face to face with his parents’ murderer; or Baby-Doll, about a grown woman with a genetic condition that prevents her from ageing past four, who goes mad and kidnaps the actors she used to work with to act out her fantasies (and later has a mad, psycho, and frankly disturbing love affair with Killer Croc), set this series apart from any other “cartoons” I watched as a kid.

One of the things I love most about this series—besides the thoughtful, well-developed stories behind its characters—is a caring, empathetic, ever-learning, and imperfect Bruce Wayne. He laughs, he cries, and he genuinely cares for Gotham’s criminals.

The Batman from this ’90s series has the heart to comfort someone whose entire world is falling apart after realising they’ll never have a normal life—or to give a notorious criminal a gift to show he understands what it’s like to have a bad day, before sending them to Arkham.

Even the intro is legendary! And if I had to point out one negative thing, it would be the drastic and frankly unnecessary redesign of villains such as Joker, Catwoman, and Ivy. In my opinion, the worst was Catwoman—she went from being a sultry, seductive man-eater to a grey, featureless face in a black suit.

If you’ve got a bit of spare time and feel nostalgic, I highly recommend watching Batman: The Animated Series, which you can find on Max (at least in the US). As for me, I’m currently watching Beware the Batman, which, to be honest, I didn’t think I’d enjoy at first (maybe due to the animation style, Katana’s presence, or simply the ’90s series setting the bar too high)—but I’m already on episode 8, and I’m actually enjoying it!

So, what’s your favourite Batman series? If you watched Batman: The Animated Series from 1992, what was your favourite episode and why? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear what you think!

And remember…
I am Batman!