Beware The Hammers of Justice.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain. As the title suggests, the cartoon focuses on Batman's regular "team-ups" with various heroes similar to the most well-known version of the original comic book series. The series premiered on November 14, 2008 on Cartoon Network in the United States, and ended on November 18, 2011.
Overview[]
Each episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold features the main character (Batman) teaming up with other characters from the DC Universe to thwart villains or to solve crimes. Beginnings usually have a small introduction and are usually not related to the remainder of the episode, apart from the regular appearances and reappearances of a villain who will figure prominently in episodes to come. In the first season, the villain was Equinox, who later returned in "Time Out for Vengeance!"; and in the second season, the villain was the alien Starro.
The show is split into two parts: A small adventure right before the theme song, and the main adventure right after that, similar to The Batman. The show's creator has said that if a character's guest appearance in the teaser is deemed successful, then it may warrant exploring the character further in a future episode's main adventure.
The show has no overarching story, instead having most episodes stand alone. The show is lighter in tone than previous Batman series, depicting the Dark Knight as more lighthearted and playful with a "dry, ironic wit. The show even features various references to the campy 1960s Batman TV series.
While the tone is lighter, the series has touched on the subject of death with such examples as retelling the murder of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne at the hands of Joe Chill, the death of the Silver Age Blue Beetle, the assassination of Boston Brand, the death of the first Black Canary, the execution of "Gentleman" Jim Craddock, and the self-sacrifice and death of B'wana Beast and the Doom Patrol. The tone of the series was addressed in an episode of the show itself, when Bat-Mite broke the fourth wall to read out this missive from one of the show's creator.
Show creators have chosen to go with "lesser known" characters. In many instances, the characters are those that were repeatedly teamed with Batman in the 1970s run of the Brave and the Bold comic book, such as Green Arrow, Wildcat, Plastic Man, and even the Joker; thus, the characters have a look and feel akin to their Silver Age incarnations. Batman's five most frequent recurring partners are Blue Beetle III, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, and Aquaman. While the show has featured major heroes such as the Green Lantern and the Flash, it consistently focuses on the lesser-known individuals to have carried the names, such as Guy Gardner and Jay Garrick, rather than the more popular, better known Hal Jordan or Barry Allen, until Barry appeared in the second season episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" (though this episode centers around Kid Flash and Jay Garrick), while Hal appeared in the first season episode "The Eyes of Despero!", as well as the third season episode "The Scorn of Star Sapphire".
Additionally, Batman's alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne did not appear as an adult during the series in situations where Batman was unmasked. His face was kept hidden until the season 2 episode "Chill of the Night!" when Batman finally confronts Joe Chill. From this episode onwards, whenever Bruce Wayne appears, his face is no longer silhouetted (as in "The Knights of Tomorrow").
It was announced at the San Diego Comic Con 2010 that Batman: The Brave and the Bold would end after season three, which had 13 episodes. Production has begun on a new Batman animated series, set to return the character to a more serious tone.
The series finale "Mitefall!" ended with Batman joined by most of the series' characters in the Batcave as it's being taken down. Breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience, the hero said his farewells with the show's characters behind him.
Principal cast[]
- Diedrich Bader – Batman, Kilowog, Ace, Owlman, Solomon Grundy, Punch, Gorilla Boss, Adult Damian/Future Batman, Lord Death Man, Creepy Usher, Caveman Batman, Pirate Batman, Batmanicus, Robot Batman, Musketeer
- Corey Burton – Red Tornado, Silver Cyclone, Thomas Wayne (in "Invasion of the Secret Santas"), False-Face, Doctor Mid-Nite, Dr. William Milton Magnus, Mercury, Chancellor Gor-Zonn, General Zahl, Killer Moth, Batman (Bat-Manga version), Joker (Scooby-Doo version), Green Lantern/Alan Scott
- John DiMaggio – Aquaman, Gorilla Grodd, Tiger Soldier, Typhon, Enemy Ace, Ubu, Faceless Hunter, Black Adam, Black Mask, Tattoo, Pharaoh, Toyman, Vigilante, Hellgrammite, Mr. Freeze, Legionnaire, Captain Boomerang, Owen
- Will Friedle – Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, Scarlet Scarab, Lazy Eye
- Tom Kenny – Plastic Man, Baby Face, Ray, Deadshot, Mirror Master, 'Mazing Man
- James Arnold Taylor – Green Arrow, Blue Bowman, Green Lantern/Guy Gardner, Major Disaster, Wotan, Nabu, Mark Desmond, Arges, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, Alpha-Red, Jace
Special guest cast[]
- Morena Baccarin – Cheetah
- Edoardo Ballerini – Vulture, Jack
- Xander Berkeley – Sinestro
- Clancy Brown – Per Degaton, Rohtul
- Gabrielle Carteris – Vicki Vale, Princess Laethwen
- Patrick Cavanaugh – Damian Wayne/Robin
- Mindy Cohn – Velma Dinkley
- Jeffrey Combs – Kite Man
- Kevin Conroy – Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, Phantom Stranger
- Tim Conway – Weeper
- Olivia d'Abo – Elasti-Girl
- Diane Delano – Big Barda
- Dana Delany – Vilsi Vaylar
- Michael Dorn – Bane, Kru'll the Eternal
- Greg Ellis – Gentleman Ghost, Doctor Fate, Cavalier, Dr. Canus, Hawk, Thomas Wayne (in "Dawn of the Deadman!"), Shrapnel, Mr. Mind, Big Headed Batman
- R. Lee Ermey – Wildcat
- Oded Fehr – Equinox
- Ellen Greene – Mrs. Manface
- Ioan Gruffudd – Blue Beetle Scarab, Matthew "Red" Ryan
- Mark Hamill – The Spectre
- Neil Patrick Harris – Music Meister
- Tippi Hedren – Hippolyta
- John Michael Higgins – Riddler
- William Katt - Hawkman
- Wallace Langham – Ocean Master
- Loren Lester – Green Lantern/Hal Jordan
- Vicki Lewis – Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire
- Matthew Lillard – Shaggy Rogers
- Carl Lumbly – Tornado Champion/Tornado Tyrant
- Tim Matheson – Jarvis Kord
- David McCallum – Merlin
- Ted McGinley - Aquaman 2
- Andy Milder – Flash/Jay Garrick
- Richard Moll – Lew Moxon, Two-Face (substitute voice)
- Phil Morris – Fox, Jonah Hex
- Laraine Newman – Ms. Minerva
- Julie Newmar – Martha Wayne (2nd voice)
- Gary Owens – Space Ghost
- Hunter Parrish – Kid Flash, Geo-Force
- Ron Perlman – Doctor Double X
- Jim Piddock – Calendar Man/Calendar King, Doctor Watson, Doctor Sivana, Shazam, Thaddeus Jr.
- James Remar – Two-Face
- Paul Reubens – Bat-Mite
- Henry Rollins – Robotman
- Jeffrey Ross - Himself
- Michael Rosenbaum – Deadman
- Stephen Root – Penguin, Woozy Winks, Planet Master, Killer Croc
- Peter Scolari – Atom/Ray Palmer
- Tom Everett Scott – Booster Gold
- Armin Shimerman – Calculator, Psycho-Pirate, Walter Mark "Prof" Haley, Guardians of the Universe
- John Wesley Shipp – Professor Zoom
- J.K. Simmons – Guardians of the Universe, Evil Star, Kyle "Ace" Morgan
- Cree Summer – Vixen
- Jeffrey Tambor – Crazy Quilt
- Tony Todd – Astaroth
- Alan Tudyk – Flash/Barry Allen
- Michael T. Weiss – Adam Strange
- Adam West – Thomas Wayne (3rd voice), Proto-Bot
- Wil Wheaton – Blue Beetle/Ted Kord
- Michael Jai White – Tattooed Man
- Gary Anthony Williams – Fun Haus, Mongul, Mongal
- Tyler James Williams – Firestorm
- Wade Williams – Mantis, Supreme Chairman of Qward
- Thomas F. Wilson – Sportsmaster, Catman
- Henry Winkler - Ambush Bug
- Peter Woodward – Caesar, Ra's al Ghul
- Michael-Leon Wooley – Kalibak, Darkseid
- "Weird Al" Yankovic – Himself, Mr. Star
Additional voices[]
- Sebastian Bader – Damian Wayne's son/Future Robin
- Dee Bradley Baker – Clock King, Etrigan the Demon/Jason Blood, Felix Faust, Brain, Chemo, Scarecrow, Ace the Bat-Hound, Oberon, Ramjam, Dove, Brother Eye, GPA Operative, Fisherman, Professor Malachi Zee, Tin, Professor Milo, Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, Starro Titan, Haunted Tank, Madniks, Bug-Eyed Bandit, Mister Atom, Misfit, Warren Griffith, Vincent Velcro, Pvt. Elliot "Lucky" Taylor, John Wilkes Booth, Punchichi
- Jeff Bennett – The Joker, Red Hood, OMAC, Captain Marvel, Batman's Singing Voice, Rubberneck, Abra Kadabra, Joker-Mite, Joker Jr., Rubin, Penguin (Scooby-Doo version), Amazo, Prez Richards, El Gaucho, Ultra-Humanite, Starman
- Gregg Berger – Hammer Toes, Brain Scientist, Police Captain, Crime Boss, Creature King
- Brian Bloom – Iron, Oxygen, Creeper, Rip Hunter, Captain Atom
- Steven Blum – Heat Wave, Captain Cold
- Andrea Bowen – Talia al Ghul
- Ian Buchanan – Sherlock Holmes
- Cathy Cavadini – Alanna Strange, Jan, Ruby Ryder, Fiona, Dr. Myrra Rhodes
- Grey DeLisle – Fire, Black Canary, Daphne Blake, Robin (Bat-Manga version), Dala
- John DeVito – Captain Marvel Jr.
- Sean Donnellan – Elongated Man, Steve Trevor
- Robin Atkin Downes – Weather Wizard, Kobra, Firefly, Ten-Eyed Man
- Bill Fagerbakke – Ronnie Raymond, Lead, Helium, Riddler Henchman
- Nika Futterman – Lashina, Catwoman
- James Garrett – Alfred Pennyworth
- Zachary Gordon – Young Bruce Wayne, Young Aqualad
- Richard Green – General Kreegaar
- Kim Mai Guest – Katana (2nd voice)
- Nicholas Guest – Question, Martian Manhunter
- Jennifer Hale – Ramona, Poison Ivy (1st voice), Zatanna, Killer Frost, Ice
- David K. Hill – Negative Man
- Sirena Irwin – Mera, Lois Lane
- Lauri Johnson – Ma Murder
- Mikey Kelley – Kamandi
- Lex Lang – Doctor Polaris, Hourman, Gold, Hydrogen, Alloy, Young Wildcat, Adult Dick Grayson/Batman
- Hope Levy – Stargirl, Phantom Lady
- Yuri Lowenthal – Mister Miracle, Prince Tuftan, Bulletman
- Tress MacNeille – Ms. Gatsby
- Jason Marsden – Paco, Speedy, Robin (Scooby-Doo version)
- Vanessa Marshall – Poison Ivy (2nd voice), Batwoman
- Richard McGonagle – Sardath, Professor Carter Nichols, The Chief, Perry White, Brainiac
- Scott Menville – Metamorpho
- Jason C. Miller – Doll Man, Black Condor
- Pat Musick – Martha Wayne ("Dawn of the Deadman!")
- Ryan Ochoa – Young Speedy
- Peter Onorati – Joe Chill
- Vyvan Pham – Katana (1st voice)
- Alexander Polinsky – Slug, G'nort, Jimmy Olsen
- Rachel Quaintance – Carol Ferris
- Enn Reitel - Chancellor Deraegis
- Peter Renaday – Uncle Sam, Abraham Lincoln, Cartoon Network Announcer
- Kevin Michael Richardson – Black Manta, B'wana Beast, Despero, General Steppenwolf, Blockbuster, Detective Chimp, Monsieur Mallah, Starro, Telle-Teg, President Barack Obama, Lex Luthor, Mister Mxyzptlk, Heroes Voiceover
- Bumper Robinson – Black Lightning
- Roger Rose – Superman, WHIZ Reporter Tom Tyler
- Eliza Schneider – Baroness Paula Von Gunther, Georgette Taylor
- Jeremy Shada – Young Robin
- Zack Shada – Aqualad
- James Sie – Atom/Ryan Choi, Dyna-Mite
- Jane Singer – Jewelee
- Meghan Strange – Harley Quinn
- Preston Strother – Arthur Curry, Jr., Kyle
- Tara Strong – Huntress,Billy Batson, Mary Marvel, Georgia Sivana
- Gary Sturgis – Bronze Tiger
- Fred Tatasciore – Mutant Master, Arsenal, Sgt. Rock, Major Force
- Hynden Walch – Carbon Dioxide, Platinum
- Frank Welker – Scooby-Doo, Fred Jones, Batboy, Batman (Scooby-Doo version)
- Billy West – Skeets
- Mae Whitman – Batgirl
- Tyrel Jackson Williams - Chris
- Crawford Wilson – Robin/Nightwing
- Marc Worden – Kanjar Ro, Lt. Matthew Shrieve
- Tatyana Yassukovich – Morgaine le Fay
- Keone Young – GPA Operative
Crew[]
- Michael Jelenic - Producer, Story Editor
- Amy McKenna - Line Producer
- Sam Register - Executive Producer
- Andrea Romano – Casting and Voice Director
- James Tucker - Producer