Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most celebrated comics to cartoon adaptations of all time. From the moment the cartoon began, fans knew they were in for a treat with the intro. It may have been long for a cartoon intro, but it was still beloved. It got fans pumped for the upcoming adventure.
There are a lot of episodes to go through. Some of them have clever takes on clichéd villains, and others are a bit more classically action-packed. Whatever fans of the caped crusader are looking for, Batman: The Animated Series has it covered. For those that have never watched the cartoon, watch these episodes to get hooked.
Updated October November 5th, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: A new Batman movie, The Batman, was released in 2022 and added a whole new perspective to the legendary Batman mythos. The live-action takes of the Dark Knight can be contentious among fans, but in the world of animation, most people agree Batman: The Animated Series reigns supreme. With new superhero and DC fans emerging every year, it's important to showcase which episodes of the iconic show stand above the rest.
14 Legends Of The Dark Knight
This is a fun episode that showcases the many eras of Batman. It begins with three kids telling stories about him. The first begins with an homage to the cheesier, 60s side of the caped crusader involving the Joker. The second is a look at the dark side of the 80s comics, wherein Batman is an older brute who will not get pushed around. The final story takes place in the present, with Batman taking on Firefly, a villain who was not in the cartoon very much.
13 Beware The Gray Ghost
This is another episode that pays homage to older Batman stories but in a more roundabout way. The Gray Ghost is an old show Bruce used to watch when he was a kid. The titular character is played by Adam West, who played Batman in the live-action show from the 1960s. This episode is like a dark parody of West’s life post-Batman, wherein he is seemingly all washed up. Is there hope for this faded star yet? Batman aims to make it so.
12 Judgment Day
Many Batman fans have probably wondered why Batman doesn’t kill anyone. Wouldn’t eliminating the Riddler, the Penguin, the Joker, and his other villains make Gotham safer? The episode takes a look at that idea when another vigilante appears, calling himself the Judge. He is out to kill these villains as they think this is the best course of action to save the city. Their identity revealed at the end may still surprise some viewers.
11 Batgirl Returns
Batgirl doesn’t get a lot of episodes in the original run of the animated series. When the show shifted to WB, she received more screen time, but that’s because the show transitioned into a more family affair altogether.
Of the original ones out there, this is one of the better stories. It sees Batgirl team up with Catwoman as they investigate the theft of a valuable statue. What are Catwoman’s real plans? She doesn't have anything truly malicious planned. Catwoman is just being Catwoman.
10 Double Talk
Scarface is one of the best villains in the show, even though he is a bit more obscure to casual Batman fans. He's a puppet who resembles an old-fashioned gangster. Scarface is voiced by the Ventriloquist who, like Two-Face, suffers from a split personality.
The Ventriloquist gets cured in Arkham and tries to lead a normal life afterward. However, his puppet dude, via Scarface, keeps calling him back. Can he escape, or is he doomed to be a villain forever?
9 Deep Freeze
Mr. Freeze is one of the all-time great villains in the show. That’s because he’s a sympathetic character. Freeze doesn’t want to kill or hurt anyone on purpose. He becomes a criminal only to steal money to then invest in research to save his beloved Nora from her disease.
This episode finds Freeze dealing with an eccentric billionaire named Grant Walker. He promises to cure Nora if Freeze builds him a cryogenic suit like his. However, not everything is as it seems.
8 Harley And Ivy
This is another fun female pair-up episode. This time it’s all villains. Harley finally realizes that the Joker is a jerk who doesn’t appreciate her. She tries to go out on her own, but she eventually runs into Ivy. The two then decide to wreak havoc together.
There are a lot of good stories outside this animated series that showcase the potential between these two villains. It all started with “Harley and Ivy.” Harley Quinn's new cartoon is proof of that.
7 Almost Got'im
This is another anthology episode like "Legends Of The Dark Knight.” It sees the Penguin, Killer Croc, the Joker, and Poison Ivy all sitting around a table and playing poker together. Ivy actually crashes the party, which is a fun intro.
Eventually, they start telling stories about how they almost killed Batman. Killer Croc’s story may be the funniest because all he did was throw a rock at him. There is an interesting reason for all of these stories; however, it would be a disservice to the fans to spoil them.
6 A Bullet For Bullock
This is a great noir detective story that stars everyone’s favorite cranky cop, Harvey Bullock. Someone is trying to off him, so he asks Batman for help begrudgingly. Bullock can’t tell the department because he’s afraid of Internal Affairs. So, who did try to kill him multiple times?
There is a fake-out ending to an obvious suspect before the true villain is revealed. It’s one of the funniest and saddest reveals in the series. It’s ripped straight from the comics too.
5 The Man Who Killed Batman
Viewers watching the show chronologically will have to wait some time to get to one of Batman: The Animated Series' best episodes, titled "The Man Who Killed Batman." The title alone is worth the click to see what happens, but boy, does it deliver on that immediate interest.
What would happen if someone believed they accidentally killed Batman? That's the core premise of the show's 51st episode, which focuses on a man named Sidney Debris and his adventures in Gotham City. With none of the biggest, baddest, or most dangerous threats to the city being able to overcome Batman, it's clear no one would believe a normal gang member and criminal could even come close to vanquishing the Dark Knight.
4 The Joker's Favor
“The Joker's Favor” is one of the more unique episodes of the series despite Batman taking a backseat. It instead stars an ordinary nobody named Charlie Collins. One day he gets mad and tries to run a car off the road. The Joker was inside the car, unbeknownst to him. Big mistake. So, instead of killing Charlie, the Joker asks him to do him a small favor in the future. Without ruining anything, let’s just say that it's never a good idea to mess with a nobody.
3 Perchance To Dream
The idea of wanting to see what Bruce Wayne's life would have looked like if his parents were never killed is something retread by comic fans all the time and the focus of an episode of Batman: The Animated Series called "Perchance to Dream."
In this, the 30th episode of the animated show, Bruce wakes up to experience that exact thought experiment. Not only is he not Batman, but he happens to be seemingly happily married to Selina Kyle, and his parents are alive and well. At this point in pop culture, dream episodes or stories are exhaustive and lackluster, but this episode takes the trope and does something captivating with it.
2 Feat Of Clay
Sure, Batman is known for having arguably the best collection of villains in the entirety of superhero entertainment, but outside of the Joker, they rarely get the spotlight they deserve. That's where the two-part episode called "Feat of Clay" shines and deserves credit for being one of Batman: The Animated Series' best episodes.
It serves as the origin story for Clayface and tells it in a way in which the audience empathizes with the villain. We live in a world where people are looking for acceptance, and Matt Hagen is a man whose livelihood was ruined when he was disfigured in a car accident. What makes it truly sad and captivating is that everyone can relate to the idea of doing anything within their power to continue striving towards the goals and dreams they've wished to accomplish their entire life.
1 Heart Of Ice
Batman: The Animated Series has withstood the test of time and is considered one of the best animated series of all time to this day for a variety of reasons. One major aspect that's led to this is the writing of the show, featuring a commitment to not shying away from serious tones and heartbreaking stories. Animation is often considered a medium of entertainment only for children, but one of Batman: The Animated Series' best episodes proves this to be categorically false.
"Heart of Ice" is the fourteenth overall episode of the show and focuses on Mr. Freeze and his tragic backstory. Villains can often be comically hyperbolic, but this episode showcased how one man's love can consume him entirely, for better or worse.