Top 10 Biggest Changes in Batman Caped Crusader

The trend throughout comic books is to keep the setting moving so that the characters are always in the present day. But “Caped Crusader” opted for a much more retro approach, putting Batman back in the 1940s for this noir-inspired cartoon. It keeps a lot of the Art Deco leanings people loved in “Batman: The Animated Series” and the Burton movies, for one of the most stylish DC Animated outings in recent memory. People expecting another Batman cartoon updated for the modern day may be disappointed, but the show is so good that we doubt that disappointment will last for long. Who knew that sending Batman back in time to his original decade was the fresh take viewers were craving? Well, Bruce Timm, obviously.

This early change is one of the bigger ones that has had people talking, as Oswald Cobblepot has been gender-flipped to be a female crime boss, Oswalda Cobblepot. But the change isn’t as drastic as you might think; she still looks and behaves like the Penguin we’re all familiar with, running the Iceberg Lounge from a yacht in Gotham’s harbor. And in typical, Penguin style, she uses an umbrella for a weapon and wants to be the city’s biggest crime boss, kick-starting the mob storyline that runs through the entire season. Penguin is arguably the last character you’d expect to be changed like this, which draws you in as you think, if they changed this, what ELSE is different?

Jim and Barbara Gordon are different from their most often seen versions in a few ways. First, they’re both Black now; this isn’t too surprising since both “The Batman” and the canceled “Batgirl” movie already cast Black actors in the roles, with Jeffrey Wright and Leslie Grace respectively taking them on. Barbara’s also a lawyer; it makes sense that her profession would need to be changed, since she’s usually a computer specialist and that wouldn’t be too useful in the 1940s. Interestingly, though “Caped Crusader” tackles Batman’s early career, Jim Gordon is already the Commissioner, and widely regarded as Gotham’s only trustworthy cop. Some things never change.

Christina Ricci guest-starred as Selina Kyle in this memorable episode, as Batman’s crime fighting inadvertently inspires her to don a cat-themed costume and start stealing Gotham’s most coveted jewels. Usually, but not always, Catwoman is stealing for the thrill of it, but here, she’s stealing because she actually needs the money thanks to her father being in prison – though, she definitely enjoys it, too. In some other well-known versions of Catwoman’s origin story, like in “Year One” or even in “Gotham”, she’s never rich, instead growing up on the streets. But the shallow rich girl who turns to cat-themed crime is definitely reminiscent of the character’s pulpy beginnings in the Golden Age.

When you think of arsonists in Batman’s rogues’ gallery, you probably think of Garfield Lynns, AKA Firefly. But as Firebug repeatedly points out himself, they’re not to be confused – and in some older comics are actually rivals thanks to their similar gimmicks. Firefly predates Firebug by over 20 years, but Firebug is portrayed more like Lynns, as a compulsive arsonist, in “Caped Crusader”. In his original comic run, the Joe Rigger Firebug doesn’t just like burning down buildings, he actually wants revenge on three specific buildings he holds responsible for the accidental deaths of his loved ones. He’s definitely been simplified for the show.

Only the most devout DC readers will recognize Gentleman Ghost, AKA James Craddock, when he first appears. But they’ll also be aware that most of the time, Gentleman Ghost isn’t a real ghost at all. Not so in “Caped Crusader”, which brings DC’s supernatural elements into this story. That’s not surprising given the recent popularity of more out-there properties, like “Sandman”, and it’s always fun to put Batman, the eternal skeptic, against things that go bump in the night. Craddock did become a ghost in the post-Crisis comics but returned to his Earthly origins for the maligned New 52.

Much like Barbara Gordon, Lucius Fox has also been turned into Bruce Wayne’s lawyer and takes care of much of his personal finances. He also doesn’t know that Bruce Wayne is Batman this time, though he usually does in other pieces of “Batman” media, and is never called in to help Batman develop his gadgets – not that he relies on gadgets much in “Caped Crusader”. Fox is still a key ally of Batman and turns up to help Bruce when he’s briefly questioned over the disappearance of a young actress. This career change also helps keep him in the show because Wayne Enterprises is rarely brought or used by any of the episodes’ plots.

Though this sounds like a small change, in practice, it’s very jarring to hear. Alfred, as always, is doing his best to help Batman, but Batman seems to be ungrateful – he doesn’t even call him “Alfred”, instead always referring to him by his surname, “Pennyworth”. We’re sure this is to give Bruce opportunities to grow as a character, and Lucius Fox actually calls him out for his treatment of Alfred in “Night Ride”. Batman often hides how important Alfred is to him as a surrogate father in the show, getting angry at him for being overcome by Gentleman Ghost during their supernatural ritual. We can’t wait to see this develop in any future seasons.

While the first and most popular Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, is a main character in “Caped Crusader”, the same isn’t true for the rest of the Bat Family. This version of Batman doesn’t currently have any sidekicks, but nearly all of his Robins appear in the episode “Nocturne”. Dickie, Jase, Stephie, and Carrie, the kidnapped orphans, are, of course, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown, and Carrie Kelley – the latter of whom is Robin in “The Dark Knight Returns”. Making them all young kids living in the same orphanage is something we haven’t seen before in the mythos, though it WAS a fun way to bring them all in, at least for a moment – Carrie even got to use her trademark slingshot.

She’s easily the biggest change in the entire show. Because the Joker doesn’t appear at all – except for THAT cameo – Harley needed a new origin story completely divorced from the Clown Prince of Crime. She’s still a psychiatrist, but she doesn’t work at Arkham; instead, she therapizes Gotham’s rich and famous, including Bruce Wayne at one point. The ones she can’t help, she kidnaps and tortures in her harlequin costume, forcing them to donate their fortunes to charity. Bruce Timm was the man who originally created Harley for “The Animated Series”, so seeing him get to reinvent her origin story to set her apart from the other, popular versions of the character is fascinating, to say the least.

Let us know in the comments which villains you want to see reimagined in “Caped Crusader” season 2!