My Personal Batman Day 2022 Playlist

"Almost Got 'Im"

This is a fan-favorite episode where all of Batman's various rogues get together and reminisce over a game of cards about how they almost got the Batman. In hindsight, the only major issue with this episode depends on what order you have seen the episodes up to this point. Harvey Dent being poisoned by Poison Ivy in her attempt to kill him prior to him becoming Two-Face is referenced here, but I didn't see that episode until AFTER this episode initially aired in my area on TV. I'm sure that problem is complicated even further with how badly organized these episodes are sorted on the various home video releases and currently on streaming devices, such as HBO Max.

"The Cat and the Claw" (Parts 1 & 2)

This episode marks Catwoman/Selina Kyle's first appearance in this series. This begins a rocky relationship between the two, whereas Bruce Wayne is totally into Selina Kyle but she doesn't share his enthusiasm while Catwoman is heads over heels over Batman.

"Zatanna"

This is Zatanna's first and only appearance in this entire series until she returns to the DC Animated Universe in Justice League Unlimited as an legitimate magic user. You would think that she would have been brought in to help during the magical ordeal with Etrigan in The New Batman Adventures, but I guess they didn't want her stealing his spotlight. She does have a cameo at Bruce Wayne's wedding in the episode, "Chemistry", so that's something I guess.

Actress Julie Brown (Minerva Mink in Animaniacs) does an excellent job portraying the character.

"Harley and Ivy"

When people tell me that they don't see how Harley and Ivy could wind up as a lesbian couple, I point back to this episode and ask, "How could you NOT??" It was always there, just between the lines. Writers since this animated series have taken their mere "friendship" and cranked it up to eleven... y'know, since they don't have to worry about the quality control and censors for a kids show in the '90s anymore.

That being said, this is the first ever "team-up" of sorts between the two femme fatales in this series.

"His Silicon Soul"

I've always had a fondness for stories that question whether or not artificial intelligence can replicate or possess a soul (Android Kikaider definitely comes to mind with Cyborg 009 measuring the value of humanity despite being a machine for examples). While I never much cared for the H.A.R.D.A.C. two-parter "Heart of Steel" this epilogue of sorts was an excellent follow-up to close the book on that narrative.

"Two-Face" (Parts 1 & 2)

I remember seeing this for the first time as a kid with the reveal of Harvey's face after the accident was straight up nightmare fuel. Richard Moll still has my personal favorite Two-Face voice to date though and it definitely shines in these two episodes.

"House & Garden"

This is another one of those episodes that's a tough watch on first viewing. It's not just from the horror themes towards the end, but from Ivy's whole "act" that she's reformed and wants nothing more to be a mother and have a family. It ends up being that it's not an "act" at all but there's massive consequences here.

"The Demon's Quest" (Parts 1 & 2)

It still trips me out that Ra's al Ghul becomes Batman's enemy solely off the fact that he refuses to marry his daughter Talia and take over his empire. Batman wasn't thinking about this thing in a big enough scale. He could have optimized this whole crime fighting thing with the League of Assassins' resources behind him. He could have reshaped the whole organization from within too since he doesn't resort to killing his foes.

"Appointment in Crime Alley"

This episode highlights an annual tradition that Batman has with Dr. Leslie Thompkins to honor the date of his parents' deaths. Batman also questions whether or not his crime-fighting efforts are making a difference in this episode.

"The Last Laugh"

The only reason this episode is on this list is the fact that I LOVE the background music for this episode, which can be found on Spotify as well. I guess I shouldn't sell The Joker's plot here short either as this one of his better schemes. Plus, this episode had the first and last appearance of Captain Clown!

"If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?"

This was the debut of The Riddler in this series and definitely one of my favorite appearances of the character in this series for me. I loved that Robin's video game knowledge was pivotal to solving his schemes here too.

"Trial"

Simply put, this episode proves that Batman's villains are more responsible for creating him than his existence fueling the creation of more villains to counter his presence.

"Fire From Olympus"

I'm not even going to lie, but the only reason this episode is even on this list as I can't watch this episode without laughing at how Maxie Zeus falls from that building and hits the pavement below and still is somehow still alive after being electrocuted. If anyone deserved to be in Arkham Asylum, it's that dude.

"Robin's Reckoning" (Parts 1 & 2)

This two-parter serves as Robin's origin story. It also addresses why Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne have had a rocky relationship in their surrogate father-son dynamic. There's some tense moments in the end of this where we see how frighteningly close Robin comes to crossing the line that Batman fears of ever crossing.

"Heart of Ice"

Depending when or where you first saw Batman TAS in the '90s, this was more likely the first episode that you saw that was considered the pilot episode in a lot of places. If not, this one, then it was "On Leather Wings" (first appearance of Man-Bat). I just remember seeing this episode in particular when the local Fox station in my area was doing that primetime Mighty Morphin Power Rangers special for a few nights to bring in their new season and this was like the follow-up to close up that hour.

In either case, this episode serves as the first appearance of Mr. Freeze with a MUCH different origin story than in the comics up to this time as the writers here wanted to give him a more tragic, yet sympathetic origin. It worked wonders too and wind up influencing the comics to adapt this change to his backstory too.

"Shadow of the Bat" (Parts 1 & 2)

This two-parter would serve as the origin story that would led to Barbara Gordon taking matters into her own hands and suiting up as Batgirl to save her father, Commissioner Gordon.

I really liked Melissa Gilbert's voice as the first voice actress to portray Barbara Gordon before Tara Strong would take over in The New Batman Adventures. For those wondering, Mary Kay Bergman would voice the character in the Batman & Robin: Sub-Zero animated movie.

"P.O.V."

This is one of those episodes that just blows my mind to see how many depictions and different takes that these characters, especially Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock have taken in Batman mythos since this series. At the same time, this was one of the few episodes that focused on the police of the GCPD.

"Bane"

This was this cartoon's way of trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Knightfall storyline that was going on in the Batman comics at the time, where Bane broke Batman's back. It was heavily teased here in this episode as seen in the image above, but sadly it doesn't happen in this animated series. That being said, Bane's first appearance in this series is definitely a memorable one, I'll say that much.

Rest in peace to his voice actor, Henry Silva, who just passed away the day before the posting of this article.

"Baby Doll"

All of these years later and Baby Doll's story is still so sad to me. A woman trapped forever in the body of a child. The ending gets me in the feels too when Batman finally stops her plans.

"Harley's Holiday"

Fresh out on parole from Arkham Asylum, Harley Quinn goes shopping only to be forced to fall back into her bad habits that turns into a day of mischief with Veronica Vreeland in tow. Hijinks ensue, especially when Veronica's crazy military father comes guns ablazin' to get his "baby girl" back.

"Holiday Knights"

From here on out, this is essentially The New Batman Adventures, which is considered the third and final season canonically of Batman TAS. This is the premiere episode of sorts, with three separate adventures set around the holidays in Gotham City. My favorite has to be Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy using Ivy's hypnotic lipstick to coerce Bruce Wayne to take them on a shopping spree and spend all of his money.

"You Scratch My Back"

This is Dick Grayson's debut under his Nightwing persona in this series as Catwoman returns to see if the former "Boy Wonder" is man enough to help her deal with a smuggling gang that has arrived in Gotham despite Batman's warnings not to trust Selina.

"Cold Comfort"

Mr. Freeze returns, with a gang of female henchwomen (even one voiced by the legend Cree Summer herself...), intent on making everyone in Gotham feel his "loss". That isn't made clear until later into the episode what exactly contributes to making Freeze's story in this series even more tragic.

"Never Fear"

Out of all of Scarecrow's appearances in this series, I thought this episode and later "Over the Edge" would be his most significant ones. He develops a new fear toxin that doesn't induce fear, but instead it REMOVES your greatest fear. Batman accidentally gets dosed with it and he's suddenly more reckless and ruthless on criminals as his fear and restraint of possibly killing criminals is gone. It creates for a tense episode where Robin has to step in to make sure Batman doesn't cross that line.

"Growing Pains"

Robin (Tim Drake) meets an amnesic young girl around his age, named Annie, that he quickly falls head over heels for as he deems himself as her personal protector from the mysterious man who constantly pursues her. Batman figures out what is the connection between Annie and her stalker, but it's too late before Robin gets a harsh lesson in life - "sometimes there's no happy endings."

It should be noted that Francesca Smith voices Annie, who many may recognize as Helga G. Pataki from Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!.

"Torch Song"

This is an episode about an obsessive ex-boyfriend turned supervillain, in this case - Firefly, going after Gotham's "hottest" (no pun intended) celebrity/starlet. This marks the first and I believe last time that we would ever see Firefly appear in this series outside of cameos (he pops up again in Legends of the Dark Knight but he's not given a full episode to shine again like this one though). It's a darn shame too as I loved his design here.

"The Ultimate Thrill"

If you want to see how this show got away with sexual innuendo for an ENTIRE episode past censors in the nineties, then boy, do I have an episode for you. Why Roxy Rocket hasn't popped up in any live-action Batman mediums is a mystery to me to this day as people STILL talk about this rather "unique" character almost 25 years later.

"Over the Edge"

One of the most shocking episodes to watch in this entire series upon your first viewing from how far they push the envelope in terms of the violent scene that opens this episode to the tone of this episode from the aftermath of that ordeal that has fatal consequences for the remainder of the Bat Family.

"Old Wounds"

I feel like this episode is a much-needed epilogue of sorts to fill in the gaps from the transition from the first two seasons of Batman: The Animated Series to the shift to The New Batman Adventures as viewers were never informed about what happened to Dick Grayson when this series started and we saw him already as Nightwing.

"Mad Love"

Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's origin story for the popular Harley Quinn character wasn't revealed until this episode first made air. I still feel sorry for Harleen by the end of this episode, but the highlight has to be hearing Batman call The Joker "Puddin'" by the end.

"Mean Seasons"

Instead of going with existing Batman villain, Calendar Man, the writers of this series opted for an original new creation, Calendar Girl, a estranged former fashion model turned supervillain. This episode has a lot of references and humor directed towards network television, notably towards the very network the show was airing on at the time, along with an interesting conversation on the value of age and beauty in society.

"Beware the Creeper"

This episode still stands as a bizarre, yet hilarious way for this season to bow out as one of the final two episodes. The Creeper is depicted as a bizarre parallel to The Joker but acts more like Freakazoid (that aired on the same network at the time) than The Joker, but without all of his destructive tendencies.

"Rebirth" (Parts 1 & 2)

This two-parter serves as the ending to Bruce Wayne's crime-fighting career while simultaneously providing Terry McGinnis' origin as the new Batman for the future.

"Meltdown"

Mr. Freeze returns in the future, sporting hands-down my favorite suit design for him in the entire DCAU. This episode marks the tragic end for this character in the DCAU (again) while simultaneously debuting Batman Beyond's primary antagonist, Blight. So many great quotable pieces of dialogue in this episode too.

"Heroes"

A new trio of heroes arrive in Gotham City, reminiscent of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four. Terry begins to think that Gotham may not need Batman much anymore with them on the scene, but Bruce isn't convinced in the least. This is one of those episodes that highlights how thin the line between heroes and villains truly are.

"Blackout"

Derek Powers hires Inque to attack rival corporations but Batman continues to get in her way, so Powers opts for her to kill him instead. She manages to invade the Batcave too, forcing Bruce to lend Terry a hand.

"Dead Man's Hand"

Dana and Terry have a nasty argument, leaving Terry off on his own - until he meets Melanie Walker. Melanie has secrets of her own as she's a member of the newest incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang that has arrived in Gotham City.

"A Touch of Curaré"

An assassin is trying to take the life of Commission Barbara Gordon's husband. Terry manages to keep Curare at bay but this forces Barbara to confront Bruce and encourage him to keep Terry out of police business. Her history with Bruce is revealed to Terry in this episode along with how and why they fell out.

"Lost Soul"

A living virus invades and takes over the Batsuit, forcing Terry to find out whether is he worthy to be Batman with or without the suit.

"Earth Mover"

Beyond's second season is often criticized for it's change in tone to almost like a Spider-Man show instead of being a Batman show. "Earth Mover" is more like a Batman show with it's horror-themed dynamic presented in this episode. Terry and Dana's new classmate is being stalked and/or haunted by mysterious creatures until Terry finds out that they are made of the earth itself.

"Terry's Friend Dates a Robot"

This is one of the most funniest episodes to me as one of Terry's classmates maxes out his parents' credit cards buying an android to pose as his girlfriend when these androids are usually used for combat exercises, such as the ones Wayne buys for training Terry in the Batcave. This goes as well as you'd expect.

"Ascension"

This episode in particular serves as the "finale" for the first season as Derek Powers is finally exposed to the public that both he and Blight are the same person since his deadly radiative powers have grown far too powerful to remain hidden. At the same time, Terry is a little TOO eager to see Powers get what's coming to him.

"Inqueling"

Inque returns for her third (and last) appearance in this series, this time finding herself forced to confide in her estranged daughter after being mortally wounded.

"Out of the Past"

Talia al Ghul returns to Gotham City looking the same as she did from the past, looking to reunite and restore Bruce Wayne to his youthful prime with aid from the Lazarus Pits. Things are not what they seem with this golden opportunity to reclaim his youth.

"The Call" (Parts 1 & 2)

This episode was essentially a trial run for what could have been the first and only time that the writers would be able to tackle any sort of Justice League for the DCAU.

Return of The Joker (movie)

The Joker returns in what many describes as the most shocking piece of the Batman narrative in this continuity to date. While there's a normal release and uncut version, I think both versions drive the point home of the Bat Family's final encounter with the Joker. Terry even manages to have his own memorable encounter with the Clown Prince of Crime that definitely sets him apart from his predecessor.

"Injustice for All" (Parts 1 & 2)

It still cracks me up that with all of Lex Luthor's scheming and vast intelligence that The Joker of all people is the most sane person in this episode when it comes to dealing with Batman, but no one wants to listen to him here.

This episode is an excellent example of Batman proving his worthiness of being part of the Justice League as he kept an eye on Luthor's plans while "pretending" to be helpless when he could have escaped anytime he wanted. Instead, he choose to stay put and manipulate Luthor and his hired help to turn against each other by the time the two-parter was over.

"Secret Society" (Parts 1 & 2)

This episode makes this list mainly for this meme-able quote right in the caption above.

"The Once and Future Thing" (Parts 1 & 2)

Batman meets Old Bruce Wayne in a pseudo-crossover with Batman Beyond that is in part a follow-up to "The Call" from that series as the Justice League Beyond team appears in multi-part episode.

"Panic in the Sky"

The whole Cadmus storyline as a whole is worth watching building up to this in Season 2 of JLU, but this one in particular is worth it alone just from Batman's snappy dialogue with the rest of the League when they turn themselves in to the American government. If that wasn't good enough, his confrontation with Amanda Waller was worth seeing too after they've been one-upping each other over the course of the season.

"Starcrossed" (Parts 1-3)

This three-part story serves as the finale for the original Justice League series and sets the stage for Justice League Unlimited from the fallout of this ordeal. We do get the awesome moment from the image above where Batman reveals that he already knew everyone's secret identities.

"Epilogue"

This episode serves as an impromptu finale for Batman Beyond while simultaneously serving as a Batman-themed episode of this series to conclude Season 2 of JLU. This episode reveals the "truth" behind Terry's origin while closing the book in a sense on his story in the DCAU, something that his own series wasn't able to do before its cancellation.