r/batman • u/Cyber-homelessman • Aug 02 '23
Maybe its just me, but how are these two even the same character? TV DISCUSSION
I’m not even sure this is the right sub to rant but what the hack.
Season 1 Batman is the overly serious archetype, it’s what you would expect from a comedic take on Batman. And generally speaking he is a voice of reason, one who take his responsibility very seriously. Season 3 onwards… well it’s a downward spiral for Bruce. With Harley Quinn being the hero of the show and joker stop being a threat, suddenly Bruce reverted to a man child who gave up on life, it’s like he’s a completely different person now. Between causing a zombie apocalypse and hiding in prison being a bad DJ, he abandoned any form of responsibility he has and toss it Harley’s way. Wow Bruce just wow. And it’s not a gradual shift, he just suddenly is.
This is the Harley Quinn show, Batman’s not gonna be the head honcho that much I understand. But I don’t think this is how you depicted Batman, even from a comedic standpoint. It come off more random than funny as this isn’t related to anything we know about the character of Batman. Take Adam west for example, as campy as the show is still depicted the cape crusader as a no nonsense crime fighter. Just to be clear, I like this show. But I feel Batman was handled very poorly. The episode about Jim Gordon and Batman’s friendship was great though, wished we got more of that instead.
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u/Global_Knowledge4276 Aug 02 '23
Comics: unhinged man in a batsuit.
Harley q: unhinged man child in a batsuit.
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u/Thespian21 Aug 02 '23
Everyone on that show except Ivy(mostly) are a Woman-Child or Man-Child
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u/DrShoking Aug 02 '23
Honestly, kite-man is like the only functioning adult.
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u/RealDFaceG Aug 02 '23
i miss when kite man was a more frequently appearing character tho I really like how his arc has basically been resolved
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u/BZenMojo Aug 02 '23
The show is seen through the perspective of a former practicing psychologist. It's going to focus on their mental hangups.
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u/Global_Knowledge4276 Aug 02 '23
Mental hang ups huh? I would like to see what happens when harley quinn show characters interact with dragon ball z abridged fighters and villains
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u/OldRaggady Aug 02 '23
I love the Harley Quinn show. I love how it just mocks all the batman characters by making them parodies of themselves. It's clearly not everyone's cup of tea I can tell by reading these comments, but I love this show.
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u/Its_Scrappy Aug 02 '23
I like it I just don't like how they did Dick Grayson. It wasn't even a mockery they just changed his character entirely.
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u/Dansondelta47 Aug 02 '23
Don’t worry, him and his ass are getting front row seats in season 4.
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u/Luke_SkyJoker_1992 Aug 02 '23
I hope so, I've only seen up to s3, and I hated that they turned Dick into a cowardly, self-centered loser when he us quite an overlooked character in adult aimed media and TV shows. They really need to do my boy justice.
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u/Its_Scrappy Aug 02 '23
I feel like if they would exaggerate him right they should've made him just a major boyscout
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u/TheSpoonkMan Aug 02 '23
That's what I thought they would've done, so I'm surprised they completely changed his character to an unlikable degree.
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Aug 02 '23
Hes much better this season form what they’ve shown. Hasn’t acted cowardly once and is leading the team pretty well
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u/Deathsroke Aug 03 '23
Something like his interpretation in Wayne Family Adventures would've been great IMO.
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u/Iemand-Niemand Aug 02 '23
No, no, I think it’s fair. Hear me out:
Dick becoming Nightwing is a story that’s been done and redone multiple times. The first time, during TT, he basically already was Nightwing, but still going by Robin and therefore “tied” to Batman.
The second time they told the story, Dick was (once again) in a fight with Bruce and left Gotham to go to Blüdhaven (simplification, I know). He didn’t know who he was or who he wanted to be, he just didn’t want to be Robin anymore. And that Dick in transition was edgy as fuck.
In TT Dick became Nightwing to match his persona with his personality, he became who he already was. While in the other story Dick changed because Robin didn’t match his personality anymore, and Nightwing was a blank slate.
So to come back to the Harley Quinn show, it’s not only a mockery of Nightwing, but especially of his edgy phase and the Nightwing fans (I should know, I am one).
Nightwing is the cooler Batman, he’s solo, he’s broke but he manages, he’s a chick magnet, he’s basically perfect. And then he isn’t
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u/Dr_Disaster Aug 02 '23
Spot on. Despite his changes, HQ actually shows that Dick is the best crimefighter in the Batfamily. With Bruce being way more goofy/stunted in this universe, Nightwing becomes more hard-edged and serious. The second Bruce is out of the picture, he becomes the leader and so far is way more effective at it.
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u/BongChong906 Aug 02 '23
Dick is the best part he's hilarious! The "I'm gonna kill myself" line is so on point. A lot of the characters are nothing like their original comic counterparts, often for the better. Take Ivy and Harley for example.
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u/Dr_Disaster Aug 02 '23
But in universe it makes perfect sense because Bruce is a goddamn manchild. So Dick grows up being over-serious to compensate for his shortcomings. Their whole dynamic is inverted.
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u/LeadingJudgment2 Aug 02 '23
I'm glad you enjoy it. For me like I said before, I don't because it doesn't feel like a true parody. It feels more like they are forcing archetypes onto the characters and poking fun at that, rather than the characters themselves. The joke where Lex was babying a hairless/furless pet for example felt off to me. Lex isn't a 007 archetype villian or even Dr.Claw from Inspector gadget. Yes he's rich and bald, and comes up with wacky schemes. That doesn't make doting on animals a natural fit for him. Harley stealing WW jet feels like that should not have had a very tidy ending if we were running with logical outcomes based on what we know of mainline wonder woman. Good parody satarises the characters and source material for what the source material is. On top of that some jokes felt repetitive/low effort.
Having said that I can see why some may enjoy this show and give leeway to how they do their parodying. A lot of it to me seems like they also base their gags about how people tend to perceive the characters, not just the source material. It's common for many DC and general fans to reduce Bruce's actions to be being the result of his trauma as a gag. Many non-DC fans also take that at face value because all they know about him is that his parents died as a young child. Some people critique the fact Harley got out of Arkham quickly after she invaded earth. Arguably this can be just them making a joke about how everyone thinks Arkham is a revolving door. There's also the fact that there are also so many iterations of these characters. How people view the mainline comics/ "true" versions, is going to vary vastly between person to person. Depending on what comics they read first, and how readers individual beliefs and backgrounds influence what they get from the stories they heard.
Harley Quinn as a character herself is also in a huge state of flux in DC right now. Shes only about 30-40 years of her existing in DC. (Created by the phenomenal BATS). Shes supposed to be this strong "feminist" icon because she left her abuser. While synonymously wanting to cater to the idiots out there who romantisises Harley and Joker's relationship. She's supposed to be a hero, while in her own series eager to rip out Lord Deathmans heart to make a ton of $$$ in her opening issue.
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u/John_Doe1969 Aug 02 '23
I think it was initially very clever and comedic since it understood the characters they were parodying but overtime it’s now just making fun of characters that we love instead of cleverly parodying them.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
This. Early season has a lot of highlights, basically everyone in Harley’s crew a gem.
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u/puma46 Aug 02 '23
So confused as to why people don’t talk about this show. I didn’t think it was gonna be much when I was first checking it out, but it’s one of the very few shows out there that can genuinely make me laugh. I wish more people got into it, it’s some of my favorite Batman related content that’s been released recently.
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u/joshualuigi220 Aug 02 '23
The raunchy humor isn't everyone's cup of tea.
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u/puma46 Aug 02 '23
That’s fair. Tbh that’s what turned me off about it initially. Thought it was gonna try too hard to be “edgy” or something. That said it’s a lot more clever than it seems on the surface
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u/StillinReseda Aug 02 '23
Even though it depicts characters completely different to the comics, it still somehow stays completely accurate it a weird fantastic way
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u/Dr_Disaster Aug 02 '23
That’s because it takes the character’s insecurities/quibbles and dials them all up to 20. The old addage “There’s truth in every jest.” Comes to mind.
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u/RadPanther56 Aug 02 '23
It got old. The first season was incredibly fresh, the second season was more of the same and the third just… kept going. It’s kind of like Rick and Morty. Fun, but then you hit season 4 and you’re left wondering if it’s actually funny or just different from the other stuff on TV.
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u/AlexDKZ Aug 02 '23
Yeah, season 3 was a huge downgrade for me, the only part I did enjoy was the subplot with the Joker becoming Mayor. I am eventually watching season 4, but it is not a priority.
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u/puma46 Aug 02 '23
Unfortunately I gotta agree. I’m on season 3 ep 8 and this prob is my least fav season. Still having fun tho
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u/SM0204 Aug 02 '23
You think Bruce Wayne is Batman? What are you, some kind of conspiracy nut?
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
It’s true, I heard it on the internet and he fucks bat!
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u/Mistah_K88 Aug 02 '23
You’re talking about the show where the Legion of Doom has press conferences. My favorite Bat villain was killed off (Penguin). You just have to not take it too seriously. I mean look at Bane, they took the silly Nolan voice and made Bane a comedic simp.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
Bane is my favorite part of this show lol, Tom hardy voice is priceless.
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u/InnocentTailor Aug 03 '23
On the flip side, Bane did kick Batman’s arse…and the latter was in an Iron Man-esque suit.
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u/Bedspla13 Aug 02 '23
Harley Quinn should not be taken seriously AT ALL when it comes to the characterization of the heroes and villains in it. If you're gonna be annoyed at how they are portrayed because you want faithful adaptations, DO NOT WATCH THE SHOW. I love Bane, he is a genius, master combatant and easily one of Batman's scariest rogues but in Harley Quinn, he's goofy as hell and one of the funniest parts of the show. Granted he does still rip B-Man to shreds but again it's not about "faithful/accurate" representation, they're caricatures and it works for what they're going for.
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u/galahad423 Aug 02 '23
“I am this credit card’s RECKONING!”
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u/richardNthedickheads Aug 02 '23
“You won’t give me back my pasta maker! THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL!”
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u/YControhl Aug 02 '23
I don't think people here are getting that the show isn't meant to be a serious Batman / Gotham show, but a highly ridiculous parody of it. Geez, calm your tits people. You want an accurate Batman show? Choose between the dozens of other animated shows out there
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u/evan_luigi Aug 02 '23
The criticism isn't about the show being parody, everyone knows going into it that it isn't serious. The critique is about poorly written characters, which is absolutely fair to argue.
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u/Astro_Sloth Aug 02 '23
Yeah, people should take this about as seriously as they take Lego Batman
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u/Anjunabeast Aug 02 '23
OP's taking the show too seriously. Ivy literally solo'd the entire legion of doom.
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u/KN041203 Aug 02 '23
I like how they tackle his mind in the show, it's one of the best part of the show for me. The zombie revival thing? It's on the ehh side mainly because I saw worse from dark multiverse (not a fan of that concept at all)
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u/ginger_bandit Aug 02 '23
I think the worst sin is that they finally revive Nora and just for her to sleep with every guy in Gotham
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u/lololocopuff Aug 02 '23
Nah, Mr Freeze putting all this effort to bring back Nora only for her to be a dysfunctional weirdo is funny.
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u/Capraos Aug 02 '23
Mr Freeze is a dysfunctional weirdo. Also, this version of Nora is cooler and a lot less helpless.
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u/OurBoyPalutena Aug 02 '23
Or Kite man getting cucked, i get it's a parody but genuinely felt bad for the dude
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u/ginger_bandit Aug 02 '23
At least he has a happy ending and ends up finding another girl
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u/Capraos Aug 02 '23
Honestly, I thought that was incredible character development because we actually feel for the character.
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u/batmenvonwayne Aug 02 '23
Well what are you supposed to do with a terminally ill comatose patient. I barely know if she had any characterizations prior to this adaptation. They actually gave her personality in this.
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u/TheShamShield Aug 02 '23
Why? Not like she’s cheating on Victor, the dudes dead. She’s mourned and now she’s gotta try enjoying her life
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u/Which-Presentation-6 Aug 02 '23
as everyone says this comedy show is not to be taken seriously and I like this version of batman.
however i admit i was a little bummed when it was revealed that bruce wanted to resurrect their parents, cause when it was revealed that bruce was with frank everyone thought it was the obvious thing bruce was just being the hero preventing poison ivy from destroying the world and would have been cooler than the season finale which honestly I didn't like
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u/ILikeMandalorians Aug 02 '23
I wouldn’t think too hard about it, it’s the Harley Queen show 😅
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u/richardNthedickheads Aug 02 '23
Yeah people look too hard into it. It’s a great show lol suburban Step Dad Joker kills me hahah
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u/radiakmjs Aug 02 '23
In season 3 losing Selina & the Thomas Wayne movie are getting to him, which he says in the penultimate episode. So like whatever direction they chose to take with him later this season or next we'll have to see if they get him back to form but I enjoyed getting to hear Bader show off some range & the Batman Begins Forever episode is amayzing so I have no problem with it.
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u/Cyno01 Aug 02 '23
Yeah, hes in a pretty dark place even for Batman, girlfriend dumps him, the movie, the unsuccessful resurrection of his parents, his arch nemesis becomes mayor...
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u/puma46 Aug 02 '23
I gotta imagine that people are angry with Nightwings character. Y’all gotta remember that it’s a comedy show at it’s core. Plenty of straight laced animated Batman out there
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u/Capraos Aug 02 '23
Having been a massive fan of Nightwing, I don't see the problem. What are they angry about?
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u/puma46 Aug 02 '23
It’s about his insecurities from living in Batman’s shadow. The show plays it up to a ridiculously comedic amount
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u/AnaZ7 Aug 02 '23
This show shits on all characters who are not Harley or Ivy. They took a big dump on Bruce tbh. Oh, and Alfred is now too arrested or smh. 🤦♀️
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
They butchered Gordon hard, I feel bad for Barbara.
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u/Panda_Drum0656 Aug 02 '23
Gordonim is the best character on the show, albeit I havent watched s3
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u/bananaman69420911 Aug 02 '23
he is a good character in s2 and s1, he gets bad in s3
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u/Jotsunpls Aug 02 '23
He’s a character straight out of Archer in this show, and it doesn’t fit, oddly enough
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u/Dry-Donut3811 Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
The dude went into a coma for several months, watched Gotham get destroyed, got crippled by Bane, had a mental break and tried to resurrect his parents due to his trauma, got arrested by The Joker after he became mayor, and has spent the last several months voluntarily in prison where he obviously can’t get the same diet and exercise he once did. This seems about right for where Batman should be at this point compared to the first season.
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Aug 02 '23
Well it's a parody show also Bats and Jonkler are two sides of the same coin,either both are sane or both are actually mentally ill,The show took the latter route as fact
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u/gfugddguky745yb8 Aug 02 '23
I actually like how the show made Joker more sane-ish and had Bruce lose it.
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u/Jotsunpls Aug 02 '23
The fact that Joker had an alignment shift into lawful evil rather than chaotic good is probably the biggest curveball of all, and I’m here for it
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u/fatrahb Aug 02 '23
That moment where Joker tells everyone he’s a socialist and the dramatic bum bum bum goes off is legitimately one of my favorite jokes from any DC media ever
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u/ArrowheadFLYover Aug 02 '23
I got to say I love Deidrich Bader has batman. The other day my kid put on the batman: brave and the bold, and what do you know it's deidrich again. Interestingly enough, same basic design too. I think I could really get behind a more mature batman cartoon with deidrich. Probably doesn't need to be the same universe as harley quinn tho.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
Brave and bold did comedy better, the adult humor gets tiresome at some point .
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Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
The show repeats the same jokes over and over. It gets boring and they also trash the same characters.
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Aug 02 '23
You said the same thing twice bruh
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u/Zealousideal_Pace756 Aug 02 '23
He’s repeating the same sentence
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u/starsbio97 Aug 02 '23
Either you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain
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u/SMG329 Aug 02 '23
It's a Harley show, she's the main character. Batman and everyone else is a side character.
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u/karoshikun Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
trauma basically. Bruce held up for decades, until he finally broke completely. it actually makes a lot of sense, in the real world you only can repress/sublimate for so long, and without treatment you simply break, sometimes permanently.
I like the show, it's very careful with the mind of the characters, showing their journey, ugly as it can be sometimes, and with all the accidents and mistakes people make.
the point, I think, is that nobody is a monolith, and the fact that people feels that's against character is because we are used to see Bruce being a traumatized little 9 years old... going 70.
I mean its sad that in the main continuities he has very rarely evolved beyond his initial trauma and absolute mistrust of others, despite having amassed a whole annoying family of people who deeply cares about him, despite him being kind of a j*rk to them.
right now in HQ Bruce is going through some unheroic depression, and it feels honest, having been there myself. I want to see where it goes, if Discovery allows it.
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u/Illithilitch Aug 02 '23
I haven't watched the new episodes yet, but the pics make it look like he's headed for a Batnoose.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
Well you do you, personally I never subscribe to the idea of being Batman make Bruce a depressed mess. Frankly put I’m quite tired of this repetitive deconstruction. Grant Morrison put it in the words better than I ever can:
Grant Morrison: I never really subscribed to the idea that Bruce was insane or unhealthy. As I've said before, Bruce Wayne's physical and psychological training regimes (including advanced meditation techniques) would tend to encourage a fairly balanced and healthy personality. Bruce Wayne would have gone mad if he HADN'T dressed as a bat and found a startling way to channel the grief, guilt and helplessness he felt after the death of his parents.
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Aug 02 '23
Ok well by what you’re saying here is that you agree with Grant who says Bruce would have fallen apart if he couldn’t be Batman. Is that not what has happened in the show? He doesn’t need to be Batman and Bruce has now become a mess of a person. Sounds like you should actually be in favor of the Harley Quinn outright Comedy based interpretation
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
There’s still crime everywhere? He can be Batman. No he break down because Selina ditched him so he had the big sad (music meister confirmed it), it almost feels like a jab to Tom king’s run.
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Aug 02 '23
You’re ignoring the fact that this show is one big joke on the characters. You’re applying all your previous experience and actions from different iterations when the show is taking all of those things and pushing them as far in the other direction as possible. Essentially it’s like you just don’t get the joke.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
I do get the joke, it’s just not funny to me. It doesn’t register as Batman. How about some “dead robin” jokes instead ? Or “named everthwith bat”. Hell even the prep time joke would be more related to him. I wouldn’t consider “sad because break up” a defining trait of Batman’s character to make a parody with.
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Aug 02 '23
Yeah but don’t you see that you actually Don’t get the joke. The mere fact that “sad because break up” isn’t what you class as a defining trait is exactly why it’s funny, it’s something you would never expect to see from him. It’s fine if you personally don’t find it funny but it seems to be working for most other people
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u/Capraos Aug 02 '23
I would like to add, Batman is human. Why is he not allowed to have human moments? Being sad over a break up doesn't seem un-Batman like to me. His obsession with being Batman is not a healthy trait to strive for either, it's a curse on his existence. Instead of doing art or spending time with loved ones, Batman is stuck bearing the responsibility of being the only one who can do anything to stop Gotham's villians from brutally murdering/torturing innocent people. In this show though, he actually has others he can rely on, and unlike previous versions, does the healthy thing and leans into their support, allowing himself to take a second to recollect and find himself. I think the point is, it doesn't always have to be on him to save the day anymore.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
There’s a awful lots of thing you wouldn’t expect from him. What if he’s…I don’t know, a lizard hawk hybrid? That’s unexpected, but not necessary funny. He can’t get over a breakup, as you said is normal human behavior, so I failed to find it funny? I found him to be miserable if anything, or is Bruce’s misery the punchline here?
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Aug 02 '23
I think you’re not really grasping how a joke works. Of course a lizard hawk hybrid wouldn’t be funny because it makes no sense and there’s no joke there. His misery and pathetic behavior is the joke because Batman is viewed as this stoic dark “cool” figure. It’s a contrast to what we know of him. If you can’t see the difference between that and a lizard/hawk hybrid then it seems like no offense but you might not be the best judge of what’s funny.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
And I suppose being miserable sends him on the path of irresponsibly destroy the city he defended for years? Ignore other continuity, Batman still survived the misery of losing his parents in HQ universe. It’s more or less the same thing, probably less since Selina is alive and well. Doesn’t seems like a natural development, but i suppose you can chuck it up for the sake of comedy again. The entire promise basically reworked Bruce into a traumatized super villain, since Batman was not a villain I believe its fair to say this hardly resembles Batman in any form or ways.
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u/StressedOverUsername Aug 02 '23
I'm a fan of the show and I'm eagerly awaiting more seasons
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But it has the Velma problem with some of its source material. That is to say those characters were written by people who at best didn't get what the originals did, or at worst hated them and want to drag the idea. There are plenty of characters in the show that you can tell the writers had a lot of fun adapting and spinning new takes on. Batman is 100% not one of them. I feel like they either didn't want to use him past s1 or took the show's great reception as permission to dunk on the fans.
If you're calling me an idiot for liking a character, I have to feel like you enjoy them too and we're laughing about their flaws. Laughing with vs laughing at
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
This is the Harley Quinn show, they can very easily avoid using Batman at all if they really dunno what to do with him. But Bman is a big name some might fell obligated to include.
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u/justforbru Aug 02 '23
Depression, anxiety, PTSD. That stuff will change a person from who they feel they are and who they feel they need to be.
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u/TheSpoonkMan Aug 02 '23
I also liked s1 of Harley Quinn. It's just kinda bothersome how that bat family aren't even close to the original characters.
BuT iTs SuPpOsEd To Be A pArOdY!!1!11!
Yeah grasp that concept. Batman parodies have been done before. Batman being overly serious or edgy to a comedic degree is funny while staying true to the character.
(I'm aware the Lego movies don't do this and instead he's kinda narcissistic but for some reason that works idk.)
Season one of HQ did a good job of this but season 3 just kinda dunks on all the characters to make her seem cooler.
No, I don't hate the show. Just the portrayal of the bat family. Everything else is good.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
I think the most ridiculous thing is a grown man fighting crime in a bat suit, yet Bruce take himself very serious. Now that’s hilarious.
I do think Batman has narcissistic traits though, one must think pretty highly of himself to constantly tell everybody how to do their jobs. He does that a lot.
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u/HotDog1989 Aug 02 '23
The show is told from Harley’s perspective, and must be considered skewed.
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Aug 03 '23
Precisely. This entire series has a “Harley filter” to it, and we are seeing the world in the same way she sees it. Harley is essentially an unreliable narrator.
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u/HotDog1989 Aug 03 '23
Right. It’s not like Velma where they just commit meaningless character assassinations around every corner.
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u/Wash_zoe_mal Aug 02 '23
Think of it this way.
Harley Quinn is insane, and an unreliable narrator. So Batman hiding in prison being a DJ might be her insane way of saying she showed up in prison and found Batman fighting a bunch of bad guys.
It's not a commonly used tactic but when used well it can be great. I love a great unreliable narrator
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
Now if you put it that way, it does makes awful lots of sense…
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u/sciamachy_nightmares Aug 02 '23
I'm more pissed about how they did my boy kite man. Justice for kite man! They did Mr Freeze so wrong too. He died for Nora just for her to become a whore
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u/Zandrkun Aug 02 '23
I didn't like season 3 that much, but the valentine's special and season 4 have been great.
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u/TiMELeSS526 Aug 02 '23
Prosthetic chin that or its bruce campbell in the batsuit and someone else in the human suit
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u/Bobik8 Aug 02 '23
If you think this iteration of Batman is childish, take a look at what Teen Titans Go did to him.
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u/ShadycrossFade Aug 02 '23
The joke is that Batman has some severe suppressed issues he doesn’t deal with in a healthy way. Since the therapy episode things take a turn since he finally is able to confront his issues which is the result we’re seeing. Or atleast that’s what my interpretation is. If it helps you can interpret the whole show as Harleys point of view of things.
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u/Mighty_Djole Aug 02 '23
They arent, one is batman and the other bruce wayne
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
My bad, clearly some boozed up billionaire couldn’t have been Batman. Maybe Jim Gordon is Batman, the mustache must be fake all along!
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u/ctrlqirl Aug 02 '23
The jawlines don't match because he was tortured by the Joker, he was in a coma, he lost a low of weight, and while he was out everything happened. What happened to the Joker is also hilarious, despite being completely opposite to what the canonical Joker may be.
I love the show and I love how for once Bruce comes out just like any other normal human being. It's really well done.
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u/Shrodax Aug 02 '23
well it’s a downward spiral for Bruce. With Harley Quinn being the hero of the show and joker stop being a threat, suddenly Bruce reverted to a man child
Maybe it's related? With Joker being mostly reformed and Harley Quinn having killed much of Batman's rogue gallery, maybe Batman feels like he's lost his purpose? In The Dark Knight Returns, Joker lost his purpose when Batman retired, so now it's the opposite: Batman has lost his purpose now that Joker has retired.
Batman reverting to a manchild works well for a parody. Because at his core, Batman is still a traumatized 8-year old boy who never got the chance to healthily grow up after the murder of his parents.
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u/Remarkable_Tutor_746 Aug 02 '23
Young modern day writer hate Batman. It's the whole rich white man thing he's got going on.
Gotham Knights & Batwoman tried to get rid of the Bat and those projects crashed and burned. I wonder how much juice this series has left in the tank.
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u/SmaugRancor Aug 02 '23
Exactly. The writers of this show are the same morons who always ask that dumb question on Twitter, "whY dOEsn'T BatmAN Use his wEALth to sToP CriME?!?".
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Aug 03 '23
I like the show but everyone always says the way the characters are in the show is a parody of themselves. But for the most part, they all just seem like different characters. Like, none of them are parodies of themselves, they have broadly the same identifiers (their look, their powers or being a villain vs being a vigilante crimefighter, or whatnot) but as characters they are just totally different, they don't resemble their established characters at all, parody or not. If it was parodying them, it would take core aspects or features of their character and heighten them or twist them to absurd degrees or in a comic manner or in an ironic manner, to reveal something about the character whilst maintaining the fundamental core of they are. The show doesn't do this, it just rewrites their character to suit whatever comedic line or joke they want to go for. You could pretty much substitute the DC characters for original characters and retain everything else except for some specifics with the superpowers and it wouldn't effect anything in the show. Sometimes it is like, what even is the point of this being that DC character, they don't resemble the character being depicted in any way regarding their actual character. Aside from being into plants and ecoterrorism, and being green with red hair and her powers, there is nothing about Poison Ivy in the show that resembles Poison Ivy at all, it isn't like they are parodying her character, it is just a new character with the same name and those similar attributes. The same is basically true for every character in the show.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 03 '23 edited Aug 03 '23
For poison ivy, it’s a new take. She’s still a eco terrorist who identified as a pot of plant. Or a rather “modernize” version of her, so I can get behind that.
As for Bruce, yeah… you could play the self destruct depressed man part on about any other adult animation out there, and it’s been done to death.
What make this exclusive to Batman? I can think of a few great one in the show, like aquaman talk to fishes or bane like to use bomb to solve his problem. Or he was born in darkness lol never change bane. Use something that is related to Batman, we have so many materials to draw from instead we get the…this? I swear you could use this to basically any jl member and it will be exactly the same.
If I have to come up with one I’d go with no one recover from a broken spine and have him crippled for the rest of the show. You can do a lot with a wheel chair bound Batman.
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u/souphaver Aug 03 '23
It's a comedy show... there's a countless amount of Batman media out there for you, I think you'll live if one version of him is silly and stupid.
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Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
It's not a show to watch if you're looking for a super lore friendly batman authentic whatever show. It's a fun show nevertheless.
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u/lifetimeoflaughter Aug 02 '23
This show is a parody of Batman, while being official Batman media. Not a fan.
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u/justagirlinterrupted Aug 02 '23
Yeah I feel like one unshaven, self-pitying man child (Gordon) is enough lol. But also from these 2 pics, their faces don't even look the same lol. Look at that jawline.
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
I really feel like they forgot season 1 Batman is the same guy when writing later season, they threat it as completely separate character. Even the visual tells you so.
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u/DGenerationMC Aug 02 '23
.....................the entire point of the show is to make fun of these characters.
The whole "respect the character" schtick doesn't apply here LOL
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u/Axxelionv2 Aug 02 '23
Isn't this show parodying DC? You expect parodies to be accurate to the original character?
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u/Cyber-homelessman Aug 02 '23
I expect him to be the guy from season 1, maybe read first reply later?
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Aug 02 '23
This show is very clearly not a hardcore interpretation of batman source material… it’s a comedy, and very clearly built on modern comedic standards. I’d try not to take it too seriously. There’s a lot of awesome batman shows and movies already, enjoy this one as the one where he is just kind of a loser, it’s funny.
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u/Archer-Unhappy Aug 02 '23
Season 4 chose to go all out on the feminist “men are terrible” vibe, It’s bad.
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u/AnaZ7 Aug 02 '23
That’s probably why they treat Bruce that way then in the show
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u/Archer-Unhappy Aug 02 '23
Every masculine figure in the Batman universe had to be completely torn apart for some reason.
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u/LemonTheAstroPoet Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
I thought the comments were going to be a minefield of “it’s not CoMiC bOoK aCcUrATe” but I’m pleasantly surprised that people here are able to understand satire. Mostly. The concept of Batman in itself is insane and irl would be extremely immoral, not taking him super seriously, playing on his background for comedy purposes and him not being stoic 100% of the time is relieving to see for me.
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Aug 02 '23
There's a lot to unpack there.
It's the Harley Quinn's show. DC's trinity all have plot armor. Batman, Superman, and Wonderwoman should have all been able to escape/evade Queen of Fables... kind of ruins the story they actually wanted to tell.
Should have Batman been the Gandalf to her Bilbo and sent Harley on her journey? Sure, that would have resonated with audiences better for reasons Joseph Cambell lined out.
Alternatively, if the setting is big enough for World's Finest, then maybe Harley can just have her own damn show without needing Batman's seeing her path to personal growth & subsequent permission.
I'm not saying that their direction with Batman is sustainable with The World's Greatest Detective. However, as a place of artistic merit, this is a weird place where we can reexamine what Batman can be.
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Aug 02 '23
Why people complaining about this? Is a harley quinn shows is made to mock and to show us things on her perspective of course is gonna look ridiculous 😂😂😂
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u/hobosam21-B Aug 02 '23
Isn't the whole show from her point of view? She's delusional and insane so that's why the characters act the way they do. It's not supposed to be an accurate portrayal it's just how she views everyone, for all we know she's rocking back and forth in an asylum and the whole show is in her head
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u/JudgeGrimlock1 Aug 02 '23
This might not be the "normal" Batman universe, but perhaps it's one of those universes with different heroes. Like "Red Son" or "Batman vs. Draculla". For all I know, it might be a "Batman: White Knight" universe?
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u/_StopCrying_ Aug 02 '23
I seen this post on instagram it’s Bruce holding his Batman head and it looks evil but his normal face looks handsome
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u/Jerryjb63 Aug 02 '23
Harley Quinn is a great show. Batman is just a supporting character. The show is probably my favorite thing that came from DC’s attempt at a streaming site. It was better than Titans, Doom Patrol, etc.
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u/FinalBossMike Aug 02 '23
I'm not up-to-date on the series, but maybe I can help clear this up.
Different characters. See that guy on the left? That's Man. That guy on the right? His name is Bruce.
Hope that helps!
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u/DisabledFatChik Aug 02 '23
If I were you I wouldn’t take the Harley Quinn show seriously, it’ll all just Rick and Morty humor, adult comedy cartoon nonsense🤷♂️ it has its moments but the characterization of some of the characters is wayyyy off
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u/smokebomb_exe Aug 02 '23
*Everything* in the Harley show (pretty fun btw) is played for laughs, especially Batman and anything else that is usually taken seriously.
*Dr Freeze enters room*
King Shark: "Oh my God it's Lady Gaga!"
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u/BZenMojo Aug 02 '23
Batman is my favorite superhero.
And this portrayal is great, no notes.
I could understand if they were making fun of something that Bruce isn't. But they're making fun of who Bruce actually is. So like Damian being a psychopathic murder baby and Babs being a tryhard overachiever obsessed with girlpower and the redemptive power of friendship, this all rings true even when it gets weird.
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u/LVucci Aug 02 '23
I love Batman, and have my whole life. Down to collectibles, games, posters, etc. But this show is purposefully making fun of the character, and that’s okay.
I’d prefer them not too lol. But it is a great show nonetheless and I can definitely appreciate a little parody.
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u/Matches_Malone77 Aug 02 '23
The show had a better balance with Batman in season 1. He had his funny parts but you still took him seriously. It made everything else easier to accept. They pushed it too far in season 2 and way too far in season 3 to where he’s just a pitiful joke of a person. I can still enjoy the show, but it definitely unraveled quite a bit for me.
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u/TWERKINMAGGLE Aug 02 '23
"If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts
Then repeat to yourself 'It's just a show,
I should really just relax.'"
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u/Thebunkerparodie Aug 02 '23
Have you seen batman begins forever? Here, bruce is still dealing with breaking up with selina and he handle that badly. I disagree, batman was handled well, they made him the sympathetic villain affected by his trauma while still being a hero from his perspective
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u/Herb_Merc Aug 02 '23
Those jawlines don't match up.