No matter which version of Batman you love the most, you can be certain that at least one element transfers itself to The Animated Series. Now, this all encompassing approach to story telling would have been fudged under any other old creative team, but the minds behind BTAS managed to encapsulate what makes the character so special in a relatively short amount of time. Bruce Wayne gets almost as much attention as his alter ego, and in doing so produces a more human take on the character - one just as mythic as it is personal. The reason why this matters the most is because, despite their large audiences, comics and their film counterparts can never offer such a diverse and welcoming picture of the World's Greatest Detective - irrespective of their own level of quality. I absolutely adore Bruce Wayne's comic book misadventures, and though they may not be my favourite interpretations of the character there is much to admire about Burton's and Nolan's take on him and the world he inhabits - it's just that they're their own unique vision, with each one disregarding a certain trait in favour of something else. You won't be able to find a more inviting vision of the Dark Knight anywhere else, and that's what makes the series so special to the countless fans that have enjoyed it. Its lasting influence can only be a benefit to Gotham's protector, especially as he enters an entirely new realm of popularity once more.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
