10 Reasons Batman Animated Is The Definitive Dark Knight

6. It's Shaped Batman Outside Of Animation

The fact that the show went onto impact the comics outside of its animated medium is a testament to its quality. It introduced both Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya to the mythos, with both going onto carve out their own roles outside of being Joker's sidekick and a GCPD officer respectively. Not only did it introduce these two characters to the wider lore, but it also came to redefine others as well, with Harvey Bullock being recast from a corrupt GCPD officer to a well intentioned if not arrogant detective. The show also then established a future timeline - one that would find its way into the DCU prior to the New 52's arrival. The adventures of Terry McGinnis as Batman Beyond have proven to be divisive amongst comic book fans, but no one can disparage the impact Return of The Joker and the prior series have had on comics since its debut. With Harleen now making her way to the big screen with next summer's Suicide Squad, doubting the show's significance 14 years on from its unveiling is an almost inconsiderable thought.
Content Producer/Presenter

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.