Batman: The Brave and the Bold


Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more superheroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain. As the title suggests, the series focuses on Batman's regular "team-ups" with various heroes similar to the most well-known version of the original comic book series. The series premiered on November 14, 2008, on Cartoon Network in the United States, and ended on November 18, 2011.

Overview

Each episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold features the main character teaming up with other, minor characters from the DC Universe to thwart minor villains or to solve crimes. Most episodes have a cold open with an escapade not related to the remainder of the episode. In the first season, the villain was Equinox, who later returned in "Time Out for Vengeance!"; and in the second season, the villain was the alien Starro. During production, the show's creator said that if a character's cold open appearance was deemed successful, then it may warrant exploring the character further in a future episode's main adventure.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold ended after season three, which had 13 episodes. A new Batman animated series, has returned the character to a more serious tone. However, a new direct-to-video crossover with Scooby-Doo, entitled , was released in 2018.

Characters

Episodes

Cast

Principal cast

Writing

The show has no overarching story, instead having most episodes stand alone. The show is lighter in tone than previous Batman series, depicting the Dark Knight as more lighthearted and playful with a "dry, ironic wit." The show features various references to various depictions of Batman in media, including the 1960s Batman TV series.
While the tone is lighter, the series has touched on the subject of death with such examples as retelling the murder of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne at the hands of Joe Chill, the death of the Silver Age Blue Beetle, the assassination of Boston Brand, the death of the first Black Canary, the execution of "Gentleman" Jim Craddock, and the self-sacrifice and death of B'wana Beast and the Doom Patrol. The tone of the series was addressed in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!", when Bat-Mite broke the fourth wall to read out this missive from one of the show's creators:
Show creators have chosen to go with "lesser known" characters. In many instances, the characters are those that were repeatedly teamed with Batman in the 1970s run of the Brave and the Bold comic book, such as Green Arrow, Wildcat, Plastic Man, and even the Joker. Thus, the characters have an appearance and feel very akin to both of their Golden & Silver Age incarnations. While the show has featured major heroes such as the Green Lantern and the Flash, it consistently focused on the lesser-known individuals that portrayed the heroes, such as Guy Gardner and Jay Garrick, rather than the more popular, better known Hal Jordan or Barry Allen, until Barry appeared in the second-season episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" while Hal appeared in the first-season episode "The Eyes of Despero!" as well as the third-season episode "The Scorn of Star Sapphire". In the episode "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!", Batman even teamed up with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang to defeat the Joker and the Penguin in a retelling of the two similar crossovers from The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
Additionally, Batman's alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne did not appear as an adult during the series in situations where Batman was unmasked. His face was kept hidden until the season 2 episode "Chill of the Night!" when Batman finally confronts Joe Chill. From this episode onwards, whenever Bruce Wayne appears, his face is no longer silhouetted.

Crew

The series was not initially released on DVD in full season formats, like previous Batman series. A series of DVD volumes, with each containing 4–5 episodes, were first released. A two-disc collection of the first 13 episodes, Season 1 Part 1, was released on August 17, 2010. Season 1, Part 2 was released on March 15, 2011, making the first season available both as separate volumes and two-part sets. Season Two, Part One was released on August 16, 2011.
It contained 12 episodes and did not contain "The Siege of Starro!". Warner Home Video confirmed that Season 2, Part 2 would be released on March 20, 2012. It contains 14 episodes, including the two-part "The Siege of Starro!" and the Season 3 episode "Battle of the Superheroes!". The final release, Season 3, Complete, was June 19, 2012. The DVD also contains the unaired-on-TV Season 2 episode "The Mask of Matches Malone!" as a bonus episode.
A Blu-ray set for the first season was released manufacture-on-demand on November 5, 2013 via Warner Archive. This was followed by a second season manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray set on September 9, 2014, and a third season manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray set on March 21, 2017. A first season DVD box set was conventionally released on May 20, 2014, and a second season DVD box set followed on April 7, 2015.
VolumeRelease DateEpisodes
1August 25, 2009"The Rise of the Blue Beetle!"
"Terror on Dinosaur Island!"
"Evil Under the Sea!"
"Invasion of the Secret Santas!"
2November 10, 2009"Day of the Dark Knight!"
"Enter the Outsiders!"
"Dawn of the Dead Man!"
"Fall of the Blue Beetle!"
3February 2, 2010"Journey to the Center of the Bat!"
"The Eyes of Despero!"
"Return of the Fearsome Fangs!"
"Deep Cover for Batman!"
"Game Over for Owlman!"
4"Mystery in Space!"
"Trials of the Demon!"
"Night of the Huntress!"
"Menace of the Conquerer Caveman!"
5"The Color of Revenge!"
"Legends of the Dark Mite!"
"Hail the Tornado Tyrant!"
"Duel of the Double Crossers!"
6"Last Bat on Earth!"
"When OMAC Attacks!"
"Mayhem of the Music Meister!"
"Inside the Outsiders!"
"The Fate of Equinox!"
Season 1, Part 1
August 17, 2010"The Rise of the Blue Beetle!"
"Terror on Dinosaur Island!"
"Evil Under the Sea!"
"Day of the Dark Knight!"
"Invasion of the Secret Santas!"
"Enter the Outsiders!"
"Dawn of the Dead Man!"
"Fall of the Blue Beetle!"
"Journey to the Center of the Bat!"
"The Eyes of Despero!"
"Return of the Fearsome Fangs!"
"Deep Cover for Batman!"
"Game Over for Owlman!"
Season 1, Part 2
March 15, 2011"Mystery in Space!"
"Trials of the Demon!"
"Night of the Huntress!"
"Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!"
"The Color of Revenge!"
"Legends of the Dark Mite!"
"Hail the Tornado Tyrant!"
"Duel of the Double Crossers!"
"Last Bat on Earth!"
"When OMAC Attacks!"
"The Fate of Equinox!"
"Mayhem of the Music Meister!"
"Inside the Outsiders!"
Season 2, Part 1
August 16, 2011"Long Arm of the Law!"
"Revenge of the Reach!"
"Death Race To Oblivion!"
"Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!"
"The Golden Age Of Justice!"
"Clash of the Metal Men!"
"A Bat Divided!"
"Sidekicks Assemble!"
"The Super-Batman of Planet X!"
"The Power of Shazam!"
"Chill of the Night!"
"Gorillas In Our Midst!"
Season 2, Part 2
March 20, 2012"The Siege of Starro! Part One"
"The Siege of Starro! Part Two"
"Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!"
"The Last Patrol!"
"Menace of the Madniks!"
"Emperor Joker!"
"The Criss Cross Conspiracy!"
"The Plague of the Prototypes!"
"Cry Freedom Fighters!"
"The Knights of Tomorrow!"
"Darkseid Descending!"
"Battle of the Superheroes!"
"Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!"
"The Malicious Mr. Mind!"
Season 3, Complete
June 19, 2012"Joker: The Vile and the Villanous!"
"Shadow of the Bat!"
"Night of the Batmen!"
"Scorn of the Star Sapphire!"
"Time Out for Vengeance!"
"Sword of the Atom!"
"Triumvirate of Terror!"
"Bold Beginnings!"
"Powerless!"
"Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!"
"Four Star Spectacular!"
"Mitefall!"
"The Mask of Matches Malone!"
The Complete First Season
November 5, 2013
May 20, 2014 		"The Rise of the Blue Beetle!"
"Terror on Dinosaur Island!"
"Evil Under the Sea!"
"Day of the Dark Knight!"
"Invasion of the Secret Santas!"
"Enter the Outsiders!"
"Dawn of the Dead Man!"
"Fall of the Blue Beetle!"
"Journey to the Center of the Bat!"
"The Eyes of Despero!"
"Return of the Fearsome Fangs!"
"Deep Cover for Batman!"
"Game Over for Owlman!"
"Mystery in Space!"
"Trials of the Demon!"
"Night of the Huntress!"
"Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!"
"The Color of Revenge!"
"Legends of the Dark Mite!"
"Hail the Tornado Tyrant!"
"Duel of the Double Crossers!"
"Last Bat on Earth!"
"When OMAC Attacks!"
"The Fate of Equinox!"
"Mayhem of the Music Meister!"
"Inside the Outsiders!"
The Complete Second Season
September 9, 2014
April 7, 2015 		"Long Arm of the Law!"
"Revenge of the Reach!"
"Death Race To Oblivion!"
"Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!"
"The Golden Age Of Justice!"
"Clash of the Metal Men!"
"A Bat Divided!"
"Sidekicks Assemble!"
"The Super-Batman of Planet X!"
"The Power of Shazam!"
"Chill of the Night!"
"Gorillas In Our Midst!"
"The Siege of Starro! Part One"
"The Siege of Starro! Part Two"
"Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!"
"The Last Patrol!"
"Menace of the Madniks!"
"Emperor Joker!"
"The Criss Cross Conspiracy!"
"The Plague of the Prototypes!"
"Cry Freedom Fighters!"
"The Knights of Tomorrow!"
"Darkseid Descending!"
"Battle of the Superheroes!"
"The Mask of Matches Malone!"
"Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!"
The Complete Third Season
March 21, 2017 "Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!"
"Shadow of the Bat!"
"Night of the Batmen!"
"Scorn of the Star Sapphire!"
"Battle of the Superheroes!"
"Time Out for Vengeance!"
"Sword of the Atom!"
"Triumvirate of Terror!"
"Bold Beginnings!"
"Powerless!"
"Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!"
"Four Star Spectacular!"
"Mitefall!"

In other media

Comic book

In January 2009, the first issue of Batman: the Brave and the Bold was released. The comic book follows the same format as the show, starting off with a brief teaser segment at the start of the book which features Batman teaming up with an additional hero for a short adventure unrelated to the rest of the issue. Several authors have contributed to the comic book series, including Matt Wayne, J. Torres and Landry Walker.
Some of the DC characters appearing in the comic have yet to appear in the show, or cannot appear at all due to legal reasons.
Certain characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel made appearances in the comic prior to actually appearing in the show, while other characters, such as Power Girl, Kid Eternity, Brother Power and Angel and the Ape, appeared in the comic without ever actually appearing on the show. In addition, the depictions of several characters in the comic book do not match up with their television counterparts, something that Brave and the Bold director Ben Jones stated stems from the comic artists not being given character reference sheets from the show's producers.
The Batman: The Brave and the Bold comic series began selling in the UK on March 11, 2010, published by Titan Magazines.
In late 2010, the series was relaunched as The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with the new creative team of Sholly Fisch and Rick Burchett. In order to devote more pages to the actual story, the teaser segments from the first series were dropped. This incarnation of the title lasted 16 issues. The final issue is a Valentine's-themed story featuring Batman, Batgirl, and Bat-Mite.

Video games

On 28 January 2014, La La Land Records released a 2-disc compilation of music from the series, featuring the musical scores for 12 episodes from the first and second seasons. It is a limited edition release of 2000 units and can be purchased at the La La Land Records website.
A soundtrack exclusively covering songs from the musical episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" was released on October 24, 2009.
The main theme has also been included on The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection soundtrack.