Batman: The Animated Series is a show that revolutionized not only the landscape for cartoons but The DC Comics Universe as a whole. Not only was the labor of love from Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and more a treasure on its own, but it offered new incarnations of iconic characters.
Now that BTAS is more than old enough to drive, fondness for the series is still running wild from superhero fans. Now's a good time to look back at the beloved show and look at the characters that the cartoon completely improved from their stiff comic counterparts.
The Scarecrow
Scarecrow, at first, wasn't severely altered from his comic counterpart, though his backstory was slightly dialed back. Jonathan Crane's origin as a professor who was fired for firing a gun in class was changed, with the doctor now having been released for performing inhumane experiments on his student.
The New Batman Adventures, however, drastically changed Scarecrow, giving him a terrifying redesign that even the comics couldn't top. Though he didn't have a lot of screentime, BTAS, with one simple redesign, made this Scarecrow into one of Batman's greatest foes.
Bruce Wayne
It wasn't just the baddies that were revitalized, as BTAS also created unique versions of the more heroic cast of Batman's world, with Bruce Wayne's reinvention being the most intriguing. While Batman himself was pretty faithfully translated, his alter ego was given a tad more depth.
No longer the flippant, air-headed playboy, this Bruce Wayne took Wayne Enterprises seriously, once even chewing out a shareholder for approving a deal that would damage the Amazon rainforest. The line between Batman and Bruce Wayne was a little more blurry, but never unclear enough to raise suspicion.
The Riddler
Another one of Batman's greatest foes, The Riddler in BTAS had to be different from his traditional counterpart, as it was very similar to The Joker. Rather than leaning on Riddler's madness, his ego was turned up, making him one of the sassiest villains of the show.
His origin was also changed, with this new Edward Nygma being portrayed as a disgraced video game developer who was fired by his myopic boss, becoming The Riddler in a bid to gain revenge. His technological prowess is on display in several episodes, though his best episode "Riddler's Reform" is a more traditional Riddler tale.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series is far more consistent than her comic counterpart at the time, who vacillated wildly from sympathetic to malicious. Though this version is in touch with her superhuman abilities, she feels more human, and Poison Ivy has some of the series' best lines.
Ivy's origin is kept a secret, as she appears in the show fully formed and ready to take Gotham's underworld by storm. The show also established her connection with Harley Quinn, a relationship with an implied romantic element that modern storytellers have explored.
Clayface
By the time of the show's inception, there had been four Clayfaces, but the show ended up amalgamizing the Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen incarnations into a more fleshed-out character. Matt Hagen, an actor forced into a life of crime due to a debt he owes to ruthless businessman Roland Daggett, is exposed to an experimental clay that turns him into the shape-shifting monster.
Obviously, these changes paid off, as the series' Clayface's first appearance in "Feat of Clay" not only earned an Emmy nomination, but has informed the comic incarnation of Clayface. Though Matt Hagen is dead in the comics, Basil Karlo has inherited many of BTAS' Clayface's characteristics and is far more sympathetic than his previous portrayal.
The Creeper
Among the best of BTAS' funniest episodes, "Beware The Creeper" sees the DCAU debut of an iconic DC hero The Creeper. His origin, however, is rather different than his portrayal in the comics, tying him closer to Batman's world.
In the episode, reporter Jack Ryder is thrown into a vat of chemicals by The Joker in a recreation of his origin, but instead of becoming a replica of The Alabaster Jester, Ryder becomes The Creeper. Nonetheless, the episode is really fun and gives The Joker and Harley Quinn some of their best moments.
The Reaper
Though not The Reaper by name, The Phantasm is certainly The Reaper by nature. By far the best animated Batman movie, Batman: Mask of The Phantasm saw the debut of The Phantasm, a character who very much resembles the villain of Batman: Year Two, The Reaper.
Both have a tie to Batman's past, are connected to one of Bruce Wayne's love interests, and use a scythe-arm to cut down Gotham's underworld. While they have their parallels, the conclusion of The Phantasm's arc is much more devastating than The Reaper's.
Two-Face
On the surface, the Two-Face shown in BTAS is very similar to the comic version. Both are former district attorneys who are scarred and go on to commit dual-themed crimes, but the animated incarnation makes Harvey Dent a lot deeper than his comic counterpart, as well as much more sympathetic.
Though the story "Eye of The Beholder" had dealt with Harvey's schizophrenia, the show surprisingly runs with it, making Dent a troubled individual before his scarring. Also, instead of debuting the character with his origin, the show featured Dent in previous episodes, making his fall into darkness all the more heartbreaking.
Mr. Freeze
Before Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Freeze was an uninteresting goon with an ice gimmick, only notable for his campy portrayal in Batman '66. When Paul Dini was hired to reimagine Freeze for the show, the character would never be the same.
Putting it simply, Mr. Freeze is a tragic villain, with his motivation revolving around his wife Nora, who is kept in stasis, having contracted a life-threatening disease. The impact of BTAS' take on the character was so powerful that the comics have made Nora canon, giving the comic version of Mr. Freeze a lot more depth.