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. This version has a much lighter and simpler, often comic feel, targeting younger viewers more than the character's other series. The series premiered on November 14, 2008, on Cartoon Network in the United States, and ended on November 18, 2011. It also aired in Canada on Teletoon. The series was followed by a comic-book continuation which ended in 2014, and a feature-length crossover film: Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which aired in 2018.
It was the first series produced by Warner Bros. Animation to be broadcast in high definition.
Overview Each episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold features Batman teaming up with other characters from the DC Universe to thwart villains or to solve crimes, the show focusing mainly on the inclusion of lesser-known characters. 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 consisted of 13 episodes. After it ended, a new show, Beware the Batman, returned the character to a more serious tone. A direct-to-video crossover with Scooby-Doo, entitled Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, was released in 2018.
Cast Principal cast Diedrich Bader – Batman / Bruce Wayne / Matches Malone, Kilowog, Ace, Owlman, Solomon Grundy, Punch, Gorilla Boss, Batman (Damian Wayne), Lord Death Man, Musketeer Jeff Bennett – Joker / Red Hood, Captain Marvel, Abra Kadabra, OMAC, Batman (singing voice), Rubberneck, Joker-Mite, Rubin, Penguin (Scooby-Doo version), Prez, El Gaucho, Ultra-Humanite, Starman Corey Burton – Red Tornado, Doctor Mid-Nite, Thomas Wayne, Will Magnus, Mercury, Silver Cyclone, False-Face, Chancellor Gor-Zonn, General Zahl, Killer Moth, Batman (Bat-Manga version), Joker (Scooby-Doo version), Green Lantern (Alan Scott) John DiMaggio – Aquaman, Gorilla Grodd, Faceless Hunter, Black Mask, Tiger Soldier, Typhon, Enemy Ace, Ubu, Black Adam, Tattoo, Pharaoh, Toyman, Vigilante, Hellgrammite, Mr. Freeze, Legionnaire, Captain Boomerang, Owen Will Friedle – Blue Beetle / Jaime Reyes, Scarlet Scarab, Lazy Eye Tom Kenny – Plastic Man, Baby Face, Ray, Deadshot, Mirror Master, 'Mazing Man James Arnold Taylor – Green Arrow, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Blue Bowman, Major Disaster, Wotan, Nabu, Mark Desmond, Arges, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, Alpha-Red, G.I. Robot, Jace
Special guest cast
Morena Baccarin – Cheetah Edoardo Ballerini – Vulture, Jack Xander Berkeley – Sinestro Clancy Brown – Per Degaton, Rohtul Gabrielle Carteris – Vicki Vale, Princess Laethwen Patrick Cavanaugh – Robin (Damian Wayne) Mindy Cohn – Velma Dinkley Jeffrey Combs – Kite Man Kevin Conroy – Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, Phantom Stranger Tim Conway – Weeper Olivia d'Abo – Elasti-Girl Diane Delano – Big Barda Dana Delany – Vilsi Vaylar Michael Dorn – Bane, Kru'll the Eternal Greg Ellis – Gentleman Ghost, Doctor Fate, Cavalier, Dr. Canus, Hawk, Shrapnel, Signalman, Mister Mind, Big Headed Batman R. Lee Ermey – Wildcat Oded Fehr – Equinox Ellen Greene – Mrs. Manface Ioan Gruffudd – Matthew "Red" Ryan, Blue Beetle Scarab / Reach Mark Hamill – Spectre Neil Patrick Harris – Music Meister Tippi Hedren – Hippolyta John Michael Higgins – Riddler William Katt – Hawkman Wallace Langham – Ocean Master Loren Lester – Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Vicki Lewis – Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire Matthew Lillard – Shaggy Rogers Carl Lumbly – Tornado Champion / Tornado Tyrant Tim Matheson – Jarvis Kord David McCallum – Merlin Ted McGinley – "Aquaman 2" Andy Milder – Flash (Jay Garrick) Richard Moll – Lew Moxon, Two-Face (in "Chill of the Night!") Phil Morris – Jonah Hex, Fox Laraine Newman – Ms. Minerva Julie Newmar – Martha Wayne (in "Chill of the Night!") Gary Owens – Space Ghost Hunter Parrish – Kid Flash, Geo-Force Ron Perlman – Doctor Double X Jim Piddock – Calendar Man / Calendar King, Doctor Watson, Doctor Sivana, Shazam, Thaddeus Jr. James Remar – Two-Face Paul Reubens – Bat-Mite Henry Rollins – Robotman Michael Rosenbaum – Deadman Jeff Ross – Himself Stephen Root – Penguin, Woozy Winks, Planet Master, Killer Croc Peter Scolari – Atom (Ray Palmer) Tom Everett Scott – Booster Gold Armin Shimerman – Calculator, Psycho-Pirate, Walter Mark "Prof" Haley, Guardian of the Universe #2 John Wesley Shipp – Professor Zoom J. K. Simmons – Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Guardian of the Universe #1, Evil Star Cree Summer – Vixen Jeffrey Tambor – Crazy Quilt Tony Todd – Astaroth Alan Tudyk – Flash (Barry Allen) Michael T. Weiss – Adam Strange Adam West – Thomas Wayne (in "Chill of the Night!"), Proto-Bot Wil Wheaton – Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) Michael Jai White – Tattooed Man Gary Anthony Williams – Mongul, Fun Haus, Mongal Tyler James Williams – Jason Rusch / Firestorm Wade Williams – Mantis, Supreme Chairman of Qward Thomas F. Wilson – Sportsmaster, Catman Henry Winkler – Ambush Bug Peter Woodward – Ra's al Ghul, Great Caesar Michael-Leon Wooley – Kalibak, Darkseid "Weird Al" Yankovic – Himself, Mr. Star
Additional voices
Sebastian Bader – Robin (Future) Dee Bradley Baker – Clock King, Felix Faust, Etrigan / Jason Blood, Brain, Chemo, Misfit, Scarecrow, Ace the Bat-Hound, Oberon, Ramjam, Dove, Brother Eye, GPA Operative, Fisherman, Professor Zee, Tin, Professor Milo, Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, Starro (in "The Siege of Starro!" Pt. 2), Haunted Tank, Madniks, Bug-Eyed Bandit, Mister Atom, baby Batman, Warren Griffith, Vincent Velcro, Elliot Taylor, John Wilkes Booth, Punchichi Gregg Berger – Hammer Toes, Brain Scientist, Police Captain, Crime Boss, Creature King Brian Bloom – Iron, Oxygen, Creeper, Rip Hunter, Captain Atom Steve Blum – Heat Wave, Captain Cold Andrea Bowen – Talia al Ghul Ian Buchanan – Sherlock Holmes Cathy Cavadini – Alanna, Jan, Ruby Ryder, Fiona, Dr. Myrra Rhodes Grey DeLisle – Fire, Black Canary, Daphne Blake, Robin (Dick Grayson) (Bat-Manga version), Dala John DeVito – Captain Marvel Jr. Sean Donnellan – Elongated Man, Steve Trevor Robin Atkin Downes – Weather Wizard, Kobra, Firefly, Ten-Eyed Man Bill Fagerbakke – Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm, Lead, Helium Nika Futterman – Lashina, Catwoman / Selina Kyle James Garrett – Alfred Pennyworth Zachary Gordon – young Bruce Wayne, young Aqualad Richard Green – General Kreegaar Kim Mai Guest – Katana (in "Inside the Outsiders!") Nicholas Guest – Question, Martian Manhunter Jennifer Hale – Ramona, Poison Ivy (in "Chill of the Night!"), Zatanna, Killer Frost, Ice David K. Hill – Negative Man Sirena Irwin – Mera, Lois Lane Lauri Johnson – Ma Murder Mikey Kelley – Kamandi, young Batman Lex Lang – Doctor Polaris, Hourman, Gold / Alloy, Hydrogen, young Wildcat, Batman (Dick Grayson) Hope Levy – Stargirl, Phantom Lady Yuri Lowenthal – Mister Miracle, Prince Tuftan, Bulletman Tress MacNeille – Ms. Gatsby Jason Marsden – Paco, Speedy, Robin (Dick Grayson) (Scooby-Doo version) Vanessa Marshall – Poison Ivy (in "The Mask of Matches Malone!"), The Bat Lady / Katrina Moldoff Richard McGonagle – Sardath, Professor Carter Nichols, Chief, Perry White, Brainiac Scott Menville – Metamorpho Jason C. Miller – Doll Man, Black Condor Pat Musick – Martha Wayne (in "Dawn of the Deadman!") Ryan Ochoa – young Speedy Peter Onorati – Joe Chill Vyvan Pham – Katana (in "Enter the Outsiders!") Alexander Polinsky – Slug, G'nort, Jimmy Olsen Rachel Quaintance – Carol Ferris Enn Reitel – Chancellor Deraegis Peter Renaday – Uncle Sam, Abraham Lincoln Kevin Michael Richardson – Black Manta, B'wana Beast, Steppenwolf, Detective Chimp, Lex Luthor, Despero, Blockbuster, Monsieur Mallah, Starro (in "The Siege of Starro!" Pt. 1), Telle-Teg, Barack Obama, Mister Mxyzptlk Bumper Robinson – Black Lightning Roger Rose – Superman / Clark Kent, WHIZ Reporter Tom Tyler, Amazo Eliza Schneider – Paula von Gunther, Georgette Taylor Jeremy Shada – young Dick Grayson Zack Shada – Aqualad James Sie – Atom (Ryan Choi), Dyna-Mite Jane Singer – Jewelee Meghan Strange – Harley Quinn Preston Strother – Arthur Curry Jr., Chris Tara Strong – Huntress, Billy Batson, Mary Marvel, Georgia Sivana, young Batman Gary Anthony Sturgis – Bronze Tiger Fred Tatasciore – Mutant Master, Arsenal, Sgt. Rock, Major Force Hynden Walch – Platinum, Carbon Dioxide Frank Welker – Batboy, Fred Jones, Scooby-Doo, Batman (Scooby-Doo version) Billy West – Skeets Mae Whitman – Batgirl Tyrel Jackson Williams – Kyle Crawford Wilson – Dick Grayson (Nightwing / Robin) Marc Worden – Kanjar Ro, Joker Jr., Lt. Matthew Shrieve Tatyana Yassukovich – Morgaine le Fay Keone Young – GPA Operative
Episodes
Production 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.
The tone of the series was addressed in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!", when Bat-Mite broke the fourth wall to read a 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 akin to both of their Golden and 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 Hal Jordan or Barry Allen, who also appear.
Additionally, Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne does 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 Michael Jelenic – Producer, story editor Amy McKenna – Line producer Sam Register – Executive producer Andrea Romano – Casting and voice director James Tucker – Producer
Home media 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.