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Batman: Caped Crusader dropped on Prime Video on August 1, 2024. The new animated Batman series is a pulp/noir nod to the past that unravels the story of Hamish Linklater's Batman. In Batman: Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight has to fend off street-level criminals, white-collar corruption and supernatural threats.
Created by Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, the series reimagines the iconic Batman in the 1940s and captures the essence of DC's early Batman comics in a noir atmosphere.
Mixing elements of Year One with the Bruce Timm era, the series brings back the visual aesthetics of Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990s and is being called the spiritual successor to the 1990s show.
When is Batman: Caped Crusader set in? A noir production coming from the 1940s
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Batman: Caped Crusader is set in the 1940s. In an exclusive interview with Television Academy, Bruce Timm said in his interaction with James Tucker regarding the setting of the show:
"He had an ulterior motive for it. He didn’t tell me at the time, but it was like, 'I hear what you’re saying, but if you had a chance to go back, aren’t there things you wanted to do with the show (Batman: The Animated Series) that you couldn’t do back then, either because of broadcast standards and practices, or because the show evolved away from where you originally did it?' And the more we talked about it, it was like, 'Yeah, there was a ton of stuff, actually.'"
It continues:
"My original idea was to make (BTAS) set more deliberately in the 1940s, not just a ‘40s-ish world like Tim Burton did. I’d really love to have seen it with rotary dial phones and no computers and all that stuff. So, the more we started talking about (doing a show more in the vein of BTAS), by the end of that conversation, I was all in on the idea."
The '40s setting is also evident from a number of things on the show. For example, the automobiles are based on models that were in fashion during this period, and the men are frequently seen wearing double-breasted suits, fedoras and suspenders, which were some fashion hallmarks of that decade.
The women are also seen in fashionable tailored dresses, pencil skirts and stylish hats. Recalling the gangster movies from the 1940s, we also see similar well-dressed mobsters armed with Tommy guns and bow ties.
Coming to the technology part in Batman: Caped Crusader, it interestingly adapts from the concepts of the 1940s science fiction, which is reminiscent of works like H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man.
For example, the listening device used by Batman in episode two is taken from science fiction, as it would require an external power supply to be functional in reality, which was not available in the era.
Even Catwoman’s taser knuckle and Batman’s grappling gun are devices that were designed in a fashion that was in keeping with that era's speculative technology.
Read more: Fact Check: Is Batman: Caped Crusader connected to Batman: The Animated Series?
Even the telephones, radios and early television sets are designed in the same bulky, mechanical designs of the time. The series has successfully incorporated designs and aesthetics from the 1940s.
However, what Batman: Caped Crusader misplaces in the series is the depiction of a society as fully inclusive. We see strong female characters, LGBTQ+ representation and even characters of color in prominent roles enjoying a level of acceptance and opportunity in the show that in reality was largely unavailable to marginalized communities at that time.
The early '90s was an era that had significant social and racial inequalities and normalized minority discrimination. Batman: Caped Crusader largely ignored this reality of the time.
All about Batman: Caped Crusader: Plot and cast
Batman: The Animated Series set a high standard for superhero storytelling with substantial themes and aesthetics and Batman: Caped Crusader builds on this legacy by delving into the roots of Batman's character and keeping with the noir aesthetics from the former.
It explores a darker Gotham and follows the detective side of our Dark Knight's character. The official synopsis of the new Batman animated series reads as follows:
"Wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne, transformed by tragedy, takes on the mantle of Batman to combat the rampant corruption and crime in Gotham City.
"His vigilante actions attract both allies within the GCPD and City Hall and deadly adversaries, leading to unforeseen consequences. The series delves into the noir roots of Batman, exploring the psychological depths of Gotham's inhabitants."
Starring Hamish Linklater as Batman Christina Ricci as Catwoman, Jamie Chung as Harley Quinn, Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent, Mckenna Grace as Natalia Knight, Toby Stephens as Gentleman Ghost and Reid Scott as Onomatopoeia, the series is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Read more: 8 major easter eggs in Batman: Caped Crusader that you likely missed
Catch the new Batman animation today.
