--Anticipating upcoming superhero movies and TV shows while reverencing the classics
The movie's brief pre-credits opening summarized the 1980's Death in the Family storyline in which the second Robin, Jason Todd, was brutally murdered by the Joker (as a result of a phone-in campaign in which fans opted for the bratty side-kick to die). Unfortunately, the inclusion of this sequence, though vital to the story, kinda spoils some of the movie's mystery.
Soon enough the masked Red Hood is introduced. This anti-hero's identity is not immediately revealed, but I will just say its the same guy it was in the more recent Under the Hood comic book arc.
Fortunately, the movie gave Red Hood a much improved origin than the comic, opting to include Lazarus pit loving Ra's Al Ghul rather than continuity punching Superboy-Prime (don't ask).
Much of the story focused on Red Hoods quest to take control of crime in Gotham from the gangster Black Mask, an underused and lesser known on screen Bat villain.
Of course, no classic Batman movie would be complete without the Joker, this time played as a real creepy and lethal psycho who gets some comeuppance.
Dick Grayson also appeared in the Nightwing persona.
Throughout the story there were lots of dark moments, making the lighthearted flashbacks featuring a young enthusiastic Jason Todd as Robin (as well as a campy Riddler) all the more tragically heart wrenching.
Beginning in 2003, Robin and the Teen Titans arrived for five seasons. Interestingly, this Robin really had no secret identity and Batman was barely even alluded to (in "Apprentice," Robin said that he already had a father and some bats were shown...). Instead the focus was on Robin, not as a sidekick, but as the team leader.
The season two future-based episode, "How Long is Forever?" revealed Robin's future identity as Nightwing.
Though Robin assumed another alter ego in season one, that of Red X.
The Red X persona was later assumed by an undisclosed villain who many (including Beast Boy) hypothesize was Jason Todd (comics' second Robin) who in other media became the villain Red Hood.
In "Fractured," Robin was visited by Larry AKA Nosyarg Kcid a Bat-Mite like bumbling fan of the Boy Wonder.
Robin was always the cool one of the group. When he went away for some training in "The Quest" the rest of the Titans all tried their hands at filling in for him. The Teen Titans series was effective in presenting Robin as a stand alone character, one that didn't need Batman to be a charismatic hero.
The first Robin, Dick Grayson, eventually grew up and took on a new persona- that of Nightwing. This is one of the best examples of a sidekick that actually outlasted his sidekick status. Nightwing first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 in July 1984 but later went on to having his own miniseries as well as a headlining monthly series lasting 153 issues. Dick Grayson has at present dropped the Nightwing persona and become the current Batman.
Before settling on the "heroic" name Robin, Dick Grayson suggested Batboy and Nightwing as possible aliases in Batman Forever. In 1997's Batman and Robin, Robin's costume was highly influenced by that of Nightwing from the comics although the chest symbol appeared red rather than the traditional blue.
Although the identity of Robin was never explicitly stated in the Teen Titans animated series, 2004's "How Long is Forever?" revealed Robins future identity as Nightwing - one of the biggest clues that the Titan's Robin was in fact Dick Grayson.
In 2006's Justice League Unlimited episode "Grudge Match," a shadowy figure appeared on a rooftop during the pan of the city of Blüdhaven. Being Nightwing's adopted hometown, the Blüdhaven setting gave away the identity of Nightwing who at the time, for legal reasons, could not explicitly appear in the series. Fan's rejoiced.
Nightwing appeared in The Batman on two occasions. First, he appeared in a future tale "Artifacts" in 2007. He would later appear in a lesser episode "The Metal Face of Comedy" as Dick Grayson's video game avatar.
In 2010, Batman: The Brave and the Bold's "Sidekicks Assemble!" ended with a grown Robin finally taking up a new identity. This incarnation's appearance was inspired by Nightwing's earliest designs and in the episode was named by Batman.
Despite Batman's League membership a "Bat-Embargo" would eventually be put in place reserving all Bat-related characters for other shows such as "The Batman." Thus, although Joker and Clayface were seen early in the series, Bat villains were few and far between in the later years; Nor did Robin or Batgirl ever appear.
One of the most memorable doppelgangers was Justice Lord Batman from A Better World. This Batman was part of a League that took enforcement of the law to the extreme after Lord Superman killed an evil President Luthor.
From 2004 until 2007, the series was rebranded Justice League Unlimited and things lightened up a tad with appearances by Bat-Ape,
Bat-Kid, and even a singing Batman.In spite of the embargo, eagle-eyed fans were able to catch a vague cameo of Nightwing patrolling the streets of Bludhaven in the episode Grudge Match.
In The Once and Future Thing, Batman (in his prime) got to team up with the future Batman from Batman Beyond. Things didn't end well...
Batman Beyond was revisited again in the episode Epilogue, the resolution of an epic two-season story arc. Although one final set of episodes followed, Epilogue respectfully closed Justice League and the DC Animated Universe spanning Batman, Superman, Batman Beyons and Justice League with a scene paying homage to one of the first and classic Batman:The Animated Series Episodes, On Leather Wings.
In 1997, Warner Brothers commissioned an additional 24 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS) to be paired with episodes of Superman: The Animated Series to create the Batman Superman Hour.
The characters, including Batman were redesigned giving this season / series a sleek look. Batman would lose the blue hues and go for a simple black and gray guise. This group of episodes would be referred to as The New Batman Adventures, though the characters and stories were continuations of those begun in the BTAS. These episodes would also focus a bit less on the solo Batman and more on the "Bat family."
A new younger Robin, Tim Drake (the comic book Robin at the time), was introduced with a "redder" look.The BTAS Robin, Dick Grayson, would continue to appear as Nightwing after having a falling out with and punching the Bat.
The villains also were redesigned (though mostly for the worse).
This set of episodes featured some surprisingly dark episodes like "Over the Edge" featuring the death of Batgirl.
