Batman: Caped Crusader makes some huge alterations to the Dark Knight’s story and the DC characters found within it – and I can’t help but approve of the decision to do so. When Caped Crusader was first announced as an upcoming DC release, I felt some trepidation about whether it’d be able to get close to the visual and story heights of Batman: The Animated Series, though the prospect of original show creator Bruce Timm working alongside The Batman figurehead Matt Reeves and J.J Abrams certainly suggested promising things were in sight.

Mercifully, Batman: Caped Crusader works as a thoroughly enjoyable spiritual successor to the deservedly iconic previous Batman animated series, wearing its inspirations on its sleeve while also forging a new path for the installment. A key part of this comes via Caped Crusader changing a lot of what you might expect from specific characters and story moments, but I actively think this benefits the series overall, both in that it adds dimension and intrigue to the narrative in a way that otherwise might not be possible, and in that this approach mirrors Batman: The Animated Series itself.

Batman: Caped Crusader Changes So Much About The Dark Knight’s Lore While Keeping Its World The Same

Batman: Caped Crusader season 1 contains a huge swathe of changes to its world and characters throughout the ten episodes that comprise the first chapter of its story. This is primarily in terms of character changes – with the Penguin shown to be Oswalda Copplepot, Harley Quinn shown to have an origin story seemingly entirely separate to the Joker, and the Clown Prince of Crime himself depicted in a way that suggests his story in Batman: Caped Crusader season 2 will have a potentially somewhat more serious iteration of the antagonist.

The show also isn’t afraid to pull major universe-altering punches with its story, and genuinely surprised me by killing Harvey Dent off in the Batman: Caped Crusader season 1 ending. Despite all this, the series feels deeply rooted in both the Batman comics – particularly the Golden Age – and Batman: The Animated Series in its approach, with its grounded Gotham and fleshed out heroes and villains all adding a weight to Caped Crusader that means it can adjust elements of its story without feeling less like a Batman show.

Indeed, these changes help give the Dark Knight’s classic detective work and punchouts a fresh feeling to them. By ensuring audiences can’t rely on their knowledge of the lore or characters associated with Batman as much to predict the plot, there’s plenty of room made for suspense and intrigue, allowing us to enter a world that keeps the charm of the source material without relying on it too overtly.

Batman: Caped Crusader’s Changes Match Batman: The Animated Series’ Original Story Tweaks

While Batman: The Animated Series‘ depictions of many core DC characters are now considered the norm for the franchise, the cartoon brought about some drastic changes to many major figures, redefining them and their stories. Perhaps the most famous of Batman: The Animated Series‘ cast tweaks is that of the show actively introducing Harley Quinn to the world before her comic debut, but the release is also responsible for giving Mister Freeze his tragic backstory, and makes other alterations to the likes of the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and even Batman himself.

Much like Batman: Caped Crusader, Batman: The Animated Series also makes some adjustments to Clayface and Two-Face’s stories, depicting them in different lights and revitalizing their narratives by looking at things from a new perspective. From these shared characters, the similarities between how the two shows handle things become even more clear, even though their respective versions of the villains are different on both a visual and narrative level.

Batman: Caped Crusader’s Lore Changes Proved Big Changes Can Be Great For DC

In my eyes, Batman: Caped Crusader is yet another reminder of how adaptations of the Dark Knight and his lore don’t need to very strictly adhere to the comics and prior movies and shows in order to work. Indeed, ensuring Batman’s releases provide a range of tones and iterations of the world also works to ensure the overarching franchise is never at risk of feeling too repetitive or predictable, and allows viewers to enjoy both lighter and more serious takes on the DC hero and his vigilante career.