The following is a list of characters that have appeared in the television series The Batman, which ran from September 11, 2004, to March 22, 2008. The animation style bares a strong resemblance to that of Jackie Chan Adventures, since Jeff Matsuda was the chief character designer for both shows. Many of the supervillains who appear in the series, like the Joker, Penguin and Riddler, are very different from their comic counterparts, and notable foes of Batman such as Two-Face, Scarecrow, Ra's al Ghul, and Mad Hatter are absent from the series altogether. While many characters adapted from the mainstream DC comics appear, some of them only did in the show's tie-in comic called The Batman Strikes. Characters that were planned for a guest appearance but ultimately did not appear were Wonder Woman,[1] Bizarro,[1] Vigilante,[2] and Owlman.[3]
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Main characters
| Character | Voice actor | Description | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman / Bruce Wayne | Rino Romano | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name and follows the same premise and origin, in which his parents are murdered in front of him at a young age and swears vengeance on criminals. The show follows Batman having recently started his career as a masked vigilante. |
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| Robin / Nightwing / Dick Grayson |
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Based on the Dick Grayson version of Robin from the comic books, in this depiction instead of being a teenager or adult, he is 12. He borrows elements from the Tim Drake version, such as costume design and computer aptitude. His origin in "A Matter of Family" follows Grayson's from the comic books with the exception of his being Batman's second sidekick after Batgirl. The episode "Artifacts" included sections set in the year 2027 with the character appearing as Nightwing. | Majority of the episodes from season four and five. |
| Batgirl / Barbara Gordon |
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The character is based on the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl from the comic books. Her origin in the two-part "Batgirl Begins" deviates slightly from the comics in her acting as Batman's first sidekick prior to the introduction of Robin. "Artifacts" included sections set in the year 2027 with the character appearing as Oracle. | Majority of the episodes from season three through five. |
| Alfred Pennyworth | Alastair Duncan | Based on the comic book character of the same name, he serves the same function as Bruce Wayne's butler, aide-de-camp, and surrogate father. |
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Supporting characters
| Character | Voice actor | Description | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detective Ethan Bennett / Clayface | Steve Harris | Bennett was created specifically for the series as one of three recurring police officers to interact with Batman. He is a supporter of Batman and is Bruce Wayne's high school friend within the Gotham City Police Department. At the end of the first season, fumes from the Joker's "Joker Putty" gives him the ability to reshape himself like clay. Taking the name Clayface, he becomes an outlaw. He remains Clayface until Season Four when he is cured; in "Artifacts" he is mentioned as having become Gotham City Chief of Police, replacing Angel Rojas.
While Bennett is not based on any of the comic-book Clayface characters, the ability he gains is that of the Silver Age version, Matt Hagen. |
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| Commissioner James Gordon | Mitch Pileggi | Based on the comic book character of the same name, he serves a similar function here as Batman's contact within the Gotham City Police Department. Unlike in the comics, the character is a later cast addition rather than a character from the beginning. |
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| Chief Angel Rojas |
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Rojas was created specifically for the show as one of three recurring police officers to interact with Batman. He is the head of the precinct where Ellen Yin and Ethan Bennett work and most of the episodes are set. He believes Batman is the worst aspect of the criminal element and makes capturing him a priority. | Majority of the episodes from season one and two. |
| Detective Ellen Yin | Ming-Na Wen | Yin was created specifically for the show as one of three recurring police officers to interact with #Batman, though her name and character arc are reminiscent of Commissioner Ellen Yindel from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. She is a new transfer to the Gotham City Police Department who does things by the book. She initially had oppositions about the Batman and aspires to capture and unmask him. Despite Batman saving her life a few times, she remains antagonistic. However over the course of the show, she begins to have a grudging respect for Batman and eventually becomes his ally. In "Artifacts" she is mentioned as the future Police Commissioner of Gotham City, replacing a retired Jim Gordon. | Majority of the episodes from season one and two. |
Antagonists
| Character | Actor | Description | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bane |
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The character is based on the comic book character of the same name but a definitive origin is not given within the series. "Traction" introduces him as a "problem solver" who uses a South American poison to enhance his strength to superhuman levels. |
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| Black Mask | James Remar | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name though an exact origin or alter ego is not given in the series. He is presented as the meticulous and ruthless head of a criminal organization which he runs through a second-in-command known as "Number One". |
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| Blaze | Rachael MacFarlane | The character of Dr. Jane Blazedale was created for a one-episode story in the series. She is a nuclear physicist who is fired after conducting unsafe experiments, later allying with Firefly and taking the name "Blaze". | "White Heat" | |
| Catwoman / Selina Kyle | Gina Gershon | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name but no origin is provided within the series. She is presented as a professional cat burglar when first introduced in the series. |
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| Clayface / Ethan Bennett | This character is covered under "Recurring supporting characters". | |||
| Clayface II / Basil Karlo |
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The character is based in part on the Golden Age Clayface as an actor seeking vengeance on his critics. Within the series, he steals a Waynetech "Clayface-formula", created in an attempt to cure Ethan Bennett in an effort to gain "the right look" to get work. |
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| Cluemaster |
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The character borrows some elements of the comic book character of the same name including the alter ego of Arthur Brown and the rough costume design. Whereas the character in the comics is a failed game-show-host-turned-criminal, within the context of this series he is a former contestant of the children's game show "Think, Thank, Thunk" who seeks revenge on those he believes rigged the show and cost him his title as champion. |
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| Captain Slash | Diedrich Bader | The character was created specifically for the show. Captain Slash is a supervillain who hides in a chemical factory and fights the hero Nightwing. He also helps Joker 2.0 gain a physical body instead of being stuck inside a game. |
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| Count Vertigo | Greg Ellis | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. In the show, Werner Vertigo is a former employee of Queen Industries who uses an eyepiece to induce vertigo. He is also responsible for stranding Oliver Queen on a deserted island prior to him becoming Green Arrow. | "Vertigo" | |
| D.A.V.E. | Jeff Bennett | The character of D.A.V.E, standing for "Digitally Advanced Villain Emulator", was created specifically for the show. It is an A.I. created by Hugo Strange and programmed with the personalities of several of Batman's adversaries. Due to this combination of insane intellects, D.A.V.E. believed himself to be a human criminal whose brain was trapped in a digital prison, which he escaped. He then accessed a technology company computer and created a robotic body for himself, stealing a lab coat from one of the scientists working there. By stealing financial data he was able to determine Batman's secret identity and invaded the Batcave, but was defeated when Batman revealed to him that he was an artificial lifeform. | "Gotham's Ultimate Criminal Mastermind" | |
| Dracula | Peter Stormare | The character is based on the traditional character of the same name, adapted only for the direct-to-DVD animated movie. Dracula's corpse was sent from Transylvania to Gotham City after he was staked. Penguin accidentally revives him when blood from a cut falls on Dracula's heart. He began feeding on the people of Gotham, turning them into his minions nicknamed The Lost Ones and allowing the Batman to be blamed. Posing as cultural anthropologist Dr. Alucard, Dracula attempts to seduce Vicky Vale to use her soul to revive his immolated bride Carmela Karnstein. However, Batman manages to find a cure for all of the Lost Ones, returning them to humans. Dracula is disintegrated after Batman lures him to a device that generates sunlight. | The Batman vs. Dracula | |
| Everywhere Man | Brandon Routh | The character of John Marlowe was created specifically for the show. He is presented as an art collector and scientist specializing in quantum physics who is friends with Bruce Wayne. He creates a device called the "Quantex" which can duplicate matter, and uses it to duplicate himself. However, the duplicate has a slightly darker personality and eventually locks the original up, takes his place, and begins using other duplicates to stage a series of art thefts. He is similar to the DC Comics supervillain Multiplex. | "The Everywhere Man" | |
| Firefly | Jason Marsden | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name, specifically the version used after 1986. Garfield Lynns is presented as an arsonist-for-hire without a back story or origin for his equipment. The last appearance of the character in the series, "White Heat", has him attempting to steal an isotope of phosphorus to power his flight pack. When accidentally exposed to the isotope, he is converted into living phosphorus. |
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| Gearhead | Will Friedle | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name though no actual origin or alter ego is given for the character in the show. This version is able to hijack and control vehicles through cybernetic implants in his arms. | "RPM" | |
| Mercy Graves | Gwendoline Yeo | The character is based on the character of the same name from Superman: The Animated Series and serves the same role as Lex Luthor's bodyguard. | "The Batman/Superman Story" | |
| Francis Grey | Dave Foley | The character of Francis Grey was created specifically for the show, but he may have been based on the Clock King. He is presented as a failed clockmaker and thief, who stole a pocket watch and was arrested for a larger crime that he accidentally caused. While in prison, he develops the ability to rewind time by a few seconds due to his increasing desire for a do-over. On New Year's Eve a decade later, Batman and Batgirl attempt to stop him by bringing Grey's teenage son, Matthew, to him. However, the poison he planned to detonate went off regardless. The grief of his son dying allowed him to successfully rewind all the way back to the day he took that pocket watch and decided not to steal it. This resulted in a new present-day where he and his son are fixing clocks together with Bruce being one of their clients. |
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| Harley Quinn | Hynden Walch | The character is based on the character of the same name from Batman: The Animated Series. Harleen Quinzel is presented as a talk-show psychiatrist who is initially looking to secure her television talk show. The Joker, being a fan of her show since "the girl's more screw-loose than [him]", decided to take her on a night on the town to help her get over being fired for trying to humiliate Bruce Wayne on television. When Harley sought revenge, Joker helped but fled when the Dark Knight saved the folks. He left a message for Harley, ensuring she still sees him as a friend. She later gets stuck between two versions of the Joker thanks to a computer mishap that allowed a copy of his mind to control nanotechnology. |
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| The Joining | The Joining was created specifically for the show. It is presented as an extraterrestrial technology-based collective entity intent on absorbing Earth. They allied with Hugo Strange to remove the heroes in exchange for granting him the ultimate knowledge of the universe, which overloaded his mind and left him a vegetable. |
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| The Joker | Kevin Michael Richardson | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name but no full origin is provided within the series, although his origin has alluded to three times. The first was in "The Rubber Face of Comedy" where during his conversation with Det. Bennett, he remembers falling into the chemical bath. The second, in "Strange Minds", Dr. Strange and Batman travel into the mind of the Joker to find the Joker before his accident as a low-level office worker who once dreamed of "making people laugh", and finally in "The Apprentice", where he was planning to make his sidekick into "Joker Jr." by pushing him into the chemical bath. Joker is shown as a chronic resident of Arkham Asylum who commits elaborate crimes when free. He views these as "jokes" at the expense of Batman, the police, or the city in general. His original outfit is based on a straitjacket, but he later adapts the traditional purple suit and playing card gimmick.
He is the most recurring villain. This incarnation of the Joker is more physical than previous incarnations, actually engaging Batman and other opponents in physical battles and demonstrating some proficiency in martial arts, due to the fact that he wears no shoes (he either wears spats over bare feet or is completely barefoot, depending on the episode). He also has a significantly different appearance than his comic counterpart, having dreadlocks and red eyes with yellow pupils. He is one of the darker villains of the series, demonstrating a willingness to encourage the psychosis of others or even drive them insane as he did with Ethan Bennett, resulting in the latter's metamorphosis into Clayface. At one point he also attempted to replace Batman, using his toxins to leave Gotham citizens paralyzed with Joker grins on their faces as punishment for petty offenses, such as littering and speeding. |
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| Joker 2.0 | Kevin Michael Richardson | Joker 2.0 is a variation of Joker created for a single episode of the series. The character is an artificial intelligence based on Joker's personality. | "The Metal Face of Comedy" | |
| Kabuki Twins | None, the characters are silent. | The Kabuki Twins were created specifically for the series as recurring henchwomen for Penguin. Peri and Gale are presented as silent followers Penguin had acquired on a trip to Asia but an exact origin or alter egos are never given in the show. |
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| Hideto Katsu | Keone Young | The character of Hideto Katsu was created specifically for the show as the head of a Yakuza family and a former victim of Catwoman. | "The Cat and the Bat" | |
| Killer Croc | Ron Perlman | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name, but an origin is never provided for him in the series. Croc has a Cajun accent, and even has a tail. He rarely makes a move on his own, tending to work with other villains. |
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| Killer Moth | Jeff Bennett | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. No initial origin is provided for him and he is presented as Penguin's gofer. Within the episode he is mutated from a villain "wannabe" to a monstrous mothlike creature, but remains loyal to Penguin, even using his new form to intimidate the other villains into obeying. | "Team Penguin" | |
| Lex Luthor | Clancy Brown | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name and is presented as a business magnate with immense wealth. Within the episodes, he attempts to gain permanent control over Superman using spores from Poison Ivy laced with kryptonite. | "The Batman/Superman Story" | |
| Man-Bat | Peter MacNicol | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Obsessed with The Batman, Doctor Kirk Langstrom creates a serum that mutates him into a giant bat. In the show, he remains in Arkham until he finally gets over the obsession of wanting to be feared like the Batman. He is later called upon by Batman to make an antidote to his serum, which college students were using to get revenge on bullies and the like. |
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| Marty | Patton Oswalt | Marty was created specifically for the series as Joker's computer tech henchmen. He is also indirectly responsible for the creation of Joker 2.0. | "The Metal Face of Comedy" | |
| Metallo | Lex Lang | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. While his origin is similar to the comics, he is presented as muscle-for-hire on Luthor's payroll. | "The Batman/Superman Story" | |
| Mirror Master | John Larroquette | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name, sharing the rough origin, alter ego of Samuel Scudder, and long-standing conflict with the Flash. |
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| Mister Freeze | Clancy Brown | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Though he shares the alter ego of Victor Fries, his backstory is unique to the series. He is presented as a professional diamond thief when he first encounters Batman, who accidentally becomes trapped in a cryonic freezer. Instead of being killed, the accident drastically lowers his body temperature and grants him the ability to freeze things through touch.
In the future, Freeze loses his legs to his condition and requires mechanical replacements. He freezes himself to awaken 1000 years into the future, where they would be no Batman. However, Batman left information on how to defeat his foes in the Bat-puter, allowing the GCPD of the time to subdue him. |
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| Number One |
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Number One was created specifically for the series as the head henchmen for Black Mask. The role has rotated during Black Mask's appearances. The first one is a white-haired man who got tasered by Black Mask for being late in springing him out of the Gotham City Police Department. The second one is an unnamed man who Black Mask exposed to an Nth meteor causing him to fly up to the sky. The third one is an unnamed woman in an eyepatch. |
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| The Penguin | Tom Kenny | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Oswald Cobblepot is presented as a peer of Bruce Wayne, the last of one of Gotham City's wealthiest families. He is also the epitome of his family: arrogant, rude, selfish, decadent, and pretentious with the Cobblepot fortunes having been squandered away years ago. |
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| Poison Ivy | Piera Coppola | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Pamela Isley is introduced as a school friend of the teenage Barbara Gordon and a passionate eco-rights activist. When her plan to use the freelance criminal Temblor goes bad, she is exposed to a powerful plant growth accelerator compound. This mutates her, giving her the ability to produce mind-controlling spores and to rapidly grow and control plants. |
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| Prank | Michael Reisz | Prank was created specifically for the show as a "sidekick" for Joker. His real name is Donnie and he is in Barbara's math class. He joined the Joker in an attempt to become funnier, but quickly regretted it after Joker tried to push him into a chemical vat, leading to Batman and Batgirl rescuing him. | "The Apprentice" | |
| Punch and Judy | None, the characters are silent. | Punch and Judy were created specifically for the series as Joker's oversized henchmen. However, they were likely based on Punch and Judy due to the similar names and the comedic history associated with the latter. |
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| Ragdoll | Jeff Bennett | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name though with a very different costume. He is triple-jointed, allowing him easy access to areas too difficult to move in by normal people; he can even hide in Penguin's hat. |
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| Rhino and Mugsy | John DiMaggio | The characters are based on the characters of the same names from Batman: The Animated Series and fill the same role as Ventriloquist's henchmen. |
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| Riddlemen | The Riddlemen were created specifically for the series as a group of henchmen for Riddler. |
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| The Riddler | Robert Englund | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Within the series, Edward Nigma is a university scientist working on methods to enhance human memory. When his breakthrough prototype is sabotaged on its demonstration for investors, he is fired from the university and seeks revenge on the person he believes is responsible for the sabotage. Thwarted by Batman, he creates the identity of Riddler and starts a life of crime. |
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| Rumor | Ron Perlman | Rumor was created specifically for the series. Real name Mario, he is the bodyguard of a scientist and businessman, Paul Karon, who was disabled by the Joker. To remove his failure, he decides to kill all of Gotham City's costumed criminals. Though he could have been left to the criminals by Batman and Robin, they decided against letting an act of karma take place, getting everyone arrested.
Rumor was originally intended to be Batman's foe Hush,[4] but DC overruled that idea and Rumor was created instead. |
"Rumors" | |
| Scorn | Daryl Sabara | Scorn was created specifically for the series to provide Wrath with a sidekick counterpart to Robin. Andy Mallory is the younger son of a pair of jewel thieves who were arrested and jailed around the same time Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. | "The End of the Batman" | |
| Shadow Thief | Diedrich Bader | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. | "What Goes Up..." | |
| Sinestro | Miguel Ferrer | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. | "Ring Toss" | |
| Smoke | Amanda Anka | Smoke was created specifically for the series as a henchman for Mirror Master. | "A Mirror Darkly" | |
| Solomon Grundy | Kevin Grevioux | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name including his origin which is presented as an "urban legend" in the series. Though he was actually Clayface (Ethan Bennett) in disguise during his appearance on the show, the actual Solomon Grundy made appearances in The Batman Strikes tie-in comics. |
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| Spellbinder | Michael Massee | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name using the name and the basic motif of using visual illusions. In the series, he is a mystic with a third eye that allows him to create illusions and mind control people. | "The Butler Did It" | |
| Hugo Strange |
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The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. This version is the head psychiatrist of Arkham Asylum, but is more interested in discovering how the criminal mind works than actually helping to cure the inmates. |
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| Temblor | Jim Cummings | Temblor was created specifically for the series as a mercenary hired by Pamela Isley to destroy a chemical processing plant. He uses specifically designed armored gauntlets to generate shockwaves. | "Batgirl Begins" | |
| Terrible Trio |
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The Trio consists of Fox, Shark, and Vulture, characters that are based on the comic book characters of the same name, but retain only the names in common. The trio are presented as university students named David, Justin, and Amber who have gained access to Kirk Langstrom's formula. They use it to take on aspects of their namesakes to terrorize the university. | "Attack of the Terrible Trio" | |
| Rupert Thorne | Victor Brandt | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. | "The Bat in the Belfry" | |
| Toymaker | Patton Oswalt | Toymaker was created specifically for the series. Cosmo Krank is the C.E.O. of Krank Co., a company that produces incredibly futuristic but dangerous toys. When Bruce Wayne leads a campaign for safe toys and eventually closes Krank Co. down, Krank creates the identity of Toymaker to get revenge using toys of his own design.
A different version of Cosmo Krank appears in the Gotham episode "Pieces of a Broken Mirror", portrayed by Chris Perfetti. He is the son of Griffin Krank and works in his toy store called Krank's Toys and Models. The Krank Co. shops appear in Arkham City and Arkham Knight.[5] |
"Cash for Toys" | |
| Toyman | Richard Green | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. | "Lost Heroes" | |
| Ventriloquist | Dan Castellaneta | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Wesker was once a simple puppeteer, but after failing in the profession, his psyche split off; this caused him to believe that his puppet, Scarface was ordering him around. Because of this, he became a crime boss and began robbing Gotham. In overview, Wesker is perfectly normal so long as the Scarface puppet is nowhere near him. |
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| Wrath | Christopher Gorham | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. William Mallory is the older son of a pair of jewel thieves who were arrested and jailed around the same time Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. | "The End of the Batman" | |
| Maxie Zeus | Phil LaMarr | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. He is presented as an eccentric billionaire taking revenge on Gotham City for not electing him mayor. | "Thunder" | |
| Tony Zucco | Mark Hamill | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. A former circus performer, Zucco sought to extort money from the Grayson's circus and causes the deaths of Robin's parents. Zucco had accidentally killed his own father during a routine knife-throwing act. | "A Matter of Family" | |
Additional characters
| Character | Voice actor | Description | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Cat Grant | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Demons Three | None, only appear in comic form. | The characters are based on the comic book characters of the same name. |
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| Etrigan the Demon[6] | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Flash | Charlie Schlatter | The character is based on the Silver Age and later versions of the character from the comic books but no origin or clear identification of which version are provided in the episodes. Alan Burnett said that he sees the character as the Barry Allen version, though scripts left it up to the viewer. |
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| Mayor Marion Grange | Adam West | Mayor Marion Grange borrows the name of one of the mayors of Gotham City from the comic books, but was created specifically for the series. Adam West played Batman in the live-action 1960s TV series. | Majority of the episodes from season one to four. |
| Green Arrow | Chris Hardwick | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. What is related to his origin in the show is close to the one from the comic books, varying only by including Count Vertigo as the person who causes him to be stranded on a deserted island. |
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| Green Lantern | Dermot Mulroney | The character is based on the Hal Jordan version of Green Lantern from the comic books. Within the show, his origin is mentioned and parallels the one from the comic books, including the existence of the Green Lantern Corps. |
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| Hawkman | Robert Patrick | The character is based on the Katar Hol version of Hawkman from the comic books. What is mentioned of his origins, a police officer from the planet Thanagar, matches the Silver Age origin of the character. |
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| Jimmy Olsen | Jack DeSena | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Lois Lane | Dana Delany | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Martian Manhunter | Dorian Harewood | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. His origin differs from the one presented in the comics, coming to Earth voluntarily to warn Earth of the Joining. |
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| Perry White | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. Though he was mentioned in the television series, he only made an appearance in the spin-off comic, The Batman Strikes. |
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| Ron Troupe | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Steve Lombard | None, only appears in comic form. | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. |
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| Superman | George Newbern | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. While no origin is provided in the episodes, he is presented in the same characterization as the comic book character. |
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| Detective Cash Tankinson | Patrick Warburton | Cash Tankinson was created for the series as a co-worker of Ellen Yin. |
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| Vicki Vale | Tara Strong | The character is based on the comic book character of the same name. | The Batman vs. Dracula |
External links
References
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