Batman: Under the Red Hood

Dare to look beneath the Hood.

RELEASED 27 Jul 20101h 15m★ 7.8 TMDB★ Essential pick

One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code.

Why it matters in DC

Red Hood's methods confront Batman with a rival who fights crime while rejecting his restraint. That makes the story's significance an argument about justice and its costs, not simply the arrival of another colourful opponent in Gotham.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before Batman: Under the Red Hood — 28h 40m in total.

The Dark KnightOptional background2h 32m★ 8.5+1 before this
Batman: The Brave and the BoldOptional background23h 46m★ 7.6
Superman/Batman: Public EnemiesOptional background1h 7m★ 7.1
Justice League: Crisis on Two EarthsOptional background1h 15m★ 7.3

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Batman: Under the Red Hood is title 8 of 40 in our Animated Elseworlds viewing sequence. Under the Red Hood is a focused animated Batman story about Gotham, a returning threat and competing methods of fighting crime. It sits among separate adaptations rather than the Damian-led connected film sequence. Other Robin stories can offer comparison, but their events should not be treated as this film's missing earlier chapters.

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