The Batman

RELEASED 11 Sept 200423h 50m · 65 episodes★ 8.0 TMDB

A young billionaire Bruce Wayne fights crime and evil as the mysterious vigilante, The Batman.

Why it matters in DC

A younger Bruce Wayne provides a separate animated starting point for Batman's crime-fighting life. It lets viewers follow another interpretation of his development without treating Batman: The Animated Series as required history for this version of Gotham.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before The Batman — 61h 54m in total.

Justice LeagueOptional background20h 48m★ 8.2
Teen TitansOptional background24h 55m★ 8.3
Batman: Mystery of the BatwomanOptional background1h 14m★ 6.7
Justice League UnlimitedOptional background14h 57m★ 8.3

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

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.

Explore the full viewing guide

Where it fits in the DC universe

The Batman is title 38 of 40 in our Animated Elseworlds viewing sequence. The Batman animated series follows a different Bruce Wayne from both Batman: The Animated Series and the live-action film of the same name. Start with this show's own introduction to Gotham. The title alone should not link it to the Reeves Batman Saga or make those films prerequisites for its episodes.

Explore this viewing sequence