Batman encounters a new cat burglar, Catwoman, and around the same time, meets a woman named Selina Kyle (as Bruce Wayne), to whom he is visibly attracted. When Selina runs into trouble with a terrorist cartel known as The Red Claw (who wants the mountain lion sanctuary she was trying to protect), she decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate.
When a horrifying bat creature terrorizes Gotham City, the authorities conclude it must be Batman and put out an all-points bulletin on the Dark Knight . Meanwhile, Batman's investigation leads him to the laboratory of Kirk Langstrom, a prominent zoologist, who has been experimenting with a formula that turns him into the Man-Bat creature. Not only does Batman have to capture Man-Bat in order to save Langstrom, but also to set the police straight and clear his name
Bitter scientist Victor Fries, as Mr. Freeze, attacks several divisions of Gothcorp, each time stealing a piece for a secret weapon he intends to build. Batman investigates the connections, and discovers that the start of Freeze's vendetta against Gothcorp was a bitter falling out between Fries and Gothcorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle, during which Boyle almost killed Fries (mutating him into Freeze) and presumably killed Fries' terminally ill wife, Nora. Batman must find a way to bring Boyle to justice before Freeze carries out his revenge.
Bruce Wayne is framed for the attempted murder of Lucius Fox. The real perpetrator is an actor and master of disguise named Matt Hagen, who was disfigured in a car accident years ago. In order to keep his fame, he secretly started working for Roland Daggett, who provides him with a monthly supply of an addictive face cream known as Renuyu (a pun on "Renew You") that can temporarily reshape his face back to normal, and who wants to take Wayne Enterprises over for marketing expansion. For botching the murder, Hagen's supply is cut off, and when he breaks into Daggett's lab for more Renuyu, he pays the price dearly when Daggett's men drench his face in the formula. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is arrested and taken into custody.
Bruce Wayne is released from prison on bail. Hagen, as it turns out, survived the murder attempt on him, but at a high cost: the formula entered his body and soaked every single one of his cells, mutating him into a shape-shifting mutant. With his newfound powers, Hagen, now calling himself Clayface, decides to take his revenge on Daggett and his men. Can Batman bring Daggett to justice and stop Clayface before innocent people are hurt?
A mob war between crime bosses Rupert Thorne and Arnold Stromwell is nearing its end, and comes to a climax when Stromwell is set up to be killed in an exploding restaurant by Thorne. Batman saves him at the last moment, and persuades Stromwell to use his fall into disgrace to help him bring Thorne in, mostly for the sakes of his wife, his ill son and his estranged brother, as well as his own.
After Charlie Collins accidentally curses at the Joker on the road for bumping him, the Clown Prince of Crime corners him and intimidates him into doing him a "small favor". Two years pass, and the Joker finally decides how to use Charlie: to sneak a bomb into Gotham University, where Commissioner Gordon is to give a speech at an award ceremony. Charlie, who merely has to open the door, is skeptical at first, but for the sake of his family, he reluctantly decides to obey. But is the Joker really the type to let someone who insulted him live?
The leader of the Red Claw cartel (known herself only as Red Claw), attacks a military train and steals a viral plague, which she intends to plant on the resort and release if she isn't paid a ransom, leading to her first encounter with Batman, who is forced to let her flee. Around the same time, Red Claw and Batman discover that Catwoman and Selina Kyle are the same. Can Batman and Catwoman put aside their differences and work together to stop Red Claw before it's too late?
When District Attorney Harvey Dent collapses after a meal with Bruce Wayne and his fiancee Pamela Isley, it transpires that he has been poisoned. Batman must find the culprit and discover an antidote before Dent's time runs out.
Batman encounters the Scarecrow and attempts to foil his scheme to burn down Gotham University, but in the process is exposed to the Scarecrow's fear gas, and is forced to face his own guilt over the deaths of his parents.
Mayor Hamilton Hill's miserable son, Jordan, becomes even sadder when his father uses his birthday party as a political gathering, and ends up stowing away in the truck of the circus performer hired by Hill for the party, whom he doesn't know is actually the Joker in disguise. It is now up to Batman, whom Mayor Hill distrusts, to rescue the boy before it's too late.
Roland Daggett, with the help of two explosive experts, Crocker and Nitro, plans to destroy the infamous Crime Alley (while making it look like an underground accident) and use the land to expand his business empire, even if it means killing the residents or forcing them to abandon their homes.
A botched police operation results in the suspension of those involved: Officer Wilkes, Officer Montoya and Harvey Bullock. Confronted by their superiors, each of them is forced to tell their tale of what happened that night.
After his company goes bankrupt (without a hearing), Temple Fugate takes up the mantle of the Clock King and pursues the one who he believes responsible for his loss: Mayor Hill, who merely persuaded Fugate to take a later coffee break, which ended in disaster. Can Batman rescue Hill in time, despite his dislike for the Mayor?
The Joker covers Gotham City in a cloud of laughing gas and begins plundering the crazed city. But after Alfred is infected with the toxin, Batman has added incentive to stop the Joker and acquire an antidote from him before all of Gotham dies with a smile.
Several rich industrialists are invited to the Eternal Youth Health Spa, and that's where they are last seen before disappearing. The only connection: they had something to do with the death of plants. Bruce Wayne also receives an invitation (although it was one of his greedy directors who nearly made the deal to destroy a rainforest before Bruce forced him to shut the operation down), but Alfred and his "lady friend", Maggie, go in his place. When they don't return, Batman is forced to investigate, discovering that the spa is run by Poison Ivy, and that she has been using a formula to turn the industrialists into humanoid trees, including Alfred and Maggie.
Harvey Dent, campaigning for a re-election, vows to rid Gotham of Rupert Thorne's crime and corruption. The tables turn when Thorne gets a hold of Dent's psychological records and discovers his alternate personality: the violent Big Bad Harv. Thorne attempts to blackmail Dent with this, and the following fight in Thorne's chemical plant hideout results in an explosion that scars the left side of Dent's body, despite Batman's attempts to save him.
Now calling himself Two-Face, Dent goes on a crime spree throughout Gotham, attacking Rupert Thorne's businesses to draw the gangster out of hiding. Batman must find a way to stop his former friend before he and Thorne kill each other.
Several sportsmen start receiving strange letters in the mail, and having frightening hallucinations at their next game. At the same time, one man is making thousands of dollars betting on the events. Batman and Robin (the latter of whom becomes infected), start their own investigation, and come to the conclusion that someone else is continuing the Scarecrow's crimes, since the Scarecrow is currently locked up in Arkham Asylum. Or is he?
During a fight with Batman over a stolen egg ruby, the Penguin douses Batman with gas, although he is rescued by a teenage "would-be" detective named Sherman and his friend Roberta, who hide Batman in Sherman's basement long enough for him to heal before the Penguin finds them.
Detective Bullock is arrested for kidnapping. Batman, who dislikes Bullock but nevertheless believes him to be a good man, investigates, and discovers the identity of the real criminal: Killer Croc, who harbours a vendetta against Bullock for capturing him once. Can he clear Bullock's name before it is too late?
Batman investigates a cult, called The Brotherhood, founded by the "mystic" Nostromos after hearing about a number of stories from his colleagues about his ability to predict the future. Batman finds out that Nostromos is actually a con artist who was rigging near-fatal accidents to gain the confidence of Gotham's upper class citizens. Can Batman expose this ruse before it's too late?
While investigating the disappearances of Gotham's homeless in an undercover disguise, Bruce Wayne is kidnapped. Imprisoned in a chain gang mining camp and suffering from amnesia, will he be able to escape and free the rest of the prisoners?
Miserable Wayne Industries scientist Jervis Tetch is unable to pursue the girl he loves, Alice, the secretary. When she splits up from her boyfriend, he makes an advance and develops a fast friendship with her, until her boyfriend reconciles with her and proposes to her. Enraged, Tetch decides to take matters into his own hands, and dons the mantle of the Mad Hatter, using his mind control devices to force those who have wronged him all his life to become his mindless slaves.
Baron Jozek, furious at Batman for humiliating him at a dinner party (over Jozek's underworld connections), hires Josiah Wormwood, a master in setting traps for his victims, to hunt down Batman and bring back the hero's cape and cowl.
Bruce Wayne wakes up one morning to find that his life is completely upside-down: his parents are alive, the Batcave doesn't exist, Alfred does not remember Robin, and he is engaged to Selina Kyle. However, it doesn't mean that Batman isn't still around, and Bruce starts to wonder what has happened, especially after seeing the characteristics of a dream (such as book and newspaper prints not making sense) inside this new life.
Batman traces a series of bizarre robberies on the streets of Gotham back to a band of children - poverty-stricken outcasts who have been raised to do the bidding of their master, the Sewer King.
A mysterious ninja is robbing Wayne Enterprises subsidiaries, and Batman discovers that the ninja is actually his equal in combat. A grudge against Bruce Wayne and skills to match him can only mean one person: Kyodai Ken, an old rival of Wayne's from his days in Japan, and whom was thrown out of the dojo after attempting to rob it, only to be stopped by Wayne. Ken, it turns out, wants revenge.
After a prominent judge is injured during a struggle with some thugs demanding money from her in exchange for a strange tape, Bruce Wayne decides to take a trip to Yucca Springs, a resort where the judge had vacationed, and consult Dr. Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist. Bruce soon learns that Strange has invented a machine that extracts people's darkest secrets from their minds and transfers them to videotape—and now Strange has proof of Bruce's secret identity as Batman and plans to auction it to three of Gotham's prominent crime bosses.
Selina Kyle is kidnapped by an evil scientist who turns her into a real cat-woman.Selina Kyle is kidnapped by the villainous genetic engineer Dr. Emile Dorian and becomes his latest experiment to provide his man-cat hybrid named Tygrus with a mate. Batman learns of this and comes to the island to rescue Selina. He is captured and forced into a deadly game of cat-and-flying mouse as Tygrus hunts Batman through the island's jungles.
Batman is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum after being exposed to Scarecrow's fear gas and suffering hallucinations that nearly cause him to harm innocent people. Batman knows that the Scarecrow has escaped for the second time and is planning to dump his fear toxin into the water supply. Can Batman bring himself to break the law and escape from Arkham before the Scarecrow brings Gotham to its knees?
Simon Trent, an actor best known for his past role as "The Gray Ghost", is on the verge of bankruptcy thanks to his declining career. To save himself, he sells off all of his Gray Ghost merchandise. Immediately afterwards, a series of crimes related to the old show begin to occur. Batman, having himself been inspired partly by the show to become the crimefighter he now is, goes to Trent for help, and they team up to put an end to the crimes. In this episode, the voice of Simon Trent is none other than Adam West, the man who played Batman in the 1960's version of Batman
Batman must stop Roland Daggett's plan to release a viral plague designed by Professor Milo into Gotham by way of its stray cat population. The case gains new urgency when Catwoman becomes infected with the virus during her search for her missing cat, Isis.
On the anniversary of the death of Bruce's parents, Batman accompanies Leslie Thompkins to Crime Alley to place roses on the spot where they were gunned down. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon is on stakeout to arrest James "The Jazzman" Peake during a drug smuggling ring. Batman had promised to be there, but arrives late to find a gun battle going on. He helps defeat the gangsters and arrest the Jazzman, but at a high cost—Gordon is severely wounded. The incident traumatizes Batman, and he decides to give up crime-fighting, despite the Jazzman escaping prison to carry out his personal vendetta against Gordon (who had sent him to prison six years before).
Joker, Killer Croc, Penguin, Two-Face and Poison Ivy all meet at a poker table, each telling a tale of times when they almost defeated Batman. At the same time, Harley Quinn is about to kill Catwoman. Will Batman be able to save her?
Batman investigates the appearance of a werewolf-like creature in Gotham, not realizing that the monster happens to be one of Bruce Wayne's associates - Anthony Romulus, ex-Olympic champion. Behind the scheme is twisted chemist Professor Milo.
When a man-sized bat ransacks Gotham harbor, Batman suspects that Dr. Kirk Langstrom is up to his old tricks, taking the Man-Bat formula again. Batman isn't the only one. Kirk's wife, Francine, is so distrustful of her husband that she decides to leave him. After further investigation, Batman discovers that this Man-Bat is not Kirk, but someone else.
After escaping Arkham Asylum on Christmas Eve, The Joker takes over Gotham's airwaves and terrorizes the city. He then challenges Batman and Robin to find his hidden TV studio and free his hostages, Commissioner Gordon, Detective Bullock, and Summer Gleason, before midnight.
Several robberies take place at major companies, including Wayne Enterprises, and Bruce Wayne, as Batman, discovers the thief to be a mechanical briefcase. Bruce meets with his old friend, Karl Rossum, an expert in robotics who lost his daughter to a vehicle accident years ago. He also meets Rossum's assistant, Randa Duane, and Rossum's ultimate creation: a prototype A.I. known as Holographic Analytical Reciprocating Digital Computer (H.A.R.D.A.C.) Bruce invites Duane to dinner, and around the same time, certain civilians start acting strangely. Most surprising is when Duane unexpectedly leaves Wayne Manor while Bruce is on the phone, and the entire Batcave turns on Batman.
Batman manages to free himself from the Batcave's clutches, and brings it back under his control, although he fails to track Duane down. Barbara Gordon approaches Batman to inform him of her father's sudden change in behaviour. A brutal fight between Batman and Detective Bullock ensues, during which Batman pushes Bullock onto the Bat Signal, and reveals him to actually be an android, meaning that the real Bullock and James Gordon have gone missing, and Batman knows who the culprit is: H.A.R.D.A.C. Can he stop the evil supercomputer before it's too late?
Edward Nygma creates the game, "The Riddle of the Minotaur", and makes millions for the company Competitron. He is then fired by his superior, Daniel Mockridge, who wants the profits for himself. Nygma vows revenge, and two years later, he takes up the mantle of the Riddler and traps Mockridge inside a life-sized version of the Minotaur maze. Batman's sympathy is with Nygma, but he and Robin have to stop him before he kills Mockridge, despite the fact that Mockridge cannot legally be brought to justice.
Cameron Kaiser builds a Casino Hotel modeled after the Joker, called the Joker's Wild. The Joker sees this on the news, and, enraged, escapes from Arkham again, with one thought on his mind: destroying the casino, unaware that this is exactly what Kaiser wants him to do as part of an insurance claim.
When a Batman impersonator appears in Gotham City, the real Batman deduces that Karl Rossum is somehow involved and confronts the inventor. The other Batman, a duplicate, then shows up and a battle between the two takes place. After the duplicate Batman escapes, it begins its campaign to recreate H.A.R.D.A.C.'s goals of a robotic society.
While following Count Vertigo's trail, Batman encounters Talia, daughter of the head of the Society of Shadows, who was sent by her father to prevent the capture of a sonic drill that the Count stole. But after his identity is mistakenly revealed to Talia, Batman remains off-balance as to where her true loyalties lie.
Seeking to prove once and for all that his is the superior mind, the Riddler lures Batman into a riddle-solving contest inside the virtual reality of a computer game in order to save Police Jim Gordon's life. In the course of solving the riddles and escaping the Riddler's traps, Batman learns that he is able to manipulate the virtual reality landscape much like the Riddler does
Fishermen discover that Gotham's fish all have the Joker's colors and signature smile. Batman investigates, and realises that the Joker is hoping to make money off of these new fish by having them trademarked. After two government employees are killed by Joker toxin, Batman examines that specific fish, and sees that it is actually a Japanese one, meaning that the Joker is hiding at the Aquarium. Bullock tracks the Joker down, but is captured and used as live shark bait as part of a trap for Batman. Can Batman save him in time?
When the Joker fires Harley, she tries going on a crime spree of her own, joining up with Poison Ivy, and the two become Gotham's Queens of Crime, much to Joker's fury.
Thanks to a freak accident during a high-speed chase, the Batmobile is virtually demolished. After Batman takes the car to his personal mechanic, Earl Cooper, the Penguin makes his move and tampers with the Batmobile, putting it under his control.
When a small time gang member seemingly kills Batman by accident, he gets involved with gangs all over Gotham, as well as the Joker and Rupert Thorne.
When the glamorous magician Zatanna is framed for a robbery during her act, Batman swings to her defense. Zatanna is grateful though a little puzzled by the Dark Knight's commitment to prove her innocence, but the two heroes unite and use the skills her father, Zatara, taught them to expose and combat the culprit: an evil illusionist named Montague Kane.
During a fight with some gangsters at a construction yard, Batman and Robin learn the name of their boss: Billy Marin. While Robin looks forward to going up against Marin, Batman becomes distant, and after a falling out at the Batcave, Batman doesn't allow Robin to accompany him on the search for Marin. Robin investigates on the Batcomputer, and soon realises that Billy Marin is not the boss' real name. Rather, it is an alias of Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents
Veronica Vreeland is looking for a way to create a splash with her next party and arrives at the idea of having a former criminal in attendance—especially if there's one whose manners would create a stir. Penguin, who has recently reformed, fits the bill perfectly. In the process of convincing the Penguin to come to her party, Veronica finds she likes the corpulent little guy. For his part, the Penguin begins to fall in love with her, until he overhears that he is merely being used...
Robin sets out to find Tony Zucco, all the while plagued by the memories of his parents' death and how Bruce took him in as his own son. Eventually, Batman finds Zucco at an old amusement park, but breaks his leg during the fight. Robin arrives, and prepares to kill Zucco in revenge. He initially scoffs Batman's advice, but realises that justice and revenge are not the same. Zucco is arrested, and Batman makes amends with Robin, stating that he wouldn't let Robin accompany him under the fear of Zucco killing him.
The Penguin steals an experimental helicopter from an air show, causing an explosion that temporarily blinds Bruce Wayne. Batman knows he won't be able to wait until his vision returns to track the Penguin down, but will he be able to do so without the use of his eyes?
Kyodai Ken kidnaps Kairi, daughter of Yoru Sensei, the martial arts instructor who taught both Kyodai and Bruce. The ninja's ransom for her is a scroll that teaches the location of the fabled Death Touch.
Lloyd "Eddie" Ventrix is on the verge of losing his daughter, Kimberly, to his ex-wife, Helen, due to his past as an con artist. Determined not to lose Kimberly, Ventrix dons a suit, stolen from where he used to work while on parole, which grants the user invisibility but also becomes highly toxic, and poses as Kimberly's imaginary friend, Mojo, while stealing jewellery for her. Can Batman solve the mystery crimes and stop Ventrix, and at the same time, save his life, despite the fact that he can't even see him?
When Robin is mysteriously abducted from his college campus, the Batman begins a fruitless search ... until he is astounded by the sudden appearance in the Batcave of Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's quickly reveals that his daughter, Talia, has been abducted under circumstances similar to Robin's, suggesting that the same persons are responsible. So begins an uneasy truce between the Batman and 'The Demon'.
After freeing Talia from her father's clutches and escaping from an avalanche, Batman and Robin follow the only clue they have - the word 'Orpheus'. After discovering that 'Orpheus' is Ra's private satellite that will orbit over the Sahara, the duo travel to the Demon's desert stronghold. There, Batman learns that the satellite is actually a weapon which will explosively destroy all the Lazarus Pits simultaneously, throughout the world, destroying all the life that exists.
Batman discovers that A brand new gang has made its debut committing the slickest crimes ever, thanks to the gang leader, Scarface. It's up to Batman to stop Scarface and his "dummy", the Ventriloquist. new crime czar is a wooden dummy manipulated by a mild mannered man with a split personality.
Believing hiself to be a Greek God, Maxie Zeus steals an experimental electricity weapon with plans of using it on Gotham City.
When Commissioner Gordon is framed for taking bribes from Rupert Thorne, his daughter Barbara pleads with Batman to show up at a rally being put on in the commissioner's behalf. But when Batman disappears after finding the person behind the frame-up, Barbara takes the law into her own hands as Batgirl.
Robin discovers that Gil Mason is in league with the underworld and goes to investigate him. He encounters Batgirl along the way, and go their separate ways to stop Mason. They then meet again to learn that Gil is working with Two-Face to take out Gordon, and have Batman (as Matches Malone) captured.
A female scientist helps Clayface when his body begins to disintegrate.
Wealthy socialite Veronica Vreeland returns from Central America bringing tiny handmade dolls for all her friends. According to native legend, once placed under a pillow the dolls do the sleeper's worrying for them. Unknown to Veronica or her guests, each of the dolls was made by the Mad Hatter, and contains a tiny microchip which plants hypnotic suggestions inside the sleepers' brains.
Dr. Leslie Thompkins is kidnapped when crime boss Rupert Thorne requires surgery.
During a conference of crime bosses held in a Gotham City skyscraper, gangster Chuckie Sol is killed by a mysterious cloaked figure shortly after Batman bursts in on the meeting. Batman is blamed for the death. Councilman Arthur Reeves tells the media that Batman is an irresponsible menace, then attends a party at the mansion of billionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego. Reeves jokingly taunts Bruce for his bad luck with women and for having allowed an old girlfriend, Andrea Beaumont, to get away.
Poison Ivy appears to have gone straight and become suburban homemaker, nevertheless Batman suspects her of a series of plant based crimes in Gotham City.
When pursuing the escaped convict Killer Croc, Batman encounters a small group of sideshow freaks who apparently trust Croc more than Batman.
Batman must stop Ra's Al Ghul when he attempts to unleash the power of the ancient God Thoth Khepera.
Batman's worst enemies kidnap him and put him on trial for crimes committed against them.
The Joker steals an atomic bomb and Batman and Robin must team up with Harley Quinn in order to find him.
Rupert Thorne hires the chemically-augmented assassin Bane to kill Batman.
Harvey Dent (Two-Face) is kidnapped by a mysterious villian before he has an operation that will restore his face.
The Riddler appears to have gone straight when he develops a new and successful puzzle based toy.
A tiny former child star kidnaps her TV family and holds them prisoner in a reconstruction of her old TV home.
The Clock King plots against Mayor Hill after he steals an invention that allows him to travel at super speed.
After being discharged from Arkham, Harley Quinn tries to lead a normal life but she keeps getting into trouble.
Batman and Robin investigate a string of crimes committed by a group of famous comedians brainwashed by the Joker.
Batgirl and Catwoman team up to investigate the theft of a rare cat statue.
Lyle Bolton Arkam's former chief of security becomes the vigilante Lock-up and kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and Mayor Hill seeing them as the cause of rampant crime in Gotham City.
Aging billionaire Grant Walker breaks Mr. Freeze out of prison so he can use the scientist's knowledge to can gain immortality and cover the world in a new ice age.
Batman tracks three wealthy playboys who commit crimes out of boredom.
Batman and Robin learn about the exploits of Jonah Hex an Old West crimefighter who once dealt with the immortal Ra's Al Ghul.
Catwoman's attempt to go straight runs into problems when she is enticed into one last job by the Ventriloquist.
Batman helps Detective Harvey Bullock who appears to be the target of someone's revenge.
Alfred, a former British spy, is called into duty and becomes of the target of the Red Claw.
Since his last encounter against Batman, Mr. Freeze has found a home in the Arctic and started a family (of sorts) with the still cryogenically-encased Nora, an Inuit boy named Kunac, and two pet polar bears, Notchka and Chokka. Freeze returns to Gotham City with his companions, and enlists the help of Dr. Gregory Belson to find a cure. Belson determines that Nora needs an organ transplant, but due to her rare blood type there are no suitable donors available.
When animators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm were tasked with creating an animated Batman cartoon, no one knew whether the team would be able to reinvent the character away from his campy television roots. But what came out of their collaboration was “Batman: The Animated Series,” an award-winning new chapter in the story of the Caped Crusader. Explore the complex, nuanced world and exceptional characters created behind the scenes by the designers, composers, and directors of this groundbreaking series.
"The Dark Knight's First Night" is the name given to the short two-minute pilot used by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski to show Fox executives what they were planning to do with Batman: The Animated Series.
A new hero has arrived in Gotham, but as the title suggests, her identity is a mystery—even to Batman. During patrol, the Dynamic Duo after spots her trying to stop one of Penguin's shipment on Gotham's interstate and apparently would use lethal force after seeing her using a plasma rifle sending Penguin's truck with its driver off the bridge. Batman and Robin saves the driver from falling to his death. Batman must figure out who Batwoman is and to stop familiar enemies Penguin and Rupert Thorne from selling illegal weapons to the fictional nation of Kasnia. At the beginning of the story, the two employ Carlton Duquesne, a gangster, to provide protection.
Catwoman steals some things from Bruce Wayne's mansion and tries to escape while Bruce (as Batman) chases her. This is a short film with no dialogue, released as a special feature on the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman DVD.
