Lots of action, violence in stand-alone superhero stories.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Lots of cartoonish violence. Guns are frequently present. A character is drowned in a suitcase, another is stabbed to death. Batman breaks a villain's hand.
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Main character Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne are White. Secondary characters Barbara and Commissioner Gordon are Black, and Detective Montoya is Latina and larger-bodied. In this version of Batman, the Penguin is female and Harley Quinn is Asian. Various background characters are racially diverse.
It's worth fighting for justice. Good always prevails over evil.
Positive Role Models
a little
Batman always works for the greater good but often uses violence as a means to an end.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Batman: Caped Crusader is an animated series featuring the superhero's classic adventures. It has a retro, film noir vibe and lots of cartoonish violence and action: Guns are frequently used, and there's fistfighting, explosions, and many faceless baddies. A character is drowned in a suitcase, and another is stabbed to death. Batman (expertly voiced by Hamish Linklater) breaks a villain's hand. Language includes "damn," "ass," "load of bull," "freaking," and "hell." Older, comic-loving kids should enjoy this group of fresh, action-packed tales from the heart of Gotham City.
This version of a Batman cartoon has, in only the first 5 or 10 minutes, characters tortured and killed on screen, and a variety of swearing and even sexual references. In a superhero cartoon (which should be for kids), that's disgusting. For me, any potential positive elements are drowned out by those negatives, and I won't be watching the rest of the series given that basis.
If you are looking for Batman with diversity and inclusion, and things like a female penguin, a Harley Quinn without a joker in her origin, a body positive overweight/obese Alfred, race swapping, and Detective Montoya (specifically as a prominent DC LGBTQ+ character), this will likely be interesting to you.
I was expecting this to be a "young batman," period series set in the 1940s (when he was invented) as his suit and opening credit cowl is that of the original 1939 No.27 Detective Comics. However, it seems to imagine a different origin or be set in a different history or timeline. Too much changing of canon for me, to the point I didn't feel these were the characters I had meant to share with my kids. Much of the psychological complexity and torture are also more mature than the animation style would suggest. We stopped watching after episode 4.
What's the Story?
Batman (voiced by Hamish Linklater), aka rich playboy Bruce Wayne, is doing his best to fight crime in a troubled Gotham City. Along with allies like Commissioner Gordon and the commissioner's lawyer daughter Barbara, he battles local criminals in each episode. Notorious villains include The Penguin (Minnie Driver), Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung), and Catwoman (Christina Ricci). Does Batman have the strength to overpower them all?
This noir-ish version of the classic superhero's tales is a lot of classic fun. Batman: Caped Crusader presents bite-size but fully realized stories starring all the top-tier villains and a solid Batman, voiced by Hamish Linklater. Other guest stars like Minnie Driver and Christina Ricci get to ham it up as villains. This series is also notable for its diversity, including a female Penguin (voiced by Driver) and an Asian Harley Quinn.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about superheroes. Why are they so popular?
How does Batman show courage? What drives him to do good deeds?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Polly Conway
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
