How many Batman cartoon shows are there?

By Alex Wiggan

Did you know, the first Batman cartoon aired in 1968? You didn’t? Yep, while the Caped Crusader had been appearing in comics since 1939, it took almost 30 years to transfer Batman to animation.

His first run of animated tales came via The Adventures of Batman (part of The Batman/Superman Hour), with later ‘toons including The New Adventures of Batman (1977), Super Friends (1973), the incredibly popular Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and the short-lived Beware the Batman (2013).

But what are all of the Batman cartoons? Well, if this is a hot topic for you then fear not, you have come to the right place!

In this post, I am taking a look at all the Batman cartoons, starting with The Adventures of Batman and running through to the most recent ‘toon to feature the Dark Knight. This post will highlight all of the animated shows, which have featured Batman as a lead character or a significant semi-regular character.

Advertisements

Batman cartoons

As noted above, the first Batman cartoon series was The Adventures of Batman in 1968, which starred Olan Soule as Batman, and Casey Kasem as Robin. The show included 34 stories and featured foes such as the Riddler, the Joker, and the villainous pastry chef known as Simon the Pieman.

When Batman next appeared in animation it was alongside Robin via a guest spot in two episodes of the 1972 show, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries. The Dynamic Duo starred in The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair and The Caped Crusader Caper.

One year later, in 1973, Batman starred in the first season of Super Friends. The show – an animated take on the Justice League – saw the Dark Knight team-up with the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman.

While the Caped Crusader was busy with his Super Friends, the next Batman animated show was The New Adventures of Batman, which saw the Dynamic Duo joined by Batgirl and Bat-Mite. Adam West and Burt Ward reprised the roles of Batman and Robin from the live-action ’60s show and the series ran for 16 episodes.

Back to Super Friends now, and due to the popularity of the first season Batman appeared in a succession of Super Friends follow-up shows, including: Super Friends/Challenge of the Super Friends (1978), The World’s Greatest Super Friends (1979), Super Friends (1980), Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984) and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985). These cartoons kept Batman in animation from the early ’70s right through to the mid ’80s.

Moving into the 1990s and following the huge success of the live-action Batman movies starring Michael Keaton, Batman returned to TV screens in the ground-breaking show, Batman: The Animated Series. The first season aired between 1992 and 1993 and lasted 65 episodes, while the second season – re-titled The Adventures of Batman and Robin – lasted 20 episodes and aired between 1994 and 1995.

Kevin Conroy took on the role of Batman for Batman: The Animated Series, and became an instant hit with fans. How much of a hit? Well, he has continued to voice the character on and off for computer games and animated movies ever since.

He also reprised the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman for The New Batman Adventures (1997), Batman Beyond (1999), Justice League (2001) and Justice League Unlimited (2004).

After two very successful eras of Batman stories (The Super Friends era and the Batman: The Animated Series era), in 2004 the Caped Crusader was given a makeover with a new show called The Batman. The series featured Rino Romano as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and ran for 65 episodes.

If you have never watched The Batman, give it a go. While not as good as Batman: The Animated Series, it is a highly underrated show and certainly worth your time.

In 2008, Batman returned to cartoons with the Silver Age-inspired show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Diedrich Bader played Batman across the course of three seasons (totalling 65 episodes), for what was another excellent series!

2008 also saw the release of two motion comics. The first was Mad Love – an adaptation of Harley Quinn’s origin story – while the second was Batman: Black and White, which ran for two seasons and adapted stories from the Batman: Black and White comics.

Another Batman cartoon hit TV screens in 2013, this time via a computer generated series titled Beware the Batman. Then in 2016, team-up show Justice League Action saw Batman reunite with the League for some more animated adventures.

In 2019, popular Bat-villain, Harley Quinn received her own, self-titled adult sitcom, which became a huge hit with viewers. While the show revolved around Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the series also featured Batman and Bruce Wayne on a semi-regular basis.

Things took a notably different turn in 2022 when the Batman mythology was given a reworking for the children’s cartoon series, Batwheels. Although Batman featured in this show, the emphasis was largely on stories about talking Bat-vehicles which belonged to the Bat-family.

From a children’s show to a series aimed more at an older demographic for this next ‘toon – 2024’s Batman: Caped Crusader. Devised as a sort of spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series, the show presented a film-noir reimagining of the Batman legend.

And then from a serious Batman cartoon to another sitcom via 2025’s Bat-Fam. The show followed the story of Batman, Alfred, and Damian Wayne.

How many Batman cartoon shows are there?

Share this:

Leave a comment Cancel reply