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In One Scene, Batman Beyond Completely Outdid Batman v. Superman

SOLDIER

SOLDIER

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
11,339
(I got inspired by the Superman thread)



We could fill a whole thread full of moments from the DCAU that completely obliterate anything ever attempted in the Snyder movies (or even the original comics), but this one continues to stand out to me decades later.

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In particular, the one shot where Bruce literally shakes with terror and disgust over having to use a gun to deescalate an encounter with a criminal still gets my eyes watery. Here's a man who dedicated his entire life to stopping crime using his own set of morals, and he had no choice but to break them simply because he's too old. Jumping from the BTAS series to the start of BB made this especially heartbreaking.

Inversely, I was filled with my own disgust watching Batman gun down people in BvS because some stupid asshole director thought it would be more bad-ass. It's left such a sour taste in my mouth that I honestly don't believe anything they release afterwards will make up for that shitfest.

The Batman looks "okay", but doesn't feel like it will come close to making up for the sheer disrespect they gave Bats (not to mention Supes, who they've pretty much given up on at this point).
 
OP
OP
SOLDIER

SOLDIER

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
11,339
It will never not be amusing that the DCAU team was pretty much forced to create a kid-friendly "Batman in highschool" spinoff, and managed to come up with something even darker and more adult than the original series and somehow making it work.

One of the few instances where the "darker and edgier" mindset actually ended up a positive.
 
Trisc

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
I love how the show features synth rock for the bulk of the show, but for just this one scene, it's brass and strings backing the action. It's not a very subtle juxtaposition, but it's still a really cool touch.

Regardless, the DCAU is basically representative of the very best of DC's characters: some of the most iconic (and sympathetic) villains, believably human interactions between its heroes, and in general just a brilliant exercise in bringing mature storytelling to children. To compare anything Snyder did with those characters is a disservice to Timm and Dini.
 
Khanimus

Khanimus

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
40,177
Greater Vancouver
Firemind said:
Batman is not a good guy in BvS.
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If that were true, the movie would give more of a shit about Clark's perspective. It doesn't. In fact they cut his scenes talking to his mom about his frustrations, and him being a reporter, but almost none of Bruce's. He has an awkward interview with Bruce, finger-wags at Batman once, and then doesn't speak with him until the final act of the movie.
 
Tavernade

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,622
That scene is spectacular. He doesn't even comment on the heart pain or the gun issue, it just trusts the audience to get it.

The worst episodes of the DCAU best the best of BvS (outside the WW stuff). It still bothers me how much DC didn't have to reinvent the wheel for their films, perfect versions of nearly everything already existed, and somehow they couldn't pull it off.
 
Meia

Meia

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,015
I mean, if you're going to bring Batman vs. Superman directly into this, I'd rather you link this clip which was a much better intro to that whole thing from the Superman animated series. :D





We were just all really spoiled by how great the animated series were back then. ANYTHING they do live action has a hell of a lot to live up to, and nothing they've done recently really comes close. :(
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,934
Batman wasn't gunning down people who weren't asking for it. The police, the army under the law would have done the same thing.

Abhoring guns doesn't give you absolute mastery over who use them. It's okay for Batman to hate guns but every fucking confrontation he has (books or movies) he is way out of his league. Batman is hyperviolent, period.
 
Tavernade

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,622
Chumunga64 said:
sorry but Justice League isn't gonna be a saturday morning cartoon
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Justice League aired primarily on Friday and Saturday nights. I think Kids WB sometimes aired it too? I remember it primarily being a Cartoon Network thing.

EDIT: oh was this a joke? It's really hard to tell nowadays. Internet needs a sarcasm symbol.
 
Firemind

Firemind

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,530
Khanimus said:
If that were true, the movie would give more of a shit about Clark's perspective. It doesn't. In fact they cut his scenes talking to his mom about his frustrations, and him being a reporter, but almost none of Bruce's. He has an awkward interview with Bruce, finger-wags at Batman once, and then doesn't speak with him until the final act of the movie.
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I mean, Batman wants to kill Superman. At any cost. Alfred tells him (and us) he is not our enemy. To interpret Batman as a hero is misreading the context of the movie.
 
Capra

Capra

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,596
Khanimus said:
It fucking wishes it could be.



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"That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent $75 million on a fake presidential campaign, just to tick Superman off."

Goddamn that delivery is perfect. I've honestly never really seen any Superman media outside the DCAU but I can't imagine another Lex Luthor coming close to his portrayal there.
 
Lost Lemurian

Lost Lemurian

Member
Nov 30, 2019
4,295
SOLDIER said:
It will never not be amusing that the DCAU team was pretty much forced to create a kid-friendly "Batman in highschool" spinoff, and managed to come up with something even darker and more adult than the original series and somehow making it work.

One of the few instances where the "darker and edgier" mindset actually ended up a positive.
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"Darker and edgier" doesn't have to mean "angrier and stupider". The Batman Beyond team understood that, where many other creative teams do not.

That's how you get a brooding, moody Superman and a murderous, gun-toting Batman.
 
data west

data west

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,012
'Knight Time' on Superman: TAS is everything I want from Batman & Superman crossover

goofy as shit crossover with Supes and Bruce acting like dumb kids
 
-shadow-

-shadow-

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,110
Bor Gullet said:
Why did they remove the visual effect of the heart attack in the blu ray? Weird.
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Probably added in post going by the effect and the remastering was (mostly) redone from the original negatives. Entirely possible that it just slipped through the cracks when working on all the episodes.
 

Zaku3

Banned
Mar 20, 2019
689
Metalgearmiyamoto said:
Hot take: the MCU isn't fit to kiss the feet of the DCAU.

Bruce Timm/Paul Dini/Boyd Kirkland/Dwayne McDuffie/Alan Burnett, etc. >>>>>>> Kevin Feige/John Favreau/The Russo Brothers/Josh Whedon/James Gunn, etc.
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In Marvel's defense it'a hard to compete in a movies vs TV series scenario.

God Disney should make a MCAU.
 
LetalisAmare

LetalisAmare

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,954
Metalgearmiyamoto said:
Hot take: the MCU isn't fit to kiss the feet of the DCAU.

Bruce Timm/Paul Dini/Boyd Kirkland/Dwayne McDuffie/Alan Burnett, etc. >>>>>>> Kevin Feige/John Favreau/The Russo Brothers/Josh Whedon/James Gunn, etc.
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I love the DCAU. From Batman to Supes to Beyond and then JL was just fantastic and then weaving plot points from the past and future into it all so it was all connected was handled beautifully.
 
thermopyle

thermopyle

Member
Nov 8, 2017
2,983
Los Angeles, CA
It's great no doubt.

But to nitpick. I could never take serious that a heart problem would be the thing to stop Bruce, even when I was a kid lol
In a world of super-science, a robot heart would be like an afternoon project
 
BossAttack

BossAttack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,957
Yep.

I always cite this scene as the right way to handle Batman, the minute he resorts to a gun he quits being Batman. Full stop. That's how it should be.
 
Wingfan19

Wingfan19

Layout Designer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
9,752
Bothell WA
DragonSJG said:
How pretentious is Snyder having the galls to compare his trash to the DCAU?
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Well for starters, he didn't. He was speaking broad terms of "Saturday morning cartoons". You know, the stuff that actually WAS created for children in the 80's. If anything, he would be comparing it to Superfriends from the 60's and 70's (the era in which he grew up in). But that doesn't fit the narrative of hating Zack, so...
 
H.Cornerstone

H.Cornerstone

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,706
I'm still mad Rocksteady isn't making a Batman beyond game and we aren't getting a Batman beyond movie starring Michael Keaton as old Bruce Wayne
 

Deleted member 7092

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,893
When are the DCAU shows coming to HBO Max? I've been big Batmanin' lately and would looove a TAS (rewatch) and BB (first watch!) while I'm still locked down.

The Justice League DCAU show is supposed to be pretty good too, yeah? I basically missed every series aside from Batman when growing up.
 
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