Batman: Caped Crusader confirmed to be darker than Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: Caped Crusader, which is set to drop on Prime Video for Amazon, is confirmed to have an even darker tone than even Batman: The Animated Series which returns to its film noir roots.

As per Comic Book Club on their YouTube (H/T: CBR.com), head writer and executive producer of the animated series, Ed Brubaker, stated that Caped Crusader would depict more violence than that of Batman: TAS, in addition to incorporating its noir-centric feel.

In accordance to Brubaker, “it’s a lot different,” even stating that in comparison to Batman: The Animated Series, which for all intents and purposes, Caped Crusader is a spiritual successor to, he mentioned the cartoon show’s head producer of the aforesaid precursor, Bruce Timm, is what he always had envisioned. Brubaker said:

“I’ll warn [you guys], it’s definitely a lot different than [Batman: The Animated Series]. It’s very much a reconception of starting over... it’s not PG-13, but it’s definitely, it’s a lot different. It’s sort of the show Bruce Timm always wanted to make, but they wouldn’t let him make. There’s a lot more, you know, people actually getting punched on camera... and I don’t want to spoil it for you guys, but it’s – everyone will kill me if I say it, but it’s kind of noir.”

Based on what the renowned Captain America comics scribe is saying, it sounds as if the upcoming Prime Video series is breaking past the limitations of censorship of syndication for Saturday morning cartoons of yesteryear and making it gritty and intense but not edgy and gratuitous in its violence.

What else is to be expected from Batman: Caped Crusader?

Announced to be in development since 2021 (in addition to Brubaker) the creative team has consisted of Timm, J.J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves, with both Greg Rucka and Marc Bernardin writing the series, it is centered on Batman during his early years crime-fighting before he allied with Commissioner James Gordon and the GCPD.

Unfortunately, Brubaker will not return for the second season of Caped Crusader despite it receiving a two-season order before it was axed from HBO Max and Cartoon Network. Brubaker already fulfilled his commitments in writing more than over a year ago.

One of the highlights he mentioned was an episode scripted by Rucka that follows the introduction of Renée Montoya and a noteworthy and anonymous episode by The Last of Us and Westworld writer Halley Gross.