11 of the Best and BrightestBatman: The Brave and the BoldEpisodes to Stream on HBO Max

There ’s a cavalcade of DC Animation on HBO Max now , fromStatic ShocktoJustice League , and , of course , more Batman than you’re able to shake a batarang at . But alternatively of re - indulging in the empty-headed high of The Animated Series , why not check out the finest of Batman ’s vivify hidden jewel , Batman : The Brave and the Bold ?

Running for three seasons on Cartoon web between 2008 and 2011 , Batman : The Brave and the Bold had to escape from the long apparition ofBatman : The Animated Series ’ successand the hero ’s resurgence in the pop acculturation mainstream withChristopher Nolan ’s The Dark Knight , Brave and the Bold . It managed to , and it was a breather of sweet air .

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Grab some nachos and a trio of Batmen, it’s time to watch some cartoons.

Grab some nachos and a trio of Batmen, it’s time to watch some cartoons.Image: Warner Bros.

create by James Tucker and Michael Jelenic , the animated series trend by from what we ’d come to know from Batman ’s animate adventures and instead present a more retro - inspired , lighter , and wilder take on Batman as we ’d come to know him — adopt the wide DC Comics world in the process . In a globe that saw the key to adapting Batman out of the comics in his swarthiness , the show remembered that Batman has had a farseeing , strange , and often silly history , and embraced it wholeheartedly — while also never forget the nuanced tragedy that support the character . Now that the show ’s on HBO Max , it ’s well deserving a watch , but here are a few of our favorite episode to hold out .

11) Sidekicks Assemble!

An episode that ’s less about Batman as you might guess by the title , this rattling squad - up between Robin , Aqualad , and Speedy is an activity - packed blast . They ’re grant the pick between two cases to turn out themselves , taking on one while their adult mentors deal with the other . But it also sweet pull line of latitude between the young submarine and their adult twin , leading to some bad character work for Robin too .

10) The Super-Batman of Planet X!

To many ( io9 included),Kevin Conroywill forever be thedefinitive at-bat - voice . But Diedrich Bader does such a with child business in Brave and the Bold , the luck to see him voice - off againstConroy — here launch the Batman of Zur - En - Arrh in a waste split from the comics — is a delight . It ’s not even just a BtAS love social function : Zur - En - Arrh is be sick here as a riff on Metropolis as much as it is Gotham , giving the chance for a innkeeper of Superman : The Animated Series stars to return as Space - Batman pedestal - IN of their preceding performances .

9) Bat-Mite Presents: Batman’s Strangest Cases!

Brave and the Bold ’s willingness to touch on as many aspects of Batman lore as possible is one of its great strengths , and by going toBat - Mite , the Dark Knight ’s resolution to Superman’sMister Mxyzptlk , you get the keys to touch on essentially all of it . A savage , quaternary - bulwark splitting journeying through alternate batman — fromJiro Kuwata ’s Bat - Mangato the Hanna - Barbera squad - up master that hung out withScooby - Dooso much — this is a love letter of the alphabet to corners of the Bat - canon that mostly go untouched .

8) Journey to the Center of the Bat!

What if youdid Fantastic Voyagebut a ) it ’s inside Batman and b ) it stars the Atom and Brave and the Bold ’s incredibly enthusiastic Aquaman ? ( recollect , this as in the pre - Jason Momoa days , when public perception of Aquaman was that he was a nonstarter — BatB ’s version was anything but , a swashbuckling himbo of a grinder . ) You get this absolute fracture double act .

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7) The Knights of Tomorrow!

A barbarian Elseworlds tale that ideate a timeline where Batman and Catwoman retire , get married , and start a kinsfolk of new crimefighters together , this is an episode that really stretches what Brave and the Bold could do with its world , and its love of the comics in the process .

6) Chill of the Night!

We commemorate Brave and the Bold as the Batman show that incline much more toward Adam West ’s Bright Knight than it did the brooding Dark Knight we ’ve come to consociate with the character at large . But when it want to murder you where it spite ? It could . Using a metatextual framing equipment ofthe Spectreand Phantom Stranger ( sound by none other than Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill ) making a stakes over what Batman would do given the chance to face the man who murder his parents , you get a semisweet expression into Bruce Wayne ’s past — and why he grows into the man he is .

5) The Last Patrol!

Now that we endure in a globe where we have an earnest , wonderfully bittersweetDoom Patroladaptation , the team ’s starting to get the acknowledgment they deserve . But before that , they had this wonderfully touching instalment . Niles “ The Chief ” Caulder brings the squad out of retreat one last time when they ’re targeted by assassins , only to see them reflect on what being heroes mean to them .

4) Battle of the Superheroes!

At this decimal point in Batman ’s renovate chronicle , we were more than used to the approximation of him team up up alongside Superman , of row . But Brave and the Bold ’s spin on the team - up leverages the Man of Steel ’s Golden and Silver Age comics chronicle to give us a Clark Kent who is … well , amazingly , kind of a massive asshole . In this case , it ’s because Superman has been reveal to Red Kryptonite , forcing Batman to turn with Superman ’s friends to lull him down while it wears off . But also : previous Superman was kind ofa massive asshole , anyway !

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3) Mitefall!

The last installment of Brave and the Bold is semisweet , as Batmite takes his meta eye to the show ’s cancellation by … trying to get it canceled himself . It ’s a zany metatextual riff on all the thing you get word about behind the scenes on making cartoons — out of lineament decisions for “ scandalous ” twists ( like Batman short being a gun - toting cause of death ) or an over - reliance on one - off , exceedingly toyetic costume designs and add-on to sell to the audience . But beneath the layer of metatext , it ’s a fond farewell to this full plaster cast of characters built up over the line of the series and as it comes to an end , you ’ll find yourself surprisingly touched by its understanding .

2) Mayhem of the Music Meister!

This show . Only this show could get off withNeil Patrick Harristurning it into a melodious theatre spectacular for 20 minute of arc . Harris plays thetitular maestro of villainy , enrapture Batman ’s foes and friend with his nous - controlling pipes , forcing Batman to battle his foe , andan entire soundtrack ’s worth of legitimately brilliant show tunes . gradation aside , Spider - Man : Turn off the Dark , this is Superhero broadway done right .

1) The Mask of Matches Malone!

This a great , not - quite - bat - centric sequence , following the Birds of Prey as they have to help Bruce Wayne after an impromptu bout of amnesia leads him to trust he ’s really his mobster disguise persona , Matches Malone . It ’s a goofy laugh , but it shines for anabsolute bop of a songthe Birds of Prey part into , in which they fete the sexual proclivity of various DC stalwart like Plastic Man , Green Arrow , and , of course , Batman . It’s … unbelievable . It ’s a miracle this aired in a TV show for kids . It ’s also just kind of an amazing melodious bit , to bang ?

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Image: Warner Bros.