New Bat-Man Animated Series Gives Classic Villain a Daughter (And She’s Perfect)

We can confidently say that there has never been a take on the Dark Knight quite like the animated series that landed on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month. While focusing on a far younger audience than Amazon’s other Batman series, Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat-Fam still has a love for the DC Universe that cannot be denied. Highlighting a Bruce Wayne who is riding high on his elimination of crime within Gotham City’s borders, a well-known villain has returned to wreak havoc in the fictional town, and he’s not alone.

Warning. If you don’t want to be spoiled on Bat-Fam’s first season, be forewarned that we’ll be dipping our toes into spoiler territory. In the third episode of Bat-Fam, titled “90 is the New 80,” the Mad Hatter has returned to cause some serious headaches for both the Dark Knight and his family. Hilariously enough, Jervis Tetch is attempting to mold the next generation of villain as he has brought his daughter along on his latest heist. Simply known as “The Sad Hatter”, Jervis’ daughter isn’t too thrilled to be brought into the family business, causing tension between herself and her super villain father. The pair isn’t alone when it comes to this latest nefarious endeavor, it seems.

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The Sad Hatter’s Criminal Career

Much like her father, the Sad Hatter has powers that allow her to control the minds of those unfortunate enough to look at her hat. Luckily, Bruce and his family manage to win the day thanks to “Sad’ breaking from her father and deciding that she’s much rather make a living being a graphic designer than a super villain. While the Hatters were a challenge for the Bat-Man and Little Bat-Man, the episode debuted another antagonist who might be a series original.

Hitting the scene was the mysterious “Bright,” a glowing character that seemingly had the ability to hurl energy blasts at the DC heroes while having a mysterious plan in mind. There have been characters named “Bright” in the comics before, but they don’t appear to fit the bill when it comes to this new figure in Gotham City. Old and new villains alike, this Gotham is quite different from every other animated version of the DC city we’ve seen in the past.

The Mad Hatter is far from the only villain that has gone through some major changes in Bat-Fam from their comic book origins. Ra’s Al Ghul is currently a ghost who is residing in Wayne Manor, with Man-Bat doing the same, albeit not as a ghost and far less animalistic than how comic readers usually see him. Even Volcana, who isn’t typically considered an exclusive Dark Knight villain, lives with Bruce Wayne, though she has gone through some major changes thanks to the movie that kicked off this universe, Merry Little Bat-Man. Bat-Fam has yet to be confirmed for a second season, but the Dark Knight’s future remains bright all the same.

What do you think of this hilarious change to Gotham City? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!