The New Batman/Superman Adventures

The New Batman/Superman Adventures

Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Warner Brothers teamed up two of its most popular superhero franchises for this 1997 series. The two DC Comics creations had joined animated forces before in the late 1960's The Batman/Superman Hour and as two of the Super Friends. This more recent series contained two installments, The New Batman Adventures and The New Superman Adventures.

The New Batman Adventures followed a storyline from DC Comics' Batman franchise. The series took place a few years after the time of Batman: The Animated Series, and Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon were now both college graduates living back in Gotham City. Dick decided not to return to his role as Robin, opting instead to forge his own crimefighting career as Nightwing. Barbara splits her time between her job with the Gotham P.D. and her side career as Batgirl.

New blood came in the form of 13-year-old Tim Drake, another ward adopted by Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, when the boy's father abandoned him for a life of crime. Wayne trained young Tim as the new Robin, and the four heroes—Batman, Robin, Batgirl an Nightwing—teamed up to keep the streets of Gotham safe for average citizens everywhere. Popular villains from the previous series and from the DC Comics line returned in this installment, including The Joker, Catwoman, Bane, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Ra’s Al Ghul, Clayface, Talia, and Two-Face.

The New Superman Adventures chronicled the heroics of Metropolis’ super-powered savior. Superman was born Kal-El on the doomed planet Krypton. Parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to safety on earth, where the yellow sun gave him superhuman strength, heat vision, freezing breath, and the ability to fly.

Adopted by small-town humans and renamed Clark Kent, Superman eventually took a job in big-city Metropolis as a reporter for the Daily Planet. Clark’s Daily Planet associates included publisher Perry White, loyal buddy/photographer Jimmy Olsen, beautiful gossip columnist Angela Chen, and fellow reporter Lois Lane, none of whom know of Clark/Superman’s dual identity.

Superman’s only weakness was exposure to chunks of his home planet, called Kryptonite. Knowing this, villains such as evil genius Lex Luthor, Superman’s twisted semi-clone Bizarro, and Kryptonian criminals Jax-Ur and Mala had to come up with clever ways to rid themselves of earth’s most powerful hero.

They never succeeded. In cartoons, in comics, and in feature films, both Batman and Superman continue the fight on crime, never surrendering their quest for truth, peace, and justice.

Release History

9/13/97 WB

TV Sub Categories

animated
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure

TV Studio

Warner Bros.

Television Cast

Batman/Bruce Wayne Kevin Conroy
Nightwing/Dick Grayson Loren Lester
Batgirl/Barbara Gordon Tara Charendoff
Robin/Tim Drake Matthew Valencia
Alfred Efrem Zimbalit Jr.
The Joker Mark Hamill
Mr. Freeze Michael Ansara
Superman/Clark Kent Timothy Daly
Lois Lane Dana Delany
Lex Luthor Clancy Brown

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