Animated Batman - from TAS to "Mask of the Phantasm" to JLU.

[Darth Joker]

I just re-watched "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" on YouTube, and I have to say... I really liked this interpretation of Batman.

I also find that this interpretation of Batman is basically the same one as the Batman that we see in Batman: TAS.

However... I found him to be very different in animated Justice League, and JLU.

In "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm", Batman comes off as... very human. He comes off as a really great guy. He comes off as a hero. Oh, he has his bad@$$ moments, which are good, but there are also a lot of poignant scenes in the animated movie where Bruce Wayne's humanity really shines through, and he seems like such a wonderful, wholesome character.

In fact, I was struck by just how well "Mask of the Phantasm" captured that side of Bruce, as well as the dark edgy side of Batman that we all know and love, and combined the two profoundly well together.

Then... we come to Batman in JL, and JLU.

Now, don't get wrong, Batman is still very cool in JL and JLU - he's still a very edgy character - but he seems to have completely lost that sense of humanity that he showed so well in Batman: TAS and the Mask of the Phantasm cartoon.

For one, I find that Batman can be... incredibly hard... on Superman some times in JL and JLU. I remember re-watching his words with Superman in one episode dealing with Darkseid and Brainiac, and he was absolutely brutal in how he talked to Supes. Not at all like the warmer Bruce Wayne that I just watched in Batman: the Mask of the Phantasm.

Also, the contrast between the Batman/Wonder Woman romance in JL/JLU, and the Batman/Phantasm (Phantasm actually being a woman, for those who don't remember) romance in the animated movie, is like night and day.

Bruce Wayne actually proposed to Andrea (Phantasm's real name) in the animated movie. He was crushed when she left him. When the two became re-acquainted in the animated movie, he was seemingly willing to take her back again... though she left again.

Then take how he wouldn't even give Diana a chance though she was obviously interested in him, and he in her.

Should they have kept this warmer, softer side of Batman for how he was used in animated JL/JLU? Or were they right for making him very hard, and edgy?

[zeroEDGE]

Maybe one way of interpreting this is that the character in the animated series just simply evolves over time. Because the time span between Mask of the Phantasm and JLU does seem pretty long. Also the Batman in the JL series seems more similar to the comics now and is probably what Bruce Timm and company were aiming at.

[Darth Joker]

Maybe one way of interpreting this is that the character in the animated series just simply evolves over time. Because the time span between Mask of the Phantasm and JLU does seem pretty long. Also the Batman in the JL series seems more similar to the comics now and is probably what Bruce Timm and company were aiming at.

Perhaps.

Still, I liked Batman's portrayal a lot in Mask of Phantasm, and would like such a portrayal in his actual comics.

[DWEarhart]

I'm not sure if it's a sense of right and wrong. I know I didn't mind.

BTAS is all about Batman. No other characters had a sense of obligation to be focussed upon other Batman, so he was able to be fleshed out a bit more. JLU is all about the adventure, and what's happening in between is where the human condition is explored, but it was always about the team dynamic and the action, though everyone's human side came out well; even the Martians.

JL and JLU overflowed with possibilities, with a near endless array of characters to choose from, and at that time Batman's character seemed to gel with his personality in the comics; the dark brooding loner. And, maybe he just acts differently around the super groups than he does with his family.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

I will assume in the JL/U framework of Batman that he may feel that he is way out of his league. He may be the embodiment of all a human being can achieve through will power and determination, but he knows that he is only human. The rest of the team is more than that. Even Jon Stewart, though he his just a man weilds the power of a god. So an interpretation one can have is that Batman is projecting his weaknesses and vulnerabilities on his allies to compensate for his...humanness.
Maybe he considers what he would/could do if he had the power of a Superman. He possibly snubs Wonder Woman because he knows she will outlive him and would maybe feel that she would outgrow a need for him, not wanting to lose someone else he loves.

Well basically, to get to my point. I'm saying he may be able to relate to humans on a human level, he can show tenderness and weakness because he knows that other humans show these same characteristics. When he's dealing with people on a higher level than he is, he might feel the need to elevate himself to their level by shutting off his human emotions and motivations, and at the same time he's so harsh because he's trying to bring these gods down to his level.

Using fear and intimidation as a means of power over others just as he does(tries to do) with the criminal element. It's a coping mechanism.

[zeroEDGE]

JL and JLU overflowed with possibilities, with a near endless array of characters to choose from, and at that time Batman's character seemed to gel with his personality in the comics; the dark brooding loner. And, maybe he just acts differently around the super groups than he does with his family.

Ahhh good point, I was also thinking about the reason that Batman's character isn't as in depth as it was in the movie is because there is too many characters to focus on. They said it themselves that it was difficult to just do the fight scenes with all the characters, so I'd imagine it must be difficult to go in depth with personalities.

[Darth Joker]

I will assume in the JL/U framework of Batman that he may feel that he is way out of his league. He may be the embodiment of all a human being can achieve through will power and determination, but he knows that he is only human. The rest of the team is more than that. Even Jon Stewart, though he his just a man weilds the power of a god. So an interpretation one can have is that Batman is projecting his weaknesses and vulnerabilities on his allies to compensate for his...humanness.
Maybe he considers what he would/could do if he had the power of a Superman. He possibly snubs Wonder Woman because he knows she will outlive him and would maybe feel that she would outgrow a need for him, not wanting to lose someone else he loves.

Well basically, to get to my point. I'm saying he may be able to relate to humans on a human level, he can show tenderness and weakness because he knows that other humans show these same characteristics. When he's dealing with people on a higher level than he is, he might feel the need to elevate himself to their level by shutting off his human emotions and motivations, and at the same time he's so harsh because he's trying to bring these gods down to his level.

Using fear and intimidation as a means of power over others just as he does(tries to do) with the criminal element. It's a coping mechanism.

Those are interesting points, and to a certain degree at least, it can make me understand the character evolution of Batman from Batman: TAS to JLU (since it is the same Batman through out - Phantasm herself shows up briefly in a JLU episode, IIRC).

It's also an interesting wrinkle to Batman's personality if it's true in general. Given his approach to metahumans vis a vis normal humans, it makes you wonder how Bruce would approach something like the mutant race in Marvel comics.

[DWEarhart]

Those are interesting points, and to a certain degree at least, it can make me understand the character evolution of Batman from Batman: TAS to JLU (since it is the same Batman through out - Phantasm herself shows up briefly in a JLU episode, IIRC).

It's also an interesting wrinkle to Batman's personality if it's true in general. Given his approach to metahumans vis a vis normal humans, it makes you wonder how Bruce would approach something like the mutant race in Marvel comics.

Same way as the metas in the DCU, I'd suspect. He'd do his research, and start contingency planning.

[jv2k]

Well he turns pretty much into a cold ass by the time The New Batman adventures came out in 98. Then by Batman Beyond he was completely cold and alone. Personally I felt that JL/JLU added more light into the character.

Anyway on to your post.

I just re-watched "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" on YouTube, and I have to say... I really liked this interpretation of Batman.
Yup personally I feel the DC animated Universe Batman is the definitive version of the character. Unfortunately around the time the shows were coming out the comics turned him into insane angry psycho-batman.

I also find that this interpretation of Batman is basically the same one as the Batman that we see in Batman: TAS.
Which isn't surprising considering it IS the Batman:TAS movie.

However... I found him to be very different in animated Justice League, and JLU.

In "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm", Batman comes off as... very human. He comes off as a really great guy. He comes off as a hero. Oh, he has his bad@$$ moments, which are good, but there are also a lot of poignant scenes in the animated movie where Bruce Wayne's humanity really shines through, and he seems like such a wonderful, wholesome character.


In fact, I was struck by just how well "Mask of the Phantasm" captured that side of Bruce, as well as the dark edgy side of Batman that we all know and love, and combined the two profoundly well together.
I agree they found the perfect balance for the character.

Then... we come to Batman in JL, and JLU.

Now, don't get wrong, Batman is still very cool in JL and JLU - he's still a very edgy character - but he seems to have completely lost that sense of humanity that he showed so well in Batman: TAS and the Mask of the Phantasm cartoon.
Actually the change occurred in the last two seasons of Batman:TAS also known as The New Batman Adventures. During these episodes he becomes surprisingly cold. Although he never got as dark as the comics he seemed to become more obsessed with the mission than he had before and he was more about business.

For one, I find that Batman can be... incredibly hard... on Superman some times in JL and JLU. I remember re-watching his words with Superman in one episode dealing with Darkseid and Brainiac, and he was absolutely brutal in how he talked to Supes. Not at all like the warmer Bruce Wayne that I just watched in Batman: the Mask of the Phantasm.
Mask of the Phantasm takes place around the time he first became Batman and TNBA/JL/JLU takes place at least ten years later. Over a period time Batman has matured and become more focused on his war against crime. Just look at the way he fights, in Batman:TAS he got knocked out a lot by common thugs but by TNBA he is fighting monsters and gods. He had to toughen up over the years.

As for his talk with Superman he was just saying what had to be said.

Also, the contrast between the Batman/Wonder Woman romance in JL/JLU, and the Batman/Phantasm (Phantasm actually being a woman, for those who don't remember) romance in the animated movie, is like night and day.
Well Andrea was the love of his life and he proposed before he actually became batman. Batman had a choice between becoming Batman and waging a war against all crime in Gotham or giving up the cape and settling down. Had Andrea not left he probably would have never become Batman all together. By the time JLU takes place he had already decided to chose being Batman instead of finding love and happiness. Sure Wonder Woman could fight along side him so it could work but Batman just doesn't like WW like that.

Bruce Wayne actually proposed to Andrea (Phantasm's real name) in the animated movie. He was crushed when she left him. When the two became re-acquainted in the animated movie, he was seemingly willing to take her back again... though she left again.

Then take how he wouldn't even give Diana a chance though she was obviously interested in him, and he in her.
Like I said before he LOVED Andrea and was willing to give up being batman and his big mission to avenge his parents murder. He is only interested in WW and feels that the relationship can get in the way of the mission.

Should they have kept this warmer, softer side of Batman for how he was used in animated JL/JLU? Or were they right for making him very hard, and edgy?
I thought he was fine the way he was in JL/JLU it was TNBA that he was truly cold.

[Darth Joker]

Well he turns pretty much into a cold ass by the time The New Batman adventures came out in 98. Then by Batman Beyond he was completely cold and alone.

Yeah, he was a really hard-nosed crusty old curmudgeon in Batman Beyond. Not that I can blame him, though. He appears to have no living relatives (well, except for Terry McGuiness in a way, as would be revealed in a later Justice League episode), and he had completely sacrificed any sort of family life or love life for his mission against crime. I'd probably be old and bitter too in that kind of depressing situation.

Personally I felt that JL/JLU added more light into the character.

Relative to Bayman Beyond, I agree.

Anyway on to your post.


Yup personally I feel the DC animated Universe Batman is the definitive version of the character. Unfortunately around the time the shows were coming out the comics turned him into insane angry psycho-batman.


Which isn't surprising considering it IS the Batman:TAS movie.


I agree they found the perfect balance for the character.

I agree with all of this. It's incredible how good DCAU got Batman, and Joker. Much better than their actual comic book characters.

Actually the change occurred in the last two seasons of Batman:TAS also known as The New Batman Adventures. During these episodes he becomes surprisingly cold. Although he never got as dark as the comics he seemed to become more obsessed with the mission than he had before and he was more about business.

I'll probably need to do some watching of TAS, and TNBS, to get a better feel for this.

Mask of the Phantasm takes place around the time he first became Batman and TNBA/JL/JLU takes place at least ten years later. Over a period time Batman has matured and become more focused on his war against crime. Just look at the way he fights, in Batman:TAS he got knocked out a lot by common thugs but by TNBA he is fighting monsters and gods. He had to toughen up over the years.

That's true. I had the impression that Mask of the Phantasm (except the flashback scenes in it) were well into his career as Batman, but it sounds like I'm off on the chronology. That does help to explain things a bit better.

As for his talk with Superman he was just saying what had to be said.

Well, in fairness to Batman, Superman was acting more than a bit out of control in that episode.

Well Andrea was the love of his life and he proposed before he actually became batman. Batman had a choice between becoming Batman and waging a war against all crime in Gotham or giving up the cape and settling down. Had Andrea not left he probably would have never become Batman all together. By the time JLU takes place he had already decided to chose being Batman instead of finding love and happiness. Sure Wonder Woman could fight along side him so it could work but Batman just doesn't like WW like that.

You could be right there. It's just... unfortunate to see the character go into a bit of a tough defensive shell relative to his earliest cartoon incarnations in the 90s.

Still preferable to OMAC Batman, though, yes. ;)

Like I said before he LOVED Andrea and was willing to give up being batman and his big mission to avenge his parents murder. He is only interested in WW and feels that the relationship can get in the way of the mission.

I thought he was fine the way he was in JL/JLU it was TNBA that he was truly cold.

Well, I liked the Batman/Wonder Woman romance, so I'll admit my comments here are probably a bit biased. ;)

[TheBatGotHim]

Bruce probably just got real bitter the older he got.


But he did have a sense of humor in the last episode of JLU where Superman tells him he's getting soft in his old age, and Batman responding (and smiling) with "Don't you have a tall building to go leap?"

So he wasn't completely cold in the JL/JLU show. :cool:

I've always wondered though if the events from Batman: Return of the Joker involving the Joker kidnapping Tim, took place before the JLU show...?

[reddkryten]

If you listen to Kevin Conroy's voice, Bruce changed over the years.

During the MOTP flashbacks, Bruce's voice is high pitched. During the rest of the film and the series, his Wayne voice is slightly deeper, more like his Batman voice. By Batman Beyond he speaks in the Batman voice all the time.
Over the years his humanity vanished and was replaced with Bats, JL takes place halfway through that transformation.

Or they don't have enough screen time to go around, so Bats gets the short straw.

[yourverysilly]

yeah, but bear in mind, MOTP had time to explore Batman because it was a filma bout batman. JL and JLU are representing dozens and dozens of characters, all of which have to really just have the basic 'who they are' as their character.
But still, batman should be represented better, as you say. Its weird, I just watched mask of the phantasm too, its SO GOOD!!!!!! welcome now to the future! see the shining...BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! I hate that song!

[ZacharyLovesYou]

I also feel that Bruce is like that in JL, and JLU because he's a very lonely Batman in both series(in comparison to Batman: TAS). I mean, they don't really pick up on any of the Bat-Family in either series(Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, etc.) so I think it makes perfect sence for him not to be the same guy. The combo of not having any of his actual partners around, and being surrounded by gods among men makes him feel very alienated, too.

Also... I'm totally grasping straws. hahaha

[Darth Joker]

I also feel that Bruce is like that in JL, and JLU because he's a very lonely Batman in both series(in comparison to Batman: TAS). I mean, they don't really pick up on any of the Bat-Family in either series(Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, etc.) so I think it makes perfect sence for him not to be the same guy. The combo of not having any of his actual partners around, and being surrounded by gods among men makes him feel very alienated, too.

Also... I'm totally grasping straws. hahaha

I like that idea, actually.

Batman probably would have felt a lot better if the expansion of the Justice League had included Batgirl, Robin, or Nightwing and/or if Robin had been part of the League from the start (as he was one of the Superfriends).

[literally exaggerated]

well, its clear from Batman Beyond that Timm and co. planned an arc for Bruce's character that may have started off with him quite warm, but developed inexorably towards the bitter, brooding, lonely old nutjob in the cave.

Had JL Bruce been no darker than TAS Bruce, than Beyond would have made no sense. We'd have been like, "where the hell did this old bastard come from".

But they've made it clear that a lifetime of being Batman hardens him, and gradually peels away layer after layer of humanity. When Old Bruce met JLU Bruce in the time travelling episode, he said something like, "I can't believe I was ever this soft" (this as JLU Bruce dangled a criminal off a building by his ankle). It makes sense that, just as 20 or 30 years after the events of JLU Bruce would be darker and more brutal in Beyond, 10 years after BTAS began he'd be somewhat darker and more brutal in JL.

[jv2k]

I also feel that Bruce is like that in JL, and JLU because he's a very lonely Batman in both series(in comparison to Batman: TAS). I mean, they don't really pick up on any of the Bat-Family in either series(Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, etc.) so I think it makes perfect sence for him not to be the same guy. The combo of not having any of his actual partners around, and being surrounded by gods among men makes him feel very alienated, too.

Also... I'm totally grasping straws. hahaha
It doesn't make sense though because in TNBA he had turned into a cold ass and he had Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Alfred around him.

[TheBatGotHim]

It doesn't make sense though because in TNBA he had turned into a cold ass and he had Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Alfred around him.

Thats why I just say he got bitter the older he got. It happens sadly. :(

[Sanagi]

Batman's always different when he's on a team than when he's the main character. There isn't time to show every side of his personality, so the dark, serious persona is all we see.

[Choppa]

I don't know if its been mentioned, but 'phantasm' is just a retelling of Year Two with some changes in it, so I wouldn't give all of the credit to its makers.

[Candyland_Assassin]

I always thought that Batman was more of a hardass on JL and JLU because thats how he has to be when hes with them.

I think it has less to do with his portrayl in the comics and more to do with how he works best when hes with those other characters. Hes very untrusting of them and it shows on JLU.

[Citizen V]

I always thought something was lost when Batman went from TAS to JL.I would think it was the merging of Bruce Wayne and Batman,when both were clearly seperate in TAS.Their voices sounded different in TAS,Batmand and Wayne.Were there 2 voice actors?You would notice that Batman`s dark voice became Wayne`s also in later TAS and JL episodes.When in the begenning of TAS,Wayne had a regular "cheery" voice.

[Rupertmetal]

In my opinion JL and JLU has no substance what so ever. It's like watching a bunch of robots fight bad guys. There isn't any depth to any character, hero or villian.

Whenever I have watched it, I just did it because of the art and animation and the fighting. Batman: The Animated Series and the movies from that era will always be the best animated version of Batman to me. Batman Beyond comes in second place for me. JL and and JLU is bad and The Adventures of Batman (with Nightwing and Tim Drake) were to kiddy for me, so it's the worst to me.

One more thing. When Teen Titans came out, I think that show made JL and JLU look even worse. The characters looked even more stiff and lifeless. Batman and Wonder Woman should have kissed or something haha. There was never any character development.

[Greg Anderson]

There was never any character development.

I felt the show established some good character developments throughout the series with the minimal space it had to portray the amount of characters they had. What comes to mind, for example, was Green Lantern and his story arcs with Vixen and Hawkgirl, even that little tid-bit with Flash complaining that he was an original JL member and now he's doing nothing. Oh, and another with the Martian Manhunter resigning due to his "hatred" to humanity and living his life as a man on Earth to feel some connection to them as we later see him with a wife.

They may not have been running themes in every episode after the next, but the characters surely weren't card board boxes. Nearly every character that appeared some to have some type of development even if they only appeared for one or two episodes.

[literally exaggerated]

JLU had awesome characters. to date, they still have the best version of the Question ever.

[wes_rk]

JLU did wonders for me in terms of getting to know some other DCU characters, like The Question and Booster Gold. I was just getting into comics at that time, so I liked those characters on JLU first and then discovered them on comics. Too bad that Question is dead now :(

Anyways, back on topic, in B:TAS, Batman was the only character (ok, Robin too), so they had all episodes to explore and expand on Batman's character, and Bruce Wayne played a major part too, I don't remember who said it exactly, but during some convention earlier this year someone said that you can't have Batman without Bruce Wayne. It must have been Paul Dini as he was also in B:TAS.

In JL and JLU the half hour had to be shared among 7 and then several other characters, so the Batman we saw was very limited. We did see Bruce in a few episodes, but only for a few minutes.

I think they decided to go with the hard Batman in JLU because that was the Batman in the comics at that time. He wasn't there to be liked, but to do what Batman had been doing in the comics, and they also needed a tough character to contrast with the other superheroes.

Mask of the Phantasm, showed us Bruce/Batman both, in the early days and at the time those events took place, so we saw Bruce trying to have a life outside the Batman role, in JLU we saw Batman trying to avoid having to be Bruce except when needed.

[Darth Joker]

In my opinion JL and JLU has no substance what so ever. It's like watching a bunch of robots fight bad guys. There isn't any depth to any character, hero or villian.

I'm probably of minority opinion here, but... I was largely pleased with the Justice League animated series, and perfered it to JLU. JLU, OTOH, seemed to become overly bogged down in sheer numbers. Other than the Luthor arcs, JLU felt very disjointed from episode to episode to me. If you managed to watch it all, you did notice that some characters were fairly well developed (like Green Arrow, and Question), but the original seven were often lost in the shuffle.

I felt that the Green Lantern/Hawkgirl romance was developed very well in both JL and JLU.

Batman/Wonder Woman... less so.

Oh, it had nice moments (there's like a bazillion YouTube videos to point that out :p ) but it didn't really go anywhere, and it was Bruce's fault.

It's hard to relate to a guy who has a gorgeous, highly moral amazon virtually throwing herself at him... and he's turning her down... over and over again.

The romances aside, there was a "stock character" feel to most of the characters. That can make characters seem a bit stiff.

Also, I think we needed more episodes were the focus of the attention would be one particular character (of the seven), and then you'd watch that character develop during that focus, as shown by his/her interactions with the other six.

I honestly think that there should have been an episode entirely focused on Metropolis, one on Gotham City, one on Themyscira (we did get that, actually, IIRC), etc..., etc...

Edit: In actual fact, I felt that Wonder Woman was wonderfully (get the pun? :p ) developed in JL, and JLU. They showed many different sides to her personality, and made her a very likeable character. She was the least 'stock'-esque character of the original seven on JL/JLU.

Whenever I have watched it, I just did it because of the art and animation and the fighting.

The action scenes were exceptional, in both JL and JLU. Artwork was solid for an animated medium. Very appropriate. I don't like it in a comic book format, but it's perfect for TV.

Batman: The Animated Series and the movies from that era will always be the best animated version of Batman to me.

Agreed.

Batman Beyond comes in second place for me. JL and and JLU is bad and The Adventures of Batman (with Nightwing and Tim Drake) were to kiddy for me, so it's the worst to me.

One more thing. When Teen Titans came out, I think that show made JL and JLU look even worse. The characters looked even more stiff and lifeless. Batman and Wonder Woman should have kissed or something haha. There was never any character development.

"Kid Stuff" was one of my favourite Justice League episodes. Largely because it allowed the heroes to let their hair down, so to speak. With that in mind, I agree with you here.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

I liked JLU for Batman, Huntress, Question, and Wonder Woman mostly. But TAS is a series I can watch everyday of my life. I LOVE it. I love how the Riddler was portrayed...worshipped the way Freeze was portrayed..and loved the heart felt stories like when Commission Gordon got shot because Bruce put some flowers on the street his parents was killed. TAS is untouchable.

As for the Mask of Phantasm? That movie was written perfectly. No wonder I bought it as soon as it came out. Bring back Andrea, dammit!

[lonewolf23k]

Well, that's the main difference between a Star-vehicule show (Batman:TAS) and an Ensemble Cast show (JL and JLU): the show focusing on a single star can afford to spend a lot of time expanding on his/her character, but the Ensemble Cast show needs to balance out character-time across a wider cast.

[Rupertmetal]

I felt that the Green Lantern/Hawkgirl romance was developed very well in both JL and JLU.

Batman/Wonder Woman... less so.

Oh, it had nice moments (there's like a bazillion YouTube videos to point that out :p ) but it didn't really go anywhere, and it was Bruce's fault.

It's hard to relate to a guy who has a gorgeous, highly moral amazon virtually throwing herself at him... and he's turning her down... over and over again.


That really annoyed me. I wish Batman and Wonder Woman dated and at least kissed, or were somehow shown to be a couple.

Well for me, the best Batman episode out of JL was the one where Batman was the only team member who didn't fall asleep, so he couldn't be attacked in his dreams by that inimate who stumbled on to "dream-control" powers.

Also for me, the best Batman episode out of JLU was the one where they show that Batman is Terry McGenis's (Batman Beyond) dad. I really liked it how Batman convinced everybody he was going to kill the little girl with the environment altering powers, but then consoled her until she died.

[Doesitmatter]

Batman is the main character in Phantasm and TAS. He's in an ensemble in JLU. Less time to show his character.

It's liek Spider-Man in New Avengers. he just seems like a goofy, wise cracking hero there. There's no time to talk about his problems.

[dreyga2000]

Book One: Robin (Dick Grayson) voices his disapproval towards Batgirl’s (Barbara Gordon) fighting crime and tries to stop her from doing so. During this time, Batman finds out that Batgirl is Barbara Gordon (in an interesting side note, Barbara was playing tennis with Dick when Batman saw that she moved just like Batgirl). After some time Batman comes to this conclusion that Batgirl will fight crime but under his wing. Dick gets upset and has an argument with Bruce, but fails to change his opinion.

Book Two: Bruce and Dick have a very hot argument the day of his graduation and Dick decides to leave Gotham City. Alfred and Barbara try to convince him to stay but to no avail. Dick leaves to fine tune his skills just like Bruce did in his youth.

Book Three: Dick comes across an ancient African tribe and learns combat from them; he finally gets ready to step out of Batman's shadow. Inspiration comes and Dick develops a new persona for himself: Nightwing!

Book Four: Batman gets darker and angrier and more driven because of Dick's departure. He and Batgirl fight crime side by side and Batgirl notices the difference. One night, while on the trail of Two-Face, Batman saves a young Tim Drake, son of petty criminal "Shifty" Drake (this was where most Batman fans voiced their disapproval. In the comics continuity, Tim Drake was a smart, intelligent computer whiz whose mother and father were two of the most respected people in Gotham. The writers of the animated series chose to blend Tim with another character, Jason Todd -- the ill-fated Robin who would otherwise make no appearances in the animated universe). Shifty was murdered by Two-Face and Tim swore revenge. Batman trained Tim into Robin and gave him another shot at life. Two-Face was captured and Batman took in Tim as his second ward.

Book Five: Dick returns to Gotham and unveils his new persona, Nightwing, to the world. Batgirl is baffled by Dick's newfound arrogance and brooding attitude. Nightwing meets the new Robin and is left heartbroken. Nightwing then beholds that he had actually intended to steal an ancient artifact that belonged to the tribe that had taught him. Batman stops Dick and eventually gets Dick to join him in his fight against crime. He agrees and they form a team of four and fight the good fight in Gotham City. In an interesting side note, Dick leaves Gotham for Blüdhaven much like his comic book self in an issue of the critically acclaimed Batman Adventures (2004)

This should explian all the changes from Batman:TAS to TNBA