History Awesome / BatmanTheAnimatedSeries

** Harley getting Sid to the Joker... By ''walking in wearing a suit and without clown make-up and paying his bail, '''[[RefugeInAudacity using her real name the whole time]]'''''. And when Bullock realizes he's seen her somewhere, she just replies she served him a subpoena-a ''small'' subpoena.

*** The grunt of pain Batsy makes when he's sent flying just makes it even better and funnier.

* In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE40IfYoureSoSmartWhyArentYouRich If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?]]", Batman and Robin spend the entire episode trying to save [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt businessman]] Daniel Mockridge from Edward Nygma (aka the Riddler)- Nygma is out for revenge due to Mockridge [[StealingTheCredit screwing him out of the royalties and ownership of a successful video game that he created]]. Though the Dynamic Duo manage to rescue Mockridge and foil the Riddler's revenge, the Riddler is able to escape apprehension by conducting the entire operation remotely from a private plane. Dick Grayson later gripes about the fact that the Riddler got away and Mockridge can't be charged with being a scumbag who cheated the Riddler. Bruce Wayne, however, has a different, darkly satisfying point of view of the entire affair-

-->'''Bruce:''' [[PyrrhicVillainy Mockridge may have his money]] - [[ParanoiaGambit but he won't be sleeping well]]...

* "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE17LockUp Lock-Up]]": The eponymous Lock-Up has several. First by tearing the authorities and reporters a new one by accurately stating how gutless and incompetent they are all while he's being dragged away to the slammer for his treatment of the inmates. The second is him tearing freaking ''Batman'' a new one with his ''bare'' ''hands.'' The third, and perhaps the greatest, was when he himself was put in Arkham, with the inmates ranting and jeering at him, and Scarecrow joyfully proclaiming it'll be his turn to be tormented. Bolton, completely unfazed, remarks how they'll never leave his sight again.
** That last one could be chalked up to Lock-Up going insane from the delusion that his imprisonment is the ultimate promotion to watch over his victims. But it's nice to see he's generally not just some MilesGloriosus who cowers when the odds aren't in his favor.

* In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE2ChristmasWithTheJoker Christmas with the Joker]]", we have the Joker's escape from Arkham on a Christmas tree rocket while singing Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, actually making his escape on the line "And the Joker got away." {{Incoming|Ham}} Hamill!

** At the end of the episode, Batman barely escapes from a [[CollapsingLair collapsing clocktower]]. The police report [[NeverFoundTheBody there's no sign of Fulgate]] and [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat ask Bats if he thinks Fulgate survived]]. The response is pretty high praise for a villain without any special abilities.

** After The Joker abandons her and tries to blow up a bomb with a plane. She shoots a Jester head and not only nails Joker but knocks him out, all after a [[OneLiner "Laugh this off, puddin!"]]. The second comes in using Joker's original plan in "Mad Love" in such a way that Batman goads Joker about it, saying she came closer to killing him than Joker ever did.
-->'''Batman''': She almost had me, you know. Arms and legs chained, dizzy from the blood rushing to my head. I had no way out [[NiceJobFixingItVillain other than convincing her to call you]]. I ''[[BatmanGambit knew]]'' your massive ego would never allow anyone else [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou the honor of killing me]]. Though I have to admit she came a lot closer than you ever did… ''Puddin'''.

* Mary Dahl beating up a drunk asshole who keeps harassing her about her time as Baby Doll, capped off with "I didn't mean to."

-->'''Batman''': She almost had me, you know. Arms and legs chained, dizzy from the blood rushing to my head. I had no way out [[NiceJobFixingItVillain other than convincing her to call you]]. I ''[[BatmanGambit knew]]'' your massive ego would never allow anyone else [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou the honor of killing me]]. Though I have to admit she came a lot closer than you ever did. ''Puddin'''.

** 30 years later, and he's still regarded as the definitive voice of Batman, the standard by which all other Batmen are measured against, much like Creator/ChristopherReeve is with Franchise/{{Superman}}.
* Creator/MarkHamill's performance as the Joker. How good is it? It ''launched his voice acting career''.

* This series set the precedent that, yes, children's cartoons can include dark, mature themes and still be kickass and awesome. If you trace the lineage of amazing western animated series, it begins with this one.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ShowDontTell You don't need a title card to know who he is.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck Darkwing]] isn't the only one who owns the night.]]

** Ordinarily, Harley is shown to be a purely comic villain or an accomplice to the Joker. In this episode, though, we finally get a chance to see that she's a master criminal and BadassNormal in her own right: during a museum heist, she effortlessly uses her skills as a gymnast to avoid a laser security system, then cracks open a display case without setting off any alarms. Later, after meeting Ivy, Harley is able to quickly cover the pair's escape by using the plant toxins Ivy's stolen to create a poison cloud which incapacitates the cops.

-->'''Renee Montoya:''' All right, ladies... [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Raise 'em.]]

** 30 years later, and he's still regarded as the definitive voice of Batman, the standard by which all other Batmen are measured against, much like Creator/ChristopherReeves is with Franchise/{{Superman}}.

--> '''Big Bad Harv''': [[PreAsskickingOneLiner You're talking to the wrong Harvey.]]

* [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing "The Clock King"]] is actually an incredibly impressive debut for the titular villain. While [[ClockKing Temple Fugate]] might seem too neurotic and obsessive to take seriously at first, the guy [[BadassNormal is able to hold his own in a fight with Batman,]] because Fugate has studied Batman closely enough that [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he knows it takes him a twentieth of a second to throw a punch]], and he dodges accordingly. He escapes from Batman simply by falling off a building at the ''exact second'' the train passes by. The crowning touch is when Clock King sets a DeathTrap for Batman in a bank vault, with a big bomb and oxygen being rapidly drained from the room. Clock King even leaves a cassette tape that [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat narrates, in real time, the precautions he took for every tactic Batman tries to get out.]] And he actually would've killed Batman too, if Batman hadn't [[MacGyvering MacGyvered]] the tape itself to his advantage. This guy somehow managed to turn his own LudicrousPrecision into Moments Of Awesome.
** At the end of the episode, Batman barely escapes from a [[CollapsingLair collapsing clocktower]]. The police report [[NeverFoundTheBody there's no sign of Fulgate]] and [[NobodyCouldSurviveThat ask Bats if he thinks Fulgate survived]]. The response is pretty high praise for a villain without any special abilities.

* In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE26AppointmentInCrimeAlley Appointment in Crime Alley]]", Batman is on his way to save Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who, on the night of his parents' murder, gave him complete emotional support and acted like a surrogate mother to the Caped Crusader. At the intersection of the street near the building in which said psychiatrist is being held hostage, a trolley ''just so happens'' to be going out of control, its driver knocked out, and the emergency breaks dangling by a wire, rendered completely useless. So, what does the Dark Knight do in this dire situation? He puts the emergency thrusters into full blast, ''ramming the Batmobile in front of the trolley'', slamming down on the gas with all his might, causing one of its tires to be worn completely off of its axle, until the trolley comes to a complete stop.

'''Ra's:''' Actually, detective, we ''have'' counted: 2 billion, 56 million, 9 hundred and 86 thousand. A most impressive plan, would you not agree?
* "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE6TheUnderdwellers The Underdwellers]]" features a one-shot villain, the Sewer King, who runs an underground thieves' guild consisting of young homeless runaways, and of course, [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil he verbally abuses them constantly.]] One of the young boys, Frog, brings Batman into the sewers, and Batman is horrified (more accurately, ''furious'') when he discovers how the leader treats his "charges." So he uses the Sewer King's bell to lure all the kids into the hall, and once they're there, he ''rips the bell off'' and lets it slam to the floor - mostly as a symbolic gesture to the children, but it's easy to imagine he's also just that pissed off.

** What sells this is the three kids tell different stories. The ones about Batman being a vampire bat, based on the 60's show [[TakeThat and the fabulous muscles and car]] are scoffed at. So the girl recounts Batman as a grizzled, [[Creator/MichaelIronside Sam Fisher]] voiced old man who tears apart mutant leaders in mud pits. The other kids buy it.

-->'''[[NoManOfWomanBorn Renee Montoya]]:''' All right, ladies... [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Raise 'em.]]

* [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing "The Clock King"]] is actually an incredibly impressive debut for the titular villain. While Temple Fugate might seem too neurotic and obsessive to take seriously at first, the guy [[BadassNormal is able to hold his own in a fight with Batman,]] because Fugate has studied Batman closely enough that he knows it takes him a twentieth of a second to throw a punch, and he dodges accordingly. He escapes from Batman simply by falling off a building at the ''exact second'' the train passes by. The crowning touch is when Clock King sets a DeathTrap for Batman in a bank vault, with a big bomb and oxygen being rapidly drained from the room. Clock King even leaves a cassette tape that [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat narrates, in real time, the precautions he took for every tactic Batman tries to get out.]] And he actually would've killed Batman too, if Batman hadn't [[MacGyvering MacGyvered]] the tape itself to his advantage. This guy somehow managed to turn his own LudicrousPrecision into Moments Of Awesome.

[[caption-width-right:350:Darkwing isn't the only one who owns the night.]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld0uIhst3TA The Joker's eulogy to Batman]] Topped immediately after by Harley Quinn playing AmazingFreakingGrace ''on the kazoo''. Apparently, it had to be done all in one take because everyone was cracking up way too hard to try it again. The Joker then concludes the eulogy with a cheerful "Well, that was fun! Who's for Chinese?" If you look closely, while the Joker is sending off the coffin, ''he is crying.'' While mourning his foe and killing his foe's vanquisher ''at the same time.'' Ultimate Joker moment right there.

!!The series

*** Cherry on top? Batman is deeply, respectfully ''impressed'' by this BadassBystander who managed, in two minutes, to repay the Joker in kind for years of psychological torture. Score one for the little guy.

** Subtle yet extremely awesome moment for Charlie. It's fairly well known that Joker has his "One Bad Day" philosophy: Essentially, that anyone can be become just like him with just one extremely bad day being all it takes. Well, Charlie didn't just receive one bad day, Joker gave him ''two'' bad days. Hell, if we're being honest, it's more like Charlie had two bad ''years'' worth of psychological torment and paranoia. And as Collins is about get himself and the Joker killed, it seems that he's finally cracked as well...Except it was (at least mostly) an act to get Joker to give up on harming him and/or his family. Sure enough, the episode ends with Charlie reverting back to his normal bumbling self. In other words, not only did Charlie manage to scare the Joker, not only did get Batman to laugh, but, despite taking around two years worth of psychological torment, he also inadvertently ''proved Joker's philosophy wrong!''

** These are the reasons why Amanda Waller decides to recruit him for ''Task Force X'' in WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited. His planning and attention to details was a key factor into why the planned break in worked.