History YMMV / BatmanMaskofthePhantasm

* IronWoobie: Bruce Wayne.

* JerkassWoobie: [[spoiler:Andrea.]]

* VindicatedByHistory: A downplayed example. When the film was initially released, reviews ''were'' generally positive but the film was a failure at the box office due to getting a last-minute release with little advertising. However it eventually turned a profit in its home video releases and in the years since then it has only become more well-regarded, and is now hailed as not only one of the best ''Batman'' films, but one of the best animated films ever.
** Notoriously, Siskel and Ebert neglected to review the movie when it was in theaters but later admitted they made a mistake in overlooking it and stated it was superior to the other Batman movie of the time, ''Film/BatmanForever''.

--> '''Jeremy,''' '''"[[WebVideo/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]"''': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

** Music/HansZimmer played the synthesizer for the score. He would go on to compose the music for ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy''.

--> '''Jeremy,''' ''''[[WebVideo/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]'''': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

--> '''Jeremy,''' '''[[WebVideo/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]''': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

--> '''Jeremy,''' ''''[[WebVideo/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]'': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

--> Jeremy, ''[[WebVideo/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]'': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

--> Jeremy, ''[[WebOriginal/CinemaSins [=CinemaSins=]]]'': "Because this is what you think about when watching ''Batman'': Bugs Bunny. Remember that time Bugs was eating people and Batman solved the case by when he found traces of beta carotene in the bite wounds? Creator/FrankMiller was a dark motherfucker!"

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The film is easily one of the darkest films in the DCAU, and arguably animated ''Batman'' films period, but still has a PG rating and is marketed under WB's Family Entertainment line.

** Was Andrea planning on [[spoiler: murdering Arthur for her role in her father’s death as well?]]

* CounterpartComparison:
** The Phantasm's voice and DissonantSerenity have often been compared to [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Xemnas]]'s.
** The Phantasm can also be compared to the Red Hood, as both are murderous vigilantes with a grudge against the Joker, and they are both somebody [[spoiler: from Bruce's past that he deeply cared about]].

* FridgeBrilliance: More like Fridge Tearjerking. The song "I Never Even Told You" by Creator/TiaCarrere doesn't make sense in terms of Bruce and Andrea's relationship. After all, the ''entire film'' was about how they loved each other and told each other so. So, who is the song about? And then it hits you: it's about '''Bruce and his parents'''. It was a sudden, brutal murder. The way they were killed never gave Bruce a chance to tell them he loved them or even goodbye. Bruce's parents never got to say goodbye or tell him they loved him. Their deaths hang over the entire film, too--Bruce is looking for love and acceptance, because he never got closure with his parents. It's the entire reason he's Batman. He was willing to toss away being Batman because of love. All of which is denied him in the film, all stemming from not having that closure.

* FridgeBrilliance: More like Fridge Tearjerking. The song "I Never Even Told You" by Tia Carrere doesn't make sense in terms of Bruce and Andrea's relationship. After all, the ''entire film'' was about how they loved each other and told each other so. So, who is the song about? And then it hits you: it's about '''Bruce and his parents'''. It was a sudden, brutal murder. The way they were killed never gave Bruce a chance to tell them he loved them or even goodbye. Bruce's parents never got to say goodbye or tell him they loved him. Their deaths hang over the entire film, too--Bruce is looking for love and acceptance, because he never got closure with his parents. It's the entire reason he's Batman. He was willing to toss away being Batman because of love. All of which is denied him in the film, all stemming from not having that closure.

* CompleteMonster: ComicBook/TheJoker both pre-transformation and post-transformation. Closer to the [[Film/{{Batman}} 1989 movie]]'s origin of the character than the MultipleChoicePast's origin of the comics, though no less ambiguous than the latter. See [[YMMV/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries here]] for more details.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Does the Joker know, or at least suspect, that [[spoiler:Bruce and Batman are one and the same]] at the end? If so, his laugh at the end could be triumph at his realization that his actions [[spoiler:have corrupted and driven away his archenemy's greatest love.]] ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' would seem to contradict this, though it's certainly possible it didn't count for him unless the info was forcibly extracted...

** The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' episode "Epilogue" also showed [[spoiler:Andrea's future: as a contract hitman]].

* FanonDiscontinuity: Some fans felt that the film worked better on its own and shouldn't have been in canon with the series (Joker's death, Reeves' mere presence, and the absence of both Robin and Harley Quinn being indicators that it was in its own continuity) and were only forced to accept it as canon with [[spoiler: Andrea's in-costume cameo in the JLU episode 'Epilogue']]. With the release of the now rare "Shadow of the Phantasm" ''Batman'' annual explaining why [[spoiler: Andrea]] left Joker alive and the fate of Reeves, some have accepted it, but others see this comic as Paul Dini admitting they wrote themselves into a corner.

* AwesomeMusic:

* FoeYay: When he visits Arthur Reeves to try and get answers on who killed the mob bosses, we get this little line from ComicBook/TheJoker (what, and this ''surprises'' you?)

* MagnificentBastard: The Joker is in top form here, playing the Phantasm and Valestra like fiddles, and ''immediately'' [[spoiler:deducing the Phantasm's true identity when he hears Andrea is in town]]. Add to the fact that his entire ''lair'' is a series of insanely awesome death traps and one of the [[DieLaughing classiest exits]] in the entirety of Western animation.

* CompleteMonster: ComicBook/TheJoker both pre-transformation and post-transformation. Closer to the [[Film/{{Batman}} 1989 movie]]'s origin of the character than the MultipleChoicePast's origin of the comics, though no less ambiguous than the latter.

* AwesomeMusic: And '''how'''. Shirley Walker cited her work here as one of her favorite compositions, and it's not hard [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGCLJ4BQXXQ&index=1&list=PL5D3839EE13F3367A to hear why]].

* CounterpartComparison: The Phantasm's voice and DissonantSerenity have often been compared to [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Xemnas]]'s.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Some fans felt that the film worked better on its own and shouldn't have been in canon with the series (Joker's death, Reeves' mere presence, and the absence of both Robin and Harley Quinn being indicators that it was in its own continuity) and were only forced to accept it as canon with [[spoiler: Andrea's in-costume cameo in the JLU episode 'Epilogue']]. With the release of the now rare Shadow of the Phantasm Batman annual explaining why [[spoiler: Andrea]] left Joker alive and the fate of Reeves, some have accepted it, but others see this comic as Paul Dini admitting they wrote themselves into a corner.
* FridgeBrilliance: More like Fridge Tearjerking. The song "I Never Even Told You" by Tia Carrere doesn't make sense in terms of Bruce and Andrea's relationship. After all, the ''entire film'' was about how they loved each other and told each other so. So, who is the song about? And then it hits you: it's about '''Bruce and his parents'''. It was a sudden, brutal murder. The way they were killed never gave Bruce a chance to tell them he loved them or even goodbye. Bruce's parents never got to say goodbye or tell him they loved him. Their deaths hang over the entire film, too -- Bruce is looking for love and acceptance, because he never got closure with his parents. It's the entire reason he's Batman. He was willing to toss away being Batman because of love. All of which is denied him in the film, all stemming from not having that closure.

-->'''Arthur Reeves:''' Haven't you read the papers?! It's Batman!
-->'''The Joker:''' (''makes a buzz noise'') Wrong! It ain't the Bat! Nope, nope, nope! I've ''seen'' the guy. He looks more like [[Literature/AChristmasCarol the Ghost of Christmas Future]]. Nowhere near as cute as Bat-boy.

** The Joker says "Why so formal?" to Sal Valestra. Replace "formal" with a synonym [[Film/TheDarkKnight and you get...]]

* MagnificentBastard: The Joker is in top form here, playing Phantasm and Valestra like fiddles, and ''immediately'' [[spoiler:deducing Phantasm's true identity when he hears Andrea is in town.]] Add to the fact that his entire ''lair'' is a series of insanely awesome death traps and one of the [[DieLaughing classiest exits]] in the entirety of western animation.
* MisaimedFandom: The sequence with Batman confronting Andrea in her hotel room, ending with her declaring that ''"The only one in this room controlled by their parents is '''you''',"'' has become something of a moderate MemeticMutation from the film and is typically used on places like Tumblr to blast Batman for the root cause of his being Batman. In context, however, it completely ignores the fact that [[spoiler: Andrea is just like Bruce, if not worse, as she's become a killer because of the death of her father and seeks vengeance only on those involved with said death while having no plan for her life afterwards, possibly even wishing to die achieving her final vengeance. Even she admittedly doesn't get that Batman is ''not'' about vengeance, as demonstrated at the film's end]].

* VindicatedByHistory: A downplayed example. When the film was initially released, reviews ''were'' generally positive but the film was a failure at the box office due to getting a last-minute release with little advertising. However it eventually turned a profit in its home video releases and in the years since then it has only become more well-regarded, and is now hailed as not only one of the best Batman films, but one of the best animated films ever.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The film is easily one of the darkest films in the DCAU, and arguably animated Batman films period, but still has a PG rating and is marketed under WB's Family Entertainment line.