YMMV / DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • One regarding the Joker in the Red Robin path, specifically his death scene. Was he laughing consciously knowing that Jason has finally crossed the line Batman wouldn't, or, considering that he was stabbed in the eye, did he suffer fatal brain damage to cause him to start Laughing Mad?
  • In the route where Two-Face has Red Robin!Jason dead to rights but spares him because it would be Cruel Mercy. The scathing "Reason You Suck" Speech he gave to Jason almost sounded like he was talking about himself as well. With both of them being former allies of Batman that ended up in a very dark and bloody path.
• Awesome Art: The movie returns to using the art style used in Batman: Under the Red Hood, which many fans view as far better than that of the last Batman movie.
• Better on DVD: Literally. Only the Blu-ray/DVD version contains the interactive features in choosing the endings while the digital versions feature pre-assembled versions of the story and interactive features turned into bonus endings instead. But, not every digital version^note Amazon Prime and Google Play for example hold the bonus endings, which made the digital buyers feel ripped off.
• Broken Base: As is practically tradition in Batman media featuring the death of the Joker, arguments on whether it was the right thing to do rages. A large amount of people say that simply locking up the Joker over and over again has done nothing to keep his murder sprees down, leaving the Bat-family responsible for every death by the maniac's hands. And Jason had already killed plenty, so why should the Joker be a special case? While the other side says that the vow to not kill has always been one of the Bat-family's biggest rules, and breaking it is unforgivable, even with the murder being the Joker (especially as this is his first "conscious" murder (his others being repressed).
• Crosses the Line Twice: The Red Robin route having Black Mask die by getting decapitated by a door flying at a high velocity? Gruesome. The camera zooming in on his face to reveal he has a disappointed look frozen on it? Hilarious!
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Many fans enjoy the portrayal of Two-Face in one of the routes, where in he gives Red Robin a scathing "Reason You Suck" Speech and gives him Cruel Mercy by letting him live, even when his coin landed on tails, just so Red Robin could see just how far he's fallen.
• Fridge Sadness: In the "Batman dies" path, Joker just... stops being Joker. He disguises himself to look normal and goes to a therapist. He doesn't even go after the new Batman. Bruce's relentless crusade to clean up Gotham is also what's filling up whole graveyards and the only way for Bruce to end Joker's evil without breaking his code is to just stop being Batman, to stop trying to avenge his parents' deaths.
• He Really Can Act:
  • Despite fans making a lot of jokes about Vincent Martella voicing "the angry Robin" after his starring (and somewhat iconic) role as Phineas Flynn and he had the pressure of succeeding Jensen Ackles' acclaimed performance, he does a surprisingly good job of conveying Jason's detachment and buried anger.
  • John DiMaggio has voiced Joker before, but his performance in this movie is praised, especially in the scene where he disguises himself as a civilian and recounts his "killing joke". Another crowner would have to be the scene where he reminds Red Hood of his repressed memories, in an utmost sadistic fashion.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Talia having several lines in key scenes here is mildly ironic because she just had a silent cameo in the original film.
• Memetic Mutation: Jason's half scarred face, specifically the scar on the left side of his face, has many people making jokes about Zuko making his way into the DC Universe.
• Narm: In the Red Hood ending where Jason tries to save Batman, Jason getting stabbed in the wrist by Batman in the Red Hood is... very abrupt and not really impactful. It just... happens.
• Narm Charm: Black Mask's deaths are hilariously over-the-top. The Hush scenario in particular — where he falls out of a window, screaming and on fire, onto a waiting fuel truck that then explodes — is almost identical to McBain killing Senator Mendoza.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: For many fans, the film did not prove to be a completely accurate adaptation of the original comic.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Despite the film selling itself as offering new and intriguing possibilities for Jason based on the viewer's choices, the majority of these possibilities default to rehashes of the original Under The Red Hood storyline, simply increasing the on-screen violence and changing whatever identity Jason assumes during those events.
• Unexpected Character:
  • We get extremely brief appearances from Cheetah and Black Mask during Red Robin's killing spree.
  • Bruce recounting the events of the movie to Superman, who is once again voiced by Nolan North.
  • Wonder Woman and Flash appearing in one of the routes.
  • Talia was expected, but not with a baby Damian in her arms already, especially since he was created after the original "A Death in the Family" and "Under the Red Hood" storylines in the comics.
  • One of the bystanders in the Red Robin endings being Tim Drake, who was Adapted Out from the original movie, which had the Robin mantle seemingly permanently retired ever since Jason's death. It's all the more surprising given his dearth of animated appearances compared to Dick and Damian.

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