History WesternAnimation / BatmanReturnOfTheCapedCrusaders

* VocalEvolution: Given it's been decades since he originally played the role and he's in his late 80's now, Adam West's Batman sounds much more low and worn sounding than in the original show. Curiously, this is ''averted'' with Burt Ward, who is in his early 70's now, but his voice is almost identical to how he sounded in the original show, when he was in his mid-20's! The same, however, cannot be said of Julie Newmar, who is in her 80s like West & sounds her age. It's very distracting seeing as Catwoman is supposed to be somewhere in her 20s or 30s as she was in the show.

* ContinuityCavalcade: The army that [[spoiler:Robin and Catwoman assemble to fight evil!Batman]] consists of ''fourteen'' second-string villains from the original show, from almost-A-listers like Egghead and King Tut to one-shots like Archer and Minstrel.

* CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] knew Robin and Catwoman would be trying to trick him into taking [[spoiler: the Bat-Antidote]]. So what does he do? Well, create an [[spoiler: Bat-Anti-Antidote]] of course!
** [[spoiler: Robin knew that Evil!Batman might capture him and Catwoman and most likely use the radiation from the rocket silo (which Evil!Batman raised the edges of so they couldn't swing out of it)to kill them so he sprayed him and Catwoman with the Bat-Isotope]]
** [[spoiler:''Batman even has a backup plan for when he turns evil!'' Batman and Alfred have an agreement — given their long history together, the only logical reason that Batman would ever fire Alfred is if he weren't acting of his own free will. Therefore Alfred would have standing orders to gather ingredients to a mind-control antidote.]]
* DayOfTheJackboot: [[spoiler:Evil!Batman inflicts this on Gotham, installing his clones into every single government job, and several ''non''-government ones.]]
* DeadArtistsAreBetter: [[spoiler:When Penguin complains that the SadClown painting Joker stole wasn't that valuable, Joker responds by saying it'll be worth a lot more when he bumps off the artist who made it.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Subverted. The Joker, the Riddler and the Penguin's plan is [[spoiler: (seemingly)]] foiled halfway into the movie. The rest of the run time is about [[spoiler: Evil!Batman... until it turns out ''he'' was just a distraction for the first three to go knock over a bunch of museums]].

* EnemyMine: Robin teams up with Catwoman to [[spoiler:return Evil!Batman to normal]]. Catwoman helps the heroes to get revenge on her former partners in crime after they betray her and at one point [[spoiler: directly saves Robin's life]].

* HandbagOfHurt: [[spoiler:Black Widow does this to one of the evil Batman clones. It doesn't really work, and she gets KO-sprayed for her troubles.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] has a point when he upbraids the Commissioner and Chief O'Hara for being pretty much useless, especially after we see they can't even catch shoplifters without help. In reality, both would likely be out of a job.

* MesACrowd: The function of Professor Nichols' duplication ray (which the villains promptly steal). After getting his hands on it, [[spoiler:evil!Batman uses it to turn himself into an army that overruns Gotham]].

** [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] quotes ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' at one point. And before that, he quotes the "You wanna get nuts?!" rant from Michael Keaton's first Film/{{Batman}} movie.
-->"[[ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns Riddler, this is an operating table - and I'm the surgeon.]]"

** Both Catwoman and [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] suggest killing Robin, referencing a scene in ''Film/BatmanTheMovie''.

** [[spoiler: As Batman becomes Evil!Batman, Robin looks on his partner's deteriorating behavior with more and more alarm, especially during the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of Penguin, Riddler and Joker.]]
** [[spoiler:This becomes a plot point to resolve the Evil!Batman story arc, as Batman and Alfred have an agreement -- given their long history together, the only logical reason that Batman would ever fire Alfred is if he weren't acting of his own free will. Therefore Alfred would have standing orders to gather ingredients to a mind-control antidote.]]
* PaintingTheMedium: As [[spoiler:Catwoman's poison starts taking effect]], Batman's HitFlash onomatopoeia becomes more and more brutal. The [[IdiosyncraticWipes Bat scene transition]] starts changing too, becoming an upside down bat when [[spoiler:Evil!Batman]] is on screen and a cat and an "R" for scenes where [[EnemyMine Robin teams up with Catwoman]].

** The entire film is one to the current state of the Batman franchise in general, especially to the overly violent and incredibly dark takes seen in some of the [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke more recent]] [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice adaptations]] of the character, arguing that wonder and excitement is being lost in favour of moodiness and out-of-place extreme violence. This is illustrated vividly when [[spoiler: Evil!Batman delivers a vicious beatdown to Penguin, Riddler and Joker after considering killing them. It is ''disturbing'' to see the Adam West version do this.]]

** [[spoiler:Evil!Batman]] threatens to do the same to the rest of them.

* VillainHasAPoint: Considering just how ineffective Gotham's police department is shown to be [[spoiler:Evil Batman's]] decision for taking charge of it actually makes some sense. [[MoralEventHorizon On the other hand his following decision to take over the world might not.]]

* TheSpaceRace: Forms the backdrop of the movie's first act, but is dropped shortly thereafter.

* [[spoiler:NeverGoingBackToPrison]]: In the film's climax [[spoiler:Catwoman is faced with the possibility of being sent back to prison. Instead she opts to leap off a blimp and into a a factory smokestack.]]

** [[Spoiler:Batman's sudden StealthHiBye through an open window. Lampshaded by Gordon and O'Hara remarking on how unlike (this version of) Batman it is.]]

* [[Spoiler:NeverGoingBackToPrison]]: In the film's climax [[Spoiler:Catwoman is faced with the possibility of being sent back to prison. Instead she opts to leap off a blimp and into a a factory smokestack.]]

** [[spoiler:Batman's sudden StealthHiBye through an open window. Lampshaded by Gordon and O'Hara remarking on how unlike (this version of) Batman it is.]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: At one point, the Gotham Palace tv show makes a reference to a band from Manchester called [[Music/TheBeatles The Bedbugs]].

* VillainHasAPoint: Considering just how ineffective it's shown to be [[spoiler:Evil Batman's]] decision for taking charge of Gotham's police department actually makes somewhat sense. [[MoralEventHorizon His following decision to take over the world might not on the other hand though.]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: At one point, the Gotham Palace tv show makes a reference to a band from Manchester called [[Music/TheBeatles|The Bedbugs]]

** [[spoiler:Batman's sudden StealthHiBye through an open window. lampshaded by Gordon and O'Hara remarking on how unlike (this version of) Batman it is.]]

** [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] quotes ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns at one point. And before that, he quotes the "You wanna get nuts?!" rant from Michael Keaton's first Film/{{Batman}} movie.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: To a variety of degrees with the escapees from Gotham State Penitentiary. It's fairly obvious whose likenesses they were able to get permission/licensing for (Victor Buono,[[note]]King Tut[[/note]] Otto Preminger,[[note]]Mr. Freeze[[/note]] Vincent Price[[note]]Egghead[[/note]]) and whose they either couldn't or didn't care enough to get right (Milton Berle[[note]]Louie the Lilac[[/note]], Van Johnson[[note]]The Minstrel[[/note]], Art Carney[[note]]The Archer[[/note]]). The main four villains vary as well -- Catwoman is the most faithful as she's being played by her original actress, Joker and Penguin are reasonable likenesses of Cesar Romero[[note]]although without his distinctive moustache -- Romero, a proud Puerto Rican, refused to shave his 'stache for the part and the producers [[SureWhyNot went along and put the pancake makeup over it]][[/note]] and Burgess Meredith, while Riddler looks only barely like Frank Gorshin. At one point, Batman has a hallucination in which he sees the two other versions of Catwoman from the series and the 1966 movie; while the Eartha Kitt version is a dead ringer for the original, the Lee Meriwether version from the movie is less so.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: To a variety of degrees with the escapees from Gotham State Penitentiary. It's fairly obvious whose likenesses they were able to get permission/licensing for (Victor Buono[[note]]King Tut[[/note]], Otto Preminger[[note]]Mr. Freeze[[/note]], Vincent Price[[note]]Egghead[[/note]]) and whose they either couldn't or didn't care enough to get right (Milton Berle[[note]]Louie the Lilac[[/note]], Van Johnson[[note]]The Minstrel[[/note]], Art Carney[[note]]The Archer[[/note]]). The main four villains vary as well -- Catwoman is the most faithful as she's being played by her original actress, Joker and Penguin are reasonable likenesses of Cesar Romero[[note]]although without his distinctive moustache -- Romero, a proud Puerto Rican, refused to shave his 'stache for the part and the producers [[SureWhyNot went along and put the pancake makeup over it]][[/note]] and Burgess Meredith, while Riddler looks only barely like Frank Gorshin. At one point, Batman has a hallucination in which he sees the two other versions of Catwoman from the series and the 1966 movie; while the Eartha Kitt version is a dead ringer for the original, the Lee Meriwether version from the movie is less so.

* BadassBystander: unlike in the original series where the ordinary Gotham civilian tended to cower in fear ineffectually until Batman and Robin showed up, the audience at the Gotham Palace tries to charge and capture the four villains until the police arrive, something NO OTHER GOTHAM CIVILIANS who aren't superheroes, in ANY continuity, have ever tried to do.

The trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6a8bOahFQ here]].

* {{Camp}}: An attempt to recapture the campy essence of the 1960s series in animation. Not unlike ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. But minus that series pulling on elements from the Bronze Age and Modern Day canon in addition to the Silver Age elements.

* ContinuityNod: The credits reference the famous "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb" scene and the Bat-dance.

* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: While fighting the villains in zero gravity, Batman flings a batarang at them. The villains laugh as it whizzes past them harmlessly, but the batarang ricochets off a column and hits the switch to turn the gravity back on.

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Played painfully straight as Catwoman gets blown out an airlock with zero ill effects.

* EnemyMine: Robin teams up with Catwoman to [[spoiler:return Evil!Batman to normal]]. Catwoman helps the heroes to get revenge on her former parters in crime after they betray her.

* {{Interquel}}: While the original show never had much in the way of continuity, seeing as how the live action film was set between seasons 1 & 2, this could be set either some time in season 2, or, more likely, between seasons 2 & 3 of the show.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: To a variety of degrees with the escapees from Gotham State Penitentary. It's fairly obvious whose likenesses they were able to get permission/licensing for (Victor Buono[[note]]King Tut[[/note]], Otto Preminger[[note]]Mr. Freeze[[/note]], Vincent Price[[note]]Egghead[[/note]]) and whose they either couldn't or didn't care enough to get right (Milton Berle[[note]]Louie the Lilac[[/note]], Van Johnson[[note]]The Minstrel[[/note]], Art Carney[[note]]The Archer[[/note]]). The main four villains vary as well -- Catwoman is the most faithful as she's being played by her original actress, Joker and Penguin are reasonable likenesses of Cesar Romero[[note]]although without his distinctive moustache -- Romero, a proud Puerto Rican, refused to shave his 'stache for the part and the producers [[SureWhyNot went along and put the pancake makeup over it]][[/note]] and Burgess Meredith, while Riddler looks only barely like Frank Gorshin.

** The entire film is one to the current state of the Batman franchise in general, especially to the overly violent and incredibly dark takes seen in some of the [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke more recent]] [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice adaptations]] of the character, arguing that wonder and excitement is being lost in favour of moodiness and out-of-place extreme violence.

* RoleReprisal: As mentioned above, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar are back as Batman, Robin, and Catwoman. Fittingly, considering he admitted to trying to emulate Frank Gorshin for the role in the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'', Creator/WallyWingert also reprises the role of the Riddler.

* CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: Evil!Batman]] knew Robin and Catwoman would be trying to trick him into taking [[spoiler: the Bat-Antidote]]. So what does he to? Well, create an [[spoiler: Bat-Anti-Antidote]] of course!

* PaintingTheMedium: As [[spoiler:Catwoman's poison starts taking effect]], Batman's onomatopoeia becomes more and more brutal. The [[IdiosyncraticWipes Bat scene transition]] starts changing too, going from an upside down bat when [[spoiler:Evil!Batman]] is on screen and a cat when Robin teams up with Catwoman.

** [[spoiler:This becomes a plot point to resolve the Evil!Batman story arc, as batman and Alfred have an agreement -- given their long history together, the only logical reason that Batman would ever fire Alfred is if he weren't acting of his own free will. Therefore Alfred would have standing orders to gather ingredients to a mind-control antidote.]]

** [[spoiler:Batman's sudden StealthHiBye through an open window.]]