The most controversial Batman adaptation is now on Netflix

polygon.com:

When it comes to DC Comics characters, the mid-2000s were years of tumultuous change across nearly every medium that they could be found in. On the comic book side, the Infinite Crisis storyline promised a multiverse clean-sweep, one that would tidy up the continuity issues that have become a norm for the publication. In the movies, Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. rebuilt the Caped Crusader with the highly praised Batman Begins, eschewing any hints of the maligned efforts of the late ’90s and bringing audiences a grittier, frownier Dark Knight. On TV, Smallville was still chugging along, and its producers were keen to mine it for spinoff potential (even though separate ones featuring Aquaman, Green Arrow and the Justice League never materialized).

And in the realm of animation, the DC Animated Universe, a sprawling mythology that had begun with 1992’s seminal Batman: The Animated Series, was coming to an end with 2004’s Justice League Unlimited. Debuting that same year(and now streaming in its entirety on Netflix) was The Batman, a new origin story for the titular hero that would take him from his rookie years and his first encounters with arch foes like Joker and Penguin alllll the way to being a foundational member of the Justice League. In the span of five seasons, it effectively tells Batman’s whole story.

The immediate fan reaction to it was scathing. But still,The Batman remains an interesting show to revisit and reevaluate, especially thanks to how it reflects the rapid metamorphosis of the time period and the endless potential that Batman has for adaptation.

From the first episode, it’s clear that The Batman isn’t striving to be like Batman: The Animated Series, a cartoon that’s often regarded as one of the