Batman: The Animated Bible> Possible Episodes part 2

Last week we look at six potential episodes, which plots where actually used, and what changes were made. We still have quite a few to go through so let’s get on with things!

7. When a line of mechanical, killer toys appear in stores just days before Christmas, all signs point to the Joker. As Batman races to find their place of origin, Gotham’s TV reception is interrupted by a transmission of “The Joker’s Christmas Eve Special”, featuring unwilling guests held hostage with ticking bombs in their stockings. Batman has until midnight to track down the Joker’s transmission spot before the Joker goes off the air and ticking guests go into it.

When Eddie Gorodetsky and Michael McCuistion wrote “Christmas With The Joker“, they dropped the toy subplot (which was unnecessary and better suited for Toyman–how did Superman: The Animated Series not use this?) and made the hostages people Batman knows. Not sure what Summer was doing there since she isn’t a cop. I would have used Montoya.

8. An animal trader is bitten by a rare species of lizard while delivering it to Gotham’s zoological gardens and contracts a strange disease that hardens his skin into a bullet-proof hide. His mind is warped with an equal toughness and “Killer Croc” is born, terrorizing the city with the release of reptiles into the sewers and a plot to steal the rare lizard to create an army of invincible followers. But when his theft goes awry, Batman follows him into the reptile filled sewers and uses his detective skills to track him down.

This sounds more like a Spider-Man plot…since it sounds closer to the Lizard than the Killer Croc we knew from the series. I can’t think of anything in this story being used outside of Batman fighting Croc in the sewers because he’s done that more than once.

9. Wealthy but cruel acquaintance of Bruce Wayne’s has set up a private island where rich sportsmen pay top dollar to hunt rare big cats. When the Cat Woman gets wind of it, she journeys to the island and soon finds herself hunted. Luckily Batman arrives on the same trail and both find themselves the prizes of the hunter’s most dangerous game.

You can claim that elements of this made their way into various stories but I don’t recall this plot ever being used. Too bad, it sounds interesting. But why did they write Catwoman’s name like that?

10.The Riddler has infiltrated the lethal security system of a newly constructed skyscraper and after robbing the building’s vault, sits with his loot on the top floor and challenges Batman to come get him. When Batman arrives he discovers that the Riddler has reprogrammed the security system to destroy the Dark Knight and a dizzying array of narrow escapes ensues as he makes his way to the penthouse rendezvous with the Riddler.

Another one I haven’t heard of (although again Riddler has tried similar traps for Batman) that I wish I had. This would have made for an interesting episode.

11. Locked in the inescapable “Hard Timers” wing of Stonegate Prison, a criminal mastermind know as The Architect is sprung when the impervious walls of Stonegate are miraculously exploded. The Architect dives into the icy waters of Gotham Harbor and never surfaces. Soon, high security buildings everywhere are breached and the Batman attempts to thwart the Architect in an adventure that leads him to the Architect’s secret submarine base and a battle below the waters of Gotham Harbor.

It’s like the writers ignored a huge section of the suggested episodes and missed out on some good ones. This sounds like a good one.

12. It’s “Cap Day” at Gotham Stadium, where Bruce Wayne and the Gotham populace don baseball caps chemically treated by “The Mad Hatter” and his Alice in Wonderland Gang. As paranoia sweeps the city, the episode becomes a twisted “Batman In Wonderland” as the Mad Hatter’s robbery scheme uses the ensuing chaos and a disoriented Batman fights for sanity while trying to thwart the crimes.

On the surface this also sounds good, but it doesn’t match with the Mad Hatter we eventually got in the show. He never had an “Alice In Wonderland Gang” and he didn’t use chemicals, only electronics. Scarecrow was the one with mind-altering chemicals but this isn’t his style. I can see why this one was bypassed.

13. When two panels of a famous triptych are stolen and the third destroyed, a series of similar crimes follow, all based on stealing trios of items. In each case one is destroyed and the remaining two are seized by Two Face. Setting his sights on the trio of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, he captures Batgirl and lures the Dynamic Duo to his estate, planning to stalk them all and destroy one of the three. But which one?

Like the previous one this doesn’t fit the show but might have made a good story. Batgirl was barely in the show prior to the move to Kids WB and didn’t have a strong connection to Batman and Robin, so it would take some work to make the idea fit the tone of the series.

14. Bruce Wayne is personally supervising the deposit of Wayne Industry files in an underground storage facility, when Clay Face’s well-armed group of thieves descend into the high security operation. Unable to change into the Batman, Wayne uses the cover of darkness and a flurry of bats from a connecting cavern to convince the villains that Batman is among them. He then must escape unnoticed and return as Batman, hoping to stop the robbery before it is completed.

Outside of Clayface (again with the odd name spellings) being involved this is another that would have been interesting and fit the tone of the show. Clayface doesn’t have an armed group he works with because he isn’t a criminal exactly, just an actor trying to get his life and career back after a car accident and being screwed over by Rowland Dagget. Make it either some serious criminals or possibly Red Claw. She showed up again in the tie-in comics but was otherwise only used once. Chad “CR” Rocco and the Nostalgia Critic once did a video on Baby Doll but I think Red Claw is the most obscure yet usable character in the series. This story would have use her perfectly.

15. When a psychology professor experimenting the nature of terror develops a serum that unlocks its victim’s worst fears, “The Scarecrow” is created. As he uses his serum to extort money from Gotham’s wealthy, he sets his sights on Bruce Wayne, unaware that he’ll get more than he bargained for when Wayne is given the drug and the worst fears of the Batman are brought into play.

Finally, one that was actually made. With some retooling this is “Nothing To Fear” the one that produced that famous Batman line I talked about in the Scarecrow’s profile. Credit to Henry T. Gilroy and Sean Catherine Derek for producing one of the best episodes of the series.

And I think that’s a good place to stop. Next week, more episodes suggested by the story bible.