No, Batman is not voiced by Kevin Conroy in Batman: Bad Blood. Now we can move on. Batman: Bad Blood is another tale set in the DC Original Movie Universe. This means the voice of Batman, Nightwing, and Robin are still being played by Jason O’Mara, Sean Maher, and Stuart Allen. This consistency, in this universe, with all the same voice actors (even Morena Baccarat back as Talia al Ghul), has really created a structure for us to follow. Don’t get me wrong, I like the occasional stand alone story like Justice League: Gods and Monsters (see review) or Batman: Arkham Assault that feature different actors in the roles of our heroes and villains. This just works now, more than ever.
Batman: Bad Blood is the first time that I felt as is all the Jason O’Mara (Batman) and Stuart Allen (Robin) storylines connected for the characters. I didn’t need to know why Robin (aka Damian Wayne) was with the monks. I saw Son of Batman and, though disappointed with how “The Court of Owls” storyline played into the film, I appreciated how it gave each character an end result. Robin needed to find his place with his father and understand what it means to be a hero. That lesson really matters here and it shows his growth in character. There were hints of Grant Morrison’s “Batman & Robin” 2009 comic here, but that story, as grand as it was, where Dick Grayson (aka Rightwing) assumes the mantle of Batman in his absence, wasn’t the story at hand. Clearly, Warner Brothers’ team of Jay Oliva, Andrea Romano and the proverbial Court of Owls behind these projects, has a game plan and it is working.
The story of Batman: Bad Blood introduces into the DC Original Movie Universe two new characters. These characters are not new to the DC Comics universe, but new to the movies nonetheless. The first is Batwoman, voiced by Yvonne Strahovski. Now this character fits perfectly into the story. She dons the cape and cowl out of tragedy and ties directly to Batman’s disappearance for our story at hand. It is Batwoman who has a sense of guilt and last saw Batman, so when Batman appears with Robin again, she needs to know if the Caped Crusader survived. Her ties to Dick Grayson only enhance the story and make connections that supply a better story for when the real Batman resurfaces. Her introduction to the Bat Family may not have happened this way in the comic, but for the movie universe, it completely works.
What feels out of place is the introduction of Batwing (voiced by Gaius Charles). A relatively recent addition to the Batman comic, this is actually the second Batwng, Luke Fox. If you are thinking that Batwing’s name sounds familiar, it’s because that is the name of Batman’s jet. A joke is even made by the characters and reduces Batwing to a punchline. For me, Batwing is nothing more than a hybrid of Batman and Marvel Comics’ Iron Man. Luke Fox gets involved when his father Lucius is wounded by C-Lister bad guys. Luke dons the Batman Armor to get his revenge. It is stated that he was a soldier, but having an Iron Man suit in the Bat-universe seems like cheating. He flies around on a jet pack and shoots energy batarangs. If this were Cyborg, okay, but it just seems like they are trying to shoehorn in a character here.
After I was finished watching Batman: Bad Blood, I was immediately enticed for the next DC Original Movie Universe titled Justice League vs. Teen Titans (see details here). Sure, it is that classic story of a bad guys that turns one group against another, but at this point, in this universe, it is really starting to fire. March 29th cannot get here soon enough. However, I can’t hide my excitement for Kevin Conroy as Batman in “The Killing Joke”. He is going to be awesome.
Blu-ray and DVD Releases for February 2nd, 2016
Action/ Adventure/ Mystery
The Assassin
The Avenger
Fatal Call
Fugitive at 17
The Blackout
Home Invasion
Stalked at 17
The Wrong Man (1972)
Anime
Corpse Party
Momokyun Sword
Re: Hamatora: Season 2
Tamako Market
Cartoons
Batman: Bad Blood
Fantasy
Goosebumps
Horror
Cut!
Jack’s Back (1988)
Science Fiction
Doctor Who: Series 9 Part 2
