With a new, darker take on Batman coming out in the near future, it might be time to revisit a show that was many people’s introduction to the character.Batman: The Animated Serieswas a dark, comic-accurate depiction of the caped crusader and addressed many of the more mature themes surrounding Batman as a character. One of these episodes took a unique approach to dissect who Batman is and what makes him tick. “Perchance to Dream” is the 26th episode aired ofBatman: The Animated Seriesand deals with various facets of what makes Batman work and what makes this take on the character stand out.
Originally premiering on Fox Kids in September of 1992,Batman: The Animated Serieswould go on to air 85 episodes through 1995. The next 20 episodes would continue the series under the titleThe Adventures of Batman & Robin. The popularity of the show and complex, noir undertones would go on to spawn multiple movies as well be the beginning of the DC Animated Universe. Being ranked highly in multiple lists about the best animated shows of all time as well as winning multiple Emmy Awards has led to this showmaintaining its popularity to this day.
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While much of the show deals with Batman’s conflicts with who he truly is, this episode, in particular, takes this to an extreme. After chasing down some bad guys in the Batmobile, Batman finds himself in a dark warehouse. Before he can react, a flash momentarily blinds him and a device lowers down from the ceiling. Suddenly, he awakes in his bed, minus the cowl. He questions how he ended up there, and Alfred seems uncertain about the questions he’s asking.
From the start, this episode takes whatseems to be a standard Batman storyand immediately turns it on its head. Bruce wakes up with the feeling that some aspect of what he’s experiencing must be a dream. Unable to find the Batcave, Bruce begins questioning this reality. The final turn occurs when Bruce hears the voice of his father and turns to see that his once-murdered parents are very much alive.
When Alfred recounts to Bruce what his life has been up to this point, this is the first sign that this story is meant to discuss something deeper about Batman. He’s been given a normal life, one wherein his parents are still alive and he doesn’t have to be Batman because there’s even someone else playing that role. Despite how perfectall of these detailsseem on the surface, Bruce breaks down and decries that “It’s all wrong”.
A possible interpretation of this sequence comes from the long-running idea that Batman is the identity and Bruce Wayne is the mask. This perfect life as Bruce Wayne feels like a lie because it is a lie to him. He’s living as his cover-up, and it doesn’t feel natural. He’s had his identity, as Batman, stripped from him. When he does finally see the “other” Batman in action, it calls into question who he really is.
Even when Bruce finally comes to terms withhis role as Bruce Wayne, it’s only moments before he again spirals. Him coming across a newspaper and books that he can’t read confirms in his mind that this world isn’t right. Thus begins his search for something actionable, and therefore begins his escape from police to confront this other Batman. The final confrontation reveals all the secrets of this lie and why Batman won’t stand living it. Despite the final reveal of the Mad Hatter having given Bruce a perfect life, even it was a dream, Bruce denounces it all by stating that he won’t live a lie.
When Bruce jumps off of the tower in hopes of waking up, this is a two-pronged release of his psyche. He either wakes up in the life he knows and believes in, where he is Batman and his life isn’t perfect, or he dies and ends this life that he can’t truly stand. There’s a somber finality to this all-or-nothing approach he gives. It showcases that no matter what may be true, the only reality he believes in is one where he’s Batman.
Of course, it does all turn out to have just been a dream and Batman wakes up in a deviceof the Mad Hatter’s design. When Batman questions why Mad Hatter would do this, the only reply he receives is that of anger. Although Batman’s perfect life actually has him being Batman, Hatter’s perfect life is one without Batman in it. After arresting the Mad Hatter, Gordon questions Batman on what the device is. Batman’s only response as he trudges away, another nod to the noir nature of the series, is the same as Humphrey Bogart’s inThe Maltese Falcon, “The stuff that dreams are made of.”
This final phrasing and Batman’s final words point to the goal of this episode. It covers the classic struggle between the two halves of Batman, that of the cowl and that of the billionaire playboy. While each has their place in his mind, there is a predominant figure in control: Batman. Those final, somber moments don’t seem to point towards the sadness that he can’t have that perfect life as Bruce Wayne, it’s that he knows it’s not his to have.He is Batman and can be nothing more.
Batman: The Animated Seriesis streaming on HBO Max.
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