Batman Episode: The Bat in the Belfry

From DC Database

"The Bat in the Belfry"

Gallery

The Batman Season 1 Episode 1
September, 2004

Director

Seung Eun-Kim

Writers

Duane Capizzi

Producers

Alan Burnett, Duane Capizzi, Jeff Matsuda, Glen Murakami, Sander Schwartz

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—

Traction

"They all said I was sick in the head. They said I needed help. Well, maybe I am a bit batty. Blame it on the bats in my belfry."

--The Joker

Appearing in "The Bat in the Belfry"

Featured Characters:

• Batman

Supporting Characters:

• Alfred Pennyworth
• Angel Rojas
• Ethan Bennett
• Ellen Yin

Villains:

• Joker
• Rupert Thorne

Other Characters:

• Martha Wayne (In a photograph only)
• Thomas Wayne (In a photograph only)

Locations:

• Gotham City

• Arkham Asylum
• Gotham Bay
• Gotham City Police Headquarters
• Monarch Theater
• Wayne Manor
• Batcave

Items:

• Batarang
• Batrope
• Batpole
• Batwave
• Joker Gas
• Joker's exploding Jack-in-the-Box
• Joker's razor-sharp throwing cards

Vehicles:

• Batboat
• Batmobile

Synopsis for "The Bat in the Belfry"

Batman raids the penthouse of criminal gangster, Rupert Thorne. After watching his men quickly subdued by the caped crusader, Thorne attempts to escape by leaping out the window onto the ledge of a water tower across the street. Batman follows him however and easily knocks him out.

Later that evening, Batman returns to the Batcave where he changes into his civilian identity of millionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne. His butler, Alfred, has prepared an Anniversary cake for him. It has been three years since he has taken up the mantle of the bat. Bruce dedicates his cause to the memory of his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Meanwhile at Arkham Asylum, an orderly discovers that a new patient has voluntarily checked himself in. The patient is a ghoulish clown calling himself the Joker. He escapes from his cell however and begins attacking the staff. He uses his patented Joker gas to render them unconscious, the effect of which leaves a garish grin upon each of their faces. Afterwards, he sets upon releasing all of the other patients.

Batman vs. the Joker

Bruce Wayne meanwhile is attending a Gotham Gators basketball game when he receives an emergency summons over the Batwave. He learns about the Arkham breakout and quickly leaves the stadium.

At Gotham City police headquarters, Chief Angel Rojas introduces detective Ethan Bennett to his new partner, Ellen Yin. Yin is a former Metropolis detective and has relocated to Gotham to help Ethan track down the mysterious vigilante known as the Batman. They learn about the Arkham breakout and race down there to lend a hand.

As Batman arrives at the asylum, he finds a giant Jack in the Box in the entranceway. Gotham City police attempt to get closer, but the box explodes sending them scurrying. Batman manages to sneak inside where he finds the Joker. The Joker is completely insane, but still manages to question the sanity of a man who elects to dress up as a giant bat. The two fight one another, but the Joker manages to escape. Batman takes one of the Joker’s victims and brings him back to the Batcave to examine him.

Later, Batman discovers that the Joker intends on releasing his Joker gas upon the entire city, killing everyone. He tracks the Joker down to his old hideout at the Monarch Theater and the two fight each other once again. The Joker evades capture and escapes via a giant hot air balloon. As the balloon sails off across Gotham Bay, Batman follows him in his Batboat. He manages to sabotage the balloon, sending it crashing into the water. The Joker's gas is released harmlessly into the bay and Batman apprehends the villain. The Joker is sent back to Arkham Asylum.

Notes

• This episode originally aired on September 11th, 2004.

• As the pilot episode of the series, this is the first appearance of all characters, items and locations as it pertains to this specific continuity.

• Angel Rojas, Ethan Bennett and Ellen Yin are all new characters who (as of this writing) do not have counterparts in mainstream DC continuity. All three appear next in "Traction".
  

Trivia

• Bruce Wayne's birthday is revealed to be in the month of October. This is consistent with information relating to the Golden Age, Batman whose birthday is likewise in October, (as revealed in Secret Origins (Volume 2) #7). October is also the birth-month of Batman co-creator, Bob Kane.

• This episode includes a cameo appearance by Rupert Thorne. Rupert was a low-key gangster from the Silver Age era of Batman and Detective Comics, who was likewise prominently featured in numerous episodes of Batman - The Animated Series.
  
  

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• Batman Episode: Topsy Turvy
• Batman Episode: The Rubberface of Comedy
• Batman Episode: Clayface of Tragedy
• Gotham City Police Department
• Martha Wayne
• Thomas Wayne

See Also

• Discuss "The Bat in the Belfry" on the forums
• Gallery for the The Batman series

Cast

Recommended Media

• None.

Links and References

• The Batman article at Wikipedia
• "The Bat in the Belfy" at TV.com
• "The Bat in the Belfry" at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)

Footnotes