Film

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Name: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Genre: Animation, Action, Science Fiction
Released: 2000
Cast: Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Angie Harmon, Dean Stockwell

A seventy-seven-minute animated film set in a dystopian future Gotham, where a young new Batman must confront the return of an old nemesis. Gorgeously rendered neon-soaked action with the vocal firepower of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their iconic roles. For anyone who loves cyberpunk aesthetics, legacy storytelling, and the particular thrill of watching a mentor's ghosts become a protégé's nightmare.

TMDb rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love animated superhero stories that treat a comic-book villain with real menace and let an older hero sit in the shadow of a legacy, with a futuristic city and a bit of genuine melancholy under the gadgets.

Skip it if you want a fast, brightly comic romp, since this one leans moody and talky for long stretches and its villain's scenes carry an unsettling chill that younger viewers may find heavy.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk seventy-seven minutes, so it asks little time but steady attention, moving between noir-tinged tension and bursts of action without much room to drift off.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm1993

The gold standard of animated Batman films. Gorgeous art deco Gotham, a mystery that lands emotionally, and proof that superhero animation could be genuinely moving. If you want the template this whole genre is based on, start here.

But It's a detective story first and an action film second. The pacing is deliberately measured, which some find slow.

Justice League Unlimited2004

Dazzling voice cast (Michael Rosenbaum's Flash alone is worth it), episodic storytelling that builds to something massive, and a scope that makes most superhero TV feel small. You can start anywhere, but the arc is genuinely rewarding.

But Seventy-eight episodes is a commitment. Quality wobbles in the middle seasons, and some arcs resolve frustratingly.

Superman: The Animated Series1996

The Fleischer Studios homage in the animation, the charm of Tim Daly's performance, and stories that understand Superman's real superpower is hope. A gentler show than Batman, but no less sophisticated about what these characters mean.

But It's earnest in a way modern audiences sometimes find cheesy. The first season has a few clunkers.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Akira1988

Both are cyberpunk-tinged stories about power, corruption, and legacy told through stunning animation. Both make dystopia look beautiful.

A 1988 anime that defined cyberpunk on screen. Neo-Tokyo's neon dystopia is the grandfather of every future-Gotham aesthetic. The animation is genuinely stunning, and the story trusts the audience with a complex, ambiguous ending. If Return of the Joker speaks to something in you, this is where that visual language was born.

But It's avant-garde in pacing and structure. You'll need subtitles, and the ending deliberately doesn't explain itself fully.

Batman: Under the Red Hood2010

A tighter script than Return of the Joker, with voice acting that's legitimately excellent. The Red Hood himself is a fascinating moral grey area, and the film trusts you to hold two truths at once about violence and redemption.

But It's darker and more violent than some animated Batman. The pacing in act two drags noticeably.

X-Men '972024

The '90s animated aesthetic at its absolute peak, stories that earned the heavy emotion they reach for, and a cast of characters given real depth. The Phoenix saga still holds up as ambitious storytelling in animation.

But Early episodes show their age in animation quality. Some arcs are serialized to the point where jumping in is harder than it should be.

Harley Quinn2019

Arleen Sorkin voices Harley here too, and the show is anarchic, funny, and genuinely affectionate about its characters. It swings for the fences tonally, mixing ultraviolence with genuine pathos. Nobody else is doing this in animation right now.

But The humor is extremely crude and references are pop-culture reliant. It's a lot, and that noise can feel exhausting rather than fun.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold2008

Lighter in tone than the Dark Knight fare but never condescending. It has real heart underneath the camp, and the variety of storytelling—campfire tales, mysteries, team-ups—keeps it fresh across three seasons.

But The tonal shift from grimness might feel like a step down after Batman Beyond. Some episodes prioritize spectacle over character.

Samurai Jack2001

Visual storytelling that makes dialogue nearly optional. Genndy Tartakovsky's direction is phenomenal, and the premise—a warrior lost in time—gives permission for wildly varied episodes. Pure animation craft, every week.

But Early seasons are very episodic and can feel plotless. The later revival changes tone significantly, which some found jarring.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 12012

Return of the Joker is directly descended from this story about an aging Batman, a new one rising, and a villain who represents unresolved trauma.

Frank Miller's graphic novel, collected as an animated two-part film (2013), is the text that invented the whole concept of aged Batman passing the torch. An old man in armor, a brutal future, a Joker that refuses to die. Everything you're watching plays out from this blueprint.

But Miller's politics are blunt and sometimes ugly. The animation adaptation is functional rather than gorgeous.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 poster

Monster2004

Both center on a mentor haunted by a creation they cannot destroy, and explore whether redemption is possible when your greatest sin has a face and a name.

A twenty-four-episode German-language anime about a brilliant doctor hunting a brilliant killer he once saved. Genuinely horrifying without jump scares, patient in a way modern TV rarely is, and morally uncompromising. It's the answer to 'what if Return of the Joker were eighty times longer and actually tragic?'

But It is slow and methodical to the point where some find it boring. Watching goodness fail isn't everyone's idea of entertainment. Requires real commitment.