The ’90s were a great time for DC and Marvel, as they slowly started testing properties, characters, and more in the television medium, specifically animation. With the debut and successes of X-Men: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Spider-Man: The Animated Series all happening in the ’90s, both parent companies saw their popularity rise in response to these new television shows (and DC on the heels of two Tim Burton Batman Films).

The series to start the new superhero wave of the ’90s was none other than creators Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski’s Batman: The Animated Series, premiering on FOX Kids and distributed by Warner Brothers Studios. Releasing in September 1992 (two months before X-Men: TAS), and running for two seasons; Batman: The Animated Series was extremely popular in the time it ran, and is still popular today (with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB). The show itself has even been responsible for influencing and introducing a wide variety of characters, stories, etc., in Batman comics that have lasted to this day and ingrained in popular culture. So, here are the five best episodes from Batman: The Animated Series.

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Heart of Ice

     Warner Brothers Studios

Just the fourth episode of the first season, and the episode responsible for re-igniting the villain Mr. Freeze (Freeze wasn’t taken too seriously as a villain in source material up to that point), “Heart of Ice” is considered by many to be the best episode of the series. Overhauling the character’s backstory: introducing his wife Nora, along with his new motivations to save her. The episode itself follows Batman as he tries to stop Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) from icing his former employer (GothCORP) for causing his tragic conditions and cutting funding. Batman does stop him, but with one of the more heart-wrenching endings on television. This was an overall heartbreaking episode, re-igniting Victor Fries as a mainstream Batman villain with better motivations.

Joker’s Favor

One of the more unique episodes of the series, “Joker’s Favor” doesn’t follow Batman as its main character, but rather ordinary Gotham Citizen Charlie Collins, who is forced by the Joker to pay up on a favor, and help Joker complete a crime. With the voice-debut of Mark Hamill’s ever-popular Joker, the episode was successful through its plot twists and high stakes tension. It is, however, most well-known for being the debut episode for one of the most popular DC characters ever, Harley Quinn; who now shines as her own character outside of Batman and ex-boyfriend Joker.

Robin’s Reckoning

Another fantastic origin episode(s), “Robin’s Reckoning” follows Batman and Robin as they break up a mafia scheme, and as they capture one of the members, he drops the name of the man who killed Dick Grayson’s parents: Tony Zucco. After, the story dives into Grayson’s backstory: his life in the circus, his parents’ tragic deaths in the circus, and how he ended up with Bruce Wayne/ Batman. A two-part storyline, “Robin’s Reckoning” has some of the deepest emotional moments in the series, with how Batman and Robin both became heroes due to personal tragedies in their lives. The story also ends with a fantastic monologue between the two heroes and their philosophies.

Perchance to Dream

Some of the best episodes of multiple animated series from the ’90s deal with the heavy theme of identity for heroes, and what their lives would be like if they were different, or if they weren’t the hero they were, or if their personal tragedy hadn’t happened. Superman: TAS had the seminal episode “For the Man who Has Everything”, and Batman: TAS has “Perchance to Dream”. In this episode’s universe, Bruce Wayne is not Batman, and lives a happy life. Both of his parents are alive, he is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and he’s engaged to Selina Kyle (Catwoman). But this Bruce Wayne is nagged by the feeling that he is the Batman, a new vigilante who just appeared in this universe’s Gotham. This was an absolute mind-boggling episode; forcing Bruce to deal with his life as Batman and the world he lives in, “Perchance to Dream” delves deep into the psychology of the caped crusader.

Beware the Gray Ghost

     Warner Brothers Studios 

An homage to classic Batman serials of the 1940s and ’50s, and the always fun Batman ‘66 television show, “Beware the Gray Ghost” shows Batman hunting a serial bomber, who is wearing the costume of former television hero, the Gray Ghost. In the story, Batman has to team up with former, original Gray Ghost actor Simon Trent (played by none other than former Batman actor Adam West) in order to stop the bomber. An episode filled with action, the moment that stands out is when Batman realizes that all these years later, the Gray Ghost is still his hero.

With more than eighty episodes in its filmography, Batman: The Animated Series has revitalized characters from the Batman mythos, while creating some of the best episodes of superhero television ever made. The five episodes listed above did just that and more, becoming the Mount Rushmore of Batman: TAS episodes.