The animated superhero series Batman: Caped Crusader hit Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 1, with ten episodes releasing simultaneously. The series has received widespread praise and currently holds a rare 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Singled out for praise in many reviews are its vast array of interesting characters. Batman’s rogues gallery is comprehensively represented in the show, with favorites like Harley Quinn, Two-Face, and Catwoman and lesser-known villains like Onomatopoeia, Nocturna, and Firebug.

Another villain who appears, perhaps having not previously received the attention his character warrants, is the Gentleman Ghost, James “Jim” Craddock’s villainous alter-ego.

In DC Comics, Craddock first appeared in 1947’s Flash Comics #88 as a villain of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. He wasn’t an undead being but a criminal wearing a 19th-century aristocrat’s white outfit who used stage magic tricks to make himself appear like a ghost (consider how countless Scooby Doo bad guys did the same thing if you need to visualize the character). He has no visible head and a floating monocle.

More recently, he has indeed been portrayed as actual ghost — an English 19th-century highway robber who is killed in a fight with the cowboy couple Nighthawk and Cinnamon, and cursed to live as a spirit until his killers depart this mortal realm. Sadly for him, Nighthawk and Cinnamon exist in a perpetual cycle of reincarnation, meaning he’ll never get to truly die, and he continues to commit criminal acts as a phantom.

The character appears in that spectral form in Batman: Caped Cruasader’s sixth episode, “Night Ride,” voiced by British actor Toby Stephens. But precisely who is the man voicing the mysterious spectral thorn in the Dark Knight’s side?

Who is British actor Toby Stephens?

Toby Stephens was born in London on April 21, 1969, making him 55 years old.

His most notable movie credits include 2000’s Space Cowboys, 2001’s Possession, 2002’s Die Another Day, 2016’s The Journey, and 2018’s Hunter Killer. On television, his credits include Waking the Dead, Law & Order: UK, Black Sails, Lost in Space, Alex Rider, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Stephens’ role as the Gentleman Ghost is only the sixth voice role of his career. In movies, he had voice roles in the English dubs of 2004’s Terkel in Trouble and 2005’s Midsummer Dream and, on television, his voice roles include parts in Secrets of the Dead: The Umbrella Assassin, The Best Job in the World, and Lost: The Mystery of Flight 447.

He’s also a prolific stage actor and reprised his role as Gustav Graves from Die Another Day in the 2012 video game 007 Legends.

The Gentleman Ghost’s appearance in Batman: Caped Crusader is undoubtedly the most prominent role the character has had on the small screen and the most frightening and formidable depiction of the character. He’s been one of the best rogues in the show — it’s making us think he’d make an incredible antagonist for a live-action Batman movie — which is no mean feat, given the villainous company he’s in. That’s largely down to the brilliant work of Stephens.

Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader.

Batman: Caped Crusader is finally available on Prime Video, bringing a rogues’ gallery of familiar, obscure, and reimagined Dark Knight villains. 

Set in a noir-inspired 1940s Gotham City, the show introduces viewers to a version of Gotham City where Batman (voiced by Hamish Linklater) can’t count on advanced technology and must use his detective skills to solve crimes. As such, Batman’s ensemble of enemies got remixed for Caped Crusader, with superhumans almost entirely absent. 

Batman remains the central figure in Caped Crusader, even if it’s the colorful cast of antagonists that truly brings the show’s unique vision of Gotham to life. Here’s every villain appearance in season 1 of Batman: Caped Crusader, ranked by their impact on the show.

13. Killer Croc

At the bottom of our list, we find Killer Croc, who makes only a fleeting appearance as part of a traveling carnival passing through Gotham. While his imposing presence is felt, Croc doesn’t get a chance to shine as a true antagonist. His brief interaction with Bruce Wayne, roughing him up a bit, serves more as a tease of the character’s potential rather than a full-fledged villain appearance.

12. The Joker

The Clown Prince of Crime is surprisingly absent from 99.9% of Caped Crusader‘s first season, which might puzzle some fans, but Batman’s nemesis does ultimately appear in season 1’s final scene. That teases the upcoming season 2, where Batman and The Joker will undoubtedly clash.

11. Rupert Thorne

Rupert Thorne (voiced by Cedric Yarbrough) returns to the screen as Gotham’s reigning crime lord, but his portrayal doesn’t break new ground compared to previous iterations. As the main mobster ruling Gotham’s underworld, Thorne represents the entrenched corruption that Batman must combat. However, his character lacks the depth and innovation seen in other villains in this series.

10. Papa Midnite

Papa Midnite (also voiced by Cedric Yarbrough) initially serves as an uneasy ally to Batman, offering assistance in supernatural matters. His role in helping the Dark Knight trap the Gentleman Ghost (voiced by Toby Stephens) comes with a price that even Batman is wary of. Papa Midnite’s cryptic warning about not asking about his intentions for the ensnared Gentleman Ghost’s spirit adds a layer of mystique and potential future conflict to his character.

9. Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia (voiced by Reid Scott) leads a group of assassins targeting Barbara Gordon (Krystal Joy Brown), bringing a unique visual and auditory flair to his limited screen time. The villain’s classy appearance and distinctive speech patterns, using only sound effects, make him stand out among the more conventional criminals. His inclusion also gives a lesser-known Batman villain a chance to shine in a major production.

8. Catwoman

Catwoman (voiced by Christina Ricci) is reimagined as a wealthy thrill-seeker inspired by Batman’s own costumed antics. This version of Selina Kyle steals not out of necessity but to maintain her lavish lifestyle. Her playful and witty interactions with Batman create an intriguing dynamic, even as the Dark Knight ultimately brings her to justice.

7. Gentleman Ghost

The Gentleman Ghost receives a complete overhaul in Batman: Caped Crusader, becoming a supernatural manifestation of Gotham’s class struggles. In this iteration, he’s portrayed as a wealthy, anti-democratic figure who believes in the subjugation of the poor. His hatred is so powerful that it transcends death, allowing him to return as a spectral thief targeting the less fortunate.

6. Firebug

A twist on the more familiar Firefly, Firebug (voiced by Tom Kenny) is portrayed as a villain manipulated by corrupt forces within Gotham. Consumed by an uncontrollable compulsion to set fires, Firebug becomes a pawn in a larger scheme to trap Batman. The character’s end is made more tragic by the fact he needed medical help but got a bullet from the same people who wanted to use him as Bat-bait.

5. Clayface

The Caped Crusader version of Clayface (voiced by Dan Donohue), adapting Golden Age character Basil Karlo, lacks the expansive shapeshifting abilities of modern interpretations but compensates with a terrifying talent for impersonation and a sadistic streak. As a bloody serial killer, Clayface fits perfectly into the series’ darker, more investigative approach to Batman’s world.

4. Harvey Dent

Harvey Dent’s (voiced by Diedrich Bader)  journey to becoming Two-Face is given new depth, as he’s portrayed as a morally compromised figure before his transformation. This version of Dent is a somewhat corrupt District Attorney willing to bend the rules to secure convictions and advance his political career. It’s an interesting take that shows Dent’s dual nature even before his face-melting attack.

3. Nocturna

Nocturna (voiced by Mckenna Grace) undergoes a radical transformation in this series, presented as a child who challenges Batman’s moral code. Her tragic situation, kidnapping other children to feed but unable to control her vampiric nature, forces Batman to confront the complexities of justice and compassion. The Dark Knight’s decision to take her to a hospital for study rather than traditional incarceration highlights the nuanced approach to villainy in the series.

2. Penguin

The Penguin (voiced by Minnie Driver) receives a gender-swapped reimagining as a tough mobster matriarch. This version of the character is ruthlessly pragmatic, willing to sacrifice her own children to protect her criminal empire. Her brutal tactics and her public persona as a family-oriented businesswoman create a compelling and fresh take on the classic Batman villain.

1. Harley Quinn

Topping our list is the completely revamped Harley Quinn (voiced by Jamie Chung). Freed from her traditional connection to the Joker, this version of Harley emerges as Batman’s perfect foil. Her crusade against Gotham’s wealthy elite, coupled with her psychiatric expertise used for torture, makes her a formidable and complex antagonist. Harley’s goal of forcibly redistributing wealth, albeit through violent and psychologically damaging means, presents a morally challenging adversary for the Dark Knight.

Batman: Caped Crusader used some relatively unknown DC villains to breathe fresh air into the Dark Knight mythos. One of those is the Gentleman Ghost, Gotham City’s anti-Robin Hood.

Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert, the Gentleman Ghost first materialized in Flash Comics #88 in October 1947. Since then, he has haunted the pages of comic books and various media adaptations, becoming a memorable foe for numerous DC heroes.

Initially known simply as “The Ghost,” the villain was portrayed as a criminal staging elaborate heists, with his supernatural nature left ambiguous. As comics evolved, so did Gentleman Ghost’s backstory. Later iterations revealed him to be Jim Craddock, a 19th-century English highwayman who swore vengeance upon his death, a vow that bound him to Earth. 

In more recent comics, particularly Geoff Johns’ Hawkman stories, Gentleman Ghost’s origin was further expanded. It was revealed that Craddock was killed by one of Hawkman’s past incarnations, who cursed him to walk the Earth until his killer’s soul passed on — an impossible feat due to Hawkman’s continuous reincarnation.

While far from being an A-lister, the Gentleman Ghost has a television history, appearing in multiple DC animated projects.

The Gentleman Ghost’s history beyond comic books

The Gentleman Ghost’s first TV appearance was in 1977’s The All-New Super Friends Hour, where Alan Oppenheimer voiced him. This portrayal downplayed his ghostly abilities, focusing instead on his role as a formidable criminal adversary for the Super Friends.

A more nuanced interpretation emerged in 2004’s Justice League Unlimited, where Robin Atkin Downes brought the character to life. This version aligned more closely with the comics, embracing Gentleman Ghost’s supernatural essence. The show’s writers incorporated him into storylines involving mystical threats, allowing his spectral powers to shine and maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor.

Perhaps the most distinctive television adaptation came in 2008’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with Greg Ellis voicing the character. This series took a lighter approach, blending Gentleman Ghost’s supernatural abilities with gadgetry in a way that echoed his earliest comic appearances. The villain’s origin was also rewritten, turning him into a professional thief who makes a deal with a demon and spends the afterlife robbing people to pass the time.

Now, Batman: Caped Crusader draws inspiration from The Brave and the Bold to cement the Gentleman Ghost’s relationship with Gotham City.

How did Batman: Caped Crusader revamp the Gentleman Ghost?

The Gentleman Ghost is one of the few genuinely supernatural menaces lurking in Batman: Caped Crusader. In the new series, the Ghost is still the spirit of Craddock, who once was one the wealthiest men in Gotham City. Craddock thinks his heritage makes him better than other people and holds an eternal grudge against the poor. This version of Craddock sees democracy as a sham and believes things were better when the few ruled over the many.

Batman starts pursuing the Gentleman Ghost after a spectral figure begins to steal money from charity and the least fortunate. It’s a perfect subversion of the Robin Hood archetype, underlining Gotham’s structural issues. The city is eroding due to the greed of mobsters, corrupt cops, and career politicians in Caped Crusader. As such, every episode has something to say about morality in an unfair world.

The new Gentleman Ghost is a welcome addition to the Dark Knight stories. Since he is just imprisoned by the end of the first season of Caped Crusader, Season 2 could bring the villain back for Bat-revenge.

Batman: Caped Crusader stands apart from other Dark Knight stories by portraying classic DC characters in unexpected ways. That is the case of Natalia Knight, aka Nocturna, who receives a dramatic reimagining in the animated series. 

Created by Doug Moench and Gene Colan, Nocturna first appeared in 1983’s Detective Comics #529. In the comics, she was originally introduced as Natalia Knight, a jewel thief with a complex relationship with the Bat Family. Her backstory involved being an orphan adopted by a wealthy benefactor, later exposed to a radioactive laser that drained her skin of pigment. She briefly adopted Jason Todd and discovered Batman’s secret identity. Still, her relationship with the Dark Knight became more complex when they slept together, and she grew closer to Bruce Wayne.

Nocturna has become a more nuanced and morally ambiguous figure in recent years. Modern comics have explored her vampiric nature, giving her superhuman strength, light sensibility, and the need to drain other people’s blood or life energy, usually through a bite. These changes allow DC to use her as both a villain and a tragic figure as writers delve into themes of addiction, identity, and the struggle for self-control.

While Nocturna has appeared in various comic storylines, her presence in other media has been limited. She appeared only once on television as a serial killer in Arroverse’s Batwoman, played by Kayla Ewell. This makes her inclusion in Batman: Caped Crusader particularly noteworthy. 

How did Batman: Caped Crusader revamp Nocturna?

In Batman: Caped Crusader, Natalia (voiced by Mckenna Grace) is portrayed as a child rather than an adult. This dramatic shift in age allows the show to explore themes of innocence, corruption, and the blurred lines between victim and villain. The series doesn’t even use the moniker “Nocturna,” referring to the character only as “Natalia.” However, the episode featuring her is titled “Nocturne,” a clear nod to her comic book persona. 

In Caped Crusader, Natalia works at a carnival with her brother, Anton. Their act involves deception, as Natalia pretends to gain super strength from a machine built by her “mad scientist” brother. In reality, Natalia is cursed by a disease heavily implied to be a form of vampirism. She possesses superhuman strength but must drain the vital energy of others to sustain herself. She’s also vulnerable to sunlight, a classic vampire trait. 

Natalia’s actions in the show are driven by her hunger, leading her to kidnap children visiting the carnival to drain their vital energy. This portrayal adds a tragic element to her character, as she’s depicted as a child herself, struggling with powers beyond her control. 

In the episode, Natalia inadvertently kills her own brother, which convinces her to surrender and let the sun burn her body away. Batman (voiced by Hamish Linklater) intervenes, shielding her with his cape. This moment underscores Batman’s understanding that Natalia is a misguided child, driven by her unwanted condition rather than genuine malice. It’s also a turning point for the vengeful Dark Knight, who’s forced to rethink his black-and-white vision of criminality.

By blending horror elements with a poignant backstory, Caped Crusader creates a version of Nocturna that is both sympathetic and unsettling, perfectly fitting the series’ noir-inspired tone. Furthermore, while Nocturna is just a one-episode villain, her presence underlines the show’s deep moral discussion.

At first glance, Batman: Caped Crusader appears to be a solo venture for the Dark Knight. However, the series’ creative team has found an ingenious way to hide Robin in plain sight.

Batman: Caped Crusader has received widespread critical acclaim since its debut on Prime Video. The series reimagines the Dark Knight’s early days in Gotham City and has been praised for its noir-inspired animation style, compelling storytelling, and fresh takes on classic characters. Critics have lauded the show’s ability to balance nostalgia for Batman: The Animated Series with innovative narrative choices that keep the franchise fresh and exciting. Sadly, the Boy (or Girl) Wonder does not team up with the Dark Knight in Caped Crusader.

While Robin may not be physically present in the series, the show’s creators have ingeniously woven the Boy Wonder’s legacy into the fabric of the storytelling. This subtle approach pays homage to Batman’s iconic partners without shifting focus from the Dark Knight himself.

Batman: Caped Crusader has four Robins

In a brilliant stroke of storytelling, the episode features four children who become targets of Nocturna’s (voiced by Mckenna Grace) supernatural hunger. Each of these kids represents a different iteration of Robin from Batman’s long history. There’s Dickie (voiced by Carter Rockwood), a clear reference to Dick Grayson, the original Robin and arguably the most famous. Jason (voiced by Henry Witcher) echoes Jason Todd, the second Robin, known for his tragic fate at the hands of the Joker. Stephie (voiced by Amari McCoy) nods to Stephanie Brown, who briefly held the Robin mantle. Finally, Carrie (voiced by Juliet Donenfeld) draws inspiration from Carrie Kelley of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

To underline how the kids are Robins in disguise, their looks also mimic their comic book counterparts. Dickie has black hair and a mischievous smile, while Jason is a younger freckled boy. Stephie also sports her classic long blonde hair. As for Carrie, her combination of short red hair and glasses is impossible to miss.
As an origin story, it makes sense for Caped Crusader to maintain its focus on Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming Gotham’s protector instead of adding a protegee to the mix.

The series expertly explores the challenges and growth of a younger, less experienced Batman as he navigates the criminal underworld and his own internal struggles. It would be just too much if Bruce also had to deal with the role of a surrogate father. Nevertheless, the clever nod to the Robin legacy demonstrates the creators’ deep respect for Batman lore while preserving the narrative integrity of this particular chapter in the Dark Knight’s story.

As the spiritual successor of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Caped Crusader is one of the most anticipated shows of 2024. So, even before the first season is released, fans want to know if there will be a Season 2.

Warner Bros. Animation announced Batman: Caped Crusader in May 2021. The series immediately garnered attention due to its impressive creative team: Bruce Timm, the co-creator of the beloved TAS; J.J. Abrams, known for his work on major franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars; and Matt Reeves, who at the time was wrapping what would be one of DC’s biggest theatrical hits with 2022’s The Batman.

Despite the initial excitement, Batman: Caped Crusader faced unexpected challenges. In August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max’s production slate amid broader restructuring at Warner Bros. Discovery. This move, part of cost-cutting measures implemented by CEO David Zaslav, left the show’s future uncertain.

The turning point came on March 9, 2023, when Amazon Studios announced it had picked up Batman: Caped Crusader for two seasons. This move saved the series and demonstrated Amazon’s commitment to the show. Knowing they had two seasons to explore Gotham City right from the start gives the creative team room to breathe. It’s no wonder that Season 1 is a critical success.

When will Season 2 of Batman: Caped Crusader come to Prime Video?

While Season 2 of Batman: Caped Crusader is confirmed, we still don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for it. The series creative team is already working on it, as comic book writer J.M. DeMatteis revealed he wrote one of Season 2’s episodes. However, animation is a demanding process, so we should expect the second season’s release before 2025.

Batman: Caped Crusader is trying to be both a reinvention of the Dark Knight and the spiritual successor to the beloved Batman: The Animated Series. Those are big shoes to fill, but executive producer Bruce Timm has created another noir classic.

While Batman has always been DC’s most successful character, the widespread knowledge of the Dark Knight mythos is a product of the 1990s. Even if Tim Burton’s movies have much to do with the status of Batman as a pop culture icon, Batman: TAS introduced new generations to the DC universe by offering an stories that were faithful to the comic books and broke new ground for the character. It’s no wonder Batman: TAS eventually led to the Justice League series and kickstarted DC’s prolific animated label.

Right off the bat (pun intended), Batman: Caped Crusader is a dark dream come true. The show brings Timm back to rebuild Gotham without the constraints of a family-friendly TV show. Plus, he’s sharing the executive producer hat with Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams. The first is the maker of 2022’s The Batman, one of the best Dark Knight stories ever to reach the silver screen. The second is one of Hollywood’s most beloved producers, with a finger in classics such as Lost and the new Star Trek movies. 

Finally, Caped Crusader’s head writer is none other than Ed Brubaker, a legend who created the Winter Soldier persona and flipped the Captain America comic books upside down.  As such, it’s not exactly a surprise that Batman: Caped Crusader is so good. Still, the new animated series might not be for everyone’s taste.

In his inception, Batman was not fistfighting meta-humans and his adventures revolved around solving mysteries that puzzled Gotham’s police forces. Over the decades, Batman’s rogue gallery has drastically expanded by adding supervillains of all kinds. In addition, some of the Dark Knight’s classic nemesis, like Poison Ivy, were retconned, going from street-level criminals to world-threatening forces. At the same time, real-world technological advancements led to bat gadgets that got closer to science fiction. 

That’s not exactly a bad progression for the character mythos, as there’s a fair share of fans who prefer the action-focused Dark Knight we’ve seen the most in recent decades. Nevertheless, the box office success of Reeves’ The Batman proves there’s room for spotlighting Batman’s detective side.

Batman: Caped Crusader strips the Dark Knight (voiced by Hamish Linklater) from its fancy gadgets and overpowered foes. Instead, it offers a 1940s-inspired version of Gotham in which Batman’s wit is the main weapon against the city’s rising corruption and criminality. With no marvelous gadgets or supercomputers, Batman is forced to do actual investigative work. Plus, without focusing on superpowered adversaries, Caped Crusader allows Batman to showcase his hand-to-hand prowess instead of hiding behind tools. It’s a homage to both TAS and the original Detective Comics, where Batman’s intelligence and willpower allowed him to be considered an equal by gods, aliens, and monsters.

Following TAS’ trend, Caped Crusader dares shake up Batman’s mythos. For instance, TAS gave Mr. Freeze his tragic backstory, which quickly became canon across the DC universe. Furthermore, TAS created Harley Quinn from scratch, introducing a character that would become so famous she would get her own (marvelous!) TV show. This version of Harley Quinn adds even more layers to her complex representation, with Caped Crusader offering the most exciting version of the villain to date. Just as Timm’s TAS framed known characters through new lenses, Caped Crusader accepts the task of challenging fans’ knowledge of the Dark Knight canon and embracing its Elseworld nature.

The show gives other major Batman villains a new coat of paint, exploring their fractured psyche in unexpected ways. Plus, instead of only sticking to big names, some episodes of Caped Crusader are dedicated to fairly obscure comic book characters. This is an inspired decision because DC has thousands of characters, but adaptations tend to reuse the same ones ad nauseam. Yet, it’s easy to see how some fans might be displeased that their favorite household villain isn’t present in the show’s first season.

It’s also worth noting that Caped Crusader is yet another origin story for the Dark Knight, focusing on his first months as a vigilante. So, as much as the new show is filled with fresh ideas, there’s only so much one can do to avoid threading a recognizable path while remaining faithful to the original work.

Caped Crusader also dedicates a lot of screen time to side characters like Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Eric Morgan Stuart), Barbara Gordon (voiced by Krystal Joy Brow), and Detective Montoya (voiced by Michelle C. Bonilla). On that note, Montoya is another TAS creation that gets revamped and expanded in the new show, along with Harley Quinn. The focus on these characters allows Caped Crusader to paint a clearer picture of Gotham City’s dire situation and explore the necessity of a vengeful vigilante such as Batman.

The show’s creative team understands Batman’s appeal, underlining how he is Gotham’s last line of defense. However, Caped Crusader doesn’t make the mistake of reducing Batman to the role of hero. He is a vigilante with a complicated relationship with authority, and his methods can be highly controversial. If Batman has endured so long, it is because he has flaws and contradictions that make him more interesting. The ambiguity of the character is put front and center in Caped Crusader, as the side characters expose the limits of the judicial system and the dangers of thinking the ends justify the means.

It’s no wonder Caped Crusader has been announced as a grittier version of TAS, as the new show doesn’t hold its punches when it comes to analyzing the moral intricacies of Gotham City. Nevertheless, the show remains faithful to TAS’ aesthetics, refraining from showing blood and guts. That’s a curious choice, given the more mature-oriented ethos of Caped Crusader. Even so, it’s also a mindblowing example of how you can build a sophisticated and unnerving narrative without the need for gore or explicit violence.

Regarding aesthetics, Caped Crusader’s animation technique might be the show’s most controversial aspect. Using hand-drawn animation techniques, each frame of the show is built of static and texturized backgrounds where full-color objects and characters move around. Caped Crusader is an impressive work of art for those who enjoy the unique feeling of analog animation, especially since the retro images fit like a cape and cowl in its 1940s version of Gotham City. 

At the same time, by reusing TAS’ framework, Caped Crusader is confined to more rigid movements and slow-paced combats. That doesn’t detract from the show’s investigative intentions and even helps to keep the focus on character growth and mind games. Yet, in the three decades since TAS’ original release, audiences got used to fast-paced, explosive superhero media. As such, it will be interesting to see if Caped Crusader will get the attention it deserves.

Despite personal taste, Caped Crusader is undoubtedly an artistic achievement. Prime Video was smart to snatch the show after it got abandoned by HBO Max, as Amazon’s streaming platform will add another critical hit to its enviable superhero catalog.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

If you were expecting Deadpool & Wolverine to fully integrate the X-Men into the MCU then you may leave the theater a tad disappointed, as the threequel — for all its faults — is impressively focused on the past and the present rather than doing too much heavy-lifting for Marvel’s future.

Sure, it opens the door for Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s Foxy friends to interact with the characters of Earth-616, but there’s no attempt to press a big old reset button, thereby setting up the X-Men reboot that’s already in the works. It’s ironic, then, that Deadpool 3 instead does DC a solid by helping pave the way for the Distinguished Competition’s next Batman.

As anyone obsessing over Deadpool & Wolverine will likely already know, Robert Pattinson may be returning for 2026’s The Batman — Part 2, but former Marvel man James Gunn is also working on a separate reboot for the Caped Crusader to be titled The Brave and the Bold. And, despite being in the wrong multiverse, Deadpool 3 just helped Gunn make a major decision for his Dark Knight.

Deadpool & Wolverine makes it abundantly clear what James Gunn needs to do with the DCU’s Batman

They kept us waiting, first 24 years and then the entire marketing campaign and then most of the film, but Deadpool & Wolverine finally goes and gives us Wolverine’s iconic helmet in its final act. At long last, Hugh Jackman dons the blue and yellow spiky-eared head-covering for the grand and bloody battle with the Deadpool Corps — and it looks just as glorious as we always hoped it would.

For X-Men fans long in the tooth, there’s something genuinely otherworldly about seeing the comic book-accurate Wolverine realized in live-action for the very first time. Somehow, even though it really shouldn’t, the full Logan look actually works perfectly in the flesh. Even with the addition of the white eyes, a fixture of superhero costumes that the movies have long seemed dead-set on avoiding.

Thankfully, the Deadpool franchise itself has given its hero white eyes — and proven how well they can work — since 2016, but weirdly other universes have been slow to follow suit. Since then, we’ve had two and a bit Batman movies (the two Justice Leagues make up one and a half) but none of them bothered to break with the Batverse’s most boring 35-year-old tradition: chickening out of giving the Dark Knight some white lenses in his cowl.

With Wolverine’s white-eyed helmet working out so beautifully in live-action, however, this really is the final proof that a similar take on Batman’s cowl in Gunn’s DCU is the only way to go. Come on, Gunn, it’s time to make sure the movie lives up to its name and be as brave and as bold as Marvel.

21st century popular culture has been dominated by superheroes, with movies, television, and comic books teeming with weird and wonderful characters displaying incredible superpowers and abilities. Marvel and DC are the most well-known sources of superpowered characters — with the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine amongst the most popular heroes — but they’re far from the only ones these days.

That’s resulted in many superpowers entering the cultural zeitgeist, many of which we’d all love to have. Can you imagine the benefits of having Superman’s power set in the real world? Good heavens! In this piece, we’ll take you through what we believe are the 15 best superpowers ever depicted in fiction.

15. Invisibility

One of the first superpowers most people mention when they think of the one they’d most like to possess is invisibility. There are undoubtedly good reasons for that; you could get into places without paying, play tricks on your friends, and save a lot of money on clothes.

However, given the sordid mischief you could get up to, it’s a pretty creepy ability to possess. You wouldn’t want everyone you know feeling paranoid in the shower.

Examples of users: The Invisible Man, Sue Storm, and Violet Parr.

14. Shapeshifting

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to gain the same attention and admiration as your favorite actor, musician, or sports star? Well, shapeshifting would make that happen. It allows you to alter your body to look like other people — but there’s more to it than that.

Top-tier shapeshifters can alter the makeup of their anatomy, shifting the organs around, growing extra limbs, and much, much more. It’s a far more helpful power than many people think.

Examples of users: Mystique, Beast Boy, and Clayface.

13. Flight

Is there anyone on the planet who wouldn’t love to fly? We’ve all had the dreams, right? It would be a super-convenient, fantastic, and cheap way of traveling from A to B.

Imagine the wind in your hair, the terrific views, and the speed at which you would move as the crow flies between your starting point and destination (even if an ocean splits those two locations). Yeah, flight would be a fun superpower to have.

Examples of users: Superman, Hawkman, and Archangel.

12. Teleportation

Like flight, teleportation provides a hugely convenient method of transportation, with the bonus of being near-instant.

Imagine being able to get out of a tricky situation immediately, teleport a loved one to safety, get to work on time if you were running massively late, or whisk yourself away to an exotic location without the need for flights and passports at the drop of a hat. It would be so cool.

Examples of users: Nightcrawler, Azazel, and Blink.

11. Superstrength

Superstrength is the quintessential superpower and the one possessed by the most fictional characters. It’s precisely what it sounds like, granting users the ability to perform extraordinary feats of strength.

That doesn’t just mean being able to beat anyone in an arm wrestle or lift a car off the ground. Characters with superstrength in comic books have lifted buildings, mountains, moons, and even planets.

Examples of users: The Hulk, He-Man, and Mr. Incredible.

10. Super Durability

Possessing super durability means having the ability to shrug off the kind of impact that would badly injure or kill an average person. In fiction, it can range from taking minimal damage from such hits to being utterly impervious to them and feeling no pain.

Being bulletproof or able to tank the direct impact of a nuclear explosion would take away so much of the worry of living in a dangerous world.

Examples of users: The Juggernaut, the Thing, and Colossus.

9. Super Healing

Like super durability, super healing allows those who possess it to shrug off damage that would otherwise kill them — albeit in a different way.

With super healing, individuals still take damage, but it doesn’t last, as the cells within their body regenerate. While it means quick healing from cuts and broken bones, some characters have healed from being obliterated to a single cell. Super healing at its most potent can make individuals immortal.

Examples of users: Wolverine, Deadpool, and Claire Bennet.

8. Telekinesis

Telekinesis is the ability to physically manipulate objects and the environment without touching them. It can range from simply being able to move said things to intricately being able to alter or damage them at the molecular level.

Practical uses for telekinesis could include lifting heavy objects in industry and moving items in hard-to-reach places, carrying out surgery, or, you know, slicing someone in half.

Examples of users: Manchester Black, Carrie White, and Ebony Maw.

7. Technopathy

Technopathy is the ability to communicate with, hack into, and manipulate electronic machinery. For instance, wielders of the power could talk to a smart speaker, hack into a computer, or turn a television on with their mind.

This ability could bring all kinds of benefits, from adding money to a bank account to gaining access to secret information or saving you the effort of getting up to turn the kettle on. Of course, with nefarious ambition, they could also access nuclear codes.

Examples of users: Cyborg, Micah Sanders, and Brainiac.

6. Magnetism Control

Given the amount of metal in modern society, the power to control both it and magnetic fields would be potent. Metal manipulation could be used to do anything from picking up a spoon to preventing a car from crashing.

However, with complete control of magnetic fields, it could also be used to do things as intricate as manipulating the iron in people’s blood and erecting powerful magnetic forcefields for protection.

Examples of users: Magneto, Magneta, and Suyin Beifong.

5. Superspeed

Flight and teleportation are great ways of getting around quickly. However, there’s something that little bit more stylish about simply being faster than everyone else — and that’s the luxury superspeed grants you.

Being able to think, react, and move within tiny fractions of a second would be amazing. You could run rings around other people, get from one place to another incredibly quickly, and put it to heroic use. In the comics, the Flash evacuated over half a million people from a city to save them from an explosion after the explosion had started.

Examples of users: The Flash, Quicksilver, and Dash Parr.

4. Telepathy

The ability to read other people’s minds would be helpful, but the ability to control them would be amazing (albeit incredibly intrusive and easy to abuse).

Imagine being able to take all of the information from the mind of a doctor, rocket scientist, or world-class quizzer or going for a job interview and controlling the person interviewing you into hiring you. You could use the ability to become incredibly rich and powerful. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t feel very good about yourself for doing it.

Examples of users: Professor X, Apocalypse, and Emma Frost.

3. Energy Manipulation

One of the most underappreciated superpowers in fiction is the ability to manipulate energy. The entire planet is powered by various types of energy — heat, light, electrical, nuclear, magnetic, and kinetic, to name a few — and being able to control them would be epic.

You could power your appliances, heat your home, and fire concussive blasts as offensive weapons — if you were inclined to do so, that is.

Examples of users: Johnny Sorrow, Vulcan, and Monica Rambeau.

2. Time Manipulation

Time manipulation is the ability to control time for your benefit. The various ways of doing this include traveling forward or backward in time, slowing or speeding up the flow of time, or stopping time completely.

Imagine being able to meet your great great great great grandparents or your great great great great grandchildren. Imagine going back to see the dinosaurs. Or just stopping time so you could play silly tricks on your friends. It would be awesome.

Examples of users: Hiro Nakamura, Kang the Conqueror, and Thanos (or anyone) possessing the Time Stone.

1. Reality-Warping

Without a doubt, the best superpower is reality-warping. It allows the wielder to alter the very fabric of reality to suit them, from changing water into wine to turning an entire New Jersey town into an idyllic sitcom-esque environment (we’re looking at you, Wanda Maximoff).

Moreover, reality-warping could be used to grant yourself any other ability, so it’s effectively like having every other superpower on this list.

Examples of users: Scarlet Witch, Doctor Manhattan, and Mister Mxyzptlk.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three

DC decided to give one of the comic book universe’s most ambitious ever stories the animated treatment when it launched the three-part Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, with Part One releasing in January 2024.

The movie saw the Anti-Monitor, the Monitor’s evil counterpart, unleashed on the DC multiverse and embark on a relentless quest to destroy the various Earths the multiverse comprises. The movie chronicles the Monitor’s efforts to unite heroes from across the multiverse to stop it. The sequel, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Two, continued the cosmic battle, with more familiar good (and bad) guys from DC’s various universes joining the fight to save all reality.

The final installment in the trilogy, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three, hit home media on July 16, 2024. It depicts the multiversal characters’ final battle with the Anti-Monitor and neatly wraps up DC’s “Tomorrowverse,” the second installment of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), which began with 2020’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow.

But how did the Justice League: Crisis on Infinity Earths trilogy end, and was it a satisfying climax? Please note that this next part contains spoilers.

How does Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three end?

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three depicts the Ant-Monitor rampaging across the multiverse, destroying everything in its path. Several attempts to kill the powerful being fail, including an idea concocted by Lex Luthor that would see Superman (and ultimately Supergirl) absorb the power of 52 suns and sacrifice himself by detonating that power on the Anti-Monitor. Therefore, additional action is taken.

While the united heroes initially try to hide several universes inside the Bleed — a concealed cosmic zone where several worlds and realities take refuge — it soon becomes apparent that if the multiverse is left as it is, more Anti-Monitors will start appearing and attempting to destroy it.

Therefore, the heroes surmise that the best course of action is to reduce the multiverse to a single universe where they will all reside. They use the Miracle Machine to reset reality with a new Earth-Prime. Sadly, Wonder Woman’s channeling of the machine to utilize its power results in her dying, but she saves the multiverse in doing so and the heroes’ plan to create a new Earth-Prime works.

It’s a fitting ending to the trilogy and the “Tomorrowverse.” Still, it resulted in the sad loss of several popular animated universes, including the universes where Superman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond took place.

While the movie saw Mark Hamill’s triumphant return as the Joker, it also saw Kevin Conroy’s posthumous final performance as Batman. Conroy sadly passed away from intestinal cancer in 2022, but Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three is a fitting swansong for him, as it’s the best installment in this trilogy.

You can now watch Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three on Amazon — and we thoroughly recommend you do so.

Five episodes into Suicide Squad Isekai, and fans are fairly impressed. The anime, based on the popular DC Comics team, the Suicide Squad, has garnered a 67% positive score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

The series follows a familiar storyline in which A.R.G.U.S. director Amanda Waller puts together a team of supervillains to carry out dangerous missions against all manner of threats — including the mythical, mystical, otherworldly, and supernatural — that have an alarmingly high chance of killing them (and, if they fail to complete said missions, bombs attached to their bodies will detonate and kill them anyway).

It features many familiar characters, including Harley Quinn, the Joker, King Shark, Peacemaker, Deadshot, Clayface, and Rick Flagg. However, given that “Isekai” translates from Japanese as “another world,” it also features a few surprises that aren’t usually associated with DC canon.

It premiered for the Western audience on June 27, 2024, and the latest episode, episode 5, was released on July 11, 2024. But when can fans expect the follow-up episode?

When does episode 6 start streaming?

Episode 6 of Suicide Squad Isekai will premiere on Hulu and Max on July 18, 2024, before being released to Japanese audiences three weeks later on Aug. 3.

Previous episodes are still available on both platforms, and we strongly recommend watching the series. The animation is crisp, the voice-acting in the English dubs is solid without featuring any familiar names (though the original Japanese version is subtitled if you wish to watch that), and the storylines are exciting and action-packed.

The Superman shoot took an alarming turn this week when filming for the 2025 superhero reboot was forced to halt after a stunt performer suffered an injury during a high-speed motorcycle chase gone awry.

The movie from director James Gunn resumed shooting in Cleveland, Ohio — which is doubling up as Clark Kent’s home city, Metropolis — on Monday, July 8. Unlike prior days, which have allowed various eye-popping glimpses of stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan in costume as the Man of Steel and Lois Lane, no major cast was on set for this day of filming. Instead, the production took over the Detroit-Superior Bridge as a scene in which an unknown character on a motorcycle is chased through traffic.

Unfortunately, shooting was interrupted when one stunt person fell from his bike mid-chase, injuring his leg. As per Cleveland.com, the biker “took a spill, clutching his knee as he hit the ground. The camera crew stopped filming as he was placed on a stretcher and put into an ambulance. The stuntman received treatment for several minutes before the ambulance left the scene with him inside.”

Footage of the moment it happened can be seen in the following tweet:

Impressively, although the stunt person was removed and taken to hospital, shooting was only held up for about 40 minutes before filming rolled once more. This probably says something about how common stunt mishaps are on superhero film sets, even 30 years on from Brandon Lee’s death on of The Crow. Thankfully, in this case, it wasn’t anywhere near as serious, although we don’t currently have an update on this stunt performer’s condition and whether he’ll be fit enough to return to work on this movie.

The accident does seem to have been a complete fluke, however, and there’s no sign of any negligence. “The stuntman rehearsed the scene several times without incident,” Cleveland.com writes. “In the action, he and another stuntperson on a motorcycle are fleeing Metropolis on the bridge at a high rate of speed when one of them causes a staged collision between six cars.”

As said above, it’s unknown who the stuntman was subbing in for, but going by his black clothes it’s possible he was doubling up as Rick Flag Snr., as played by Frank Grillo. We’ll first meet Grillo’s character in this year’s Creature Commandos animated series, which just goes to show how intricately interconnected Gunn’s DCU will be.

Superman soars into cinemas on July 11, 2025.