Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman is a
direct-to-video animated film based on the animated series
The New Batman Adventures. It was released in the U.S. in October 2003 and Britain in January 2004.
This film is rated
PG by the
MPAA for "action violence".
Plot
A new hero has arrived in Gotham, but as the title suggests, her identity is a mystery—even to
Batman. Batman must figure out who Batwoman is and to stop familiar enemies
Penguin and
Rupert Thorne from selling illegal weapons to the fictional nation of
Kasnia. At the beginning of the story, the two employ Carlton Duquesne, a gangster, to provide protection.
Bane also features later on in the story as additional muscle.
Batwoman's main focus is on illegal activity by the Penguin, Thorne, and Carlton Duquesne. Despite taking the symbol of the Bat as a sign of justice, Batwoman sullies the Bat prefix by taking out criminals with ruthless and dangerous techniques. She seems uninterested in sparing the lives of her adversaries.
Batman, with
Robin, sets out to stop the Batwoman from making mistakes as she tries to take out the villains, and as he encounters numerous twists, setbacks, and apparent false leads in determining her true identity. The newest gadget on display is a wind glider used by Batwoman that utilizes some of the most advanced technology ever seen in Gotham City.
Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, also becomes involved with a new lady in his life: Kathy Duquesne, the crime boss's daughter.
In addition to Kathy Duquesne, Bruce is introduced to two other women who, as his investigation continues into who the Batwoman is, seem to fall well into suspicion: Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine, a new employee of Wayne Tech whose technology development is used by the Batwoman against the Penguin; and by Detective Bullock's new partner Sonya Alcana, whose knowledge of the weapons being smuggled by the Penguin and Carlton Dunquesne is much greater than the detective should know.
With Carlton Dunquesne unable to stop Batwoman's raids on the various facilities used to hold the various weapons, Penguin calls Bane for additional support to ensure that there are no more losses as a result of the Batwoman. Not long after Bane's arrival in Gotham, it is revealed that there is not one but three Batwomen, all of whom were the women suspected by Batman. They had taken turns to remove suspicion on any one of the three, while using Roxanne's technological genius and contempt for the Penguin (who had framed her long-time boyfriend), Kathy's money and access to several key aspects of her father's organization, and Sonia's physical and police skills to ensure that Penguin's operation is thwarted.
Production Design
Despite that the majority of returning characters retain the same designs from
The New Batman Adventures era, the character animation is considerably brighter and more lively than from the series. Rupert Thorne was featured in the original show
Batman: The Animated Series, but not in
The New Batman Adventures. As such, the animators had to create a new appearance for him specifically for this film; he is streamlined and seems to have lost some weight compared to his previous appearance. Carlton Duquesne is a new character introduced at the start of the movie. He is a large, powerfully built African-American man, presumably middle-aged, who apparently has established himself in Gotham City's underworld. Bane is placed next to him in one particular scene and is seen to be even larger and stronger than Duquesne, further adding to his menacing aura in this movie.
Series writers
Alan Burnett and Michael Reaves created the script, and
Kevin Conroy reprises the voice of Batman. The movie also shows further continuity with previous
Bruce Timm-developed Batman shows:
Barbara Gordon is shown to have a romantic interest in Bruce, which will later turn into a relationship (as mentioned in
Batman Beyond). This film is set before those events, however, as Robin and Batgirl have not been forced to quit in the wake of the events revealed through flashbacks in
Return of the Joker.
Voice cast
Cherie performs the single "Betcha Never" at Iceberg Lounge as herself. This is the only time in the
DC animated universe that
Paul Williams did not voice
The Penguin. This film marked the final performance of
John Vernon as
Rupert Thorne.
