DC writer/artist Sean Murphy revealed to Screen Rant that Batman: the Animated Series co-creator Paul Dini gave his blessing to the Batman: White Knight comics. Batman the Animated Series (also known as Batman: TAS or BTAS) and its numerous DC Animated Universe (DCAU) offshoots have contributed numerous characters and storylines to mainstream comics, from Harley Quinn to Mr. Freeze’s origin story. Now that the White Knight series has followed in the DCAU’s footsteps by moving the story from a young Bruce Wayne as Batman to an old Bruce Wayne encountering Terry McGinnis in Batman: Beyond the White Knight, the Murphyverse’s deconstruction of the Batman Beyond origin.
Batman: White Knight has prominently featured multiple characters from Batman: TAS and Batman Beyond, re-imagining many of the concepts for adult Batman fans that they grew up with as kids. Harley Quinn has been a central figure in the storyline, even getting her own spinoff series chronicling her stint as a vigilante, and a love triangle between Harley, Joker, and Batman, while unexpected, fits shockingly well into the narrative. Now that Batman: Beyond The White Knight is tackling Batman Beyond, not only has Terry McGinnis been introduced, but so has his arch-nemesis, Derek Powers, presumably soon to be the super villain Blight. But Sean Murphy recently realized he was recreating DCAU Batman stories that even he’d forgotten about.
In an interview with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con, Sean Murphy said he contacted Batman: TAS co-creator Paul Dini, after noticing similarities between the show and his White Knight comics that not even he had initially intended. Murphy states:
It’s no surprise that Dini is impressed with Murphy’s love of BTAS, as he can reference it without even intending to.
Sean Murphy had the epiphany that he’d been influenced by the Batman: TAS episode “Trial” in 2020 while re-watching it for his podcast, BATTASS: The Batman The Animated Series Show Podcast. “Trial” follows Batman as he’s forced into a somewhat uneasy alliance with Janet VanDorn, the new District Attorney post-Harvey Dent, who vocally opposes Batman’s vigilantism (while dating Bruce Wayne, ironically enough). VanDorn is kidnaped alongside Batman and forced to represent him in a kangaroo court held by Batman’s entire rogues’ gallery in Arkham Asylum. While VanDorn is slowly convinced of Batman’s worth, her initial arguments against his usefulness are what inspired Sean Murphy. “A lot of her opinions… seemingly became the Bible for what I was getting at in Batman: White Knight,” Murphy noted during the podcast.
When Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created Batman: the Animated Series, they made the perfect introduction to the world of Batman for new fans. With the White Knight universe, Sean Murphy has created the perfect reintroduction to the lapsed Batman fan who think they’ve seen it all. The While the White Knight series has never been shy about it’s reverence to BTAS, the fact that its major themes were planted in the mind of its creator decades beforehand is a testament to the universal appeal and malleability of Batman stories.
