Batman (DC animated universe)
In 1992, Batman returned to television in Batman: The Animated Series, which was produced by Warner Bros. and broadcast on the Fox television network. Author Les Daniels described the series as "[coming] as close as any artistic statement has to defining the look of Batman for the 1990s." The success of Batman: The Animated Series led to the animated spin-off film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), as well as various other animated series set in the same continuity, including The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, and Justice League. As with Batman: The Animated Series, each of these productions featured Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman. In-story information indicates Bruce Wayne's birth as being circa 1960.
Equipment
Batarangs
Batman Beyond, another animated series, which takes place 50 years in Gotham City's future, has a young high school student donning a high tech version of the batsuit to become the new Batman. This suit, among many other features, has the ability to automatically produce batarangs in the wearer's hand.
In the Justice League cartoon series, Batman employed a variety of Batarangs, including explosive Batarangs and electrically charged variants.
Batcomputer
Batman often utilizes the Batcomputer, impressive technology during the time the series was produced (early to mid 1990s), to research information on villains, from an anti-venom to Poison Ivy's plant poison to newspaper articles on the origin of Killer Croc.
In the "The Laughing Fish" episode, it's revealed that Harvey Bullock knows the existence of the Batcomputer, but how Bullock learned of it is not revealed. It's possible though he just might have been referring to a computer used by Batman as a "Batcomputer" akin to the 1960s TV series habit of everything having a bat- prefix.
In the episode "His Silicon Soul," HARDAC created a duplicate of Batman that survived the computer's destruction, but lost its memory function and believed itself to be the Dark Knight (it had been implanted with information AbOUT both Batman and Bruce Wayne.) Using the duplicate, HARDAC planned to reform over the Internet, connected through the Batcomputer. However, the duplicate rebelled, and destroyed the mainframe before HARDAC succeeded and itself.
In the episode "Dreams in Darkness", Batman fights with a man drilling into the pipes of a Gotham Spa. Batman and the man are doused with the poison the man intended to pour into the system. Batman later develops concerns regarding the hallucinogenic effects of the gas. While Batman examines blueprints of the device the man was to use in his computer, he briefly sees the Joker reflected in the Batcomputer's screen. However when attacking in response, it turns out to be Alfred.
In Batman Beyond, the elder Bruce Wayne used the Batcomputer to monitor his successor as Batman, Terry McGinnis, and their equipments. The computer has a failsafe in case the suit and other gadgetry fall into the wrong hands.
In the Adventures of Batman & Robin video game, Summer Gleeson only appears on the Batcomputer when there is a news item (usually at the beginning of each level).
Bat-Signal
In Batman: The Animated Series, the signal was built by Commissioner Gordon. Barbara Gordon uses it in one episode to contact Batman in "Heart of Steel" when she believes that an impostor has replaced her father. At this meeting, the signal is partially destroyed when Batman is attacked by a Harvey Bullock duplicate, and Barbara uses Batman's grapple gun to pull the robot into the signal, electrocuting it. Likewise, the real Harvey Bullock uses the signal for the first time when reluctantly asking for Batman's help in discovering who is trying to kill him in "A Bullet for Bullock". In the same series, a man who is being blackmailed by the Joker uses an improved Bat-Signal to call Batman for help.
In Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman is being hunted by the police as a suspect in the recent [...] of several gang lords, and Bullock, under orders from Councilman Arthur Reeves, tries to use the Bat-Signal to lure him in. Batman, knowing that it is a trap, does not respond.
The Bat-Signal is not used in Batman Beyond, save for one appearance, as Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon both has a direct line to the Batcave and is not as cooperative with Batman as her father was. The one appearance of the signal is in "Ascension", where Paxton Powers, the son of Derek Powers (Blight), has a small replica of it built to summon the new Batman, Terry McGinnis. Terry destroys it upon arrival, advising Paxton to try "e-mail."
In the web-series Gotham Girls, Batgirl appears to push her father Commissioner Gordon onto the Bat-signal, crushing it. It is revealed that he is merely a robotic replacement.
Batsuit
Batman: The Animated Series
In Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), the Batsuit overall appears to be a cross between the "New Look" costume and the original Bob Kane design; the suit's chest emblem is from the "New Look", but the cape and cowl have Kane's original color scheme of black with blue highlights. Occasionally the cape and cowl are also shown to be woven in one piece and when he's not fighting, the cape is usually seen covering Batman's entire body below his head. The costume lacks any armor qualities, instead being merely a body suit with no apparent special features and it often becomes torn in serious fights. It is occasionally seen packed in Bruce Wayne's luggage or in his vehicles, and it is made clear that he has numerous spares. In the episodes "P.O.V." and "Zatanna", it is shown that he hides lock picks and blades within his gloves in preparation of when his wrists being bound by handcuffs or ropes. The exact design and coloration of the suit was not always consistent in the series, as various animation studios worked on separate episodes.
Flashbacks shown in the episodes "Robin's Reckoning" and "The Mechanic", as well as in the animated spin-off film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), show Batman in an alternate costume that, according to the book Batman Animated, was based on the Batsuit from Batman: Year One.
The New Batman Adventures
In The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman's physical appearance was revamped. The Batsuit's colors became darker overall and the utility belt uses pouches instead of capsules or cylinders. His gloves also have extended scallops and his chest emblem is changed into a complete bat. The blue highlights of his cape and cowl are changed to gray, and the cape itself is redesigned to reach over his shoulders, even when it isn't covering his entire body below the head. He also has an alternate suit of black armor (debut in the episode "Torch Song") capable to withstand extreme heat and flame (such as Firefly's attacks) and presumably bulletproof as well.
Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
In Justice League (2001–2004), Batman was again redesigned and his uniform was given a mixture appearance of the previous two suits. The Batsuit is basically the same as in The New Batman Adventures, but has the more colorful look from the original series' costume.
A "Justice Lords" version of the Batsuit worn by an alternative-universe incarnation of Batman featured lighter gray colors on the cape, cowl and chest, and jet black on the rest of the bodysuit. The cape was also extended to cover the upper torso and shoulders entirely, with the Bat insignia embedded into the chest portion. The insignia itself was also changed to become more angular, and was colored a metallic silver. The Justice Lords Batsuit also did not use separate colors for the "underwear" portion, and had a silver-gray utility belt, and the gauntlets had no scallops.
Additionally, the artists added certain modifications to foreshadow the futuristic costume variant (see below), including the lengthening of the "ears" on the cowl and the addition of heels on the boots. This design is later used in Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006).
Batman Beyond
In Batman Beyond (1999–2001), an extremely different variant of the Batsuit is featured. The new costume does away with the traditional individual articles of clothing and appears to be a simple black bodysuit with a red chest emblem. However, this version is more than a simple costume. Form fitting and highly responsive, it's actually a "powered suit", similar to an artificial powered exoskeleton.
Originally, Bruce designed the suit for himself and wore it to aid his aging body, as the series' storyline was set years after Justice League. Terry McGinnis would be Bruce's future successor and became the suit's primary wearer from then on. Giving Terry increased strength, and equipped with sophisticated built-in gadgets similar to Jean Paul Valley's variant, it is unlike any other Batsuit in the DCAU. This costume is used in the Superman/Batman comics in which Terry makes his first appearance. Of its many features, the most frequently used are a set of retractable wings and jet boots which, together, allow for flight, an active camouflage system which renders him nearly invisible, and a two-way radio and surveillance system that allows Bruce to see and hear everything Terry does and give him advice.
It is also revealed in the episode "April Moon" that the suit's technology was designed by Dr. Peter Corso, a medical scientist who specialized in prosthesis. Repeated encounters with Inque led Bruce and Terry to add electroshock circuitry to protect himself or to disable an opponent. The original utility belt was capsulized like Batman's original belt, but as of Epilogue, which is set 15 years after Batman Beyond, Terry has replaced the capsule belt with more traditional pouches.
In the episode "Disappearing Inque", Bruce showed Terry a prototype Batsuit that resemble the Bat-armor from DC Comics's award-winning comic book saga Kingdom Come; this Batsuit can increase Bruce's endurance and offer him some protection, but hindering his movements due to its size and puts a strain on his weakened heart.
Vehicles
Batboat
The Batboat was featured in Batman: The Animated Series. It could also be used as a submarine.
Batcycle
The Batcycle was one of the many vehicles used by Batman and Robin in Batman: The Animated Series. The Batcycle was themed to look like Batman's other vehicles, the Batmobile, Batwing, and Batboat. Batman would use it in certain episodes, as would Robin. Perhaps the most important part the Batcycle played in the series was in the movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, where Batman jumped off the Batcycle so it would crash into a giant fan that was being controlled by the Joker.
The Batcycle saw a little more use from Robin, particularly in the episode "Robin's Reckoning." Robin would continue to use a variation of the Batcycle in later seasons after he had become Nightwing. Batman always donned a helmet, modeled to accommodate his cowl's ears, before driving the Batcycle.
Batmobile
The Batmobile made appearances in the various series of the DC animated universe, including Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.
The Batmobile for the series combined style elements from various eras to produce a long, low vehicle with square lines, long fins, and a blunt nose with a massive chrome grill that could have been from any time from the 1930s to the 1990s. This version of the Batmobile also vaguely resembled the Batmobile from the first two Tim Burton movies. Despite the obvious presence of the jet exhaust, the show frequently used sound effects from a reciprocating engine for the Batmobile's driving scenes. This, plus direct views of the engine (as seen in the episode "The Mechanic"), suggest that the car used a large piston engine for primary power and an auxiliary jet for high-speed acceleration.
Among the features of the Batmobile of The Animated Series were: smoke and oil dispensers, wheel slasher hubs, a missile rack, tear gas dispensers, ejection seats, titanium alloy wheels and body panels, and reversible jet exhausts. It also had an armoured stationary mode to PReVENT people from tampering with the car when it was left unattended, though it was not as overt as the "shields" used in the 1989 movie Batmobile. The original Batmobile design had many design variants that are seen throughout other DCAU shows, the most notable examples being the Batmobile 'truck' seen in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Stolen Memories" and an aging Bruce Wayne's limosine, seen in Batman Beyond, which is referred to by the producers as 'an upside-down Batmobile'.
In The New Batman Adventures, the Batmobile was redesigned, with its jet engine being most notably absent. This Batmobile design is re-used in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. In Batman Beyond, there was a flying car referred to as the Batmobile (in the show's future era, flying cars had become commonplace).
Batplane
The Batwing appears in Batman: The Animated Series, shaped like a stylized bat with very long wings that jut out past the "head" of the plane. Later in the series, the Batplane takes on a smaller, sleeker design, shaped like a rocket with a curved wing on each side.
In Batman Beyond, set fifty years into the future, flying cars are commonplace and thus the Batmobile used by Terry McGinnis doubles as a plane.