The Great Batman: Brave and the Bold Rewatch: Hail the Tornado Tyrant!

Season One, Episode Twenty: Hail the Tornado Tyrant!
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Directed by Brandon Vietti

Plot Synopsis

Teaser: Batman, driving the Batmobile,  gives chase to Joker in his Joker Mobile. Green Arrow catches up in his Arrowmobile, and the two heroes usual competetive streak comes out as they both try to catch the arch-criminal and see who has the cooler car. With Joker taken care of, they see Catwoman esacpe Gotham museum in her Catplane, and the two cars transform into planes as they give chase, still bantering.

Episode: Batman arrives at a laboratory, and finds a body under a sheet, only to be surprised by Red Tornado. Removing the sheet, Tornado reveals another robot. Tornado tells Batman he is about to activate the other robot, and Batman takes it to mean he wants to share the moment with a friend. Tornado says he has created an imporved version of himself, and Batman wonders about the creation of life, and what might go wrong. Tornado says he has installed a fail-safe of "my son" goes wrong, and Batman is shocked at the choice of words.

A blast of energy permeates the smaller robot, and Tornado Champion stands up, but does not seem to demonstrate the emotions that Tornado's improvements, the things he does not have, should have bestowed on him. Tornado wants to work together and fight crime to see if that might stir Champion, and finds that the villain Major Disaster is nearby.

Major Disaster is threatening the city with a hurricane as the heroes arrive. As they fight near a rollercoaster, Champion is able to direct Disaster's lightning back at him so batman can punch him out. But as the heroes are distracted after the fight, the still not entirely unconscious Disaster is able to blast Champion. Tornado holds his son, who seems fatally damaged, but a flash of light explodes from his face, and suddenly the previously emotionless Champion, smiles and calls Tornado, "Father!"

Back at the lab, Tornado analyzes Champion, and the younger robot is excited and filled with emotions. Batman looks on, seemingly doubtful. The two robots travel the world, stopping disasters and criminals talking about life and the meaning of it and emotions, all while Batman watches from the distance. Champion seems impatient and a little doubtful about some of Tornado's philosophical answers.

At a fire, Champion saves two children, but they are afraid of him and the crowd turns on him, calling him a robot, though Champion views himself as a person. He and Tornado fly off, and they talk about emotions, and Champion's not understanding why he is not accepted. When Tornado tells Champion he will be accepted someday, he scoffs and flies off, leaving Tornado alone. Batman approaches him, and Tornado reveals he knows Batman has been watching him, but remains sure that Champion is doing fine. Tornado detects Major Disaster attempting to escape jail, and the heroes head off to stop him.

Batman and Tornado confront Disaster in the prison yard, and while Disaster has the upper hand, Champion's arrival turns the tide. But this time it' Tornado who is wounded, and Champion turns on Disaster seeking revenge, beating Disaster with whirlwinds. Batman stops Champion from delivering a deathblow, and the two argue about the morality of revenge, before he strike Batman. Tornado steps in the way, and tells Champion to stop, but Champion says humans are evil and a disease. Batman is able to strike Champion with a Batarang, shutting him down.

Batman and Tornado are back in the lab, Tornado wanting to save his son, Batman telling him that Champion is too dangerous and must be shut off using the fail-safe. Despite Champion's pleas, Tornado decides the fail-safe is the logical solution, and Champion shuts down. The two heroes walk away from the still robot, only for his eyes to glow green as they exit, revealing he removed the fail-safe. He uses Tornado's equipment to upgrade himself, redesigning himself into the more sinister Tornado Tyrant.

On the beach at Coast City, where the boardwalk Major Disaster initially attacked rests, a tidal wave blasts ashore, devastating the area. Two survivors see Tyrant, who follows his handiwork, and says he plans to wipe humanity from the globe. Batman and Tornado head toward Tyrant, preparing to do what must be done to stop him. They confront Tyrant with a device Tornado is sure will scramble Tyrant's programming, but Tyrant puts up a considerable fight, knocking Batman and the scrambler away.

Tornado and his son face each other is a duel of the winds, but Tyrant proves stronger. Tornado begs his son to stop, saying humans deserve better, but Tyrant will hear none of it, and savagely attacks Tornado, crushing him between two cars. Tornado again tries to reason with Tyrant, telling him of humanity's good side, their quest to connect and love, but Tyrant is unmoved.

As Tyrant is about to destroy his father, Batman is able to snag Tyrant with a grapnel, pull himself up to the robot, and plant the scrambler in Tyrant's head. Tornado uses the opportunity to charge Tyrant, plants his hands inside the other robot, and use his wind powers to destroy the rogue robot, although he averts his eyes, unable to see what he's doing to his son. Tornado collapses to his knees as Batman walks up to him.

One final time at the lab, Tornado mourns his attempts to create a son, saying he should never have done it and he does not understand human emotion. Batman assures him, having heard what Tornado said about human life and love, that Tornado may have found his own humanity. Tornado says that he just parroted what he has seen and read, and has no insight into it, and uses his machines to destroy what is left of Tyrant's parts. He assures Batman he is ok, and as he stands alone, a single tear falls from his eye. Tornado observes it and says he must run a diagnostic, not knowing that it is a most human act.

Who's Who

Red Tornado (Voiced by Corey Burton)
First Comic Book Appearance:  Justice League of America #64 (August, 1968)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

Major Disaster (Voiced by James Arnold Taylor)
First Comic Book Appearance: Green Lantern #43 (March, 1966)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Twenty: Hail the Tornado Tyrant!

Paul Booker has an origin that is similar to those of a lot of Silver Age villains. He was a petty crook who got his hands on advanced technology and decided to use it to become a super criminal. Starting out as a Green Lantern foe (Part of his origin story had him discovering Hal Jordan's secret identity), he would go on to fight Superman, John Stewart, and the Outsiders before becoming a member of the comical Injustice League during the Giffen/DeMatteis era, which reformed and became the Justice League Antarctica. After briefly returning to villainy (and getting his powers made a part of him by the demon Neron), Booker reformed thanks to the faith of Superman, he was recruited by Batman as a member of the substitute Justice League when the main team went missing. When the Justice League returned, he became a member of the Justice League Elite, a covert ops League. He would eventually be killed during the Infinite Crisis crossover, and has yet to appear in DC's new timeline. Major Disaster's power allowed him to create natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. After his deal with Neron, his power became one that effected causality, making bad fortune happen to people from still large events to smaller ones like tripping and falling.

The Joker (Voiced by Jeff Bennett)

First Comic Book Appearance: Batman #1 (April 1940)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Thirteen- Game Over for Owlman!

Green Arrow (Voiced by James Arnold Taylor)
First Comic Book Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode One- Rise of the Blue Beetle

Continuity, Comics Connections, and Notes

Comic book writer J.M. DeMatteis returns for his third episode as writer. It's cool that DeMatteis focuses on a different hero in each of these episodes, as opposed to tracking one hero. His first episode was a Green Arrow one, followed by a Green Lantern one, and now Red Tornado in his third.

The origins of Red Tornado from before the DC Comics defining event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, is as complex and knotty as those of Hawkman after the Crisis, but suffice it to say, he used both the identities of Tornado Champion and Tornado Tyrant at different points in his existence. I do my best to sum up this kind of thing here, but it's all so messy that I just have to refer you to Wikipedia to try to read it all. It's... really something.

Tornado Champion's initial design, with the purple cape and briefs, is actually one of Red Tornado's earlier designs before creators settled on his current, more well known, one.

Carl Lumbly, who voices Tornado Champion/Tyrant, is best known in DC Animation circles as the voice of J'onn J'onzz,the Martian Manhunter, on Justice League & Justice League Unlimited.

The Great Batman: Brave and the Bold Rewatch: Game Over for Owlman!

Season One, Episode Thirteen: Game Over for Owlman!
Written by Joseph Kuhr
Directed by Ben Jones

Plot Synopsis

Teaser: A recap of the events of the last episode, the first part of the two-parter, segues into Batman using a smoke pellet to escape the Gotham police.

Episode: Batman heads across the rooftops, avoiding the police, finding the Phase Oscillator warps time as well as space and that he's been gone for three weeks in this world, and trying to figure out why the police are after him. He then sees another Batman, dressed in an old version of his costume, escaping a bank with stolen money. He deduces that it is Owlman, having escaped, and they begin to fight. Again, the two are so evenly matched that neither can easily defeat the other, but Owlman escapes, leaving Batman holding the money bag, and Green Arrow appears to capture Batman. Batman tells Arrow the truth, but he doesn't believe him, and so Batman throws the moneybag at him with a small explosive and escapes in the confusion.

Batman slips into a hidden tunnel, as we see all his friends now hunting for him, coordianted by Green Arrow, except Plastic Man, who Green Arrow tells they don't need. Blue Beetle sees Batman as he pops out onto the street, but Batman hits him with an electric blast, and then ties up Plastic Man, who nearly grabs him, and escapes again, this time to be nearly grabbed by Red Tornado. Batman tries to summon the Batmobile, but realizes Owlman has reprogrammed it. Trapped in a blind alley, Batman thinks he's about to be taken out by his best friends when a hook, like those used to pull bad acts off stage, appears out of the darkness. and pulls him into the shadows and into a warehouse. And in the warehouse is the Joker, oversized pistol in hand, waiting to shoot him for changing their game and trying to out-criminal him.

Joker pulls the trigger and a bang flag pops out, and Batman punches him. Joker tosses up a white flag, and tells Batman he wants to team-up against the impostor. Batman wants to know how Joker knows there's an imposter, and Joker more or less says he knows because he knows Batman and what he would or wouldn't do. He wants to team up to stop Owlman, and Batman initially refuses, leaving Joker handcuffed, but Joker points out that since the two are evenly matched, Batman will need the Joker's help, as Owlman still craves order, and the Joker's chaotic nature will work in Batman's favor. Batman begins to consider it just as Plastic Man finds him. Joker offers a ride in his Jokermobile, and as the heroes wait outside, the Jokermobile breaks out of the warehouse.They stop it, only to find a trussed up Plastic Man inside.

Meanwhile, Batman and Joker try to figure out their next move. Batman calls an old Batmobile to them, and they head off. Batman makes Joker give his word no one will be hurt. Joker agrees, and offers to shake, but Batman gives him a look and joker reveals the little needle he has on his hand, waiting to poke Batman. Joker chalks it up to old habits, and start asking what all the buttons in the Batmobile do. Batman tells him that he really shouldn't touch one, and Joker naturally does, and is hit with knockout gas.

Batman awakens Joker in the Batcave, and Joker sees all the mementos from their previous encounters. Batman begins to consider what Owlman's next target is, looking for a pattern. He finds out Owlman has accessed his files on his fellow heroes, and found the ways to neutralize them, and we see him starting to do it. Batman again knocks out Joker and they head out of the cave. Batman contacts the others, and only Plastic Man responds, just as Owlman takes him down. Batman and Joker arrive, and Batman begins to fight Owlman, who demands the Phase Oscillator back so he can return to his Earth.

Joker starts to go through his weapons, trying to find one that won't hurt anyone, and settles on a rocket launcher, which he fires at the dueling Batman and Owlman. He thinsk Batman will move, but instead it Batman knocked down as Owlman nearly hits them with the Batmobile. Joker takes a grappling hook from Batman's utility belt and escapes, saving Batman's life. A car chase begins, Batman contacting Owlman, who offers to trade the heroes he's captured for the Phase Oscillator. Batman refuses, and Owlman begins to threaten innocents, so Batman turns the Batmobile over to Joker to drive as he saves people Owlman is endangering with reckless driving and weapons. Joker even stops chasing Owlman to save an innocent.

Joker asks Batman  why he took a chance on working with him, and Batman remembers Red Hoo,d Joker's counterpart from Owlman's world, who is a hero. He looks up in the sky and sees an Owlman version of the Batsignal. At the signal's source, Owlman has the heroes captured in tailor made deathtraps, with various villains surrounding him. Batman and Joker arrive, and tells Owlman that if he doesn't free the heroes, Batman will destory the Phase Oscillator, stranding him. The villains attack, But Joker proves a good ally.

However, as they face down the villains, Owlman offers Joker a new option, a tailor made trap for Batman, and the trigger to start it. Joker is tempted, and then decides that he' a villain, and hits the button, which should encase Batman in rubber. But Batman used the Phase Oscillator to escape, and pops out on the other side of the villains, where he promptly punches Owlman but Dr. Polaris is able to magnetically pull the Phase Oscillator from Batman and send it to Owlman.

But Batman had counted on the Joker's betrayal, and user the Phase Oscillator's time bending abilities to spend a week gathering Batmans from alternate worlds and appearing only a second later back on his Earth. The Batmen begin to not only fight the villains, but free the imprisoned heroes. Now that the villains are outnumbered two-to-one, they are easily defeated, leaving Batman to take down Owlman and Joker on his own, but the two villains begins arguing over which one will take down Batman, and Batman uses the distraction to use the trap Owlman designed for him to capture them both.

The fight over, the villains are carted away, and Batman goes to his counterparts, who old a tied up Owlman, who swears to return for revenge, and Batman says he'll be waiting to stop him before the other Batmen take him away. The Joker is the last of the villains to be carted away, and he says if they weren't opposites they could be friends, and Batman knows, from having met the Red Hood, that's true, and there's a good man in there. But then Joker swears he'll get him next time and Batman thinks, "Or maybe not."

Who's Who

The Joker (Voiced by Jeff Bennett)

First Comic Book Appearance: Batman #1 (April 1940)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Thirteen- Game Over for Owlman!

The Clown Prince of Crime. The Harlequin of Hate. These are but two of the nicknames for The Joker, Batman's arch-foe. Formerly the criminal known as the Red Hood, he lost his mind after chemicals bleached his skin and turned his hair green, and has since been an agent of sheer chaos. At times a madcap clown crook, at other a terrifying murderer, Joker's personality is as variable as the winds. His history with Batman goes back to the Dark Knight's earliest days, and no one villain has inflicted more pain on Batman. The Joker believes the two of them are a duel act, and that they are meant to fight until the end. The Joker is a master criminal with a brilliant, if twisted mind. He has myriad lethal gadgets and gimmicks, most notably his Joker Venom, a poison that leaves his victims with a rictus grin similar to his. But his greatest weapon is his sheer unpredictability, a person is never sure if Joker will shake their hand or wring their neck.

Owlman (Voiced by Diedrich Bader)
First Comic Book Appearance: Justice League of America #29 (August 1964)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Twelve- Deep Cover for Batman!

Green Arrow (Voiced by James Arnold Taylor)
First Comic Book Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode One- Rise of the Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle  (Voiced by Will Friedle)
First Comic Book Appearance: Infinite Crisis #3 (February, 2006)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode One- Rise of the Blue Beetle

Aquaman (voiced by John DiMaggio)

First comic book appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941)

First Brave and the Bold appearance: Season 1, Episode 3- Evil Under the Sea!

Red Tornado (Voiced by Corey Burton)
First Comic Book Appearance:  Justice League of America #64 (August, 1968)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

The Atom (Ryan Choi) (voiced by James Sie)

First comic book appearance: DCU Brave New World (August 2006)

First Brave and the Bold appearance: Season 1, Episode 3- Evil Under the Sea!

Plastic Man (Voiced by Tom Kenny)
First Comic Book Appearance: Police Comics #1 (August 1941)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Two- Terror on Dinosaur Island!

Black Manta (Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)

First Comic Book Appearance:  Aquaman #35 (September, 1967)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Three- Evil Under the Sea!

The Brain (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)

First comic book appearance: Doom Patrol #86 (May 1964)

First Brave and the Bold appearance: Season 1, Episode 9 – Journey to the Center of the Bat!

Dr. Polaris (Voiced by Lex Lang)
First Comic Book Appearance: Green Lantern #21 (June, 1963)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Eight- Fall of the Blue Beetle!

Gorilla Grodd (Voice by John DiMaggio)
First Comic Book Appearance: The Flash #106 (May, 1959)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Two- Terror on Dinosaur Island!

Gentleman Ghost (Voiced by Jonny Rees)
First Comic Book Appearance: Flash Comics #88 (October, 1947)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Two- Terror on Dinosaur Island!

Clock King (Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)
First Comic Book Appearance: World's Finest Comics #111 (August, 1960)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode One- Rise of the Blue Beetle


Continuity, Comics Connections, and Notes

As opposed to simply being sharing a title and being called part one and part two, this two parter shares a connected title, "Deep Cover for Batman!" and "Game over for Owlman!" These kinds of constructions are similar to to ones from the classic Batman TV series, although in most of those cases, the titles also rhymed.

When Owlman makes his first appearance in the episode, he is wearing Batman's original costume from Detective Comics #27, down to the purple gloves he wore in that first issue, and he is striking the exact pose from the final panel of the first origin story of Batman in Detective Comics #33.

Similarly, the Batmobile Batman uses when chasing Owlman is the design of the first bat branded Batmobile ever used in the comic; Batman drove cars before that, but they were just roadsters and sports cars without the signature Batman touches.

This episode marks the first appearance of the Joker in the series, and is the first major Batman villain to appear: eventually, most of the major Bat-foes will appear, but before now it's been mstly non-Batman foes like Grodd or C-Listers like Cavalier. Joker's design, like Batman's, hearkens back to the '50s, especially the art of legendary Batman artist, Dick Sprang. The Jokermobile was right out of the same era, by the way.

The Batmen of the Multiverse are mostly versions of Batman who have appeared in Elseworlds. The vampire Batman is from the Doug Moench/Kelly Jones vampire Batman trilogy; there are a few Cowboy Batman incarnations, although this one resembles a cross between Batman and the DC western hero, Nighthawk; the superstrong, bulky Batman is drawn from Brave and the Bold #68; Pirate Batman is Captain Leatherwing from Chuck Dixon's Elseworlds annual Detective Comics Annual #7; the Big Brain Batman is from World's Finest #151, where he's the "Batman of 800,000 A,D."; and finally, the armored Batman is one I can't place. If anyone knows where he comes from before this episode, or knows for certain it's an original creation, let me  know.

The Great Batman: The Brave and the Bold Rewatch: "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"

Season One, Episode Four: Invasion of the Secret Santas!
Written by Adam Beechen
Directed by Brandon Vietti

Plot Synopsis

Teaser: At the Professional Bowling League's Christmas Tournament, Sportmaster and his goons arrive to tell the League that bowling isn't a real sport and to steal the prize money, although he says not steal but win. He encases the tournament players in giant bowling pins and prepares to bowl them down with an exploding bowling ball, only to be thwarted by Batman and Blue Beetle. Beetle is still learning to use his Scarab properly, now addressing it as Goober, and is able to stop Sporstmaster's thugs while Batman defeats Sportsmaster. Beetle asks Batman to come over for Christmas dinner, but Batman declines, saying crime never takes a holiday.

Episode: On a lovely, snowy Christmas Eve, Red Tornado, in his civilian identity of Professor John Ulthoon, is teaching an Archaeology class, but has to duck out of class to save two children from being struck by a runaway truck. The thankful father tells Tornado that his heroics have filled the family with Christmas spirit, but Tornado is unsure of what this means, and the family laughs at him because he's a robot and of course he doesn't get it.

That night, after reading a book on Christmas, Tornado goes about trying to experience Christmas spirit by decorating his house and dressing in an ugly sweater, but still without result. Caroling loudly  and off key at the home of family he saved doesn't help either. He continues to contemplate when a news report tells him aliens are invading downtown, demanding Santa Claus so he can be brought to Neptune to give the children of that world presents.with only Batman to defend the city; so Tornado takes off to aid the Dark Knight.

Batman is fighting the flying saucers, destroying them one at a time when Red Tornado arrives to help. Tornado observes Neptune is uninhabited, and Batman points Tornado to an old movie, where the "transmission" was taken from. The two heroes make short work of the remaining saucers, and Batman realizes the flying saucers were plastic, made by the villain Fun Haus, who appears on a saucer. After making a threat about the fun just beginning, Fun Haus throws a kewpie doll at Batman and flies off; the doll is, unsurprisingly, a bomb. Batman tosses the doll in the air and Tornado pushes it higher into the air to keep it from harming people.

Batman and Tornado talk about the need to stop Fun Haus, and Tornado insists they musts top him from ruining Christmas. Tornado explains he is lacking Christmas spirit, and he wants to know it, and Batman grumps about it being over-rated. Tornado gives Batman a present to hopefully give them both some Christmas spirit; it's a World's Greatest Detective mug. This causes Batman to flashback to when he was a boy, remembering a Christmas with his parents and Alfred
. Batman thanks Tornado, who still does not feel the tingling he expects, and they set out to find Fun Haus.

The town is putting itself back together after the alien invasion, and a couple kids ask a Santa sitting in his sleigh if he has any Presto Playpal Action Figures left.  The Santa just chuckles oddly. While flying over the city, Tornado asks Batman why he dislikes Christmas, Batman gives his the terse response of, "I don't dislike Christmas. I dislike crime," and then jets down to confront a Santa who is pushing his way along the sidewalk. The Santa hits both the heroes, and Batman realizes the Santa is one of Fun Haus's robots. Batman destroys the one, only for Tornado and him to be attacked by an army of them.

While Batman and Tornado defeat the robots, the one who was talking to the children earlier starts his sleigh and charges through the streets with the kids in the sleigh. Batman gives chase as the Santa menaces the children, riding a reindeer. Batman destroys the robot Santa, but the sleigh is heading over a cliff. Only the timely intervention of Red Tornado keeps the sled from crashing to the ground, and the kids assume it's a Christmas miracle

Back in town, Batman and Tornado find a dad  and his crying son. The son is crying because he can't get a Playpal action figure, the most popular toy of the year, and Batman returns to his memories of the Christmas with his parents, where he received a Nutcracker toy instead of the action figure he wanted, and stormed off in a childlike tantrum after breaking the toy, which had been his father's as a child.

Batman and Red Tornado get a video message from Fun Haus, saying that the villain has planted a bomb, only for the bomb to turn out to be a red herring. As the sun rises on Christmas day, Batman remember hos his parents took him to a movie to make up for not receiving the toy he wanted, and he was still angry with them as they walked down an alley, where, unseen by the viewer, they were confronted by a mugger. All the viewer sees are two muzzle flashes and Bruce crying out for his parents.

Batman observes that sometimes the one thing you wish for is the thing you can never have, and then notices the post for the Playpal action figure has Fun Haus's logo on it. Cut to houses all over town, as kids open the action figures and the toys begin to rob them, bringing the toys to Fun Haus. Batman and Tornado arrive at the truck where Fun Haus is waiting for all his ill gotten gains, and when they confront him, Fun Haus has the little action figures merge into a giant one that he controls from inside.

Fun Haus decides to ruin Christmas and take out as many bystanders as he can. While Batman rescues the innocents, Tornado focuses on stopping Fun Haus's giant toy. Tornado is able to defeat the robot and Fun Haus, but it has caused too much stress in his body, and after feeling a strange tingling sensation that he thinks might be Christmas spirit, his body explodes. His head lands by Batman's feet, and with the help of S.T.A.R. Labs, Batman promises Tornado he'll be back together in no time.

Batman ends the episode getting into the Batmobile, where a present is waiting. He opens it and finds the nutcracker from all those years ago, repaired. He smiles, wishing Alfred a merry Christmas to himself, before a crime alert beeps, and Batman takes off to once more fight crime.



Who's Who

Red Tornado (Voiced by Corey Burton)
First Comic Book Appearance:  Justice League of America #64 (August, 1968)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

As with many characters with fifty plus years of continuity in their history, Red Tornado's backstory is something of a mess. He has been, at times, just an android, the robotic body host of an alien villain, an alien hero, and a wind elemental. He has been a member of the Justice Society of America, the Justice League of America, and the mentor to Young Justice. The most basic version of the origin is that he was an android created by T.O. Morrow, the mad scientist, to destroy the Justice League, and turned on Morrow to become an ally of the League, and has over the years struggled with understanding humanity. The original Red Tornado has not appeared since the New 52 reboot of the DC Universe, although a female Red Tornado inhabited by Lois Lane's consciousness was a part of Earth 2. He has appeared as a regular cast member of the Young Justice animated series, where he shared his comic counterpart's role as team mentor, and recently appeared on an episode of Supergirl. An android, Red Tornado can project whirlwinds for offense and defense, and fly by channeling wind.

Blue Beetle (Voiced by Will Friedle)
First Comic Book Appearance: Infinite Crisis #3 (February, 2006)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode One- Rise of the Blue Beetle

Alfred Pennyworth 
First Comic Book Appearance:  Batman #16 (April, 1943)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

Batman's loyal butler, Alfred helped to raise Bruce Wayne after the death of his parents.A former soldier and actor, Alfred would train Bruce in many of the talents he would use in his crusade against crime. But most important, Alfred is a father figure to Batman, and a dry wit who keeps reminding Batman that he is still human.

Thomas and Martha Wayne (Thomas: Corey Burton. Martha does not speak this episode)
First Comic Book Appearance:  Detective Comics #33 (November, 1939)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

The parents of Batman, the Waynes are most significant for having died. While over time they have been given more personality, they still remain mostly ciphers who serve as part if Batman's origin. They will appear again in the series in the episode "Chill of the Night," there voiced by Adam West and Julie Newmar.

Fun Haus (Voice by Gary Anthony Williams)
First Comic Book Appearance: None
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

Fun Haus is a character created for Batman: The Brave ad the Bold. He is visually similar to certain versions of the Superman villain known as Toyman, specifically the one from the Super Friends cartoon. Due the rights issues, Superman and his cast couldn't appear in early episodes of this series, so Fun Haus seems to be specifically created to take Toyman's place.

Sportsmaster (Voice by Thomas F. Wilson)
First Comic Book Appearance: All-American Comics #85 (May, 1947)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

There have been numerous villains who have gone by the name Sportsmaster, but the most famous, and the one who inspired the version in Brave and the Bold, was the original. A villain from the Golden Age, he was a nemesis to the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and Wildcat. A minor villain, often a member of the Injustice Society, modern readers and viewers know Sportsmaster mostly from his appearances in the Young Justice animated series, where he was the father of team member Artemis. Sportsmaster was a talented athlete, and used sports themed weapons.

S.T.A.R. Labs 
First Comic Book Appearance: Superman #246 (December, 1971)
First Brave and the Bold Appearance: Season One, Episode Four- Invasion of the Secret Santas!

S.T.A.R. Labs is one of the principal corporations of the DC Universe. Appearing most often in Superman comics, S.T.A.R. Labs often supports superheroes with scientific problems. It has appeared in The Flash TV series as the headquarters of Barry Allen and his allies.

Continuity, Comics Connections, and Notes

An interesting episode, most notable for being on of the few occasions in this series where Batman appears without a cowl, in this case as a small child. Batman: The Brave and the Bold chose to focus on Batman rather than Bruce Wayne, and so appearances on characters like Alfred are few and far between. I will say I'm not a fan of any version of the origin that puts Bruce even slightly at fault for  his parents' death, in this case because they went out to try to cheer him up. It adds an aspect of personal guilt that I feel does the character a disservice.

"Holiday for Neptunians," the film Faun Haus uses to make his broadcast early in the episode, is clearly a nod to the legendary B-movie, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," know to be one of the worst movies ever,

The scene of Bruce having a tantrum about receiving a toy he didn't want is reminiscent of a similar scene involving a toy train in "To Kill a Legend," a story from Detective Comics #500. Written by Alan Brennert and drawn by Dick Giordano, the story has Batman being given the opportunity by the Phantom Stranger to go to another Earth where time doesn't sync with Earth One, where Bruce Wayne's parents will be killed that night, and to stop the crime from happening. The Bruce of that world is something of a brat, but seeing his parents nearly killed sets him on the right path, the path that will lead him to still become Batman. It was included in the original Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told trade paperback.