| Batman: Death in the Family | |
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 Blu-ray cover | |
| Directed by | Brandon Vietti |
| Written by | Brandon Vietti |
| Based on | Characters fromDC |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Christopher Drake |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 18-30 minutes[a] |
| Language | English |
Batman: Death in the Family (orDC Showcase: Batman: Death in the Family) is a 2020 Americanadult animatedinteractivesuperhero film that exploresalternate outcomes of the 1988 comics storyline "A Death in the Family", in whichJason Todd, the second character to bear the mantle ofBatman's sidekickRobin, was murdered by theJoker. Produced, written, and directed byBrandon Vietti, the voice cast includesBruce Greenwood,Vincent Martella, andJohn DiMaggio. It is aspiritual successor toBatman: Under the Red Hood (2010), and was released onBlu-ray on October 13, 2020.
Batman: Death in the Family is an interactive film in the physical media version, serving as a tie-in toBatman: Under the Red Hood (2010). When presented with a choice point, the user has ten seconds to make a choice, or a default decision is made for them. The interactive approach is inspired by the poll from the original comic in which readers could determine whether Jason survived or was killed by the Joker.[1] The film has at least nine alternate story paths (two paths lead to the same or similar conclusion), with seven alternate endings, with each path an estimated 10 to 20 minutes each.[2][3] However, in the digital version, the interactive element is absent, and instead presents four distinct story paths; "Under the Red Hood: Reloaded" (the canon prequel toUnder the Red Hood), "Jason Todd’s Rebellion," "Robin’s Revenge" and "Red Hood’s Reckoning".[1]
Believing thatJason Todd is becoming too aggressive in his crime-fighting,Batman decides to suspend him from his active duties asRobin; angered, Jason forsakes Batman and leavesGotham City. The two reunite inBosnia to fight theJoker andRa's al Ghul, who are working together to stealuranium to create radioactivedirty bombs. As Batman stops Ra's al Ghul's men, the Joker captures Robin and brutally beats him with acrowbar, leaving him to die in a warehouse that is rigged to explode.
If Robin dies, the events ofBatman: Under the Red Hood play out naturally. A guilt-ridden Ra's al Ghul uses the Lazarus Pit to resurrect Jason, who becomes theRed Hood and wages a war against Batman andBlack Mask, eventually leading to Black Mask releasing Joker fromArkham Asylum. Red Hood captures the Joker and forces Batman to decide between killing the Joker or him. Batman manages to avoid killing either of them, but Red Hood disappears. Bruce provides a recap of the events toClark Kent, who commends Bruce for his bravery in facing his inner demons and offers his help in finding Jason.
Jason survives the explosion but is severely injured, requiring his face to be swathed inbandages. He is also severely traumatized, and he blames Batman for his plight. He dons a new Robin suit while keeping the bandages on his head and becomes aviolent vigilante who brutally murders several Gotham criminals, such asCheetah, theRiddler, and Black Mask. He is eventually found byTalia al Ghul, who offers to help him find and kill the Joker in exchange for Jason agreeing to raise her and Bruce's infant sonDamian. Jason agrees, secretly planning to eventually turn Damian against his parents.
Unlike the other two options, this version offers multiple branching paths. Batman manages to get Robin out of the warehouse, but he is killed in the explosion. With his dying words, Bruce attempts to convince Jason not to take revenge on the Joker and to be strong for his family. Jason,Alfred, andBarbara Gordon put Bruce to rest next to his parents, andDick Grayson succeeds him as Batman. The viewer then has to decide whether Jason chooses to kill the Joker.
Jason goes to a localdiner and sees a news report about Batman. A man sitting next to him figures out that it is not the same Batman and is likely Nightwing pretending to be him. When prompted by Jason, the man claims to have known Batman and fought alongside him, but is now a new man and is attempting to start his life over. Reminiscing, he tells Jason a joke he once told Batman, leading Jason to realize it's the same joke from whenBarbara Gordon was shot in the spine and that the man is a reforming Joker. Jason reveals his identity by repeating the parting words the Joker said to him back in the warehouse, making the Joker excitedly grin in realization before Jason stabs and kills him. Shortly afterwards, twoGCPD police officers arrive to arrest Jason. The viewer then has the option to determine if he turns himself in or escapes.
Jason attempts to fulfill his promise to Bruce not to kill the criminals he fights. To attract the Joker's attention, Jason adopts his previous persona of the Red Hood and wages a bloody war on Gotham's criminal underworld. He eventually manages to bring Joker out of hiding and defeats him in a fight. The Joker is overjoyed by what Jason has become and says that Jason is now more his successor than Batman's. Jason, who has been repressing his memories of killing criminals, suddenly realizes what he has done. The viewer can then decide once again whether Jason chooses to spare or kill the Joker.
Regardless of which option is chosen, Red Hood becomes a wanted fugitive and is pursued by the police and Dick. On top of aWayne Industries tower one night, Jason is confronted by Talia and a revived Bruce Wayne. Talia reveals that she resurrected Bruce with the Lazarus Pit, but he was driven insane in the process and can only say "Zur-En-Arrh." She offers Jason the chance to join them in the League of Assassins, but he refuses and fights Batman. The viewer can decide whether Jason battles Batman to the death or tries to save him.
Dick Grayson / Nightwing / Batman,Alfred Pennyworth,Barbara Gordon,Harley Quinn (as Harleen Quinzel),Black Mask,Riddler,Cheetah, andLex Luthor make non-speaking cameo appearances.Wonder Woman andFlash also appear in non-speaking cameos but are only partially visible.
Kevin Conroy andMark Hamill, veteran actors who playedBatman and theJoker, respectively, teased producing an animated adaptation of "A Death in the Family" during a panel at Canada's Fan Expo in 2016.[4] Theinteractive film based on the comic was released on October 13, 2020, and also serves as a follow-up to the 2010 filmBatman: Under the Red Hood, with the cast from the latter film reprising their roles (with the exception ofJensen Ackles as Red Hood, leavingVincent Martella to portray him all throughout).[5]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 78% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[6]
