In the comics, Gentleman Ghost is not a Batman villain. I don’t know why he keeps showing up in Batman shows.

Written by Marc Bernardin

Directed by Christopher Berkeley

I think this is the first time we see Lucius Fox in this series.

That’s the problem with a comic book universe: both a real ghost and a nut in a costume are equally likely probabilities.

So, Bruce is the only person in this series with a character arc, and I get that him being rude to Alfred is a part of the development. But it’s still kind of weird after nearly five decades of Alfred being Bruce’s father figure.

As a side note, that’s not how Alfred started at all. Alfred first showed up in the late fifties, long after Batman (and Robin. And the Joker. And Catwoman. This recent trend of the Joker fighting Batman before Robin shows up annoys me. Robin is actually the second longest running Batman supporting character after Jim Gordon) started. And he was a chronic bungler back then, too. Like with a lot of characters, Batman (1966) would radically change Alfred’s character into more of the hyper-competent sidekick we know and love, but it was really Frank Miller who created modern Alfred.

His best contribution to the Batman mythos, really

Okay, so that’s a legit quote to print. But unions don’t pull support just ’cause one candidate has rich friends. Otherwise, no politician (most of whom are rich) would ever get union endorsement.

A politician who gives a damn about public transit would get my vote.

Okay, so again this is weird. Harvey does something genuinely heroic here and the Ghost brushes him off. Which is embarrassing for Harvey, sure, but it shouldn’t cost him votes? Like, the media would put a good spin on this and the people on the train would tell all their friends about it.

Also, I can’t see Harvey taking that kind of insult so calmly.

Drat, he turned into a pterodactyl again

I don’t think Ghost has living descendants in the comics? But I could be wrong.

No they won’t.

That’s pretty much the complete inverse of Gentleman Ghost from the comics, who is more of a loveable rogue type character.

Also, let’s be very clear: the United Empire Loyalists where murdered, driven out of the their homes, robbed, raped and worse by the Americans. The First American Civil War had nothing to do with liberty or democracy (both of which the colonists had, by the by) but with fat cat American merchants not wanting to pay their fair share in the Empire.

Some things never change.

Look, a lot of Loyalists were conservative. But Craddock’s classism here is more of a modern bent.

Ah, it’s Papa Midnite! Another character from a totally different part of the DC universe randomly showing up in a Batman show

Erm… there’s one wearing your clothes, Bruce….

Okay, Britain transferred (mostly) to a democracy about a century before the War of Independence. Parliament was (and is) an imperfect tool but this show treats Craddock like he stepped out of Westeros not the (largely if incompletely) democratic Thirteen Colonies.

Yes, the Thirteen Colonies were (deeply flawed) democracies. While they didn’t have universal male suffrage (that would come about in 1856 or so for white males, later for black men) and nothing close to universal suffrage, the so-called ‘lower classes’ were a major part of government at the time. Craddock’s reaction is more like a fantasy or a stereotype than anything real.

But then again there are people bitching about scars in the DATV character creator so who knows? There probably were a few wackos in the late 18th century with Craddock’s views.

He had an affair with Bruce’s dad.

I feel like this episode is where we start to have Batman become Batman.

I can’t remember if white is a good colour or an evil colour in voodoo

Batman created by Bill Finger

Lucius Fox created by John Calnan and Len Wein

Papa Midnite created by Jamie Delano and John Ridgway

Rupert Thorne created by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers

Animated by Studio IAM