Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film) arrested. Injured, Batman returns to the Batcave with Kelley, and allows her to become his protégée in spite of protests from his butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Batman has Kelley disguise herself as a Mutant, and she lures the gang to a sewer outlet at the West River. At the Gotham City Police Department, the Mutant leader murders the mayor during negotiations. Commissioner Gordon deliberately releases the leader, providing an escape from the building, which leads to the sewer outlet. Before the amassed Mutants, Batman fights the leader in a mud pit; the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and
Batman: The Animated Series premiered on The WB, featuring a teenager named Terry McGinnis taking on the duties of Batman under the guidance of an elderly Bruce Wayne. Then in 2001, the "Justice League" animated series premiered on Cartoon Network, featuring Batman as one of the founding members of the League. This was continued in 2004 by "Justice League Unlimited", featuring a greatly expanded League. Many DC cartoons unrelated to the larger DC animated universe, such as "Teen Titans" and "The Batman", also featured character designs strongly influenced by those of Bruce Timm. The dramatic writing and stylized art of "Batman: The Animated Series"