The Teenage Batman Animated Series That Never Saw The Light Of Day

There are plenty of Batman cartoons out there, from the superlative "Batman: The Animated Series" to the underrated 2004 series "The Batman" to the new and fresh "Batman: Caped Crusader." But there's another cartoon even the most ardent Bat-fans may not have heard of — because it was never actually made. 

"Gotham High" (yes, really) would've shown Bruce Wayne's teenage years as he attends high school alongside Batman's future villains, who all already resemble their costumed selves. Pitched in 2009 or so, the series never made it past the concept stage. Warner Bros. had previously floated a teen Batman cartoon in the late '90s to cash in on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." That resulted in "Batman Beyond," a cyber-noir imagining a future where an aged Bruce Wayne trains teenager Terry McGinnis to be a new Dark Knight.

"Gotham High" would've been a more literal (and ridiculous) take on the "Batman in high school" premise. Some "Gotham High" concept art survives, shared by the duo who pitched it, Jeffrey Thomas and Celeste Green. The synopsis of their pitch reads:

We all go through incredible changes as teenagers: growth spurts, bad skin, a sudden insatiable need to uphold justice and avenge your murdered parents ... Well, that is if you're Bruce Wayne. As if being a freshman at Gotham High wasn't tough enough, Bruce's insomnia and technological fascinations are taking their toll. Instead of spending his time studying, he has begun to obsess over an emerging personality trait: Batman. But under the watchful eye of his guardian and steward, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce is forced to put his intelligence to good use: graduating high school. But given his classmates, can Bruce survive Gotham High?

The characters are remodeled to fit high school TV archetypes. For example, Poison Ivy and Harley are cheerleaders, with Joker as Harley's bad boy beau. Killer Croc and Bane are jock bullies, while Penguin and Riddler are the nerds. Clayface is the artsy student, with his hands stained from pottery class. Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze are both quiet loners. Presumably, Bruce is the nice cool kid who still defends the weaker ones from bullies. If we were to continue this theme, I imagine that Commissioner Jim Gordon would be the school's principal. I'm sure Talia al Ghul would come in later too, as the new mysterious transfer student who has a fling with Bruce.

The concept art also reveals some potential storylines, like a love triangle between Bruce, Selina Kyle, and Barbara Gordon, or Harvey Dent and Ivy running against each other for student body president.

The "Gotham High" idea would resurface about a decade later as a graphic novel. It's unclear if the book's author Melissa de la Cruz or artist Thomas Pitilli were aware of the cartoon pitch, but the book shares a title and premise with it. "Gotham High" stars a young Bruce Wayne in high school with his friends Selina Kyle and Jack Napier before they become Batman, Catwoman, and the Joker. This "Gotham High" is a teen drama, whereas the Thomas-Green pitch looked more like a comedy, if not an outright parody.

The idea of exploring Batman and his villains as young people has shown up elsewhere, too.

A live-action show about a young Bruce Wayne was also floated in the 2000s — that Batman pitch was retooled to focus on Clark Kent, and became "Smallville." Batman eventually got his own "Smallville"-style prequel in 2014 called "Gotham," which ran for five seasons. Pitched as a police procedural starring a young Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), the series immediately went off the rails. "Gotham" ultimately couldn't hold back from introducing every single major Batman villain, even when Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) was still only 10 years old, and it became the most Adam West-ish that a Batman TV show has been since the 1960s.

Returning to comics, the ongoing "Absolute Batman" by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta has been making some big changes to Batman. That version of Bruce Wayne is a city engineer who lost his father in a mass shooting (his mother Martha is still alive). The comic is still in its first arc, featuring the rookie Batman fighting Black Mask. However, many of Batman's other classic villains have shown up — as Bruce's best pals.

Yes, this Bruce Wayne was childhood friends with Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, Oz Cobblepot, Eddie Nygma, and Waylon "Killer Croc" Jones. You might remember the classic "Batman: The Animated Series" episode "Almost Got 'Im," in which Batman's foes swap stories over a game of cards. In "Absolute Batman" #2, many of them are again playing poker, except Bruce is part of the game.

DC Comics

This is a similar idea as "Gotham High," where Bruce Wayne grew up with his enemies. But as silly as it might look at a first glance, Snyder isn't just being cute. His goal in "Absolute Batman" is to make a Batman who speaks to our moment, so he's not a lonely rich kid who grew up with only a butler for company. This Bruce grew up inside of Gotham City, not on a hill looking over it. Snyder explained in an interview with DC Comics' blog:

"[This Bruce] has a good group of friends. And one of the things about growing up in a neighborhood around kids your age in a dense space like that is there's a feeling of close-knit community. And it felt almost like the trauma that he suffers is so intense, and it's something they're all aware of, and it's something they all experienced. They were all part of that class."

When it comes to a character as flexible as Batman, there are no truly bad ideas.