Stories in this series tend to give more focus to Batman's supporting characters, which include fellow crimefighters Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl, among others.

The writers made an effort to keep Batman's dialogue terse and grim to heighten the contrast between him and the lighthearted supporting cast; this also highlighted his character change from the original series.

However, Dini remarked that "the Tim Drake origin in the comics as written now didn't work for us with him having a father and living so close to Wayne Manor.

[2] The decision to implement some of Todd's characteristics on Drake came up after Timm and Dini decided to not adapt the violent "Batman: A Death in the Family" comic book storyline for the show.

[3] Batman made a new suit which is similar to the first one worn by Dick Grayson and identical to Tim Drake's original Robin costume from the comics, but the color scheme was simplified to red, black and yellow, eliminating green entirely.

As Nightwing, he wore a V-shaped mask and an all-black unitard with light blue hawk emblem that borrowed some elements of the comics version from the 1990s.

However, this was not well-received by fans, and this led to him being redesigned again for Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), Static Shock (2002) and Justice League (2002–04), where his appearance was a mix of his look from the original series and this one.

The Riddler's redesign now sported a green bodysuit with a question mark in the center and his domino mask and red hair are removed, while his bowler hat is retained.

Killer Croc received a major redesign with a more reptilian appearance, with Brooks Gardner replacing Aron Kincaid in the role.

Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Clayface, Alfred Pennyworth, and Harvey Bullock were among the few characters who did not receive any drastic change in appearance or color alterations.

Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia also did not receive any drastic re-designs, although their only appearance during this time was in the episode "The Demon Reborn" from Superman: The Animated Series.

[1] Three holiday-themed vignettes: (1) On December 22, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are staying in a hotel when they become depressed over their financial situation and decide to brainwash Bruce Wayne to gain access to his money.

(2) On December 24, Barbara Gordon is shopping to get a gift for her father while Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya are there investigating a shoplifting criminal.

A mysterious masked criminal dubbed "Calendar Girl" attacks youth-oriented events on specific dates and kidnaps the businesspeople behind them.

However, Klarion the Witch Boy, who was also in attendance, steals a magic branding iron with which he separates Blood from Etrigan the Demon, who Merlin had bonded him with centuries prior, and takes control of the latter.

Without Merlin's curse to sustain his youth, Blood begins to rapidly age, forcing Tim to take care of him while Batman races to retrieve the iron and reunite the two.

In these stories, Batman and Robin respectively fight the Joker, who seeks to steal valuable instruments and music sheets, and a gang of thugs dubbed the Mutants.

As she laments her life, flashbacks reveal that she was originally a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum before the Joker manipulated her into joining him by claiming to have an abusive childhood.