Batman: Hush

Batman: Hush is an American animated film featuring the DC Comics superhero Batman and loosely based on the 2002 comic book story arc of the same name. The film was directed by Justin Copeland and produced by Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment, and animated by Warner Bros. Animation. The film was released on streaming outlets on July 20, 2019, after its official world premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 19th at 7:15 PM. It was then released on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 6, 2019.^[2]

The film aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on September 17, 2022, at 12:30 AM, during Toonami's Batman Day celebration.^[1]

Synopsis[]

While attending an evening party, Bruce Wayne meets Selina Kyle and his childhood friend, renowned brain surgeon, Thomas Elliot. However, he receives an alert from Alfred about a child kidnapped by Bane. After a brief fight with Bane, Batman is confronted by Lady Shiva who tells him an unknown intruder has used the Lazarus Pit and asks for his assistance in identifying them. Batman rescues the child but Catwoman steals the ransom money. As Batman swings through Gotham City in pursuit of her, a mysterious villain shoots his grapple line and he falls to the ground, fracturing his skull. He’s nearly killed by a group of nearby criminals until he’s saved by Catwoman and Batgirl. Catwoman delivers the ransom money to Poison Ivy, who is controlling her through a hypnotic kiss.

With Bruce critically injured, Alfred summons Thomas Elliot to remove skull fragments from his brain. Batman recovers and pays a trip to Blackgate Prison to interrogate Bane on the whereabouts of the money. Bane eventually escapes, and Batman strikes a deal with Amanda Waller, who allows Bane's escape so Batman can track him. Bane leads Batman to Poison Ivy's now abandoned greenhouse where he finds Catwoman. Waller captures Bane and returns him to prison. Catwoman, seeking retaliation for Ivy's manipulation, offers information on her whereabouts to Batman in exchange for a kiss and a tenuous romance blooms between them.

Batman and Catwoman follow Poison Ivy to Metropolis. Batman finds Lex Luthor, now a probationary member of the Justice League, and asks for information on a delivery list of an ethylene compound to track down Ivy's location. There they find Ivy has taken control of Superman and she commands the Man of Steel to kill Batman and Catwoman. Batman observes that Superman’s subconsciously resisting Ivy's influence, holding back on his attempts to kill both of them. Using knuckledusters made from Kryptonite, Batman stalls Superman while Catwoman lets Lois Lane fall from the Daily Planet building. Superman breaks free of Ivy's control to save Lois. Batman, Superman, and Catwoman work together to capture Ivy, who reveals that she was being manipulated by a mysterious foe called Hush.

Bruce Wayne goes on a date with Selina, who’s unaware of the former's identity as Batman. The two, along with Thomas Elliot, attend an opera but Harley Quinn arrives and attempts to kill Bruce. In the ensuing struggle, Dr. Elliot is apparently shot dead by the Joker. An enraged Batman violently beats Joker who claims that he’s innocent, and he’s stopped short of killing him by James Gordon. Bruce attends Elliot's funeral and deduces that the Joker must be innocent and that Hush must know his secret identity.

After foiling a robbery by the Riddler, Batman chases after Hush but fails to catch him. Afraid for her safety, Batman asks Selina to leave Gotham so she doesn't fall victim to Hush, who vowed to murder everyone close to him. He eventually decides to trust Catwoman and reveals his identity to her, and the two become a romantic crime-fighting couple. Later, Batman investigates the office of Thomas Elliot and discovers one of his patients was someone called Arthur Wynne who sought an operation for an inoperable brain tumor. Nightwing and Catwoman investigate a graveyard break-in and are attacked by the Scarecrow. Nightwing is overpowered by the fear toxin but Catwoman defeats Scarecrow and gets Nightwing to safety. However, she’s captured by Hush after Nightwing escapes.

At Arkham Asylum, Batman interrogates Riddler who reveals that he’s been Arthur Wynne as well as Hush. He’d used a Lazarus Pit to cure himself of his brain tumor and during his time in the pit, he figured out Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne and formed a plan involving several villains to destroy both the personal life and the crime-fighting career of Batman. Batman deduces that Riddler is actually Clayface mimicking his identity while the latter communicated via satellite. After defeating Clayface, Batman finds Riddler's location and the two engage in a final confrontation. Riddler is nearly killed but is saved by Batman with his grapnel. However, Catwoman cuts the line and allows Riddler to fall to his death. In the aftermath, Batman and Catwoman decide to go their separate ways after a fierce disagreement over Batman's ethical code. Both of them acknowledge that while their relationship can’t happen presently, it may someday.

Characters[]

Heroes[]

Batman/Bruce Wayne
Catwoman/Selina Kyle
Superman/Clark Kent
Batgirl/Barbera Gordon
Nightwing/Dick Grayson
Damian Wayne

Villains[]

Hush/Riddler
Clayface
Joker
Harley Quinn
Poison Ivy
Bane
Scarecrow

Supporting Characters[]

Alfred Pennyworth
Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon
Thomas Elliot
Lois Lane
Amanda Waller
Lady Shiva
Lex Luthor

Voice Cast[]

Character	Voice Actor
Bruce Wayne / Batman	Jason O'Mara
Selina Kyle / Catwoman	Jennifer Morrison
Edward Nygma / The Riddler / Hush	Geoffrey Arend
Dick Grayson / Nightwing	Sean Maher
Commissioner Jim Gordon	Bruce Thomas
Dr. Thomas Elliott	Maury Sterling
Alfred Pennyworth	James Garrett
Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman	Jerry O'Connell
Lois Lane	Rebecca Romijn
Damian Wayne	Stuart Allan
The Joker	Jason Spisak
Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy	Peyton List
Barbara Gordon / Batgirl	Peyton R. List
Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn	Hynden Walch
Bane	Adam Gifford
Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow	Chris Cox
Lex Luthor	Rainn Wilson
Amanda Waller	Vanessa Williams
Basil Karlo / Clayface	Adam Gifford
Sandra Wu-San / Lady Shiva	Sachie Alessio