The 2 most important heroes for DC are Batman and Superman, and you can see that just by how many series and movies have been released about the two. But there were strict rules that prohibited Batman from appearing in a popular series.
Which series is it about? In 2001, the series Smallville started. The focus of the story is a young Clark Kent, who, as Superman, has to not only understand his powers and his legacy but also deal with normal teenage problems.
In addition to the classic Superman characters like Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, or Jimmy Olsen, there were regular appearances of other superheroes like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary, or Hawkman.
But in 10 seasons, the other big face of DC was missing: Batman. The creators of the series were prohibited from having Batman appear, which is probably related to a rule from the 2000s.
The Bat-Embargo
What was the problem? One of the creators of the series, Alfred Gough, revealed in an interview (via comicbookmovie.com) that they were allowed almost everything for the series except for Batman and Wonder Woman.
As kryptonsite.com reports, they were indeed interested in having a young Bruce Wayne in the series, but Warner Bros. didn’t want a character to appear in a TV series and a movie. At that time, Batman Begins was already in production.
Coincidentally, in the early 2000s, there was the rule known by fans as the Bat-Embargo
. According to dcanimated.com, this was a rule by Warner Bros. and DC that limited how much from the Batman universe could be used in other media. This happened in conjunction with the launch of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
The rule was supposed to prevent the target audience from being confused by the many versions. The then-new animated series The Batman was the only one allowed to use well-known villains from Batman. This was especially noticeable in the Justice League Unlimited series. Although Batman appeared, his iconic villains were almost completely absent.
In the series The Batman, Robin only appeared in the fourth season after the series Teen Titans ended with Robin in the lead role.
Instead of Batman, there were 2 similar characters in Smallville. In the third season of Smallville, Adam Knight was introduced. Even though his true past was revealed later, he was introduced as a martial arts expert who is not only skilled in hacking but also became an orphan.
In season 6, Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) was introduced. The character also exists in the comics. He is a multimillionaire who fights with arrows, gadgets, and his intelligence. In Smallville, he also founded the Justice League. Maybe it was better for this Justice League that Batman didn’t show up: Batman is more brutal than most villains when it comes to defeating his own friends
