I'm so glad Mark Hamill's live-action Joker convinced me to watch an underrated 2002 DC show that's been lost to time

The BM Birds of Prey The show featuring Mark Hamill's Joker is an incredibly forgotten DC TV show that was ahead of its time despite being cheesy. DC has had dozens of film and TV continuities, dating back to the beloved 1960s Batman show and film for James Gunn's expansive DCU. Some DC franchises have thrived longer than others. For example, The CW's Arrowverse spans six TV shows and several adjacent series and films, released from 2011 to 2023. Meanwhile, the DCEU dominated the big screen from 2013 to 2023, but its many behind-the-scenes problems led to an early reboot . in 2024.

The enormous success of Smallville In 2000, interest in developing new DC TV shows increased. Some DC TV shows have been canceled before being released, such as the 2006 Aquaman show starring Justin Hartley and the 2011 film Wonder Woman pilot starring Adrianne Palicki. Others, like Birds of Preymanaged to make it to the small screen and gather a small fan base before its cancellation. In the comics, The Birds of Prey are an all-female vigilante team created by Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle, and Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary. to fight crime in Gotham separately from Batman and the Bat-Family.

I had never heard of 2002's Birds of Prey until I discovered Mark Hamill's Joker was in it

The Birds of Prey show is one of DC's lesser-known TV shows

Birds of Prey adapted the eponymous DC Comics team just three years after the comics were conceived. Back when The CW was called The WB in 2002, Birds of Prey was developed as an independent TV show, separate from Smallvillecontinuity. Although Birds of Prey does not directly connect to any other DC title, includes Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher's Batsuits Batman films. Most notably, Oracle Birds of Prey The origin story features a comic-accurate Joker played by Roger Stoneburner and voiced by legendary Joker actor Mark Hamill, whose Joker voice became synonymous with the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman: The Animated Series.

Like Batman and Catwoman, Birds of PreyThe film's Joker appears only in a brief cameo, obscured by the blur of the camera's focus on his gun. In your Birds of Prey cameo, Mark Hamill's Joker recreates his famous assassination attempt on Barbara Gordon from Alan Moore's comic book Batman: The Killing Jokewhere the Joker shoots Barbara as soon as she opens the door to her apartment, leaving her paraplegic. Birds of Prey also includes flashbacks to Barbara Gordon's Batgirl days and reveals that Batman chose not to kill the Joker, which gave the Joker the opportunity to hurt Barbara when she least expected it.

Birds of Prey is a unique Batman show with some fascinating takes on DC characters

The birds of prey show was ahead of its time

Naturally, the BM Birds of Prey is very different from the DCEU film and the team's various iterations from the source material. Node Birds of Prey show, Huntress is Helena Kyle – daughter of Batman and Catwoman. Instead of just improved fighting skills, Birds of Prey gives the Huntress cat-like abilities; and instead of mighty screams, Birds of PreyBlack Canary has precognition abilities. Birds of PreyHarley Quinn is not a full-time villain, but a practicing psychiatrist with a double life as the Huntress's archenemy and the Birds of Prey's main antagonist.

They may seem normal today, but Birds of Preythe adaptation of Huntress, Oracle, Black Canary, and Harley Quinn were bold risks in 2002. For example, Oracle's origin story features wildly comedic interpretations of Batman, Catwoman, and Joker on the small screen three years before Christopher Nolan. . Batman begins. Birds of Prey marks not only the first live-action adaptation of Harley Quinn, but the first appearance of Harley Quinn following her introduction in Batman: The Animated Series. Alfred Pennyworth's role as Batman's secret informant also puts a new spin on Batman's right hand.

I'm glad I watched Birds of Prey, even though it's been over 20 years since its release

WB's Birds of Prey series is a time capsule of early 2000s DC TV shows

For better or for worse, Birds of Prey it's not a show that could be done the same way today. Birds of Prey is the epitome of early 2000s angst and campwith its leather costumes, nu metal soundtrack and exaggerated editing – all unpopular elements at the time because they were too inspired by Headquarters films. Some of these elements combine Birds of Preythe plot very well. For example, Birds of Prey It doesn't delve too deeply into the intricacies of Gotham City's crime-ridden streets, but the show's dark cinematography and CGI-enhanced skyline create a unique live-action Gotham.

The early 2000s were not a time when a female-led superhero TV show with a complex comic book-based story and ambitious visual effects could easily be greenlit. Birds of Prey may not compare to programs like Smallville, Arrowand Peacemakerbut it's an important stepping stone in DC's small-screen history. More than a decade later, the DCEU Birds of Prey film used a similar concept with a much larger budget, and the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event paid homage to the original Birds of Prey show naming its universe Earth-203 and bringing Ashley Scott back as Helena Kyle.

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