Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham(film)

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gothamis a 2023 American animatedsuperhero filmbased on theDC ComicscharacterBatman,produced byWarner Bros. Animationand distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment.It is the 51st installment in theDC Universe Animated Original Moviesline.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
Official release poster
Directed by	Christopher Berkeley Sam Liu
Written by	Jase Ricci
Based on	Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham by Mike Mignola Richard Pace
Produced by	Jim Krieg Sam Liu Kimberly S. Moreau Sam Register Michael Uslan
Starring	David Giuntoli Tati Gabrielle Navid Negahban Emily O'Brien
Music by	Stefan L. Smith
Production companies	Warner Bros. Animation DC Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date	March 28, 2023(2023-03-28)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Inspired by thethree-issue comic book miniseries of the same namepublished from November 2000 to January 2001 under DC Comics'Elseworldsimprint, the film follows an alternate Batman in the 1920s, who is fighting against supernatural forces that are taking Gotham by storm after he accidentally reawakens an entity known as theLurker on the Threshold.

Plot

In the 1920s,Bruce Waynetravels abroad for twenty years following the murder of his parentsThomas WayneandMartha Wayne,searching for answers behind the criminal mind. While investigating the disappearance ofOswald Cobblepot's expedition crew, Bruce subdues an undead crewman,Grendon,who was freeing an otherworldly creature encased in ice. Bruce, his protégésKai Li Cain,Dick Grayson,Sanjay "Jay" Tawde,and butlerAlfred Pennyworthretrieve Grendon and return toGotham City,unaware that Grendon was infected with one of the entity's parasites, with Jay staying on the ship to watch over him.

Arriving atWayne Manor,Bruce and his group are shocked to find the corpse of professorKirk Langstromin the library, as Bruce hallucinates ademonspeaking through it with Langstrom's voice. After he disposes of Langstrom's corpse, Bruce is visited by Jason Blood, the host of the demonEtrigan,who informs Bruce of a ritual which must be performed with his death, and the destruction of Gotham.

Bruce, Kai Li, and Dick are later invited for dinner at hunterOliver Queen's mansion. They also meetHarvey Dent,who tells them about Langstrom's obsession with thebatshe had been studying. Donning a bat-themed suit of his making, Bruce (under the alias of Batman) investigates Langstrom's work at Robin's Row, which is related to the Cult of Ghul, a group who worship an ancient demonic deity, with the Testament of Ghul being the tool required for the ritual. Seeking the Testament, he stumbles upon cult memberTalia,who steals it to resurrect her fatherRa's al Ghul.

Meanwhile, Grendon manifests ice abilities and escapes, killing Jay, while Dick is killed byKiller Croc.While searching for Talia, Bruce discovers a book detailing a connection between Ra's andIog-Sotha,an inter-dimensional demon with power over darkness.

Grendon then meets with Talia. It is revealed that the key to Iog-Sotha is the seed with which Grendon was infected. The seed emerges from his body, killing him in the process, to becomePoison Ivy,who scratches Dent and mutates half of his body into a portal. Ivy and Oliver fight and kill each other, with the latter giving his holy weapons to Bruce and Kai Li.

Bruce is met byJim Gordon,who tells him that his daughterBarbarawants to meet with him. Batman goes toArkham Asylumto see her and meets Thomas Wayne's spirit, who reveals his past. Centuries ago, he, Cobblepot, Langstrom, andHenry Queenestablished Gotham City, discovered the Testament in a cave, and used its magic to gain longevity and wealth as well as to bring prosperity to the previously barren land. However, this also awoke Iog-Sotha and brought him to the threshold of their reality.

Bruce takes Oliver's weapons and the bottle housing Etrigan, bids farewell to Alfred, and leaves Kai Li in charge of theBatcave,before leaving to fight Talia. He kills her but is unable to stop Ra's, who transforms into a demon. Bruce accepts his prophesied role as the Bat, transforms into a bat-like monster, and kills Ra's, but Iog-Sotha has begun to enter.

Seeing the bottle housing Etrigan, Bruce releases him and escapes the caverns as they explode, killing Dent, and Etrigan traps Iog-Sotha within them. Meanwhile, parts of Gotham burn and are destroyed, echoing Jason Blood's prophecy to Bruce.

Sometime later, Gotham slowly rebuilds and Bruce, Oliver, and Harvey are given memorials to honor their dedication and sacrifice to the city. Kai Li inherits Bruce Wayne's estate and fortune and promises to use the resources to help the city rebuild. As Kai Li delivers a speech in Bruce's memory to the public, Bruce — now permanently in his monstrous bat form — rests within Gotham's bell tower as he watches over the city.

Voice cast

• David GiuntoliasBruce Wayne / Batman
• Tati GabrielleasKai Li Cain
• Christopher GorhamasOliver Queen
• John DiMaggioasJames Gordon
• Patrick FabianasHarvey Dent / Two-Face
• Brian GeorgeasAlfred Pennyworth
• Jason MarsdenasDick Graysonand young Bruce Wayne
• Karan BrarasSanjay "Jay" Tawde
• David DastmalchianasGrendon
• Navid NegahbanasRa's al Ghul
• Emily O'BrienasTalia al GhulandMartha Wayne
• Tim RussasLucius Fox
• Matthew Waterson asJason Blood / Etrigan
• Jeffrey CombsasKirk Langstrom
• William SalyersasOswald Cobblepotand Professor Manfurd
• Gideon AdlonasBarbara Gordon / OracleandPamela Isley / Poison Ivy
• Darin De PaulasThomas Wayne

Production

The film was announced atSan Diego Comic-Conin July 2022.The voice cast was then revealed in December of that same year.David Giuntolireprises his role asBatmanfromBatman: Soul of the Dragon(2021), alongside bothNavid NegahbanandEmily O'Brienreprising their roles asRa's al GhulandTaliafrom the then recently releasedGotham Knightsvideo game.

On February 2, 2023, James Gunn confirmed that all DC animated films are being released and labeled asDC Elseworlds.

Release

The film was released on home media onBlu-ray,4K,andvideo on demandbyWarner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainmenton March 28, 2023.

Reception

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.Writing for Flickering Myth, Hasitha Fernando praised the film as an effective adaption; highlighting the voice acting, horror elements, and the animation, saying the latter was reminiscent ofBatman: The Animated Series"with a modern edge."Reviewer Jackson Luken similarly praised the film as an effective adaptation of its unique Lovecraftian elements, but found that the plot was distracted by "cameos" of other DC characters.Brian Costello ofCommon Sense Mediadescribed the film as "another superhero animated movie that's best enjoyed by the fans, who will probably have a lot to argue about with this one."however it received mixed reviews from the audience receiving 48% on the popcornmeter.

External links

• Batman: The Doom That Came to GothamatIMDb
• Batman: The Doom That Came to GothamatRotten Tomatoes