66 episodes in and we have reached 1995 but for Batman, just barely. The first season of Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 was 65 episodes long but an extra 20 episodes were released in 1995. Meanwhile, the X-Men were on their fourth season.
The fourth season of The X-Men was apparently intended to be the last. It lacks the overarching stories of earlier seasons but it has several multiple-episode stories. The consistency across those stories is not always clear.
There are two major Magneto stories (one in which he creates a kind of mutant sanctuary in orbit and one in which Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch discover he is their father) but the impact on his character in both stories is disconnected. Magneto also plays a major part in the concluding four-part finale (a time travel extravaganza with Cable and Apocalypse) there's that same disconnect. I suppose that is partly because Magneto is difficult to write as a character, wavering as he does between arch enemy (shown as such in the opening titles) and also a potential ally.
The roster of characters is extended by the arrival of Nightcrawler who gets two separate episodes. Meanwhile, Wolverine has two more episodes exploring his backstory including a visit to Japan to fight the silver samurai — not unlike what Bruce Wayne had to do in episode 44 of the Batman series, except he had to fight a ninja.
Batman has no such issues of consistency, indeed if anything it is becoming an issue. To remedy that issue the final 19 episodes of season 1 makes some attempts to mix things up. Episode 46 is particular fun, with a group of Batman's classic foes recounting different stories of how they nearly killed Batman. We get an origin story for the giant coin in the Bat Cave and a neat twist to tie the story together.
Beyond experiments with the structure of an episode, there are some excellent episodes in which Batman takes something of a back seat. In The Man Who Killed Batman a petty criminal finds themselves a major player in Gotham after accidentally killing Batman in an explosion (spoiler: Batman isn't actually dead). In Harley and Ivy, Harley Quinn is thrown out by the Joker and moves in with Poison Ivy. The episode has all the core problems of Harley Quinn as a character beholden to the Joker who is, at best, psychologically abusing her.
The Harley Quinn-centred episode does highlight the issue with the Batman series. It is a lot more fun following the wacky weirdo Quinn with all her problems than it is following Bruce Wayne around. Of course, the X-Men series knew from the start that it is more fun to follow a diverse group of dysfunctional screw-ups than a brooding hyper-competent.
A two-parter in which Barbara Gordon finally adopts the mantle of Batgirl is fun but the Batman cartoon isn't ready to be an ensemble piece. Robin remains only an occasional appearance and overall the series doesn't know how to make use of him.
The final attempt to mix things up for the caped crusader is teased in episode 50. Batman must stop the "Society of Shadows" from stealing a super-weapon and is aided by the mysterious Talia al Ghul. Only at the end do we learn she has been sent by her father Ras al Ghul to test Batman's mettle.
Ras and the Society of Shadows return for a globe-trotting two-parter in episodes 60-61. This story gets the caped crusader out of Gotham and into an adventure serial with a genuine supervillain. It is odd to think that Batman hasn't met a true full-on supervillain prior to this, with even his arch-foe the Joker mainly dealing in basic crime (albeit committed in bizarre ways).
Episode 62 of The X-Men series 4 is a Christmas episode with the tunnel dwelling Morlocks. The Morlocks are mutants whose mutant nature makes it difficult to live in mainstream society. It's a cheesy episode although the sitcom aspect of Jean-Grey and Gambit verbally sparring over control of the kitchen has some charm. It does mark a return to the theme of acceptance and the injustice of societal prejudices.
Episode 66 of Batman sort of attempts something similar. This is the first episode of Season 2 and features Killer Croc who escapes from a train and into the wilderness with Batman in hot pursuit. Croc eventually is taken in by a group of former circus "freaks" (the show's term) who show him love and respect. Sadly Croc does not reform and attempts to steal their savings and is eventually captured by Batman. Apart from the scenery, it's a clumsy and mean-spirited episode. It's not that the Batman cartoon had been relentlessly liberal up until then but somehow the episode manages to end on the idea of people being irredeemably bad. The idea that the former circus performers feel the need to live isolated in the woods is not really interrogated.
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