2023 has been an outstanding year for Superman fans, and one of the reasons for this is the premiere of My Adventures with Superman. The Adult Swim series has been met with critical acclaim, and it’s confirmed to return for a second season. A variety of non-Superman-centric DC Comics elements were sprinkled throughout Season 1, including a mention of Gotham City, so one wouldn’t be faulted for wondering if its shadowy protector, Batman, might appear on this show someday. Writer and co-producer Josephine Campbell addressed this prospect during an interview, and I agree with her stance on this.
The Gotham City reference came in Episode 8, titled “Zero Day Part 1,” when Gotham Gazette reporter Vicki Vale, who’s been part of the Batman mythology since 1948, visited Metropolis to cover Superman, though it quickly became clear she was already biased against the Man of Steel. Regardless, with Vicki now part of My Adventures with Superman’s continuity, could that mean a Batman appearance is on the table? The hosts of Superman Homepage brought this up in an interview with Campbell, and she answered:
I mean, this is a Superman show. We have brought in some other characters, like you said, Vicki’s from Gotham, there’s some mentions of Gotham. But for us, the whole point of this is it’s about Superman. It’s about Lois and Jimmy, and the focus is always gonna be on them. We love Superman so much. I’m excited to see [Batman:] Caped Crusader when that comes out. Definitely, there’s still going to be some more mentions of Gotham, so keep an eye out. But at the end of the day, Superman is our hero. Superman and Clark are who we love the most, and it’s who we’ve spent a couple of years writing now, so it’s what we love.
Among the other characters who appeared in My Adventures with Superman who aren’t primarily associated with the Kryptonian superhero in the source material were a pre-Deathstroke Slade Wilson, Heat Wave, The Brain, Monsieur Mallah and Amanda Waller. But it’s like Josephine Campbell said, they were all included in service to stories focused around Superman, as opposed to planting seeds for wider DC Universe tie-ins. My Adventures with Superman rightly prioritizes Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and as such this show isn’t meant to be a springboard for a larger franchise, like Man of Steel was for the DC Extended Universe. Frankly, it shouldn’t have to be.
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So while that doesn’t necessarily mean Batman will never appear on My Adventures with Superman depending on how long the show lasts, judging by Josephine Campbell’s comment, it doesn’t sound like it’s in the cards for the foreseeable future, and I’m perfectly fine with this. Plus, as she also mentioned, it’s not like we’ll be lacking in animated TV adventures featuring the Dark Knight in the near future. Batman: Caped Crusader is set to be delivered to Amazon Prime Video subscribers at a yet-to-be-revealed date, and like My Adventures with Superman, it already has a two-season commitment. Given the drastically different art styles though, don’t expect the two shows to be connected.
If you missed My Adventures with Superman Season 1 as it was airing, it can be streamed with a Max subscription. While we wait for updates on what Season 2 has in store, learn what other upcoming DC TV shows are on the way, or look over the entire small screen landscape for the coming months with the 2023 TV schedule.