I've never actually thought about the timeline gap in the original series before. That's interesting. It makes me wonder now when exactly the flashbacks in "Night of the Ninja" were set.
I would add though that Ra's Al Ghul was chronologically already an established villain, in that we never got his origin, and he had his eyes on Batman for some time, though he did not show up until later in the series. Maybe Batman had some run-ins with the League of Assassins during the 10 years Robin was growing up?
Imo, the timeline of the DCAU has always been fluid. I remember the producers were on the fence about 'Batman Beyond' being canon for a while as that could create timeline and age issues with 'Justice League.' So, the events of, say, Return of the Joker wound up being anywhere from 'almost 40' to 50 years after the ending of JLU's finale, depending on which source one cites.
Well like all good writers, the DCAU folks are more interested in telling a good story than keeping a consistent timeline, and I respect that. Comics work better when you keep the timeline vague anyway, unless you specifically want to tell stories about growth -- I've loved watching, say, Wally West grow up, or Superman become a father in the comics.
I always forget about R'as, and that's a very good point that he was an established villain when introduced, but he wasn't yet a part of Batman's orbit. I wonder if there are any weird little Z-List villains Batman and Robin took care of during that 9 year gap who never came back later. Crazy Quilt? Magpie? Killer Moth? KGBeast never showed up in the show, maybe they fought him. I just decided now in this moment that this is my new head canon.
I've never actually thought about the timeline gap in the original series before. That's interesting. It makes me wonder now when exactly the flashbacks in "Night of the Ninja" were set.
I would add though that Ra's Al Ghul was chronologically already an established villain, in that we never got his origin, and he had his eyes on Batman for some time, though he did not show up until later in the series. Maybe Batman had some run-ins with the League of Assassins during the 10 years Robin was growing up?
Imo, the timeline of the DCAU has always been fluid. I remember the producers were on the fence about 'Batman Beyond' being canon for a while as that could create timeline and age issues with 'Justice League.' So, the events of, say, Return of the Joker wound up being anywhere from 'almost 40' to 50 years after the ending of JLU's finale, depending on which source one cites.
Well like all good writers, the DCAU folks are more interested in telling a good story than keeping a consistent timeline, and I respect that. Comics work better when you keep the timeline vague anyway, unless you specifically want to tell stories about growth -- I've loved watching, say, Wally West grow up, or Superman become a father in the comics.
I always forget about R'as, and that's a very good point that he was an established villain when introduced, but he wasn't yet a part of Batman's orbit. I wonder if there are any weird little Z-List villains Batman and Robin took care of during that 9 year gap who never came back later. Crazy Quilt? Magpie? Killer Moth? KGBeast never showed up in the show, maybe they fought him. I just decided now in this moment that this is my new head canon.