DC Officially Gender-Swaps Another Major Batman Villain in Its 2-Part Series

3 days ago 12

Published Jun 21, 2026, 4:55 PM EDT

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

Fans have been waiting years for Matt Reeves to return to the world of The Batman, but at least Prime Video’s best vigilante content is just around the corner. After two years of silence, Batman: Caped Crusader is finally returning in July. The series is a spiritual successor to the beloved Batman: The Animated Series, capturing a similar style while delving into the dark psyches of its characters.

Hamish Linklater voices the Dark Knight in this reinvisioned world of Gotham. Similar to the stylized city in The Animated Series, Caped Crusader stands apart by modernizing the characters in a film noir atmosphere. The freshman season hit the ground running with a new version of the Penguin. Oswalda Cobblepot appears in the first episode as a cabaret singer on a yacht who secretly runs a vicious gang. The genderbent version of the character is not the only one, as Season 2 is set to introduce another twist on a classic character.

The Mad Hatter is the Next ‘Batman: The Caped Crusader’ Gender-Swapped Character

Batman’s Rogues Gallery has featured some of the most intelligent, if unhinged, villains for the Caped Crusader to deal with. Only in Gotham would a man dressed as a bat have to fight a giant crocodile in addition to the criminally insane. The Mad Hatter hasn’t appeared in any of the live-action feature films but is still a well-known villain in the Batman pantheon. Featured in the Arkham video games and the television series, Gotham, the Mad Hatter uses mind control devices to manipulate his victims. In some versions, he genuinely believes that he is the character from Alice in Wonderland, making him more on par with characters like the Joker or the Riddler.

IGN exclusively revealed new images of Caped Crusader Season 2, showing this new version of the Mad Hatter. Judging from the photo, it appears that this iteration of the character goes by Hattie and hosts her own show called “Hattie’s Tea Party.” This remains in line with the villain’s obsession with Alice in Wonderland while also adhering to this visually appealing style and fresh take on the characters.

Prime Video’s animated series intelligently doesn’t change Batman canon just for the sake of it. Changes to these characters don’t break the foundation of who these rogues are at heart. Changing Oswald Copplepot to Oswalda didn’t ruin anything about the crime boss. It just made her more interesting. She is just as vicious as Colin Farrell’s version of the character, but can avoid suspicion in this nostalgic world because of her gender.

Harley Quinn is changed for the better as well. Unlike in Batman: The Animated Series, where she is sometimes a literal punching bag for the Joker, this Harley becomes a villain on her own terms and for her own reasons. Caped Crusader adds to the established lore of Batman without tearing it down. Fans can also look forward to new versions of the Joker, the Riddler, and Scarecrow, ready to set fire to Gotham in the July release of the innovative new season.