By Drew Dietsch
| Published
Batman: the animated series is the character’s best iteration in any medium, whether comics, movies, television, radio, you call it. This series is an indelible and persistent entry into the history of the Caped Crusader. During his 85 episodes, he ceased a version of Batman and his world which resists the test of time. There are a lot of good and big episodes of Batman: the animated seriesBut the one who stands out and above the peloton must be “his silicon soul”, a story that has released a precedent two parts that gave Batman: the animated series A science fiction History unlike something else in the series.
Steel heart
The story of “His Silicon Soul” actually begins in the two -part episode “Heart of Steel”. A diabolical artificial intelligence called Hardac (Holographic Analytical Reciprocal of Digital Android computer) begins to create Androids called Duplicants – A nod to the replicators of Blade runner – In an effort to replace human beings. Naturally, Batman Bat Hardac and his army of duplicants to save the day.
However, you will notice that Hardac strangely resembles the silhouette of the Batman hood. It was intentional because the original script of “Heart of Steel: Part II” ended with a Duplicant Batman appearing as the final Hardac tool. The original use of Batman’s duplice was essentially just to have a fighting scene. When producers of Batman: the animated series I saw this in the script, they immediately recognized that a Batman robot was an episode alone. Thus was born “his soul of silicon”.
His silicon soul
“His silicon soul” opens with thieves who break in a warehouse when Batman comes out of a box. After fighting the thieves, he was injured and he revealed that he has robotic bowels! Believe that he is the real Bruce Wayne, Batman returns home and asks Alfred’s help. It is here that Alfred reveals the idea of duplicants in the Batman robot and he begins to investigate his creation and his goal. Once the real Batman was on the wind of this, the pursuit is underway while the robot Batman activates its true programming and resuscitates the plan to replace humans with doubles.
However, during a fight in a greenhouse between the two Batmen, the robot saves an innocent man when the greenhouse begins to collapse. It is here that we are starting to understand that this duplicating Batman is more human than we believe. During the last culminating force test, the real Batman would have died in the hands of Duplicant Batman. And it is here where “his silicon soul” gains its reputation. Even if it was mainly programmed by Hardac to destroy humanity, the AI made a copy too good in Batman. This artificial being believes so much in the sacred character of life that it destroys itself in order to save the inhabitants of Gotham City.
It’s a powerful idea that science fiction Often grappling with: What is humanity? What makes us really human? Seeing a spectacle that is ostensibly addresses on children in such powerful and difficult subjects made me an impression when I was still at an age with a figure. To date, the last moments of Duplicant Batman overwhelmed by the guilt of the conviction that he took a life with me. “His Silicon Soul” is one of the best moments in the Kevin Conroy voice in a career overflowing.
The idea that Batman: the animated series was ready to make an episode like “his Silicon Soul” highlights the incredible depth and variety of stories that the show was able to tell in the context of Batman Adventures. Obtaining a legitimate science fiction tragedy in the midst of classic crime tales is a real treat.
