‘Knightfall’ Writer Explains Azrael’s Introduction: Batman Wasn’t Cool Enough for the ’90s

Readers of the era wanted more than classic superheroes.

ComicBook published an excerpt from a behind-the-scenes video for Azrael Batman: The Next Knight, which looks at bringing Azrael from the comics to the animated film Batman: Knightfall Part 2 – Knightquest. The full video will be included among the home release’s bonus features. In the excerpt, story writer Jeremy Adams explained how the 1990s trend toward more violent superheroes influenced the character’s look:

“In the ’90s, Batman was a hero who trained himself through sheer willpower and became a crime fighter. But by the end of the decade, with much more radical versions of heroes appearing, audiences wanted more than a guy in a cape with a couple of Batarangs. They wanted flaming swords, mountains of muscle, pouches, hoods, and over-the-top violence. Azrael embodied the brutality everyone was craving at the time. The artists came up with a memorable look that was very much of its time: a massive suit that looked good in motion, bright primary colors, and metal. And all of it was designed to inflict as much damage as possible. Blades were in fashion then, and so was metal armor. Typical ’90s.”

Jeremy Adams

In Knightquest, Bruce Wayne is paralyzed after a fight with Bane, so Jean-Paul Valley, known as Azrael, takes his place. But the new Batman favors much more violent methods of fighting crime. The animated film will be released digitally and on disc on December 15, 2026, with the trilogy’s final installment planned for 2027.

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