The Underdwellers (Batman: The Animated Series)

"The Underdwellers" is the 6th episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. It was directed by Frank Paur and written by Tom Ruegger, Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller. It was first broadcast on October 21, 1992.

The episode was animated by Studio Junio, Japan.

Plot

Batman stumbles onto a gang of young thieves led by a madman named the Sewer King, who uses them as his personal army.

Cast

Production notes

This is the only animated appearance of the Sewer King. The character later became one of the many original Batman: The Animated Series characters to crossover into canon Batman continuity with a brief appearance in the weekly series 52. In this appearance, the Sewer King is portrayed as a crime boss killed by Bruno Mannheim.

From Animato Magazine Issues # 26 and 27:

"It's Junio's weakest episode," said producer Bruce Timm. "We almost didn't use them after that. It was the First One that came back that really looked totally unlike our show. It was very Japanese. But I'm glad we did use them again, they've done great work... BS&P took a lot out of this show. Originally, the kids were to be victimized by the Sewer-King, but he was not allowed to be mean or torturous to any of them. The impact is watered down. If we were doing it today, we probably would have decided not to do the show."