Narratively, its mature psychological themes (see 'Dreams in Darkness' or any of the other Emmy-winning episodes) earned it acclaim and made it the gold standard for dark superhero shows. For the first time in a long time, Batman was a bone-breaking bastard on a TV show rife with humor and gravitas in equal parts. Yeah, it started off as a tie-in to the Burton movies, but it arguably presents a better-rounded version of the character because it ran for over serialized 100 episodes, and it was the first television version of the character that wasn't a rehash of the Adam West formula. No one but the comic readers knew who Hawkeye was before Joss Whedon's Avengers came out - why should they? Batman: The Animated Series is the exception. Christopher Reeves set the Superman tone for the next three decades. Generally, the widespread cultural understanding of superheroes is determined cinematically.
