While superhero movie lovers are still eagerly awaiting the next appearance of Batman on the big screen, a true DC fan knows that there is always a new flick starring the Dark Knight to look forward to at least once a year. Of course, some of these animated, straight-to-video releases end up being less popular than others, such as Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham.
Thankfully, the 2023 Warner Bros. Animation release appears to be having something of a resurgence on streaming. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is currently one of the most popular movies on HBO Max, according to FlixPatrol.
As of Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, the underrated Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham sits at Number 8 on the Top 10 most-watched feature films on HBO Max in the world. The movie achieved 96 views from across the globe, with an average ranking of 5.9 when accounting for its placement on the list in individual countries.
Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is the only DC adaptation on HBO Max’s worldwide Top 10 at the moment, which is surprising given that fans can find just about every live-action Batman movie and plenty of other, more popular animated Batman movies on the streaming platform as well. What makes this development especially surprising is how the film has gone vastly and unfairly overlooked in the two years since it came out.
The Movie Puts Batman In A Lovecraftian Tale
Batman sitting on a mystical rune surrounded by bats in Batman: The Doom That Came to GothamImage via Warner Bros. / DC
With a few notable exceptions — such as the plant-manipulating Poison Ivy, the reptilian Killer Croc, the immortal Ra’s Al Ghul and just about every foe he has taken on with the Justice League — Batman is known for having one of the most grounded and realistic rogues’ galleries of any superhero, reflecting his own lack of superhuman abilities. However, that changes in Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham.
Based on a three-part early 2000s graphic novel by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, co-writer Richard Pace and artist Troy Nixey, the title is a play on the short story, “The Doom That Came to Sarnath,” by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a fitting allusion, seeing as the plot is heavily inspired by the influential author, who specialized in envisioning unsettling worlds where otherworldly creatures are treated as gods.
Set in 1920, the film, by directors Christopher Berkely and Sam Liu, sees Bruce Wayne (voiced by David Giuntoli) returning to his hometown after years of traveling the globe, during which he uncovers an astonishing evil unlike anything the world has ever seen. This inspires him to fully assume his vigilante alter ego and attempt to contain the unbelievable situation himself.
Like any great DC Elseworlds story, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham features clever (and creepy) reinterpretations of classic characters and recognizable aspects of Bruce Wayne’s world. There is an iteration of Jason Todd named Sanjay Tawde (Karan Brar), a version of Oliver “Green Arrow” Queen (Christopher Gorham) dressed in genuine medieval armor and Barbara Gordon (Gideon Adlon) is portrayed as an actual Oracle.
Even more bizarre, but thematically appropriate, are the movie’s depictions of Ra’s (Navid Negahban) and Talia al Ghul (Emily O’Brien) as key members of a cult worshiping a monstrous entity, Mr. Freeze reinterpreted as a chilling follower named Grendon (David Dastmalchian) and Harvey Dent (Patrick Fabian), whose left side becomes afflicted with something more than just ugly. The wondrous cosmic horror themes, terrifying creature designs and bizarre ending make Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham an animated DC classic that, hopefully, even more audiences will come to discover and appreciate.
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is available to stream on HBO Max.
Release Date
March 10, 2023
Runtime
86 minutes
Director
Christopher Berkeley
Writers
Christopher Berkeley, Jase Ricci
Producers
James Krieg, Michael Uslan, Sam Register
David Giuntoli
Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice)
Patrick Fabian
Harvey Dent / Two-Face (voice)
John DiMaggio
James Gordon (voice)
Karan Brar
Sanjay ‘Jay’ Tawde (voice)